The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1912-06-25

t4Aa& @Azz.1ez.4zs.al honor and the
progress Of his
truth In the earth are so affected by
human governments that he is not only
a weak citizen but a weak Christian
who making one in a republic, allows
himself TO become Indifferent to its
administration.
There have been those who have be
lieved this nation to be a peculiar IA,
vorite Of God They have felt that
he led thither those who laid its foun.
dation upon Plymouth Rock. That
he nerved the hearts of their success.
ors who cemented its masonry with
the blood of Bunker Hill and York.
town. They have felt, to change the
figure, that these men sowed good
seed in this field, but while men slept,
while we have all been engrossed in
our schemes for wealth, an enemy
hath sowed tares The situation to-
day Is not the harvest our forefathers
would have wished It is not the legit-
Innate outcome of the Declaration of
independence.
!. One Of our political tares Is the
peculiar tide Of immigration to our
shores, the character Of which has
changed radically within few years.
Our first settlers had an inborn spirit
of freedom and a past history of con
quest and success, and their immedi.
ate successors, though sometimes in
ferior in other respects, were of kin
dred blood, and came from lands
where the spirit Of liberty and the po.
litical duties of the individual have
been cherished. They have thus been
easily assimilated and have helped to
build up the prosperity of the country.
But II Is not so with reference to the
present immigrants, many Of whom
have been down-trodden politically,
and have no ideal of citizenship. We
should rejoice, indeed, at an oppor-
tunity to be a blessing to them, but
we should not swallow more of them
than we are able to digest
II. Another of these "tares" is the
liquor traffic, lying as II does at the
center of all political and social mis-.
chief, and paralyzing energies in
every direction. The responsibility
of Christian citizens lies in their will
ingness to permit II to exist, and worse
still TO permit it to exist for a con.
sideration! 1t is impossible to de.
stroy the appetite, but it is not i'm
possible to deny the opportunity to
crafty the appetite by law Has not
the time come for Christians who
know the meaning of the Declaration
OF independence, to say nothing of
the Decalogue, to break the shackles
which bind them to social custom,
to a blind prejudice, or even to a po
lltical party, in order to serve their
homes, their God and their native
land in driving this rum demon from
our shores?
~. Another Of these "tares" Is the
secularization of the Sabbath day
a growing tendency to change that
day from holy day into holiday, to
convert it from day of rest into
day of labor, to neglect the public
worship of God, the sacred observance
of his laws for the sake Of social
pleasures and business gains.
Who is responsible for these things
Could secular enterprises prosper or
the Lords day If Christians frowned
upon them? And has not God con
troversy with us for these thingsi
Will he not avenge himself on such o
nation as this? How can we have re
ligion without worship? And how car
we have worship without Sabbath
What can we do about these things
(1) We can throw the weight Of ouI
example on the right side. We car
certainly do this so far as the keep
ing of the Sabbath is concerned, ant
SO far as the liquor traffic is con
cerned. God would have saved Sodou
had there been ten righteous men ir
that place.
(2) We may throw a ballot on the
right side. AS Joseph Cook once said
"The managing politicians care fol
nothing but arithmetic and, therefore
one of our supreme duties is to stant
up, and stand together, and be count
ed" The powers that be are ordained
of God, and as Gods servants we are
to see that his will, and not the will o.
Satan, is carried out in the selection
Of them.
CD There is third thing we car
do, and that is pray. The effectua
fervent prayer Of a righteous mar
availeth much. Remember Abra
hams intercession for Sodom and Ne
hemiah's for Jerusalem. But alas, how
little do we pray for these things!
Alas for our patriotism when we are