Putnam patriot., 1908-05-29
THE PUTNAM PATRIOT May 20 l9os

1 l would not anduly appreciate the ety of those early days, but certain I
 is that in thair xtremiiys-and every day was 10 them sn exireuity.-thes
 appealed t0 heaven for guidance. They recognized the fact that tbe power that fe are ordained of God. and when 1 the constitution Of the United -tates wss being framed. after prolonged de 1 bates and when seemmgiy in-urmOun. i table difficulties arOSe, at the suRges i ton of one of the deiibeFatiDg mem. l bers ii was ' ssRe.oIsed, that daily pray | CTS be offered for divine wisdom and guidance" Accordingly minister 1 was called in who deVouily implofesi ] the wisdom which cometh from stose upon that honorable and important i body. Seeai we wonder Al the utility | of our constitution with the divine eie- meHt ia fl? To tell he story If Amer lean history and leave out religion Is as imp possible as t0 reciie tine history Of the Jews and leave out the hand of i God. in every page of our history God lives and moves. When fOiUm. bus sei sail on his first voyage tO the land of the setting SUD, he speaks in his journal Of the means to pe taken for the conversion Of its people t. chris tianiiy. And when the weary Noy age was e. CT. and his feet touched the new land, he threw himself on his knees and kissed the esfih, and wept for joy. No one can read Parknanis magniii- cent works without feeling that Il was some hing more than wealth that ac- tualed the early French diseotereHs. Every enterprise Of the pilgrims, says George Bancroft, began ~ith God, and William Tappan versailles the same idea when he says.
 Strong was their purpose: nature made
 lbem nebles.
 Religion made them kings, to reign
 forever.
 Hymns of thanksgiving were their
 happy faces,
 BeauIing in music.
 America belongs to God. Her civiiI- zaiion is the outcome of the teachings Of Jesus Christ. Her laws based upon eternal principles are the echo Of God s eternal law. Her ruler is He who spakc as never man spake It k tue cohesive power of au enihroned God that has made iis the nation of today. And now what of the futufe2 ] am so much of an optimist that l believe We haze only seen the beginnings of our greainess ' The .nn has shone on only slight portion of this land's achieve menis. Large as we have become, the might of our domain k get t9 extend To the farlhefno&t eotnef- of the earth. And yet while 1 rejoice, do i with trembling. America k doomed Just as suan as she for2ets he f9Hn5aiigD pfiu- eipies 1T which her government was lald. Her 9ftatnes. is in Sod. AIfh u0t God, she dies. ii docs not require ore Nefzed iH hi=Gofle lore aa kaaH tHM Il nation taat dacs mol aekna@ ieslge God k just us certainly doomed t9 de. stfactiun as that nIsht HIil succeed daY.
 We'll may we celebrate tAi, annixef. say al Memorial bnY. There is no country oa the face of God : earth where q man can be so much el iHAu and enjoy ta the very limits of expfes- sinn the gifts of Almighty providence, as here in this country. Despite the fact of the strngeueg of lhe money market now and again, in spite ot the maehinaltens of political aspifnnts in spite uf the multiplication of trusts, munupolieS and business eliques, in spite of tbe gulf ever widening between capital and labor, we are q wonderful iY prospered and fortunate nation. But
 
 There Hfe certain great qaestiens star ing us in the face, questions That we ourselves settle, settle intelligentiy, pa tientlYt prayefiully There are prob lens awaiting Us in the twentieth cen tnty that nothing but Almighty pew CT, supplementiHg human genius can saiNe.
 Two things want te emphasize The first k the need ef christian manhood us applied io politics, business and su. eial life. Forty and more wears ago men hN the thousand, went out upon the bieudY field nf sltiie, and laid down their tiVes upon the altat of theii caan- tIas. aid eaofS WaS Hssalleti, and men rose up by the thousands ant the tens uf thousands. and raised their hand for tsad and native land N hen Abraham Lincoln sent Oul the call for 3n6 .Hn men he meant just what he said, nen. not hirelings, men. not tools. men, not machines, true, fried. heroic men, and men he rcceiN cd
 The cali of God today k just as pro | nonneei as the call of Abraham i.in- coin forty years ago, and that call de mands the sacrifice of sctlishnesS, and l ihe advance of truth as applied to eNc- | rN department ei iIle. These questions of temperance and social purity, and 1 political equality, and business integ l fitv, and the rights of labor, and the place of capital, will not he settled un- | Ill the men of this generation place ] themselves squatvlN before wrong of every name, and do, and If need be, | die. Ii requires courage aS great as that displayed at Bunker Hill ef Get { tsshurg, te staad Inc flashing pt the Ne l nonoas tongue ot those human har- 1 pe> that feed on human souls AF fot in l their own seliiShneSs. In every com. muuity there are those who oppaSe ~ !. l erN thing true, manly aud progressive.
 In as We called them teppefheads to- | day they style themselves oonseENa- tiNrs. N hen the body ot harlesN art !. | whose brother You loved and houefcd
 was brought. to his home in New ton, ! having been pierced hs a febel bullet al gettysburg. this ciass ol men who now
 denoance Improvement and live for i their own adN antage and selfish enoi- umcnt, exclaimed, What a waste, ,and 1 1t served him right, aud when those words were spoken Il almost seemed to 1 ns who knew that brave spirit in life, | that 1t would burst the bands of death
 and eiatchiag those mi>ereants hN the l throat say, "l am glad that God es-
 teemed me worthy te tie for my ceun. try rather than live and carry down to
 the grave the reputation of a prudent, 1 selfish coward
 The ,rse and scandal of public and priv ate life today are that many seem to have los, all sense ol personal honor
 and ~elf sacrifice in the greed ef gain, That was noble answer given by the Thehan statesman who, when offered a large sum of money II he would do \