The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-04-05

nings are I'm Great Britain and the Unit
ed States. In London and New York the
lightnings are stabbed, waiting to be har-
messed for some quick dispatch. That
shows you that the telegraph is in the
possession Of Christianity.
1t is a significant fact that the man
who invented the telegraph was an old
fashioned Christian, Professor Morse,
and that the man who put the telegraph
under the sea was an old fashioned
Christian, Cyrus W. Field, and that the
president Of the most famous OF the tele-
graph companies of this country was an
old fashioned Christian, William Orion,
going from the communion table on earth
straight to his home in heaven. What
does all that mean?
1 do not suppose that the telegraph was
invented merely to let US know whether
-four is up or down or which horse won
the race at the Derby or which marks
man beat at the latest contest. | sup
pose the telegraph was invented and built
to call the world to God.
In some of the attributes Of the Lord
we seem to share on Il small scale. For
instance, in his love and in his kindness.
But until of late foreknowledge. omnis-
clence, omnipresence, omnipotence, seem
to have been exclusively Gods posses
sion. God, desiring 10 make the race like
himself, gives us a species of foreknowl-
edge IN the weather probabilities, gives
us a species Of omniscience in biography,
gives US a species of omnipresence in the
telephone, gives US a species of omnipo-
tence IN the steam power. Discoveries
and inventions all around about us, peo-
pie are asking what next?
wlI toll "a, -. 1919 ~
stupendous religious movement. Next,
the end of war. Next, the crash Of
despotism. Next, the worlds expurga-
ton. Next, the Christlike dominion.
| Next, the judgment. What becomes OF
the world after that l care not. 1t will
have suffered and achieved enough for
one world. Lay it up in the drydocks of
eternity, like an old man-of-war zone out
of service, or fit it up Ike a Constellation
to carry bread of relief TO some other
suffering planet or let il be demolished.
Farewell, dear old world. that began
with paradise and ended with Judgment
conf1agration.
Last summer | stood on the Isle of
Wight, and | had pointed out to me the
place where the E~urydice sank with POO
or 800 young men who were in training
for the British navy. You remember
when that training ship went down there
was q thrill of horror all over the world.
Since then there was another training
ship missing, the ATLANTA, gone down
with all on board. By order of her mai
esty's government vessels went cruising
up M dow the Atlantic trying to find
that lost training ship in which there
were so many young men preparing fol-
the British navy. Alas, for the lost
Atalanta! Oh, my friends, this world is
only a training ship! On it we are train
ing for heaven. The old ship sails ul
and dow the ocean of immensely, now
through the dark waves of midnight, now
through the golden crested wave of the
morn, but sails ON and sails on. After
awhile her work will be done, and the
inhabitants of heaven will look out anC
find 4 world missing. The cry will be
"Where is that earth where Christ dice
and the human race was em%ancipated
Send out fleets of angels to find the miss
ing craft" Let them sail up and down
cruise up and down the ocean of eternity
and they will catch not one glimpse OF
her mountain mastS or her topgallant:
of floating cloud. Gone down! Tn
training ship of a world persisted in tn.
last tornado. Oh, let ii not be that sh,
goes down with all on board. but rattle!
may it be said of her passengers, as i
was said of the drenched passengers o.
the Alexandrian corn ship that crashed
into the breakers of Melita, They al
escaped safe to land!"
copyright, 1901, by Louis Klopsch. n. VI
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