Year: 1875

O-1N-D~-1


Never, in all my experience OF Stat,
conventions at Columbus, have seeI
such an audience assembled in tn


forenoon as that which came togethe


in the Opera House at IL A. NJ. TO
day. Every foot of space in the lowe


part OF the house was occupied, stand


Ing as well as sitting room, and eveI
in the galleries there were severa


hundred people assembled.


DECORATIONS, ETC


The house was decorated gayly will
the national color, small flags being
buHg profusely around the galleries
while across the stage immense ban
ners OF red, white, and blue wert
stretched, recalling 70 every MIND
present the glories of the republic,
and the sacrifices and trials by which
the republic has beep preserved. On
the stand were assembled more thar
q score Of the ablest representatives oi
the press in Ohio, together with some
/ from New York and elsewhere. On
the ample stage, behind the press rep
resentatives were seated many of the
leading Republicans of the State
Taking 1t altogether, it was & noble
presence, and even at the beginning
Of the proceedings there ran through
the audience that electric thrill which
indicates that the spirit OF triumph is
! among them, and that it will only he
satisfied by victory, complete victory
at the polls.


THE PRAYER.


A buzz OF expectation could be
heard all over the hall, and an ami
mated conversation was carried on by
hundreds OF voices, which was sud-
denly succeeded by most impressive
silence, a stiffness as of death, when
the Rev. r. q. Hutchings, OF the
Brown street Congregational Church
in Columbus, stood up to address the
Throne of Grace. It was significant
Of the deep interest taken in all the
proceedings that, when Mr.. Hutch
ings first commenced his prayer, sew
ersl individuals in the distant parts of
the hall, in perfect good faith, called
out '1ouder." Mr.. 81. prayed as fol-
lows:


Our Heavenly Father, We bless Thee
for this goOdly commonwealth which
Thou didst commit unto our fathers,
and which they have enriched and
transmitted unto u.s. We bless Thee
for its abundant material resources,
for its mines and its quarries, and its
fertile fields and its majestic forests.
We bless Thee for the development
Thou hast given to these supplies of
Thy bounty, that we are permitted to
utilize them. We thank Thee not
only for these material benefits, but
especially for the social, civil, and re-
ligious advantages Thou hast con-
ferred upon us, that Thou hast guard
ed the sancitIty of home by Thy laws
enacted in our Legislatures that
Thou hast given US provisions for the
unfortunate classes in our benevolent
institutions that Thou hast given US
the common school system and high
er seminarles Of learning and univer-
sities. We bless Thee that Thou hast
given us all these temporal mercies (;
and especially we bless Thee that Thou
hast given us the Christian Church,
which brings to US the light, and JOY,
and peace of heaven. And now we
give Thee thanks that from generation
to generation Thou hast preserved
these privileges and these mereies to
us that through the stress and trial
of war they have been continued. We
thank Thee for our national history.
We bless Thee that we are at last rid
of the curse of human slavery, though
it was blotte1 out in blool; We bless
Thee for the unity and integrity OF
this nation, which have been vindi-
Gated. We thank Thee for the history
of the organization we represent to-
day in these trials, and In this nation.
We thank Thee for the memory of
| the sainted dead. We ask Thee that
we may be true to all that is best In
the record of this part to-day. We
ask Thee that we may have these
blessings continued unto US, gained
by so much of sacrifice and guarded
by all possible sanctions and laws. To
this end wilt Thou put in the hearts
of these representatives sense of their
profound responsibility to the COM
monwealth, and to guide and make
them act with an eye single to the
best interests of the State and the
glory of their heavenly Father. We
ask Thee that education may be guard
ed, and religion may be guarded, and
all that is true and lovely and of good
report in our commonwealth, may be
guarded by the action of this conven-
ton to-day. Our heavenly Father, be
Thou with those who shall prepare Q
platform for this convention, and may
such principles be laid as the founda-
dation of this party that all honest
and good men throughout the COM
monWealth may give entire allegiance
to 1t. We ask Thee, dear Father, thar
Thou wilt be with these representa-
tives in their choice of candidates,
that we may have men as our repre-
sentstlves worthy Of the State, and
worthy OF the sacred interests they
represent. Dear Father, we commit
this convention to Thy guiding, and
Thou canst turn the hearts of men as
the rivers of water are turned. We
ask Thee to guard the minds and in
spire the minds of these, Thy servants,
so that at the great day of Judgment,
when they shall look back upon the
fulfilled issues of this present hour,
which they can not now foresee, they
shall have joy and complacencV in the
work they have done. These favors
we ask for the sake and in the name
Of Him who having not seen, we love.
Amen.