Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-02-23

| SdIltdry COMMISSIONS IN relief OF
sick and wounded soldiers and since
the civil war it has been Christian
people who have sought to educate
and save the negro turning him from
a menace to a blessing and a help.
! "The revival of 1900 prepared the
nation for the struggle of 1912, 80 that
it was u praying army that met the
| British at New Orleans and a navy
! buttressed with prayer that met the
| English fleet in the Great Lakes.
| The revival of 1878 which added a
million members to the Christian
| churches OF the country girded us
for the awful period of internal strife
which soon followed. The results
of that war We're bad enough on the
| spiritual side. There were II states
| in the prohibition column when the
war began and only one in it when
the war ended. the grand old State
| of Maine. christianity is RESPONSE
| BILE for the fact that America still
lives. The true American therefore
| Is not the man or the woman who
sneers at the church,; or who disre-
CARDS it. The true American Is the
person whether man or woman who
recognizes the debt of this nation TO
Christianity and it's institutions, and
tries to discharge that debt by 10y
atty to Christianity and it's institu-
tons, and who likes the stars and
stripes best when they are placed
side by side with the banner of the
Cross
Il do not want you to think that all
that has been done to win America
for Christianity has been done at
certain intervals, in certain exalted
moments of history Much has been
done in this way for the winning Of
America for Christ. But much has
been done all the time, every, day
and year without the blare of trum-
pets or the waving of banners to ac-
compliSh this end. Both contributions
must be recognized. Hence, let me
Sr moment look with you at the
friczes. at the outstanding events
that have contributed to make
America a Christian nation and then
let us turn to tho instantaneous
photography and look at some events
of less impressiveness bat probably
OF no less importance.
The friczcs at which I wish you
to look consist of the great awaken
ings which have come to America.
And the first Is the great awakening
of 173i~ No history OF American
Christianity would be complete that
did not contain some reference to q
certain New England family known
az the Edwards family. the most
DISTINGUISHED member ofswhich was
probably Jonathan Edwards. If
did not believe in hcredity, the
History of f.lis family would compel
mo to believe in it. rather I'M
usual thing however occurring in
this illustration of It. viz, that
greatness revealed itself in every
other generation. There was Solo
mon Stoddard of half way coven-
ant fame. minister of the church
in Northampton: then comes his
grandson Jonathan Edwards, the
outstanding figure In the great
awakening and the President of
Princeton University: and then his
grandson. Timothy Dwight. presi-
dent OF H2lc University and the
man who did more than any other
to check the tide of inilelity that
Immediately after the Revolutionary
War began to rise in this country
The great awakening came in 1884
and manifested itself first in the
parish OF Jonathan Edwards in
. Northampton. Mr.. Edwards had
come to the parish in 1927, Il
Young man OF -, n graduate of
Yale and trained in theology in an
unusunl degree In 1894 religions
, concern broke out in his parish. and
after his famous sermon Sinners
in The Hands of an Angry Cod"
hundreds embraced the Christian
life. But that was not all. The
awakening spread throughout the
country which consisted at that
time Of tho Eastern colonies and
aided by George Whitfield who came
to America to help in the revival
of 1Ti0, great numbers were con-
vcrted TO Christianity and the
churches filled with earnest wor-
shippers. . The awakening lasted
well into the forties and in some
parts Of the country even longer.
Next came the awakening of 1899
or 1900. Unlike the revival Of 1874
there was no outstanding figure in
this awakening although the names
OF the McGee brothers, one n
Methodist and one q Baptist, and
the name Of James McGready,
Presbyterian, are prominently con-
nccted with the awakening. Unlike
the former awakening. this began In
the South in Kentucky md In con-
rection with meetings held I'm the
open country for kentucky at that
time was not thicily settled This
was the ORIGIN of the American
Camp Meeting, an institution
peculiar to American Christianity.