The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1901-05-10
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Webster won not his chief garlands
while responding to Hayne nor when
he opened the batteries of his elo-
quence on Bunker Hill, that rocking
Sinai of the American revolution, but
on that day when in the famous Girard
will case he showed his affection for
the Christian religion and eulogized
the Bible. The eloquence and the
learning that have been on the other
side come over to our side. Captured
for God, "There is none like that;
give it me-"
So also has it been with the picture
making of the world. We are very
anxious on this day to have the print
ing press and the platform on the side
of Christianity, but we overlook the
engraver's knife and the painters PEN
Gil. The antiquarian goes and looks
at pictured ruins or examines the CHS
eled pillars of Thebes and Nineveh
and Pompeii and then comes back to
tell us of the beastliness of ancient
art. and it is a fact now that many
of the finest specimens-merely artis-
tically considered-of sculpture and
painting that are to be found amid
those ruins are not fit to be looked at,
and they are locked up. How Paul
must have felt when, standing amid
those impurities that stared on him
from the walls and pavements and
bazaars of Corinth, he preached of the
pure and holy Jesus. The art of the
world on the side of obscenity and
crime and death.
Much of the art of the world has
been in the possession of the vicious.
What to unclean Henry VIII. was
beautiful picture of the Madonna!
What to Lord Jeffreys, the unjust
Judge, the picture of the Last Judg-
ment?" What to Nero, the unwashed,
a picture of the baptism in the Jor-
dan? The art of the world on the
wrong side. But that is being changed
now The Christian artist goes over
to Rome, looks at the picture and
brings back to his American studio
much of the power of these old mas
ters. The Christian minister goes
over to Venice, looks at the "Cruci-
fixion of Christ" and comes back to the
American pulpit to talk as never be-
fore of the sufferings of the Saviour.
The private tourist goes to Rome and
looks at RaphaePs picture of the Last
j L. he Tears SIdIO anu nC
goes back to his room in the hotel and
prays God for preparation for that
day when
ShriveIing like a parched scroll,
The flaming heavens together roll.
Our Sunday school newspapers and
walls are adorned with pictures of Jo-
seph in the court, Daniel in the den,
Shadrach in the fire, Paul in the ship
wreck, Christ on the cross. Oh, that
we might in our families think more of
the power of Christian picturesi One
little sketch of Samuel kneehng in
prayer will mean more to your chill
dren than 20 sermons on devotion. One
patient face of Christ by the hand of
the artist will be more to your child
than so sermons on forbearance. The
art of the world is to be taken for
Christ. What has become of Thor
waldsen's chisel and Ghirlandajo's
crayon? Captured for the truth.
There is none like that; give it me-"
So L remark it is with business acu-
men and tact. When Christ was upon
earth the people that followed Him for
the most part had no social position.
There was but one man naturally bril-
liant in all the apostleship. Joseph of
Arimathea, the rich man, risked moth
ing when he offered hole in the rock
for the dead Christ. How many of the
! merchants in Asia Minor befriended
Jesus? 1 think of only one-Lydia.
How many of the castles on the beach
at Galilee entertained Christ? Not
| one. When Peter came to Joppa he
stopped with one Simon, tanner.
! What power had Christ's name on the
Roman exchange or in the baZars of
| Corinth? None. The prominent men of
| the day did not want to risk their repu-
! tatiOn for sanity by pretending to be
one of His followers. Now that is all
| changed. Among the mightiest men
in our great cities to-day are the Chris
| tian merchants and the Christian
| bankers, and if tomorrow at the board
| of trade any man should get up and
malign the name of Jesus he would be
| quickly silenced or put out. In the
| front rank of all our Christian work
| ers to-day are the Christi merchants,
and the enterprises of the world are
| coming on the right side. There was
farm willed away some years ago,
all the proceeds of that farm TO go for
! spreading infidel books. Somehow
matters have changed, and now all the
proceeds of that farm go toward the
| missionary cause.
Now, if what l have said he true,
! away with all downheartednessi If
science is to be on the right side and
the travelling disposition of the world
| on the right side and the picture maxi
ing on the right side and the business
acumen and tact of the world on the
right side, thine, o Lord, is the king
| dom! Oh, fall into line, all We peoplel
1t is grand thing to be in such an
army and led by such a commander
and on the way to such victory. If
what 1 have said is tru%
is going to gather up for Ii
of this world everything that
anything, and there will be -,,,o,
but the scum left. We haEuOu
rebels, but a proclamation of aIOTnn
goes forth now from the throne :,
saying: "Whosoever will, let IL
| come" However long you may h1r
wandered, however great your Grim
may have been, whatsoever will, Iet
him come" Oh, that this hour L could
marshal all the world on the side O.
Christ! He is the best friend a man
| ever had. He is so kind, He is so low
ing, so sympathetici 1 cannot see how
you can stay away from Him. Come
now and accept His mercy. Behold
Him as He stretches out the arms of
II ,I,-.,t