The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-09-16

heaven born principles Tor Wnlcn tne |
Pilgrim Fathers fought and for which |
they were willing to die. | love our |
form of government. for, at times. IL
has seemed to me to be divine rather
than human. I love the country be-
cause IT fosters civil and religious lib
crty. love 1t because it has been
home for exilcS, and an asylum for
the oppressed of other lands. | love II
for the exceeding beauty with which
the God of nature has garnlshed 1t, and
for the richness which lie has here
dispensed with so lavish hand. II
love its rocks and rlle, its woods and
tempted hills" ana | love 1t most of
all because ! believe 1t is destined to
WELD mighty power in proclaiming
the glory and in extending the king
dom of our Divine Redeemcr. Hence,
loving this country as | do, | deplore
the tragedy that has been enacted in
Buffalo. and | cannot find words strong
enough with which to denOunce the
InpatriotiC, dastardly, and tiendish
conduct of those journalists and speak
ers who are assassins of character, ana
thus paved the way for the assassina-
tiun of the president of the United
states by being accessories before the
fact.
CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE.
But is this christian doctrine? IT
| these are enemies. does not Jesus say:
| Paul say: Love thinketh no evil?'
Does he not also say of the Lord;
vengeance is minr?' Yes, but that is
not the whole of the gospel of love.
| Christ is love incarnate. but Tie de-
nounced evildoers in these bitter burn
| ing words. Woe unto sCribes and
| pharesies, hypocrites, how shall ye as
| cape the damnation OF hell?' Let it
| be- affirmed with emphasis that the
| punishment of eVildOerS Is not neon
| Sistent with the law Of love. Jesus
| christ did not come into this world ui
| sin to destroy the law, but to rum II.
| II He permitted Il p"nitent sinner to
wash His feet with her tears, lie also
exercised His authority when lie de-
| nOunCed and drove out of His tempt"
a band of thieves who had polluted IT,
| Those who love our country and who
| love our youth. should do all in their
power To present the spread of Corrup-
| tiuu. The God of Israel had a good
reason for urging both Moses ana
| JOsuhd to eNterminate and utterly de-
| StrON the canaaniteS. lie knew that
| they were corrupt and that their in
| ilurnCe We're COrruptng, True patriot
| ism demanded their expulsion. Ana
true patriotism demands the expulsion
or at least, the control and impriSun-
ment of horde of Canaanites who
have gained admission among us, ana
who are bold enough to proclaim their
seditious and reasonable doctrines.
When Jesus says Love your enemies,
lie does not mean us To understand
that love H. so kind that ii will over
look de"ds of infamy. nor that it is 50
feeble that it Will not punish aSSae-
sins.
NOT A PESSIMTST.
am not a pessimist. am not look
ing at things with jaundiced eyes.
do not believe that our country is going
10 ruin. But | do not agree with
| those who tattcr themselves that all
is serene, who see no occasion Tor IS
suing note of warning. They see no
danger to our country from religious
laXity, nor from sabbath dcSecration
not from intcmperanCe, nor from prac-
| tiCal intidelity. not from a widespread
disregard of law and order. Even the
assassination of our president Is
scarcely startling enough To arouse
their dormant senSibilities. These op-
timistiC friends are under the influence
, Of political SOrCer.rS who. like ElymaS
are fun of all subtilty and all mis-
chief. who are children of the doVi
ana enemies of all righteousness ano
who will not cease to preV"rt the riShI
. ways of the Lord until the people rise
, in their majesty and in their might ant
hurl them from their lofty seats anC
take from them the power which they
, have SO woefully and 50 shametullN
abused.
President Mckinley was a devote,
; christian. This was his crowninl
! honor and glory He lived christian
: life and he died n christian death. II,
| was buOyed up by christian hope. III
| br"athcd christian prayers. He Whs
pered. Gods will. not ours, be done.
lie clung to the christians cross, ant
among his last audible words were
| Nearer my God to Thee. Nearer (,
l., biS y,.if, with
affection; he loved her with love tha
never faltcred. and that never altered
. for he felt that Love is not love tina
alters when ii alteration finds
4 Even towards his murderer he shove,
- mercy. He said: Let nobody hur
him. In speaking thus he set a fin
? example for all law abiding citizens
| Up To his last conscious moment h
o MAS thoughtful and soicitous abou
his wife. and thankful to his phYsic
ians and nurses ana friends. Yes
President Mckinley was devote,
e christian as well as Il true patriot
n and he was all the nobler patriot be
: cause he was Il true christian.
y PRAYERS NOT \ FAILURE.
f We mourn his death with some sue
!, feelings as Israel mourned for Moses
$ It was our hope that he would survive
n and that God would hear and answe
f the prayers that were offered for his re
covery. not only by this christian ma
: ton but by the whole christian wOrl,
T. Since his life was not spared are W
l., to conclude that prayer To God is
n failure" by no means. Gods way
q are not our ways; nor is Gods will al
: ways our will; nor again Is our wi
g always Gods will. He knows what
n best His way is always best Th
= Skrptic may sheer at the christian, an
8 he may ridicule the prayers of God
Il people. He may characterize prayer "A
& an irrational act, but the christian wi
q continue to pray, for he knows that III
a words Of Jesus Christ are true. II
q also knows that
II "Dcft logic is but Reasons tool,
t, Reason Il child in Natures school;
o We may not joy nor grieve by rule,
n Nor syllogize prayer
+ We mourn our beloved dead. but
II The midst of our great grief We ais
y rejoice. We are glad that he was pei
II mitted to live so long, and that he di
e all i'm his power to confer hOnorS an
blessings upon his own country, as we
= as upon myriads in other lands. cub
u and Porto Rico ana the Philippine
y have reason now, and they will hay
le more reason hereafter to rise mp an
l. call Mr.. Mckinley blessed. our CouI
X try has suffered great loss, but OF
,s country's loss is McKinley's everas
IL ing gain.
IS one closing word. We mourn Il
N dead Mckinley, but thank God, "
lr have the living Roosevelt. And sur
l. ly in the most unexpected, most tr!
- ing, and most exalted position in whi,
10 by the mysterious Providence of &c
Mr.. Roosevelt has been placed. he ma
rely with confidence upon the loya
patriotic ana christian sympathy AZ
r. support of every true American cit
l. zen. our prayer is that the etern
ls God may be his refuge and that undo
rs meath him may be the everlastir