The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1901-06-15

the building Of railroads in the Holy Land
| wish that all the world might 60 and Sc,
Golgotha and Bethlehem. How many wht
could not afford muleteers now easily buy
tickets from Constantinople to Joppa
Then let Christians travel! God speed
the rail trains and guide the steamships
this night painting across the deep in the
phosphorescent wake of the shining feet
of Him who from wave cliff to wave cliff
bestormed Tiberius The Japanese come
across the water and see our civilization
and examine our Christianity and go back
and tell the story and keep that empire
rocking till Jesus shall reign
"Where'er the sun
| Does his successive journeys run"
And the firearms with which the infdel
traveller brought down the Arab horseman
| and the jackals of the desert have been
surrendered to the church, and we reach
forth our hand. crying, There is none like
| that; give it me-"
SO it has also been with the learning and
eloquence of the world People say, "Reli-
gion is very good for aged women, it is
very good for children, but not for men."
But we have in the roll of Christ's host
Mozart and Handel in music; Canova and
Angelo in sculpture; Raphael and Rey-
nolds in painting; Harvey and Boerhaave
in medicine: Cowper and Scott in poetry;
Grotius and Burke in craftsmanship;
Boyle and Leibnitz in philosophy; Thomas
Chalmers and John Mason in theology.
The most brilliant writings Of worldly
nature are all aglow with scriptural allu-
sions. Through senatorial speech and
through essayist's discourse Sinai thunders
and Calvary speaks and Sloan sparkles
Samuel L. Southland was mighty in the
courtroom and in the senate chamber, but
he reserved his strongest eloquence for
that day when he stood before the literary
societies at Princeton commencement and
pleaded for the grandeur of our Bible
Daniel Webster won not his chief gar
lands while responding to Hayne nor when
he opened the batteries of his eloquence
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 reli-
gion and eulogized the Bible. The elo-
nuence and the learning that have been on
the other side come over to our side. Cap
tured for God! There is none like that;
give it me-"
So, also, has Il been with the picture
making Of the world. We are very anx.
and the platform on the side of Christian
ity, but we overlook the engravery knife
and the painters pencil. The antiquarian
goes and looks at pictured ruins or exam
ines the chiseled pillars of Thebes and
Nlneveh and Pompeii, and then comes
back to tell us of the beastliness of ancient
AIT, and it is fact now that many of the
finest specimens, merely artistically consid
cred. 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, stand
ing amid these impurities that stared on
him from the walls and the pavements and
the 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 pic
ture of the Madonna? What to Lord JEFF
Last judgment What hal, t to Nero D. the the
unwashed, picture Of the baptism in the
Jordan? 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 pictures and brings
back to his American studio much of the
power of these old masters. The Chris
tian minister goes over to Venice, looks
at the "Cruci6xion of Christ" and comes
never before of the sufferings of the Saw
Jour. The private tourist goes to Rome
and looks at Raphaers picture of the
Last Judgment" The tears start, and
he goes back to his room in the hotel and
prays God for preparation for that day
when
"Shriveling like parched scroll,
The flaming heavens together roll"
So, remark, it is with business acumen
and tact. When Christ was upon earth |
the people that followed Him for the most |
koA al
ba an natu R0 brilliant Ih IN ss
apostleship. Joseph, of Arimathea, the |
rich man, risked nothing when he offered !
a hole in the rock for the dead Christ. |
How many of the merchants in Asia Minor |
befriended Jesus? I 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
exchange or in the bazaars of Corinth?
None. The prominent men of the day did
not want to risk their reputation for san
ty by pretending to be one of His follow.
ers. Now that is all changed Among
the mightiest men in our great cities to-
lay are the Christian 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
" OuAu OC 4uAShAy siASnSCu VI pun OuC. III |
he front rank of all our Christian work
,rs to-day are the Christian merchants,
md the enterprises Of the world are COM
ng on the right side. There was farm
villed away some years ago, all the pro-
leeds of that farm to 60 for spreading in
idel books. Somehow matters have
hanged, and now all the proceeds of that
arm 60 toward the missionary cause. One
# the finest printing presses ever built
vas built for the express purpose of pub
ishing infdel tracts and books. Now it
loes nothing but print holy Bibles.
l believe that the time will come when
n commercial circles the voice of Christ
will be the mightiest of all voices and the
hips of Tarshish will bring presents and
he queen of .Sheba her glory and the wise
men of the East their myrrh and franklin
ense.
l look off upon the business men of this
and and rejoice at the prospect that their
act and ingenuity and talent are being
rought into the service of Christ. It is
ne of the mightiest of weapons. ''There
J none like that; give it mel"
Now, if what have said be true, away
nth all downheartedness! If science is to
e on the right side and the travelling dis
osition of the world on the right side and
he learning of the world on the right
lde and the picture making on the right
lde and the business acumen and tact of
he world on the right side, Thine, 0 Lord,
} the kingdom! Oh, fall into line, all We
eople! 1t is a grand thing to be in such
n army and led by such commander
nd on the way to such victory. If what