St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-06-17

down to the point from which it start.
ed? 1t will fall down. and it will &c
| still farther than the point from which
it started. Christianity has lifted wonl.
on up from the very depths of degrade.
rion almost to the skies. II that lifting
power be withdrawn she falls clear
hack to the depth from which she was
resurrected, not going any lower. be-
cause there is no lower depth. And yet,
notwithstanding the fact that the only
salvation of woman from degradation
and woe is the Christian religion-and
the only influence that mas ever lifted
her in the social scale is Christianity
| have head that there are women who
reject Christianity. make no remark
in regard to those persons. In the 81
lence of your own soul make your OBJ
servati0ns.
II infidelity triumph and Christianity
be overthrown, it means the demoraliza-
ton of society. The one idea In the
Bible that atheists and infidels most
hate is the idea of retribution. Take
away the idea of retribution and pun
ishment from society. and it will begin
very soon to disintegrate. and take
away from the minds Of men the fear
of hell, and there are q great many of
them who would very soon turn this
world into hell. The ma jority of those
who are indignant because of the idea
of punishment are men whose lives are
bad or whose hearts are impure and
who hate the Bible because of the idea
CT future punishment for the same rea-
son that criminals hate the peniten-
tiary. Oh, have heard this brave talk
about people fearing nothing of the
consequences of sin in the next world,
and have made up ry mind it is mere
ly a towards whistling to keep his cour-
age up. have seen men tiaunt their inn
moral;ties in the face of the communi-
ty. and have heard them defy the judg-
ment day and scof Mt the idea of any
future consequence Of their sin. but
when they came to die they shrieked
until you could hear them for nearly
two blocks, and in the summer night
the neighbors got up to put the win
dows down because they could not en-
durc the horror.
would not want to see a rail train
with 500 Christian people on board go
down through drawbridge into
watery grave; would not want to see
500 Christian people go into such dis
aster, but tell you plainly that could
more easily see that than l could for
any protracted time stand and see an
infidel die, though his pillow were of
cider down and under a canopy of ver-
million. I have never been able to
brace up my nerves for such q spec
tacle. There is something at such
time SO indescribable in the counte-
nance. just looked in upon it min.
ute or two, but the clutch of his fist was
so diabolic and the strength of his voice
was so unnatural could not endure it.
There is no hell, there is no hell, there
is no hell!" the man had said for GO
years, but that night when / looked
in the dying room of my infidel neigh
bor there was something on his counte-
nance which seemed to say: There Is,
there is. there is, there isl" The
dkuAhSA
theft, against immortality. against lib
ertinism, against crime of all sorts
the mightiest restraints are the retri-
buttons of eternity. Men know that
they can escape the law, but down in
the offenders soul there is the realiza-
ton of the fact that they cannot escape
God. He stands at the end of the road
of profgacy, and He will not clear the
guilty. Take all idea of retribution and
out of the hearts and
minds of men, and it would not be long
before our cities would become Sodoms.
The only restraints against the evil pas
sions of the world to-day are Bible re-
straints.
Suppose now these generals of athe-
ism and infidelity got the victory, and
suppose they marshaled a great army
made up of the majority Of the world.
They are in companies, in regiments.
in brigades-the whole army. For
ward. march, we hosts Of infidels and
banners flying before. banners
flying behind. banners inscribed with
the words: NO God! No Christ! No
No Restraints! Down
with the Bible! Do as You Please!"
The sun turned into darkness.
Forward. march. We great army of
infidcls and atheists! And first of all |
you Will attack the churches. Away
with those houses of worship. They |
have been standing there SO long de-
luding the people with consolation IN |
their bcreavements and sorrows. All |
those churches ought to be cNtirpated. |
they have done SO much to relieve the |
ost and bring home the wandering.
md they have so long held up the idea
IF eternal rest after tie paroxysm of |
his life is over. Turn the ST. Peters |
md ST. Pauls and the temples and tab
into clubhouses. Away with |
hose chuches!
Forward, march, We great army of fin
idels and atheists. and next of all they |
scatter the Sabbath schools filed with |
bright-eyed. rosy-cheeked little ones /
who are singing songs on Sunday after
noon and getting instruction when
hey ought to be on the street corners
playing marbles or swearing on the
commons. Away with them. Forward,
march. We great army of infidels and
and next of all they will at
tack Christian asylums. the institu-
ions supported by Christian philan-
fhropies. Never mind the blind eyes
md the deaf caps and the crippled
limbs and the darkenesl intellects. Let
,arelyzed old age pick up its own food
ind orphans fight their own way and
he half reformed 60 back to their evil
labits. Forward, march. ye great
lrmy of infidels ald atheists, and with
our battleaxes hew down the cross
md split up the manager of Bethlehem.
On. We great army of inidels and
and now they come to the
,raveyards and the cemeteries of tie
'arth. Pull down the sculpture above
gate, for it means the Res
Tear away at the entrance
# Laurel Hill the figure of Old Mortal
ty and the chisel. On, We great army
# infidels and atheists, into the grave
ards and cemeteries. and where you
ee ASLEEP in Jesus cut it away, and