The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-03-29

one-third, II not three-tbirds Of the waters
that roll past your employees and opera
tivea and dependents and associates, and
the long line OF carriages which the under.
taker orders for your funeral in order to
make the occasion respectable will ba filed
with twice as many dry, fearless eyes. as
there are persons occupying them. You
will be In the world bnt few minutes. As
compared with eternity, the stay of the
longest lie on earth Is not more than a
minute. What are We doing with that
minute?
What is true OF individuals is true Of
nations. God sets them up to revolve as
stars. but they may fall wormwood Tyre
he atmosohere OF the desert. fragrant
spices coming In caravans to her fairs: all
seas cleft into foam by the keels Of her
laden merchantmen; her markets rich with
horses and camels from Tooarnah; the
bazaar filled with upholstery from Dedan.
with emerald and coral and agate from
Syria. with mines from Helbon. with
embroidered worK from Ashur and Chill
mad. Where now the gleam OF her towers.
where the roar OF her charlots. where the
masts OF her shins? Let the fishermen who
dry their nets where once she stood, let
the sea that rushes npon the barrenaess
where once she challenged the admiration
OF all nations, let.the barbarlaps who set
set their rude tents where once her palaces
.glttered. answer the questions. She was
star, but by her own sin turned to worm
wood and has fallen.
Hundred gated Thebes-ior all time to be
the study OF antiquarian and dhieroglyphist.
Her stupendous ruins spread over twenty
seven miles, her sculptures presenting In
figure OF warrior and chariot the victories
with which the now forgotten kings OF
Egypt shook the nations; her obeIisks and
columns; Karnak and Luxor, the stupend-
GUS temples OF her pride! Who can imagine
the greatness OF Thebes In those days, when
the hIppodrome rang with her sports and
foreign royalty bowed at her shrlnes. and
her avenues roared with the wheels OF pro.
What spirit OF destruction spread the lair
OF wild beats In her royal sepulchers and
taught the miserable cottagers OF to-day
to build huts iu the courts Of her pies
aud sent desolation and ruin skulking be-
hind the obelisks, and lodging among the
sarcophagi, aud leaning against the COL
umns, and STOPPING among the arches, and
weeping In the waters which 90 mourn
fully by, as though they were carrying the
tears OF all the ages? Let the mummies
break their long silence and come up to
shiver in the desolation and point to fallen
gates and shattered statues and defaced
sculpture. responding: "Thebes built not
one temple to God. Thabes hated right
eousness and loved sin. Thebes was
star, but she turned to wormwood and has
fallen"
Babylon. with her $50 towers and her
brazen gates and her embattled walls, the
splendor OF the earth gathered within her
gates, her hanging gardens built by Me-
buchadnezzar to please his bride. Amytls,
who had been brought up in mountain
Gus country and could not endure the 1at
country around Babylon. These hanging
gardens built terrace above terrace, till at
the height OF 400 feet there were woods
waving and fountains playing, the yerdure,
the foliage. the glory, looking as II a noun
tain were on the wing. On the tiptop
king walking with his queen among the
statues, snowy white, looking up at birds
brought from distant lands and drinking
out OF tankards Of solid gold or looking of
over rivers and lakes upon nations subdued
md tributary, crying, els not this great
Babylon which / have built?"
What batteriug ram smote the walls?
What plowshare upturned the gardens2
What army shattered the brazen gates?
What long, fierce blast OF storm put out
this light which Illuminated the Worldf
What crash OF discord drove down the mu-
sic TINT poured from palace window and
garden grove and called the banqueters to
their revel and the dancer to their feet? 7
walk upon the scene OF desolatton to find
an answer and pick up pieces OF bitumen
and brick and broken pottery, the remains
OF Babylon. hear the wild waves saying:
Babylon was proud. Babylon was I'm
pure. Babylon was star, but by sin she
turned to wormwood and has fallen"
From the prosecutions OF the pilgrim
fathers and the Huguenots in other lands
God set upon these shores q nation. The
council fires OF the aborigines went out In
the greater light OF free goyernme ent. The
sound OF the warwhoop was exchanged for
the thousand wheels OF enterprise and pro-
gress. The mild winters, the fruitful sum-
mers, the healthful skies, charmed from
other lands a race OF hardy mel, who
loved God and wanted to be free. Before
again into ships masts and churches
pillars. Cities on the banks OF lakes be-
gan to rival cities by the sea. The land
uuakes with the rush Of the rail car, and
the waters are churned white with the
steamers wheel. Fabulous bushels OF
Western wheat meet on the way fabulous
bushels OF Eastern coal. Furs from the
North pass on the rivers fruits from the
South. And trading In the same market
are Maine lumbermen and South Carolina
rice merchant and Ohio farmer and Alaska
fur dealer. And churches and schools and
asylums scatter light and love and mercy
and salvation upon 10000, 900 OF people.
pray that our nation may not copy the
crimes OF nations that have perished; that
our cup OF blessing turn not to wormwood
and we 20 down. I am by nature and by
grace an optimist, and expect that this
country will continue to advance until the
world shall reach the millenlal era. Our
only safety is In Righteousness toward God
and justice toward man. II we forget
the goodness Of the Lord to this land
not by the dire disasters that have again
and again come to US as a people, and
we learn saving lesson neither from
civil wnr nor raging epidemic. nor
drought, nor mildew, nor scourSe OF locust
and crasshopper; II the political corrup-
tion which ha, poisoned the foundations
of public virtue and beslimed the high
places OF authority, making free govern
ment at times Kissing and byword In
all the earth; II the drunkenness and IL
centiousness that stagger and blaspheme
in the streets of our great cities, as though
they we're reaching after the fame OF Cor
inth and Sodom, are not repented OF, we
will vet see the smoke OF our nations ruin.
The pillars OF our national and State capt.
tolls will fall more dlsnstrously than when
Sampson pulled down the Dragon, and
future historians will record upon the page
bedewed with generous tears the story that
the free nation OF the west arose ~
splendor which made the world stare. 1t
had magnificent possibilities; It forgot
God; 1t hated justice; 1t hugged its crimes,
It halted on It's high march; 1t
reeled under the blow OF calamity;
II fell, and as it was going down nil the
despotisms OF earth from the top OF
bloody thrones began to shout: "AhaI
So would we have it," while struggling
aud oppressed. peoples looked out from
dungeon bars. with tears and groans and
cries OF untold agony, the scorn OF those
and the woe OF these. uniting In the cX.