Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-25
DRS. Hidden AND CALISCH.
These Eloquent Ministers Speak al
Beth Ahaba.

|
The congregations of Beth Ahaba Tenn
| pie and Grove-Avenue Baptist church
united in service at IL o'clock, and the
! attendance filled the temple to its great
est capacity. DR.. T.. n. Calisch presided,
J and both he and DR.. Hiden made odmi
| rable addresses.
The gifted and scholarly pastor of
| Grove-Avenue spoke, in part, follows:
| 1T was with unfegned pleasure, my
| friends, that l accepted the kind invi-
/ tation Of your president. seconded by
your courteous minister, to address you
on this occasion. We are assembled here
to thank Almighty God for His many
! blessings, and as it would be impossible,
within the limits of a brief talk, even 70
mention the innumerable mercies of our
| God, il has occurred to me that IL would
be appropriate, on such an occasion as
| this TO speak upon The Blessings of Amer
lean Citizenship and this is my theme
/ to-day.
THE RELIGIOUS BLESSING.
So far as my knowledge extends, the
American citizen is the only human be-
| ing upon the face of the earth who has
the undisputed right to think and 70
act as he pleases in matter Of religion.
! How did we secure this inestimable
! bOpu. nc HlSNOAJ - q WY ANiiithA she*b+N
one. At the time when our Federal Con-
| stitution was in making very few think
! ers in all this world were so bold as
TO believe that the average man could
| be trusted TO choose his own religion, alb
solutely untrammeled by the State. Even
to-day We find, now and then, a man
| who mourns over the fact that our
fathers failed TO put God into the Con-
| stitution" The trainers Of our Constitu-
hgf
| as statesmen They were not undertake
ing to guide men 70 Heaven, but to gov
| ern them on earth. They were founding
| not church, but a state. and they were
! NOT weak enough TO believe that the
two could really be one.
THEY WERE NOT GODDESS.
1t is not fair to call these men God
less" Franklin made a most memora-
bic plea for prayers in the Federal con-
vention, though he failed 10 carry his
point. and Franklin was exceedingly hbe-
raj in his religious views. Jefferson was
abroad at that period, and so mad no
thing to do with framing the Constitution
but his Well-knOwn liberality In mat
ters religious had a most powerful in
fluence in securing absolute freedom o.
religion in this country. If Washington
had been a bigot; If Jefferson had been
a zealot; II Franklin had been an en-
thusiast one trembles to think how dine
rent might have been our present con
dition as regards religious freedom.
Finally. DR.. Hidden drew picture o.
"a renovated Commonwealth ana close.
with the sixtieth chapter of Isaiah Which
he recited from the "Authoriz "a 'ersioh
DIR. CaIisch on 'Nationnl Ideas.
DR.. Calsch spoke on National Ideals
and a part of the able and thousnt-pTo
voxing discourse is given here. He sald
''The prophets of Israel were men or kee.
spiritual vision. They pierced the depth
OF things, and in their grasp or ailaA
plucked the very heart out OF the oOso'
OF condition When they felt the pu!s'
beat of human life, saw wherein huih''.
nature, individual and communal wa
weak. and they attempted TO minister L
if. OF the ideals to which the prophet
of old gave voice. l call our ATTENTION 4.
two, because conditions mere anu NOV
seem to point to the approaching reali@"
lion of them, conditions that are the han
lingering rays Of dawn, whose full noon
| dav Ueht shall shine with all the Spleu
dor of milenial Iultlment.
.arhe one is from Malachi H., 10. where
The .prophet gives tongue TO the truth o.
human brotherhood: Have we not 81
one Father, hath not one God created u
ouY There Is a glory in these word.
that shned Ger all the world OF douo'
and hate, and pessimisic Dlackness'
: II = 10 me one of the most stirring IN
nulses of patriotic gratitude that our ma
tional Thanksgiving-Day offers oppoi
unity for this demonstration of trateIn
zation IL is with the keenest pleasure
that | welcome DIR. EIiden and his people
70 our home of worship to join win VI
i'm grateful praises unto God, TO oner VIII
rs the tribute of devotion at this shrine
jTor though we have different path.
wherein the feet Of the faithful do tread
and we have different ideals OF divine
revelation. yet have we not all on'
Father, and hath not one Goa created
us all?'
1T SHALL BE AMERICA.
"The other prophetic utteTance is tror
zacbariah w.. 6. where the prophet, speak
in., of the world-conquest by lsrdei, "a.
n shall be done, not by power, nor b.
might. but by My spirit, said the God .
nosts' There is a pr0fundity In TIL
truth which the plummet OF human IN
derstanding seems not yet TO have 5ouhd
ed II Is a national IDEAL. which no IA
ton of the past has realized, but when
is our pravev ehall. under God, be
allied by America. Egypt ruled
early days. bue pt fe. Tor her rem
arce was placed in sword and shield
but Babylon conquered Persia by the forc'
Of ideas. Greece overthrow Persia WITH
shin and sold CT. but Greece was over
thrown by Persian thought and Persi'
luxury and Pc sian manners. In her turn
Greece succumbed TO Rome, but Rome
fen victim TO Grecian civilization GrecIaI
deals and Grecian philosophy. The swor'
, NAV have had the temporary triumph
but unto the ideals is the everlasting VIC
tory. Soldiers Perish, armies melt away
. the clash OF steel dies out. the din @
arms IS done, dynastiss are overthroWn
empires fan, and Kingdoms crumble to no
IN ngness. but the truth or God stano
fast for everlasting worlds.
THE APPLICATION.
II recall thu thought that we may ap
0 My TO curse rs to-day. We are at TN
c crucial hour In our nations history. Fo
the first time America has lifted up he
arm 10 do more than to defend her own
She has cast her lance into the interna
: tlonaI arena. She has entered the list
r OF the world tourney. She has done q
e in the name OF freedom and humanity
with the highest Ideals Of human acuol