Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-10-19
SUCCESSFUL MEETING
OF SYNOD OF MONTANA
Continued from page one).

Dt ulleu, anu every church III lle sg-
nod will contribute TO each board, al
at the present time eighteen of them
are doing.
On Saturday evening an able SER
mon was preached by the Rev. w. n.
Sloan, of Helena, on the subject,
Louisiana Purchase Missions. He
spoke as follows;
AT the exposition in 81. Louis there
is an exhibit showing how one mine
in Alaska has increased IN value since
IL was discovered. In 1904 the value
OF this one mine was three times
greater than the whole price paid for
the territory Of Alaska by the United
States in 1867. The extension Of ter
ritOry and expansion of values in the
last fifty years. as pertaining 10 the
possessions of this country, are al
most incredible.
The history of the Louisiana Pur-
chase reads almost like a novel. We
can hardly realize what sis, 100000
amount TO now and il must have SEEM
cd harder at the time this purchase
was made from France. Put into sill
yer dollars and piled one on the 9th.
or the stack would reach nine miles in
the air, Yet this wonderful purchase,
which was brought about without the
purpose of the wisest statesman, has
doubled our national area. II add
ed thirteen states, which are pOpu.
lOus and complete politically. The
value of the agricultural products of
these thirteen states is one hundred
times greater Than the purchase price.
The taxable wealth is foar hundred
times greater and the resources Of
these states are beyond the compre.
hensiOn.
We often hear il said that our faith.
ers huilded better than they knew.
There was not n statesman who cun
tcmp'atrl more land than lay east OF
the Mississippi river. lou can i'm.
ariuc The surprise of Monroe when
Napoleon came 10 him in Paris anu
announced that he was willing to sell
al of Louisiana for ~$la.OO0.0O0. This
country a not known by Napoleon
and huj vaguely understood by Mon.
roe. II was risky business TO accept
. such a tremendous offer. Yet there
! were men who We're willing To take
. the risk. They were opposed violent
ly and the step was pronounced UNI
! constitutional. II was Al this time
. that the question arose which is sim.
1 liar 10 that which is dividing the TWO
! great parties in our country today.
Whether the interpretation of the con.
]sIiiution should y 'n' or 4 lib
, eral one. Parker in his letter of ac-
%cpptance. as YOU know. takes the
ground that the Interpretation must
be a strict one, and the Republican
J party holds to a liberal i%nterpreta-
1 ton.
by a strict Interpretation Of the con
J %stitution Louisiana could not have
4 been purchased. Jefferson and Mon.
roe took the liberty of giving it a
liberal Interpretation and history has
4 shown them to have done the right
thing. There was a hidden hand in
all these transactions. Napoleon want
4 ed to raise money for var with Eng
land.
The same was true of the purchase
\ of Alaska. We did not buy that MOI
4 thern country because we thought II
: was going To be- a great benefit &c
the United States. The United States
felt indebted To Russia for helping in
, the civil war. and as we could not pay
= Russia money we said We would take
Alaska and pay $1,000. 900 for il. II
was purchased simply to make a gift
to this foreign nation for assistance
given TO us in the time of our great
national need.
Before the Spanish-American wal
there was not a statesman who eyen
: dreamed of the United States com.
ing into possession of the far of
Philippine islands. When Dewey got
his orders to attack the Spanish forces
? there was no thought i'm the mind OF
: President Mckinley that those is
, lands would ever come into our pos
session. Whatever the policy of the
, government was in taking possession
!, oG these islands there was a hidden
hand which thrust upon the United
States those eastern possessions. That
|, hidden hand is traced in the story
of expansion from beginning TO emo,
believe there is an unseen hand that
: is shaping the United States for a des'
tiny and influence and power of which
We do not dream, nor can We mag
inc.
. DR.. Sloan then went into the sub
ject of religious education and church
work. He compared the Protestant
and Catholic churches and decrieu
K the UNCONVENTIONAL divisions in the
I Protestant church. He then pointed
out in a clear and forcible manner
what this church was doing and must
? do toward the saving of the world.
He closed with these words: las
we look over this great country we
have TO thank God for 1t. look fol
this country to reveal more clearly
Gods plan in the universe. The hid
den hand has lifted us to where We
exercise more influence over the af
fairs of the world than any other pow
er on the face of the earth. | say that
God has a great work in store for us
We are sowing the seed and doing the
e preparatory work that is fitting this
globe of ours for the LORD Jcsu'
Christ. God is not going To be dc
< f,atod In His divine plan for the re
dumption of the world