Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-10
THE GOD OF OUR FATHERs.r


belief that is by no means confined
to the Latter-day Saints.
With hs tho belief is carried sc
far as to include the idea OF inspira-
tion in the formation OF. the ConstItu-
tion as we'll as the more general pro-
vidential care revealed in the course
OF our national history.
And is 1t not q fact that the develop
Dent' of the United States strongly
suggests to various unbiased minds
that the God OF Nations" has especial
ly exerted His power in tho case of tho
land Of liberty?' p
New YORK pastor DR.. Goddell. dis
covers the hand OF God In American
history in the same way that Victor
Hugo concluded that a Great Right
Hand was stretched over waterloo for
the overthrow of Napoleon.
The pastor maintains that II Gods
right hand was over waterloo.it may
also have rested on the filler OF the
Mayhower. and guided the sword OF
Washington and the pen OF Lincoln.
1--WE call Him God of our fathers
and we believe that He beset them
behind apd before and laid His hand
upon them We will not limit our
faith to times OF special crises or to
the day OF struggle"
This preacher shares the opinion OF
most of the greater American leaders
and of the more profound students
n haf
here In America some great and
glorious problems the influence OF
which would reach beyond our bor-
dcrs and beyond our ken.
He finds a manifestation OF divine
favor in the simple fact of the geogra-
phical boundary of our country. with
its mountains so placed and the oceans
so located that we have all zones of
climate in one compact area. And
while the nations OF Europe and Asia
have been limited to comparatively
small territories. their mountain
their people therefore confined to tho
same temperature and so far con-
to a common temperament,
with America the mountain ranges
and the rivers run north and south, and
our nation unites and mingles people
of different climates. making possible
the development of national Iifo
where different characteristics arc
blended Into greater richness and
variety than the old world could have
known
This stretch OF country runs 1900
miles from north to south. and 1t has
all the varieties OF the north tenn
perate zone. We have an area, exclu- |
sive OF Alaska. OF nearly 100000 |
square miles. DR.. Thompson we'll |
says; This is larger than the area |
Of the Roman Empire in the days OF |
It's greatness. and has by far the |
greatest share OF the earth's surface |
that has ever been brought under ac-
I've rule of free national government
Russia embraces a larger area in her
empire. Great Britain has In
ncr national domain, her colonies and
dependencies, an area about as large
as Russia, but in each case properly
rational territory occupied by
population, is far be-
ow our own
The settlement OF the land that be-
anne the United States by the Pilgrim
Fathers, and not by the gold seekers OF
ho more southcrly lands; then by tho
9uritans. likewise sternly and genuine
y religious, and finally by the sturdy
outchnof New York. the Scotch-Irish Of
Vow Jersey. the Quakers OF Pennsyl-
'ania, the Catholics. Huguenots. Lu-
herans. and Mennonites OF other places
all elements tended TO form a popula-
ion in which the fear of God and the
Owe OF righteousness became deeply
et feelings of the immediate descend
lnts OF the first settlers.
John Adams wrote: Il always con-
ddered the settlement of America with
eUerenee. as the opening of grand
Gene and design OF Providence for tho
llumipation of the ignorant and the
Of the slayish part of
mankind all over the earth
1t has often been pointed out by
writer's on American history that the
uccessful uprising OF the colonists was
lot strictly a revolution. 1t had in II
iothlng of the temper of such rcvofu-
hons as France and England had
Known. 1t was a protest against op-
,ression. 1t was an assertion OF inde-
and IL victory had belonged
% the greater and better armies and
Washington and his asso-
;intes would have closed their carcors
lpon the scaffold
At the close of the revolution, With
| people accustomed to monarchy, with
national bankruptcy imminent, many
shared the opinion of De Toquervillc.
who speaks OF tho tyranny OF tho
American majority. He was afraid to
appeal TO public opinion. He said: al
IAN mover willingly invest any number
of my fellow creatures with that un-
limited authority which would refuse
10 any ono of them" Many were afraid |
of the majority. and longed not for |
but for a monarchy: and can
didates for the throne were already |
selected.
So many and ericvous wore the diff. |
fcrcnccs that afflicted the people that |
the dean OF Glocestcr wrote: Their |
tato seems to bc that of a dssunite3 |