The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1899-12-30


the coming showers that since then
took into the kingdom OF God every.
thing between the Atlantic and the
Pacific, between the Pyrenees and the
Himalayas." The evils that good peo,
pie were in the nineteenth century
trying 10 destroy have been overcome
by celestial forces. What human
weaponry failed TO accomplish has
been done by omnipotent thunder.
bolts
As you and l see In this terrestrial
visitation of the coming centuries that
the church has under God accomplished
SO much. we ask our escort. the spirit OF
the twenty-frst century. to show US the
different kinds Of churches. So we are
taken In aud out Of the churches OF dif.
berent denominations, and we find that
they are just as differenti In the twenty
first century as they were different in
the nineteenth when we worshiped 10
them There is unity in them as to the
great essentials Of salvation. But we
enter the Baptist church, and II Is bap-
tismal day, and we see the candidates
for membership immersed. And we 60
into q Presbyterian church and see a
group Of parents around the baptismal
font holding up their children for the
christening. And we enter the Episco-
pal church and hear the solemn roll Of
her liturgies, and her ministers are
g0wnsd and surphced. And we enter
the Lutheran church, and we hear in the
sermon preached the doctrines of the
greatest Of German reformers. And we
60 into the Methodist church just In
time TO sit down at a love feast and give
audible amen" when the service stirs
US At least so kinds of churches in the
twenty-irst century, as there were $50
different kinds Of churches in the nine.
teenth century.
But what is yonder row Of buildings,
majestic for architectural" The spirit
of the t~wsnty-frst century says:
Those are our legislative halls and
places Of public trust. and II You would
like it Twill show you the political cir
cles, the modes Of preferment, the styles
Of election, the character OF public men
in this century" Thank you," / re.
ply. ~ can easily understand how Cos
pelizaiion would improve iEdividual life
and social life and commercial life, but
1 would Ike I SEQ what It can do for
political life" "Let me tell you" says
the spirit Of the twenty-frst century,
''that l have read about political chi.
canery and corruption Of more than 100
years ago-the nineteenth century, in
which you lived here-but the low po-
litical caucus has gone from the face OF
the earth, and the stuffed ballot box,
and the bribery by money and by prom
Use Of office. and the jobs got through
Legislatures and congresses by lobby
lists. We have nothing like a Credit Mo
bilier scandal, or those harbor and river
appropriations, the most Of which never
improved the harbors or rivers, or
speeches to kill time and prevent a vote,
or promotion to high place Of political
accidents, and the only bosses we have
now boss because they have more brain
and purity than those who are bossed.
The money barrel to buy votes and 10
decide who shall be elected did not roll
into this century. All those in high OF.
fee in township, state and nation are
men superior for intelligence and sa-
gacity and moral equipment and fitness
for the posts they occupy. All intrigue
and Maehiavelism and importation
are gone.
The last corrupt Judge Of election
wal buried so years ago, the preacher
ofhciating at the o~bsequies taking for
bis text Proverbs 1877 The name Of
He shall be buried with the burial OF
an ass. drawn and cast forth beyond
the gates OF jerusalem Our laws are
good and well executed. Men do not
in our century have TO wade chin deep
through moral slush IN order to gain
office. The word politics. which In
your century, the nineteenth, often
stood for ehicsnery and falsehood and
billiDgsgate and moral turpitude and
filth, now stands for honor and justice
and truth and righteousness. Such
men as were In your congresses and
parliaments and reichstags pointed out
as exceptions Of craftsmanship and
patriotism and public spihtedneEs and
eloquence and moral power would not
be pointed out now, for all our public
men are thus characterized. Politics
has been swept, g%arnished. glorifed,
ennobled. until nothing more is TO be
desired. Walk through all aldermanic
councils and sheriffalities and guber-
material rooms and presidential man
sions and find the truth Of what l, the
spirit Of the twenty.irst century, tell
you, who were Of the nineteenth cen
fury and now come down on terrestrial
visitation"
But we cannot stay long here, for
II Is almost time for US TO retrace our
way heavenward. This voluntary exile
must hoon end. And, passing out, we
go through a national museum, where
we are shown among the curiosities an
enfield rife, 4 howitzer, a hotchhss
ahell, an ambulance-curiositie Of that
age, but, alAsl no curiosity TO us OF the
nineteenth century, for some OF our
own kindred went down under their
stroke or were carried of the field BY
those wheels.
But" I say TO our escort, the spirit
of the twenty first century, and you and
/ say 10 each other, I'VE must go homt
now. back again to Heaven. We have
stald long enough on this terrestris
, visitation TO see that all the best thing
foretold in the Scriptures and which
we read during our earthly residence
have come 10 pass, and all the Davidic
/, Solomonic and Paullnian and Johan
: mean prophecies have been fulfilled, ant
, that the earth, instead Of being a ghast
E ly failure. Is the mlghtiest success II
r The universe. A star redeemed.
q planet rescued A world saved! ]
started with a garden, and II Is going Il
close with a garden. What a happines
n that we could have seen this old worl,
after II was righted and before |
burned. for It's interpal fires have neal
" burned out TO the crust, accordin'
10 the geologist, making Il easy for III
theologian TO believe In the conlagrr
u ton that the Bible predicts. One ele
ment taken from the water and TIA
n will burn, and another element take
NJ from the air and that will burn, an