The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-07-06

NO. -.
poses to take the consolation from 4h1
broken-hearted and the soothing pillow
from the dying. Infidelity 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 Vol
taire's Philosophy of History" It pro
poses to take away from this country
the book that makes the difference he
tween the United States and the king
dom of Dahomey, between Americas
civilization and Bornesian cannibalisui.
# infidelity could destroy the Scrip
lures it would in 200 years turn the
civilized nations back to semibarbar-
ism, and then from semibarbarism into
midnight savagery, until the morals of
menagerie of tigers, rattlesnakes and
chimpanzees would be better than tho
morals of the shipwrecked human race.
The only impulse in the right direc-
tion that this world has ever had has
come from the Bible. 1t was the moth
er of Roman law and of healthful jnris-
prudence. That book has been tho
mother Of all reforms and all charities
mother of English magma charta and
American Declaration Of Independence.
Benjamin Franklin, holding that holy
book in his hand, stood before an inf
del club in Paris and read to them out
Of the prophecies Of Habakkulx, and the
infidels, not knowing what book 1t was,
declared it was the best poetry they
had ever heard. That book brought
George Washington down ON his knees
in the snow at Valley Forge, and led
the dying Prince Albert to ark sonne
one to sing Rock of Ages.
/ tell you that the worst attempted
crime of the century is the attempt TO-
destroy this book. Yet infidelity, lodth-
some, stenchful, leprous, pestiferous.
rotten monster, stretches out its hand,
ichorous with the second death. To talee
the hand of this republic. ItstretcheA
It out through seductive magazines
and through lyceum lectures, and
through carieatures Of religion. II asks
for all that part Of the continent an
ready fully settled and the two-thifile
not yet occupied. It says: Give M
all east OF the Mississippi, with tbs
keys of the church and with the Chris
tian printing presses. Then give ne.
Wyoming, give me Alaska, give ~
Montana, give me Colorado, give me mn
the states west Of the Mississippi and u
win take those places and keep them BY
right of possession long before the Cos
pei can be fully intrenched.
And this suitor presses his case ap-
pallingly. Shall the banns Of that mars
riage be proclaimed? mol" say the
home missionaries Of the west, mar.
| tyr band of whom the world q md
worthy, toiling amid fatigues and mars
laria and starvation. No, not II Wa
can help it. By what we and our chill
dren have suffered we forbid the basspn
Of that marriage!" .No!" say an patrii-
otic voices. 'sOur institutions wero
bought at too dear price and were de-
Tended at too great sacrifice to be 90
cheaply surrendered" No" says The
God of Bunker. Hill and Independence
hall and Gettysburg. 4 did not start
this nation for such q farce. = q
cry 10000 voices. To infidelity this
land shall not be married"
But there is another suitor that pre-
sents his claim for the hand of this ~.
public. He is mentioned in the verse
following my text where It says: 40
the bridegroom re eioicetil over the bride.