The Cairo bulletin., 1904-07-10
THE BULLETINS SUNDAY SERMON
BY REV. FRANK DE WITT TALMAoE, D. D.

IldH DOCK OF heaven. THESE Elatncu(
Indians found there the white mans
sins, but not the white mans Cod
Let me now read TO you the stran
gest yaledictory ever given Mt any
| place. The two older Indians who
came on this mission of seeking Til,
white mans God had died. When the
two younger braves were about to de
part for their own faraway wigwams
one Of them In Indian eloquencc spakt
these words, which were published in
the little frontier paper of that time
II came to you over the trail of many
moons from the setting sun. You Were
all gone the long way. ! came with
an eye partly opened for more light
for my people, who sit In darkness
20 back with both eyes closed. How
can 90 back blind to my blind people
who sit in darkness? / made my way
to You with strong arms through many
enemies and strange lands that | might
carry back much to them | go back
with both arms broken and empty.
MY people sent me to get The white
mans book of heaven. You took me
where you allow your women to dance
as we do not ours, and the book was
not there. You took me where they
worship the Great Spirit with candies
and the book was not there. You
showed me the images of the Good
Spirit and pictures of tho good land
beyond, but the book was not among
them to tell us the way. / am going
back the long sad trail to my people
of the dark land. You make my feet
heavy with gifts, and my moccaslns
win grow old in carrying them, yet the
book Is not among them. When | tell
my poor blind people after one more
moon in the big council that / did not
bring the book no word will be spoken
by our old men or by Our young braves.
One by one they viii rise up and go
out in silence. My people win die in
the darkness, and they will go on the
long path to other hunting grounds.
No white man will 20 with them and
no white mans book to make the way
plain. | have no more words"
Whitmnn's Response to the Call.
1t was the publication Of these words.
copied in the eastern papers, that made
Marcus Whitman heed the call of the
Ncz Perces Indians; it was the publ
cation of these words that ncrved
Whitman TO consecrate all his life to
giving the Flathead Indians the white
mans "Book of Life" 1t was that re-
solve to go in the name of Christ to
the far northwest which made 1t posi-
BILE for Marcus Whitman to save Ore
gon to the Union.
Marcus Whitman did not go to the
banks OF the Columbia TO save Oregon
for the Union. He went to the north
west to save the red men for Christ.
When God calls us to one sphere OF
work he will always open for us other
spheres Of labor IL we will only obey
his first call, which says: Come!
Come. Come now!"
But Marcus Whitman was states-
nan as well as humble gospel mis-
,lonnry. Like Livingstone in Africa,
ie saw how much could be done in
hat land by the resources of civiiZa- |
lion His prophetic gaze travelled on
through the centuries, and he longed |
O have that fair region under Christian |
Influences and prospecting under the |
White mans skill and industry. He
'ould hear the tramp of the oncoming |
as well as the crcaking
# his cart wheels by his side. There
ore. when Marcus Whitman on the
amous Fourth Of July, 1896, with his
'oung bride, spread the blankets upon
he top of the Rocky mountains, with |
Iount Hood aud Mount Jefferson
afar off as guarding sentincls.
nd dedicated that western soil OF God
nd his native land, like Paul, lac was
by great cloud of wit
lesses In inspired vision he could
&c the farmers of 1904 planting their
ceds in those valleys. lie could see
hose mighty forests changed into
omes and factories and stores and
braries and schools and churches.
lie coulG hear the singing OF. the NOW
ng machines and see the white winged
hips Ike great sea gulls floating in
hose harbors. Aud as Columbus took
ossession of the new world in the
ames of Ferdinand and isabella, who
tied out his small fleet. Marcus Whit
nan dedicated this western soil to his
wo masters - to his God and To- the
'nited States government.
Fought by Greed and seI6shness.
He dedicated this western soil in
pitc of the fact that all conld he
MD to discourage settlers had been
hid in calumnious disparagcmcnt. The
hudson Bay company wanted it left
/ the undisturbed possession Of the
lid animals whose skins they were
lrning into gold They wanted il for
perpetual hunting ground. Therefore
ley declared ii TO be q land barred by
npassable ranges of mountains. land
T undraiuable morasscs. presidential
nd malarial. unfit for the residence Of
-hite men. a land given UP TO barba-
Sun and Indian savagcfy. So persist
nj were the falsehoods disseminated
Y these greedy. selfish capitalists that
efore Marcus Whitman's advent ore
On had been lying like the capsionc Of
l..