Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-06-07
Sermons Of THE DAY.
Preached by Rev. DR.. Talmage.

Preached by Rev. DR.. Talmage.
subject: ''The Path Of safety"-Mena res
to Our National Existence-The Dam
gers of Monopoly, Nihilism and In
fidelity Pointed Out.
tCopyright, Louis Klopsch. 1891
WAsuINGToN, D. C.-In this discourse DR..
Talmage speaks OF some OF the perlls that
threaten our American institutions and
points out the path Of safety; text, Isaiah
xii, 4. ''Thy land shall be married."
As the greater includes the less, SO does
the circle Of future Joy around our entire
world include the epicycie OF our own re-
public. Bold, exhilarant. unique, divine
imagery of the text. At the close OF q
week in which for three days our national
capital was a pageant, and all that grand
review and bannered procession and ma
tional anthems could do celebrated peace,
It may not be inapt to anticipate the time
when the Prince Of Peace and the Heir OF
Universal Dominion shall take possession
of this nation and ''thy land shall be mar
ried."
In discussing the flnal destiny Of this
nation, it makes all the difference in the
world whether we are on the way to
funer, or wedding. The Bible leaves no
uOuDl Ou tuIS buUJCCts Al PuipisS anu oh
platforms and In places Of public concourse
l hear so many OF the muffled drums Of evil
prophecy sounded, as though We were on
the way to national interment, and beside
Thebes and Babylon and Tyre in the ceme-
tery OF dead nations our republic was to
be entombed, that l wish you to under
stand it is not to be obsequies, but nup-
tials; not mausoleum, but carpeted altar;
not cylress, but orange blossoms; not re-
QUEEN, but wedding march, for ''thy land
shall be married"
propose to name some of the suitors
who are claiming the hand Of this repub-
lie. This land Is so fair, so beautiful, so
aff1uent that 1t has many suitors, and it
will depend much upon your advice
whether this or that shall be accepted or
rejected. In the first place, I remark:
There is a greedy, all grasping monster
who comes in as suitor seeking the hand
of this republic, and that monster is known
by the name Of monopoly. His scepter Is
made out of the iron OF the rail track and
the wire Of telegraphy. He does everything
for his own advantage and for the robbery
of the people.
Things went on from bad to worse until
in the three legislatures of New York, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania for a long time
monopoly decided everything. II monop-
oily favors a law, IL rns sses: II monopoly op-
poses a law 1t is rejected. Monopoly stands
in the railroad depot putting into rs
pockets in one year 1900, 600 in excess OF
all reasonable charges for services. Mo-
nopoly holds In his one hand the steam
power of locomotion and in the other the
electricity Of swift communication. Mo-
nopoly has the Republican party in one
pocket and the Democratic party in the
other pocket. Monopoly decides nomina-
tions and electtons-city elections, state
elections, national elections. With bribes
he secures the votes of legislators; giving
them free passes, giving appointments to
needy relatives to lucrative position, en-
ploying them as attorneys II they are law
yers, carrying their goods Is per cent. less
II thes are merchants, and IL he find n case
very stubborn as we'll as very important
puts down before him the hard cash OF
bribery.
But monopoly is not so easily caught
now as when during the term OF Mr.. Bu-
chanan the Legislative Committee In one
of our States explored and exposed the
manner in which Q certain railway com
land. It was found out that thirteen OF the
Senators Of that State received els, 900
among them, sixty members OF the lower
house of that State received between $4,000
AMI SIC, coo each, the Governor of that
State received $50, 600, his clerk received
$4,000, the Lieutenant-Govern received
$40, 600, all the clerks OF tine Legislature
received $500 each, while $50, 900 were di-
vided among the lobby agents. That thing
on a larger or smaller scale Is all the time
going on in some of the States in the Union,
but it is not so laundering as it used to be,
and tn, re fore not so easily exposed or ar
rested. / tell you that the Overshadowing
curse of the United States to-day is mo-
nopoly. He puts his hand upon every
bushel of wheat, upon every sack OF salt.
upon every ton of coal, and every man,
woman and child in the United States feeis
the touch Of that moneyed depotism. re-
joice that In twenty-four States Of the
Union already anti-monopoly leagues have
been established. God speed them in the
works Of liberation.
have nothing to say against capital
lists. man has a right to all the money
he can make honestly-I have nothing to
say against corporations as such; without
them no great enterprise would be possible.
but what l do say is that the same prin-
ciples are to be applied to capitalists and
to corporations that are applied to the
poorest man and tho plainest laborer.
What is wrong for me Is wrong for great
corporations. II ! take from you your
property without any adequate compensa-
tion, 1 am a thief, and II railway
damages the property Of the people with
that is gigantic theft. What is wrong on
a small scale is wrong on a large scale.
Monopoly in England has ground hundreds
of thousands of her best people into semi
starvation and IN Ireland has driven multi,
tudinous tenants almost to madness and
wealth OF co 900 900 or 10000 900 of people
and put it in a few silken wallets.
Monopoly, brazen faced, iron fingered,
vulture hearted monopoly offers his hand
to this republic. He stretches 1t out over
the lakes and up the great railroads and
over the telegraph poles Of the continent
and says, Here is my heart and hand; be
mine forever" Let the millions Of the
people North, South, East and West forbid
the banns of tina. marriage. forbid them ut
the ballot box, forbid them on the plat
form, forbid them by great organizations,
forbid them by the overwhelming senti-
ment of an outraged nation, forbid them
by the protest OF the church of God, forbid
Herod shall not have this Abigail. II shall
not be to all devouring monopoly that this
land is to be married.
Another suitor claiming the hand Of this
republic is nihilism.
He owns nothing but knife for uni
versal cutthroatery and Ditroglycerin
bomb for universal explosion. He believes
in no God, no government, no heaven and
no hell excep- what he can make on earth!
He slew the ear of Russia, keeps many II
king practically imprisoned, killed Abrn
ham Lincoln, would put to death every
king and president on earth, and IL he had
the power would climb up until he could
drive the God of heaven from His throne
and take 1t himself, the universal butcher.
In France it is called communism; in the
United States 1t is called anarchism; in
| Russia it is called nihiism, but that last is
the most graphic and descriptive term. 1t
means complete and eternal smash up. 1t
would make the holding OF property II
crime, and 1t would drive a dagger throug
your heart and put IA torch to YOUR dwell
ing and turn over this whole land into the
possession of theft and lust and rapine an.!
murder
Where does this monster live2 In all the
towns and cities of this land. 1t offers its
hand to this fair republic. 1t proposes to
tear to pieces the ballot box, the Legislative
hall the congressional assembly. 1t would
take this land and divide 1t up, or rather
divide it down. 1t would give much TO
the idler as to the worker, to t.,e bad ~ t"
the good. Nihilism! This panther, havi:l:
prowled across other lands, has set it, paw
on our soil, and 1t is only waiting Tor the
F, time in which to spring upon its prev. J.
was nihilism that burned the railroad pro; =