Newspaper Page Text
September 4, 1912] THE 1
manner of violence against their arrogant enemy,
who had suddenly become their friend
through that one touch of nature.
"God knows I needed that lesson very sorely,"
said he in the silence of his own soul, "if
for no other reason than to keep my boy from
following in my footsteps and thus missing the
best thing of life.?Irish Messenger.
MISS PARKER'S SERMON.
"My house is the house of prayer, but ye
have made it a place of lies. Mammon-worship
and profanity," said Miss Parker.
And as she spoke, her wild eyes took in the
group oi women, in ounaay attire, assembled
around a showy cenotaph recently erected in
the church yard, placed there by the wealthy
Mrs. Merriam, in memory of a brother, lost
at sea. Miss Parker, with the keenest eyes
and ears, and the sharpest tongue in the village,
had been pronounced insane by the doctors,
and so she enjoyed the privilege of speaking
her mind in all companies.
"Mercy on us, Miss Parker!" exclaimed
Mrs. Hunt, one of-her listeners. "In speaking
of profanity, do you make it out that we
poor women are addicted to cursing and
swearing like the men?"
"In answer to that, let me tell you what I
i,,,.u * - -
..,uu una luumiug in me vestiouie oi tne
church. It was, 'My God! we shall be smothered
; that sexton has all of the windows
closed tight.' It wasn't a man that broke the
Third Commandment then. It was a woman."
And the abrupt turning away of Mrs. Hunt
let the company know who the woman was.
Then a pretty girl, in a brand new suit,
broke the silence:
"Miss Parker," said she, "as you are always
scolding one person or another for not
speaking the exact truth, I dare say you are
ready to tell us next that you heard what you
call a lie spoken in church this morning."
"Quite right. Just as I was leaving my
pew, I heard some one in front of me say:
'Mrs. Hunt, I was so sorry I could not accept
your invitation to luncheon, but I had such a
headache yesterday I couldn't leave my room.' ''
"Well, I was sorry," exclaimed the young
girl, blushing.
"I have no doubt of it, but there was no
neadache in ihee case. The dressmaker had disappointed
you. I was at your house yesterday,
and your mother told me you had gone
for a ride on your wheel, and would stop at
Miss Lynch's shop, to give her the scolding
she deserved for not sending your suit home
that morning. I hope you are blushing now
for the lie you told?not because you have
heen caught and laughed at."
For the pretty girl was now the only one
of the group who was not smiling.
"But the Mammon-worship, Miss Parker?"
asked an elderlv wnmon ?
_ J ..VUUU, nucic U1U yuu notice
any evidence of that in church this morning?"
"Let me tell you. When, during the first
prayer, Mrs. Merriam came smiling up the
middle aisle, dressed like the Queen of Sheba,
if oue person turned to look her up and down,
a dozen did the same thing."
But she wasn't dressed like the Queen of
ttheba," observed a youncr flrirl. with a rathpr
vacant expression of countenance. "She wore
an imported suit just from Paris, I heard her
say she expected it."
"So you were among the starers, were you?
' did not notice vou in particular then, hut T
did hear you whisper to your mother during
* *
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE 8G
the reading of the Scripture: 'Mamma, I see
Alice Manning has on that hat I begged and
entreated you to buy for me at Madame
Trenchard's.'
"Well, I flatter myself that you miserable
sinners have listened to my sermon quite as
attentively as you did to the one you heard in
church, and I hope it has done you quite as
ran on good."?uiara Marshall, in Christian Intelligencer.
AT THE SIGN OF THE TINKERS.
"Saying, It Is ready for the soldering.* Is. 41:7.
Tinkering the Confessions, tinkering on the Creed,
Tinkering on old Abraham and on the promised seed;
Tinkering Revelation and .v?w it should have read.
Trying to make it say things which it never said!
Tinkering on Election and Predestination,
Tinkering on the Covenant and on Reprobation;
Tinkering Ninth of Romans?to twlstify and quote.
Making Paul responsible for what he never wrote!
Tinkering on the mysteries of God's eternal Word,
Trying to improve if?likewise Article Third;
Intent to bluff the critics and hush the wily crew,
Just as if they didnf balk about tbit Bible, too!
i
Tinkering on the babie^ God's buds in Heaven and
earth,
Jeremiah, God-ordained and sanctified from birth;
John the Baptist owned and named the Harbinger
to come.
Filled with the gracious Holy Ghost from pious
Mother's womb.
Tinkering on the babies, discontent to let them rest
Where Jesus took and held them, reposing on his
breast;
Tinkering on the babies, theologizing even
When these elect are dead and gone and glorified in
Heaven!
Tinkering on the landmarks, the sceptre of the King;
Tinkering on the footnotes and all that sort of thing;
Tinkering on the verbiage and satisfying none,
Trying to please all comers?which never can be
done!
Human line and plummet and vague obfuscatioc.
Tinkering the problem of God's Foreordination,
Where the pride of Reason and Inspiration ever
broke,
And speaking with authority where Jauovah never
spoke!
Perhaps we'll have enough to do, so far as I can see,
To try to save the grown folks and let the babies be;
Safeguarded in the Covenant, upon "the Saviour's
breast.
Of such shall be the Kingdom?and God will do the
rest!
Come, let us work with might and main, and pray.
Thy Kingdom come,
And Christianize the parents and consecrate the
home;
Revive the family alttar, the hearthstone undeflled,
And know 'tis God's electing love alone that saves
the child!
"Westminster's grand Assembly in that epochal day
Was not a thing of chance, I think?knew how to
fast and pray;
There placed upon an eminence toy God's august
decree,
The old-tame religion, ft is good enough for me!
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF IMMIGRATION TO
AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP AND
CHRISTIANITY.
(Continued from page 5.)
tions of life with the average American become
lower and lower, while the foreigner
finds himself economically better off than in
his own country.
And all these facts have a more important
bearing upon public life and good American
citizenship because the political issues today
seem to tend towards granting more and more
power to the people. Think for a moment
what will be the effect of the initiative, the re
lUTfl (1011) 5
call and the referendum within ten years if
we do not educate and assimilate the foreigner.
Mark well that I do not intend to pass judgement
upon such political issues, as a minister
of the Gospel. 1 have no political program.
What I aim for is only to demonstrate that
such political issues will place our constitution,
our judicial and legislative powers in the hands
of the people and the people will be made up,
very soon, if we do not do more aggressive
work, of crude and unassimilated foreigners.
The American nation and the American soul is
at stake. You may say that, though foreigners
constitute the majority, the organization is
in the hands of Americans. That is so, but how
long will it be so? I see already many foreign
names among the bosses and all Hip fn?to
demonstrate that the foreigners have already
begun to exert their supremacy and control.
I will give two recent indications which prove
to me conclusively this point. During the investigations
into the New York gambling scandal,
which are still going on, Mayor Gaynor
wrote a manly and powerful letter, taking into
account the names of the perpetrators of
the crime. He said how much ought to be
done to uplift the "deranged foreigner."
Some leading foreign writers replied to him.
They said that before his election the mayor
spoke of what good citizen foreigners make,
and that these words gave him the majority
necessary for his election, but that in the future
the foreigners will defeat him. Now
Americans, stop and think and act accordinclv
ov "
The other instance is connected with Woodrow
Wilson, one of the cleanest politicians;
one of the most upright citizens and the purest
and most learned American character.
This prominent scholar in his book about the
American people naid, I believe, Something
true, but not very pleasant about the undesirability
of some immigrants and two hundred
and twenty editors of foreign papers have
decided to fight him in the coming campaign
for his election as president, only for that true
statement.
You see, my brethren, that good citizenship
and good social and national politics are at
stake if we do not assimilate the foreigner.
THE STORY OF NAMES
(Continued from page 3.)
as salt as the sea itself. This noble roadstead,
destined to fill SO larcre a nlane in th#> fntni?A
history of this country and of the world they
called for the popular treasurer, the Earl of
Southampton, a long name soon contracted to
Hampton Roads. It might well be argued that
the pioneers saw in this Virginia harbor a real
or fancied resemblance to the famous roadstead
in the south of England?Southampton
Water. And a further fact of considerable significance
is that the shire immediately to the
south was called Isle of Wight County. And
still another curious parallel to the English
Southampton Water is that the naval base of
the government when in later years it was
oof oKKoll A/1 tITA? ""11 ^ '1 T"> ~?x 11 * *
\ onn'iioiicu (is .rurisniouin. i^vit. Bt tfi(very
first when the original settlement to the
south of the Roads was called Southampton
Hundred, and the name given Southampton
County a century and a half later was without
doubt a revival of that original hut lost memorial
to the faithful and generous Earl of
Southampton.
Norfolk, Ya.
Thou, 0 Christ, shalt become the corner-stone
of humanity so completely, that to tear thy name
from the world would be to rend ti its foundations.?Ren
an.