Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-07-13

IS a last years almanac. Let US see
whether the church Of God is Bull
Run retreat, muskets, canteens and
hayersacks strewing all the way. The
great English historian Sharon Turner,
Ia man OF vnst icarnIng and great nc
curacy, not clergyman. but an attor-
ney as we'll as a historian. gives this
overwhelming statistic In regard to
Christianity and in regard to the num-
her of Christians In the different CEN
turies: In the first century 5OO,OOO
Christians, In the second century 2.OOO,-
600 Christians, In the third century
100000 Christians, IN the fourth cen
fury 100000 Christians, In the hfth
century 100000 Christians, In the
sixth century 2O,0OO000 Christians, In
the seventh century 24,OOO,OOO Chris
fians. I'm the eighth century 3O,OOO,OOO
Christians, In the ninth century 4O,OOO,-
900 Christians, in the tenth century 5O,-
OOo 900 Christians, In the eleventh cen
tury 10000 900 Christians, in the twelfth
century 100000 Christians, In the
thirteenth century 100000 Chris
tians. In the fourteenth century SO,OOO,-
900 Christians, In the fifteenth century
lOO.0OO.000 Christians, In the sixteenth
century 125,000,000 Christians, in the
seventeenth century 155,0O0,000 Chris
tians. In the eighteenth century 2OO,'
/ 100000 Christians-a decadence, as you
| observe, in only one century and more
! than made up In the following centu-
ries. while 1t is the usual computation
that there were at the close Of the nine
teenth century 470,000,000 Christians
making US to believe that before this
/ century is closed the millennium Will
have started its boom and lifted Its
| hOsanna.
Poor Christianity! What q pity 1t
has no friendsl How lonesome 1t must
bel Who will take it out OF the poor
house? Poor Christianity! Four hum
dred millions in one century. In few
weeks of this year 100000 copies OF
4 the New Testament distributed. Why,
| the earth is like an old castle with ~
gates and a park of artillery ready to
! thunder down every gate. See now
| heathendom is being surrounded and
! boneycombed and attacked by this all
conquering gospel. At the beginning
of the nineteenth century $50 mission
aries; at the close Of that century S4,'
900 missionaries and native helpers
and eyangellsts. At the beginning OF
| the nineteenth century there were only
10000 converts; now there are over
LOCO. 900 converts from heathendom.
So Christianity Is falling back and
Che Bible. they say, is becoming an OBJ
solete book! I 60 into q court, anc
wherever l find a judges bench or
clerks desk find Bible. Upon wha
book could there be uttered the solem
nIty of an oath? What book Is apt t(
be out In the trunk of the young mar
as he leaves for city life2 The Bible
What shall | find In nine out of every
ten homes In this city? The Bible. III
nine out Of every ten homes In Chris
tendomP The Bible. Voltaire wrote
the prophecy that the Bible In the nine
teenth century would become extinct
The century is gone, and have to tel
you that the room in which Voitalr'
wrote that prophecy not long ago wa
crowded from floor to ceiling Win 81
bles from Switzerland.
Suppose the congress of the Unite
States should pass law that ther
r should be no more Bibles printed l
America and no Bibles read. II ther
are 6o,O0O,GO0 grown people In u
United States, there would be 6o'ooo
4 900 people in an army to put down sue
a law and defend their right 10 rea
the Bible. But suppose the congres
: of the United States should make la'
r against the reading or the publlcauo
] ~ any other book-how many peOpl