Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-11-09
PRAYER FOR OUR NATION

To the Editor of the Telegraph:
On October "a the New Haven and
Hartford Railroad Company held it's
annual meeting. q At it's opening Di-
rector Harry Leigh raised the point
of order that all large bodies hold
ing meetings customarily open with
prayer, adding: II believe that the
New Haven and Hartford road meet
ings need to be opened with prayer"
President Pearson replied, I'VE will
follow the order of business" in
spite of persistent urging on the part
of Mr.. Leigh that this is q time
when the company needs the assist
ance of Almighty Cod" and his sug-
gestion that President Hadley, who
had just come in, would offer prayer,
President Pearson again said, Pray
er is not on the order of business"
and then proceeded to read the state
ment of the physical and financial
needs of the road.
There is significance in this action
Our Supreme Court has asserted that
this is a Christian nation. Has God
in Christ Jesus anything to do with
us as a people? Does he concern
Himself with our business affairs as
individuals, as business concerns, as
a nation? If He does, then prayer
ought to be on the order of bu3i-
HeSS All dlOHS lllt lilles anu Will ne
not look upon this action rof Presi-
dent Pearson as defiance of Him
self?
In this day of worldwide war,
when only a very smaH fraction of
the earth is not occupied by nations
that have declared war, and when no
part of the earth is exempt from the
horrors of war, the nations are turn
ing in prayer to the God of nations.
Il. I. III.
the horrors of actual warfare, we
learn that the tide of the populace
has turned to His house as not be-
fore for many years. This represents
the innate longing of the human
heart in time of stress for the deliv-
erance which it realizes that only
an Almighty Hand can bring. 1t is
a repetition of the turning of Israel to
God for deliverance when He was
chastising them through their enc
| mics.
On October the House concur
ring with the Senate of the United
States passed a resolution asking the
| President to issue a proclamation
| for a day of prayer for victory for
| American arms. This resolution did
not in any way recognize the sins of
our nation nor call for humiliation,
| confession, and repentance toward
GOu on lne part Oh the people, as u
necessary antecedent to acceptable
approach to God. Long ago the
| Psalmist wrote, IF I regard iniquity
in my part the Lord will not hear
me-" Speaking to the Jewish nation.
| Isaiah said. "The Lords hand is not
shortened, that it cannot save: neith-
er His ear heavy, that it cannot
hear: but your iniquities have sepa-
! rated between you and your God, and
your sins have hid His face from
you, that He will not hear" Since
| God is the Interchangeable God these
| are solemn words
For more than fifty years our ma.
tion has been in wicked partnership
with the iniquitous liquor traffic. con-
senting to 1t and protecting it in III
onslaught upon the body polite. We
have trampled upon Gods holy dav
our Congress using its hours for log
islation and then validating this leg
islation by the fiction of "Saturda,
, Legislative Day" Our governmen
has carried its mails on the Sabbath
J compelling its employees to serve dur
ing its sacred hours. And in thi