Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-10-20


nominations.
copyright. 1895 by American Press Asso-
Ciationl
WASHINGTON, Oct. lG.-Dr. Talmage in
his discourse takes us with him on jour
ncy to the Pacific and finds "the footsteps
of the Creator" everywhere. as Hugh Mil
Ter found them in the old rcd sandstone;
texts, Isaiah Sxxv. 6, streams in the
desert; Psalms civ, ~, "Hc touchcth the
hills. and they smoke"
My first text means irrigation. 1t means
the waters Of the Iimalaya or the Pyrc-
Noes or the Sierra Ncyadas poured through
canals and nqucuucJs for the fertilization
of tho vslloys 1t means the process Ivy
which the last inile OF American barren
ness viii he made an apple orchard, or an
orange grove, or a VIII sat field, or cotton
plantation, or vineyard" streams In tho
desert" MY second text means u volcano
like Vcsuvius or Cotopa1i, or it means
che goyscrs Of Yellowstone park or Of
California. You see n hill calm and still
and for ages immovahlc, but the Lord out
OF the heavens puts his finger on tho top
OF IL, and from il rise thick and imprcS-
sivc vapors lilo tuuCheth the hills, and
they smokcl"
Although my Journey across the CON
tincnt this summer was for the eighth
time. moro and morc am impressed with
the divine hand in its construction and
with ~ greatness and grandeur and more
md moro am | thrilled with the fact that
81 Is all Ia Ec irrigated, Cluriiicd and Eden
I'D. What change from the time when
Daniel Webster on yondcr Caritolinc hill
said to the American senate in regard To
the center Of this continent and to the re-
giOns on the Pacific coast: what do you
want with this vast, worthless area, this
region of savagcs and wild beasts Of dos
crtS and cactus, of shifting sands and
prairie dogs. To what use could we over
put these great deserts or these great
mountains, impcnctrahle and covered
with eternal SHOWS What can we ever hope
to do with the western coast rock bound,
cherries and uninVitng and not IA harhor
on it, | will never vote uur cent from tho
IU,lic treasury to ulacc the Pacific coast
ono inch nearer Boston than it now Is. "
What mistake the great statesman made
when he said that! All who have crossed
thccontincEt realize that tho states on the
Pacific ocean will have quite ms grand OPP
portuuticn rs the states on tho Atlantic,
and all this realm from sea to sea to DO the
Lords cultivated possession.
\ Cross on the Mountain.
Do YOU know what in some respects Is
the most remarkable thing between the
Atlantic and Psciiics 1t is the figure Of
n cross on mountain in Colorado 1t is
called the Mount OF the Holy Cross"
\ horizontal orcyice filed with perpetual
snow and q perpendicular crevice filed
with snow, but both the horizontal line
and the perpendicular line SO marked, so
bold, 50 significant, so unmistakable, that
all who pass in tho daytime within many
miles ara compelled to SEQ 1t. There are
some figures, some contours, some noun
tain appearances, that you gradually make
out after your attention is called to them.
so u mans face ON the rocks in the White
mountains. 30 - lnaidcn's forn cut in
tho granite OF the Adirondacl:s. - city
in the moving clouds Yet Won have 70
lock under the pointing of your friend or
guide FOR some time before you can see the
similarity But the first instant you
glance At this sidc of the mountain in
Colorado, you cry out: A cross, A
cross Do YOU say that this geological
inscription just happens so! No! That
cross ON the Colorado mountain is not u
human device or AN accident Of nature or
the freak Of an earthquake The hand Of
God cat ii there and set IL up for the ma
before the cross of wood was set up ON tho
blum back Of .lCrusalcm or set mp at some
time since that assassination. believe the
Creator meant it To suggest the most notn.
Bile event in all the history of this planet,
ard he hung it there over the heart Of this
continent u indicate thar tho only hope
for this nation is in the cross ON which
our Emmanuel died. The clouds were
vocal ut our Saviour's birth, the rocks
rent M his mnrryrdom, why NOT the walls
of Colorado hear the record of the cruciiix-
ion.
First, consider the immcnsty of this
continental possession. II it were only a
small tract OF land, capable of nothing
better than sagcbruSh and with ability
only to support prairie dogs, should not
have much enthusiasm in wanting Christ
~ have it added IN his dominion. But its
immensely and aillucncc no ono can imag.
ne unless in immigrant wagon ar stage.
coach or in rail train Of the Union Pacific
Or tho Northern Pacific or the Canadian
Pacific or tho southern Pacific he has
traverscd IL.
A Vast Domain.
supposed in my boyhood from its size
On the map, that California was q few
yards across, n ridge OF Land on which one
must walk cautiously lest he ht has head
agalns: ;he Sierra Nevada on one side or
slip oil into the Pacific waters on the
other. California, the thin slice Of land,
Us ! supposed IL to be in boyhood, have
found To lie larger than all the states Of
New England and all New York state and
all Pennsylvania added together, and II
you add them together their square mile:
fall far short OF California And then all
those newborn states ot the Union. North
and South Dakota, Washington, Montana
Idaho and Wyoming Zach state AN alu
pire in size,
But sa-s some one, "in calculating
the immensely OF our continental acreage
you must remember that vast reaches OF
our public domain are uncultivatcd heap!
CI dry sand, ana tho Bad Lands OF Mon
tsna and the Great American Desert"
am glad you mentioned that. Within 81
YEARS .herc will not be between the Allan
ito and Pacific coasts 100 miles OF lane
not reclaimed either By farmers plow ol
minors oroNbar. By irrigation, the wa
tsrs NJ the rivers and the showers of hcav
en-, In what arr called the rainy season
VIII be gathered into great reservoi,
and through aqucductS let down whor
and when The people want them. Utal
Is an object lesson, Some parts OF tina
territory which We're so barren that spca
OF grass could not have been raised Their
in loo years arc now rich as Iancastc
county farms Of Pennsylvania or Wcstchcs
ter farms Of New York Or Somerset coun
~ farms Of New Jersey. Experiment
have proved that ten acres OF ground irri
gated from waters gathered in great ny
,ir