The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-06-14

lation from the broken hearted and the
soothing pillow from the dying. Inadelity
PROPOSES to swear in the President OF the
United States and the supreme court and
the Governors Of States and the witnesses
in the courtroom with their right hand on
Paine's "Age OF Reason" or Vo!tatre's
PHILOSOPHY OF History" It proposes to
take away from this country the book that
makes the difference between the United
States and the kingdom OF Dahomey, be-
tween American civilization and Bornesian
cannibalism. II infidelity could destroy
the Scriptures, 1t would in 200 years turn
the civilized nations back to osemibarbarism,
and then from semibarbarism into mid
night savagery until the m orals OF menag-
erie OF tigers, rattlesnakes and chimpan-
zees would be better than the morals OF tho
shipwrecked human race.
The only impulse In the right direction
that this world has ever had has come
from the Bible. It was the mother OF
That book has been the mother OF oil re-
forms md all charities-mother Of Eng
lish magma charta ard American Declara-
tion Of Independence. Benjamin Franklin.
holding that Holy Book In his hand, stood
before an infldel club in Paris and read to
them out OF the prophecies OF Habakkuk,
ard the infidels, not knowing what book
It was, declared that 1t was the best poetry
hey had ever heard, That book brought
G gorge Washington down on bis knees in
the snow at Valley Forge and led the dy-
ing Prince Albert to ask some one to sing
Crock Of Ages"
tell you that the worst attempted crime
of the century is the attempt to destroy
this book. Yet infldelity, loathsome, stencil
ful, leprous, pestiferous, rotten monster
stretches out its hand: ichorous with the
second death, to take the. hand OF this re-
public. It stretches it out through seduc-
tive magazines, und through lyceum leo
lures and through caricatures OF religion.
It asks for all that part OF the continent al
ready fully settled, and the two-thirds not
yet occupied. It says: "Give me all east
Of the Mississippi, with the keys OF the
church and with the Christian printing
presses-then give me Wyoming, give me-
Alaska, give me Montana, give me Colo
RADIO, give me all the States west Of the
Mississippi. and will take those places and
keep them by right Of possession long be-
fore the gospel can be fully intrenched."
But there Is another suitor that presents
bis claim for the hand Of this republic. He
text where 1t says. GAS the bridegroom re.
joiceth over the bride, 50 shall thy God re-
joice over thee" Before Columbus and his
120 men embarked on the Santa Maria, the
Pinta, and the Nina, for their wonderful
voyage, what was the last thing they did2
They Shutdown and took the holy sacrament
OF the Lord Jesus Christ. After they caught
the first elimse OF this country and the gun
of one ship had announced 1t to the other
vessels that land had been discovered, what
was the soag thst went up from all the
three decks? "Gioria in excesis." After
Columbus and his 120 men had stepped
from the ships deck to the solid ground,
what did they do? They all knelt and coz
secrated the new world to God. What did
the Huguenots do after they landed in the
Carolinas2 What did the HOLLAND refugees
do after they had landed in New York?
What did the pilgrim fathers do after they
landed in New England? With bended knee,
and uplifted face and heaven besieglng
prayer, they took possession OF this contt--
nent for God. How was the first American
Congress opened? BY prayer, in the name
OF Jesus Christ. From H. birth this nation.
was pledged for holy marriage with Christ
And then see how good God has been to
US! Just open tue map OF the continent
and see how It Is shaped for immeasurable
Navigable rivers. more in
number and greater than OF any other land,
rolling down on all sides to the sea, prophe-
sying large manufactures and easy COM
mcrcc. Look ut the great ranges OF noun
tains timbered with wealta on the top and
sides, metaled with wealth underneath.
Ono hundred und eighty thousand square
miles Of coal. One hundred and eighty
square miles OF iron. The land
80 consoured that extreme weather hardly
ever lasts more than three days-extreme
heat or extreme cold. Climate for the
m ost part bracing and favorable for Drawn
and brain. All fruits, all minerals,
all harvests. Scenery displaying an
autunnal pageautry that no land
on earth pretends to rival. No
South American earthquake. No Scotch
mists. No London Fogs. No Egyptian
plaques. No Germanic divisions. The
people OF the United States ere happier
than any people on earth. 1t Is the testi-
mony OF every man that has Travelled
for the Industrious more opportunity
On, how good God was to our fathers, and
how good He has been to US and our chill
dren. To Him, blessed be His mighty
name-to Him of cross and triumph, to
Him who still remembers the prayer OF the
and Holland refugees and the
pilgrim fathers, to Him shall this land be
Oh. you Christian patriots, by
your contributions and your prayers,
hasten on the fulallment OF the text.
While some people may stand at the
gates OF tho city, SAYING, "Stay baek!" to
foreign populations, press out as far be-
yond those gates as can press out beyond
them and beckon to foreign nations, say
Ing, "Come, come, all ye people who are
honest and Industrious and God loving!"
But say YOU, 81 am so afraid that they
will bring their prejudfces for foreign gov
ernments and plant them here Absurd.
They are sick of the governments that
have oppressed them and they want free
Americal Give them the great gospel OF
welcome. Throw around them all Chris
tian hospitalties. They will add their in
dustry and hard earned Wages to this
country, and then We will dedicate al!
to Christ and "thy land shall be married"
But where shall the marriage altar be?
Let it be the Rocky Mountains, when,
through artificial and mighty irrigation,
all their tops shall be covered, as they
will be, With vineyards and orchards and
Yrainhelds. Then let the Bostons and the
New Yorks and the CEarlestons Of the
Pacific coast come to the marriage altar
On one side, and then let the Bostons and
the New Yorks and the Charlestons OF
the Atlantic coast come to the marriage
altar on the other side. and there be-
.ween them let this bride OF nations kneel,
and ther II the organ Of the loudest
.hunders that ever shook the Sierra
Sevadas on the one side or moved the
foundations OF the Alleghanies on the
other side should open full diapason OF
Wedding march that organ OF thunders
could not drown the voice OF him who
yould take the hand Of this bride OF nations,
;aying, "As a bridegroom rejolceth over
bride, so thy God rejoiceth over thee" At
hat marriage banquet the platters shall
20 OF Nevada silver. and the chalices Of
California gold and the fruits OF northern
orchards, and the spices Of southern
,roves, and the tapestry OF American manu-
acture, and the congratulations from al!
he free nations Of earth and from all tho
triumphant armies OF heaven, And so thy
and shall be married"
THE SUNpAY-ScHoOL UNION.