The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-02
TIE NATIONS BIRTHDAY
Patriotic Sunday Services at the
Church Of Our Father.
Young Peoples Christian Union In
CharEe~Addrcss by Charles - {.
Acquisition of Territory in the Far
East Was Part of n Divine Plan.

FntS-He Declares That America
Acquisition of Territory in the Fla
East Was Part OF n Divine Plan
| The services at the Church OF Oul
Father, Thirteenth and L Streets, yester.
day morning were in charge of the Youni
Peoples Christian Union. led by Mr.
Charles w. Fits. 1t was a patriotic ser.
vice. the topic of the morning being "OuI
National Birthday Music appropriate tt
the occasion was rendered and an address
by the leader Of the meeting and a read
ing by Miss Chapin-Whittier's Licking
ton"-made up the programme.
In his address Mr.. Fits said in Fart:
Il rejoice that the Universaiist Church
has always stood for the highest and best
in civil government, and that today the
minds of our young people are lead to re-
alize. as never before. that the terms
Of good government and good religion are
equivalents. II one honors himself he will
| cherish his home. II he will cherish his
home he will serve his country, and IL he
| serves his country the love of God must
| follow and leayen the whole. Or to state
| the proposition more concisely, true man
is an ardent patriot and must be faith
realizes the manhood within him. His
nature calls upon him to cherish his home.
II he cherishes his home he must ever
consider the happiness and perfect free
dom for good Of its inmates, and he is
| ready to die for liberty.
And what is liberty; or, rather. what
Is it not? 1t Is not consuming fire
sweeping where the wind listeth. 1t is
no tlicense. but rather, it Is that free
dom to follow ones own desires so long
as he does not by so doing wrong others.
That day in Jerusalem, for the first
time in human history. was the brother
hood OF man Joined to and made co-equal
with the love Of God. That day did Christ
plant the seed Of human liberty which
1890 years afterward biossomed forth into
the Declaration of Independence and the
American Republic.
I'VE are accustomed to regard Jesus
Christ as the meek and lowly Nazercne.
the Saviour Of the world and the Son OF
God, but II ask you today to consider
him with me as a statesman-the great
est statesman will be presenting true
is drawing all men to him. He was law
abiding citizen of his native land. and in
culcated obedience to the laws. He was
a patriot and loved his people. He saw
that in the popular estimation the He
brew God was a Jealous God visiting his
wrath upon the sons of men who did not
worship him. He saw that Jehovah was
a counterpart OF Jupiter enthroned in a
heavenly Olympia afar off and inaccessi
BILE to man-an overpowering, masterful
physical God. He beheld people Of serfs
to Caesar. a people in whose ears had
been ringing for ages the defiant, half
cynical question of a murderer, Am
my brothers keeper" without afflrma-
tive answer. Selfishness sat enthfoned in
the heart and the home, tyranny In the
government and God in far-off, inacces-
sible heaven.
These are the things which Christ had |
pondered over during all the years of his |
ministry. and how deeply the injustice |
and horror of all sank into his soul Then |
came lawyer. trained by education and |
profession, to represent the concrete de- |
velopment of the race. for the law is the |
Capitalization of mans motives. and with |
question like a ponderous sledge struck |
this half molten mass of pert-up action,
freedom, pity. and divine love and with a |
tongue of living flame came the first and |
great commandment which lighted new
altar to religion and set the star Of free
dom in the heavens.
This was the birthday Of human lib
erty. new idea was then horn into the
world, and was destined to rule the world
And this is our Inheritance Christian
nation which in itself is a bundle of in
tegral parts. each loving its neighbor as
itself-'a government of the people, by the
people. for the people, one and insepara-
ble.' Let US die for 1t II necessary bu.
let US surely live for It
And what of our obligations? Let us
in the future protect and perpetuate among
men, at home and across the seas. our
doctrine OF equality. in the same spirit
in which We asserted 1t in 1776 and reas-
serted it in 1912, and compelled ourselves
to recognize 1t in 1851. in order that a
house divided against itself should not
fall. In the same spirit in which we de-
manded that 1t should be granted the Gu
ban brothers in 1898. Let us take up the
duties belched forth by Dewey's guns.
Was it part Of the divine plan to carry
the immortal flower of brotherhood to the
lttermost ends Of the earth by our acaui-
sition of territory in the East? Certainly
the Philippines have not come to us as
he result Of human foresight The pcs
session of Hawaii and Porto Rico were
| 4
-hree years ago. Was it the Fathers di-
'ecting hand that planted the Star Span
sled Banner in Manila? Why did he not
AXE the banner CT England or Germany
" Russia or of France? Was 1t because
'ur bars stood for brotherhood OF equal
;y and cur stars planted Oil blue stood |
or freedom sprung from heaven? Was
t because as a nation and a people we
re endowed with the highest embodiment
4 the new commandment. the Christ-spirit
hat came into the world not to DESTROY
nut to save2 Have our boys died in the
norasses OF Luzon that the United States
nay hold the key and take the password |
rom the nations of the earth in the break | T
ng down OF Confusianism and tyranny in /
nina? Is the open door of our Secretary !
State another synonym of equality and c
reedom?" c
ESTIMATE ON BRIDGE WORK. @