The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-06-24

|
north, south, east and west forbid the
banns of that marriage, forbid them at
the ballot box, forbid them on the plat
form, forbid them by great organiza'
tons, forbid them by the overwhelming
sentiment of an outraged nation, forbid
them by the protest of the church of
God, forbid them by prayer to high
Heaven. That Herod shall not have
this Abigail 1t shall not be to Aide
vouring monopoly that this land is to
be married.
Another sutton claiming the hand OF
this republic is nihilism
He owns nothing but knife for uni
versal cutthroatery and nitroglycerin
bomb for universal explosion. He be-
lieves in no God, no government, no
Heaven and no hell except what he can
make on earth. He slew the ear of
Russia, keeps many king practically
imprisoned, killed Abraham Lincoln,
would put to death every king and pres
ident on earth, and, ii he had the power,
would climb up until he could drive
the God of Heaven from His throne and
take it himself, the universal butcher.
In France it is called communism; IN
the United States it is called anarchism;
in Russia it is called nihilism, but that
last is the most graphic and descriptive
term. 1t means complete and eternal
smash-up. 1t would make the holding
of property crime, and it would drive
dagger through your heart and put
torch to yonr dwelling and turn over
this whole land into the possession of
theft and lust and rapine and murder
Where does this monster live? In all
the towns and cities of this land. 1t Of
fers it's hand to this fair republic. 1t
proposes to tear to pieces the ballot
box, the legislative hall, the congress
. sional assembly. 1t would take thls
land and divide it up, or, rather, d.
vide it down. 1t would give as much to
the idler as to the worker, to the bad
as to the good. Nihilism! This pam
tier, having prowled across other
lands, has set it's paw on our soil, and it
is only waiting for the time in which
to spring upon it's prey. 1t was nihilism
that burned the railroad property at
Pittsburgh during the great riots; it
was nihilism that slew black people
in our northern cities during the war;
it was nihilism that mauled to death the
, Chinese immigrants years ago; it is nj
, hilsm that glares out of the windows
of the drunkeries upon sober people
as they go by. All, its power has never
yet been tested. 1 pray God its power
may never be fully tested. 1t would, If
it had the power leave every church,
. chapel, cathedral, schoolhouse and col
lege in ashes.
, Let me say it is the worst enemy OF
: the laboring classes in any country.
> The honest cry for reform lifted by OPP
pressed laboring men is drowned out
by the vociferation for anarchy. The
;, criminals and the vagabonds who range
through our cities talking about their
rights, when their first right is the pen
itentiary-if they could be hushed up.
aud the downtrodden laboring men Of
L This country could be heard, there
| y
dren. In this land riot and bloodshed
never gained any wages for the people
: vt gathered up any prosperity. In this
: land the best weapon is not the club
not the shillalah, not firearms, but the
y ballot. Let not our oppressed laboring
: men be beguiled to coming under the
3 bloody banner of nihilism. 1t will make
}, your taxes heavier, your wages
smaller, your table scantier, your chill
dren hungrier, your suffering greater
I Yet this nihilism, with feet red OF
] slaughter, comes forth and offers it;
hand for this republic. Shall the banrs
t be proclaimed? If so, where shall the
:. marriage altar be, and who will be the
n officiating priest, and what will be the
q music? That altar will have to be
J white with bleached skulls, the official
t ing priest must be dripping assassin,
I the music must be the smothered groan
: of multitudinous victims, the garlands
e must be twisted of night shade, the
: fruits must be the apples of Sodom, the
= wine must be the blood of St. Bartholo;
s news massacre. No! 1t is not to nj
t hilism, the sanguinary monster, that
S this land is to be married.
|, Another sutton for the hand of this
e nation is infidelity. When the midnigh;
r ruffians despoiled the grave of A. T.
n Stewart in St. Marks churchyard ev.
t erybody was shocked; but infidelity
:, proposes something worse than that
r the robbing of all the graves of Chris
/ tendon in the hope of resurrection
J. 1t proposes to chisel out from the tomb
d stones of your Christian dead the words
y ASLEEP in Jesus" and substitute the
d words collaboration annihilation.'
e Infdelity proposes to take the letter
t from the worlds Father, inviting the
n nations to virtue and happiness, and
y tear it up into fragments so small thai
|. you cannot read word of it. 1t pro.
l. poses to take the consolation from tbs
broken-hearted and the soothing pillow
i from the dying. IpfGelity proposes tc
e swear in the president of the United
e States, and the supreme court, and the
S governors of states, and the witnesses
: in the courtroom with their right hand
o on Paine's Age of Reason" or Vol
o taire's PHILOSOPHY of History" 1t pro.
1 L. IL