Newspapers / The Christian Sun (Elon … / June 22, 1899, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Christian Sun (Elon College, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
BY EMMETT L. MOFFITT. IN ESSENTIALS, UNITY; IN NON-ESSENTIALS, LIBERTY; IN ALL THINGS, CHARITY. $2.00 PER YEAR. ESTABLISHES 1844. ELOH COLLEGE, S. 0.. THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 1889. VOLUME LII: NUMBER 25. T)^ Cl^mtiart Sur\ PUBLISHED WEEKLY. ru« Organ of the General Convention the Christian Church (Sonth). CARDINAL PRINCIPLES. 1. The Lord Jesus le the only Head of the cbnrch. The name Christian, to the exclusion of all party and sectarian names. 8. The Holy Bible, or the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, sufficient rule of faith and practice. 4. Christian character, or vital piety, the only test of fellowship or membership. 6. The right of prlyato judgment, and the liberty of conscience, the privilege and duty of all. Reflections. We read in the papers the other day an extended account of a-“prize fight” on Coney Island. A day or two later we read of a “dog fight” near Nor folk. And the question is, “In what respect did the one occa sion differ from the other?” Answer: Mainly in the number of “visiting animals” present. The Trustees of the Agricul tural and Mechanical College, Raleigh, had a hard fight over the election of a President, and no one has been chosen yet. The fight was between Dr. Geo. T. Winston and Mr. W. S. Prim rose. T|ie Trustees meet again in July when, no doubt, some one will be chosen—perhaps a third man. Whatever may be said of the age in which we live, there can be no doubting the fact that it is markedly an age ot philanthro py. At no other period in the world’s history have men re sponded so readily and liberally to the mute appeals of ignorance, suffering, misfortune, and im morality. Educational institu tions are established and en dowed by philanthropic individ uals ; hospitals are built every where for the relief of the suffer ing; the poor unfortunate deaf, dumb, blind and demented have comfortable homes provided for them ; and the outcast and crim inal have the doors of reforma tories open to them, which they may enter and begin life anew. During the month of May alone nearly three and a half million dollars were contributed to char itable and educational institu tions in the United States. Especially are philanthropic men beginning to look after the welfare of the poor unprotected women of our cities. We re ferred to tht»vDhase of philan thropy a few weeks ago. And the spirit is being manifested right here in our own State, as will be seen from the following: “Col. A. H. Belo, of Dallas, Tex., has purchased from his brother, Capt. R. W. Belo, the old Belo homestead in Salem. The consideration was $5,000. Col. Belo donates this valuable piece of property to an associa tion composed of Winston and Salem ladies and it is hereafter to be known as the ‘Belo Home of-Salem.’ Col. Belo establish es this in memory of his father, the late Edward BelOj and his mother, Mrs. Caroline Belo. It is to be used by persons who are^ left without a home or means of support, also for aged and infirm people, orphans and neglected children. The institution is to be under the management of a board of governors chosen by the association, members of which organization is composed of ladies without regard to any particular church affiliation. The association has applied for a charter and deed, will be made to this corporation. There are thirty odd rooms in the building. It is the intention of the ladies to rent out rooms at nominal cost to worthy and needy women. Col. Belo, who thus honors the memory of his parents, is a na tive of Salem, but has been liv iDg in Texas since the Civil War, where he has met with splendid success. He is now owner and publisher of the lead ing papers in the ‘Lone * Star’ State, the Dallas News and Gal veston News. He is highly commended here tor his gener ous gift for such a noble pur pose.”. From time to time we have spoken of the Dreyfus case which has attracted so much at tention, not only in France where the events have taken place, but all over the civilized world, because of the unmistak able injustice and persecution heaped upon an innocent man. As the case is now drawing to a close we copy the following his tory of its origin and develop ment as given by an exchange: “Capt. Alfred Dreyfus was ar rested in 1894, nearly five years ago, and tried by court martial in December of the same year. He was found guilty of high treason, and on a special bill sentenced to confinement for life on a little island off the coast of; French Guiana. The charge was betrayal of army secrets. A letter to Major von Schwarts koppen had been discovered, and it was evident that military secrets, though perhaps not of great importance, had been giv en out from the French army officers. It is now practically certain that Major Esterhazy wrote the bordereau, which was charged upon Dreyfus, though there seems to have been a con spiracy involving a large num ber of the army staff'. Colonel Dreyfus seems to have been se lected as a scapegoat because he was a jew and unpopular. The army officers evidently expected to hear no more of the matter after his sentence. There seems to have been a few honest men, even in the French army, and the public opinion which has de manded a new trial has shaken the Government of France. A year ago General Cavaignac, Minister of War, became con vinced of Dreyfus’s- innocence. Evidence showed lhat an impor tant paper had been forged by Colonel Henry, one of the offi cers of the general staff, who was afterwards found dead and supposed to have committed sui cide. Many people in France believe that Colonel Henry was murdered because he knew too much. Afterward Colonel Pic« quart, Chief of the Secret Sier^ vice, who had the courage to announce his belief in Dreyfus’s innocence, was arrested by the military authorities on a trump ed-up charge. In open court he said he wanted France to know that if he were found dead with a knife beside him, it would be assassination, because he was in no danger of committing suicide. This-public utterance may have saved Picquart from being mur dered in the military fortress. Last week the Court of Cassa tion ordered a new trial for Dreyfus on the ground that he was not legally convicted on the first hearing. He will be brought back to France and tried again by court-martial, and undoubted ly acquitted. There seems Jjgj be not a particle of evidence against him. The whole history, now extending over a period of five years, is an indication of the rottenness of the French army staff, and explains one cause of the weakness of France in mili tary affairs. It is to the credit of the r rench people that the demand for Dreyfus’s retrial has /been strong enough to secure this hearing, but the strength of the opposition, and the indica tion that perhaps a majority of thfe French people are jiot in fluenced by a desire for justice, reveals a source of danger. Dreyfus is practically a ruined man. He has suffered five years’ terrible imprisonment. He can not return to the army, because the general staff would make life intolerable lor him. A large portion of his private fortune has been used in bringing his case to the attention of tfte peo ple. Poor France, which toler* ates such things in its military organization 1” Contributions THE TRIUMPH OP CHRISTIANITY. BY. D. P. BARRETT, A, B. The world was tottering upon its old foundation when Christi anity appeared. The various re ligions which had been sufficient for earlier ages could no longer satisfy the soul of the nation. The heathen deities had lost their supernatural power and a vast void ensued in the religious opinions of all mankind. The narrow possessions of several nations had fallen with the fall of their gods, and as a result in Europe, Asia and Afri ca, all becoming one great em pire the human .family began to feel-its comprehensiveness and unity. Then it was that God’s Annointed, the Prince of Peace, was sent amongst men, and as man to save that which was lost. The former ages had been a preparation for Him, and the later will unroll a 11 that shall transpire until man shall be no more. The first Apostles of Christ having tarried in the city of Je rusalem until they were filled with the Spirit of God, traveled over the Roman empire pro claiming the salvation of their Master and organizing churches as a means by which the whole world might be quickened and the divine plan accomplished. The light of the church for a while shone very brightly, and people throughout the Roman empire recognized its increasing power. The first pastors and bishops in Rome were busily engaged in converting to the faith of Christ all tne inhabitants of the neigh boring towns and villages and persuading them to maintain a union with her. The ecclesias tic body feeling herselt constant ly elevated, could not escape that, intoxication which leads those who are fitted up to seek in raising themselves still higher. As her eye of greed swept from her lofty pinnacles, behold ing,a wide expanse of country,' the possibilities of great wealth yetj unexplored and the power ful laws in state and church, her aspirations sought contentment but found none until all the treasures which she had seen lay tranquil within her embrace. Rome was the queen of cities. Why should not the Roman church be the mother of Chris tendom ? Why should not all Nations be her children, and her authority the universal law? It was natural for man to reason thus. Ambitious Rome did so. Hence it was that when heath en Rome fell she bequeathed to the humble ministers of the God of peace, seated in the midst ol her own ruins those proud titles which her invincible sword had won from the nations of earth. The honor which was justly due the queen of cities was without hesitancy given to the ministers and pope. At first there was no depend ence in the honor thus yielded and for a while they acted, to ward each other as equal to ward equal, yet the usurpation ol power was swelling like an an gry torrent. Exhortation, at first simply fraternal, soon became com mands in the mouth of the Ro man pope. The great bond which originally bound together the members of the church was a living taith, by which all were joined to ^hrist as their one head. Men accustomed to asso ciations and political favors of an earthly empire carried their views of habit and mind into the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ. Errors and persecutions began to arise in the schools and communities, but all these had a tendency to compress the acts of men into a more com pact unity. All results werfe well so long as the invisible and spir itual church were identical with the visible and outward com munities. But soon a great dis tinction arose and the form and vital principles parted asunder. Men bowed themselves before the semblance of an identical and external organization which they called the church, while they suffered the perfumes ot faith to be wafted away on the wings of non-essentials. The living church retired by degrees to the lonely sanctuary of a few solitary souls, carrying with it the Bible and all liberty of its moral and spiritual teach ings. Salvation’ no longer flowed from the hidden Word, and even the power of forgiving sins was taken trom God and placed into the hands of the Ro man pope. The evils of the church soon reached their zenith and the world in its height of anxiety and expectation was awaiting to see the final results. From yonder secluded and isolated monastery rushed Mar tin Luther filled with the spirit and zeal of the living God. The world caught the inspiration of the hour and the work, which dropped from the hands^of fail ing antiquity was then being collected thread by thread, and the unfinished fabric began to be woven anew under the weaver’s hand. The cruel chains of serf dom were b oken and man was intellectually liberated. From the decayed hull of the Roman kingdom, there appeared the germ of an apparently frail and insignificant republic, ere long to be crushed by the surg ing billows of opposition and hatred. But as the mustard seed is mysteriously supplied with the potential elements to spring forth from the earth and develop into one grand organic whole, so the hidden and sup pressed germ of liberty and love for democracy which was im bedded in the plan of God began to spread, until today all human progress from the east to the west is nourished by its life-giv ing power. The laws and" governments ol the Anglo Saxon race are ex tending on all controlling influ ence over nearly the entire earth. Where may we place the limits of the Anglo Saxon power or in what limits may we find the in fluence of those who speak the English tongue? Already steam navigation has wrought a mighty change in bringing nations into neighborhoods, making them acquainted with one another’s virtues and vices and thus striking a death blow to a thous and prejudices and superstitions. The wheels of improvements and the terriffic puffs of fire and smoke from the reform have broken up the stagnant wa ters of every principle nation upon the globe. They have in fused a spirit of enterprise, a spirit of promptness in business habits, an idea of the true science, and shown the practica bility and vast advantage to a nation of progressive improve ment which nothing before has ever done. There is a nervous system of more than 50,000,006 miles of telegraph by which means inter course may be held, business transacted, and knowledge in stantly communicate between places thousands of miles dis tant. The bearing of such a great and extraordinary mode of communication has been and will continue to be a wonderful instrument in the hands of men toward making ready for the world’s Christianization. While inventors and discoverers have reached high attainments in spreading the gospel throughout the world, they are today sweep ing the globe at an accelerated rate, and who is able to say what the twentieth century will usher upon us. There is no divinely inspired philosopher, sage or prophet who can answer our question. But at the decline and fall ot empires and kingdoms republics have arisen. Through the means of modern inventions and discoveries re ligious influences have been sent to the ends of the earth until to day we behold tokens of some mysterious divine event. Prov idential dispensations are pre paring the way, removing ob stacles, gathering resources and materials till we begin to speak with confidence that the day of Christianity’s triumph is near when the kingdoms of the world shall become the king doms of our Lord and of His Christ. [C1»8b ’99, Elon College.] THE WORLD’S REDEMPTION* BY CHARLES EVERETT NEWMAN, A. B. In history we learn of three peoples with gifts and tasks ex ceedingly unlike, yet each play ed its essential part, both to pre pare redemption for the world and the world for redemption. The Jew, through the scriptures, gave us a knowledge of the true God. The Greek contributed a magnificent language in which civilization and the gospel could find expression. And the Ro man,with his world-wide empire, made communication easy, brought peace everywhere from the Euphrates to the Atlantic, and a great advance towards the unity of mankind. There is a fourth people, the modern suc cessor or representative ot the entire three, that is doing single handed what was parcelled out among them all. Their history contains a story which takes high rank among the wonderful works of God. It sweeps across two thousand years, and encom passes the globe, touching every land and nation. It is the Anglo-Saxon who loves liberty better than life and wherever he goes carries the germs ot popular institutions that speedily spring into life. The tendency in their civil and political history has been irre sistably towards democracy and universal suffrage. A moral earnestness, a deep seriousness may be traced back to the be ginning. Woden and Thor were loved and served till con viction changed and then alle giance was as hearty to the new Master. The mission of St. Augustine and his monks to England in A. D. 596 was a most momentous one, and is worthy to be compared with the crossing of Paul into Europe, for it meant a pure gospel at home to be carried to every continent and island under the heavens. Although there were later years of strife, it was then that the Pil grim Fathers fled their country and in New England planted a new church and a new state where they could worship God accortHng to the dictates of their own conscience. But centuries elapsed and still the theatre of their activity was confined to the island home and a fringe of settlements stretching from Plymouth to Savannah. Contact with all the world was necessary in order that the re demptive forces now resident in the English people should be applied in every land from the equator to the poles. The ter rible approach of the Spanish Armada supplied the needed im pulse. The nation came sudden ly tb itself, and established the British navy and a commercial marine. The East India Com pany was chartered and trade began with other nations. All this was evidently meant, though not of men, to be but a stepping stone towards the ex tension of the kingdom of heav en to the ends of the earth. A little more than one hun dred years ago, when the Amer ican republic was beginning to cast off its swaddling clothes, when England was entering the vacant areas lying didder the Southern Cross, was sending her pioneers to occupy the southern tip of the African continent, and preparing to reduce the Moham medan and Hindoo to her sway, it was in that hour, after burn ing for years in the breast of an Anglo-Saxon “cobbler,” the sub lime and inspiring idea of world wide missions began to find po tent expression in deeds. When Carey founded his Baptist soci ety modern evangelization had its birth and entered upon its glorious career. Forty years later, when he was called to his reward, this dame of missionary zeal had spread to every protes tant denomination, not only in Britain, but upon the continent and across the Atlantic. Then the work begun by Carey was pushed forward by John Thomas, Judson, Newell, and a host of [Concluded on Third Page ] 1 OPENINW ADDRESS BEFORE THE CHRISTIAN MINISTERS’ INSTITUTE. BY REV. C. C. PEEL. My Dear Brethren : In so far as our work is con cerned, today’s meeting marks a new undertaking. While in many of our towns and cities, the local pastors have had their associations to consider the needs of the work in general, nothing like a ministers’ insti tute has been undertaken by us, and the amount to be derived from this meeting depends upon the amount that we, as individ uals, shall contribute thereto. We come together today not as students in school, to dig up the roots of Greek and Latin, but as students out of school to study the best methods and plans of work, and profit by each oth ers’ experiences and achieve ments. While we would in no sense be understood to underestimate the efforts to acquire and dissem inate knowledge, it must be ad mitted that he js only half equipped who has acquired knowledge, but is not skilled in its use. The above idea finds very forcible illustration in the Amer ican-Spanish war, our easy vic tory being, in a large measure, due to the skill with which our guns were handled. Spain had war vessels and guns, perhaps as good as ours, and, while it could not be claimed that she was our equal in many respects, in nothing else did we excel to the extent we did in gunnery. This soon reduced Spain’s navy so low that she was forced to sue for peace. We not only need to obtain knowledge—a knowledge as broad as the whole range of subjects that assist us in under standing God’s revealed truth; but we, in order to do our work efficiently, need to understand how to use that knowledge wise ly—need to know how to shoot so as to avoid a useless expendi ture of our ammunition. In this respect the “children of this world are wiser than the children of light,” and the world has moved forward more rapidly than the church ; for we behold gatherings and conventions from the Farmers’ Alliance to the New York Stock Exchange to study methods and devise plans so that their efforts may prove successful and their interest en hanced ; while the church* hold ing truths which should conquer the world for Christ and bring the nations of earth in touch with each other and in harmony with God and heaven, has paid too little attention to method, al lowed her efforts to become largely fruitless for want of uni fication, and herself parcelled up, not only into different de nominations and factions, but her individual churches and ministry are plodding along each in his own way and efforts without even the proper love tor and knowledge of each other. One man, independent of oth ers to a great extent, may, and often has, become eminent along certain lines of work, while a few have risen to such full meas ure of usefulness as to become successful along several lihes; but that only renders such a gathering as ours today the more important as so many need the help that such men are en abled to give. , We would by no means oe understood to say that one knows all, that would be claim ing too much even for the great est of men, and while some stand as giants both in the held ot knowledge and in the arena of usefulness, and have* a vast amount to impart to us lesser lights, still it is to be hoped that these may be able to gather some benefit, though not in so marked a degree. For some time it has been my privilege to observe how certain young men, worthy, to be sure, have been enabled to rise rapid ly in file’s work by being brought into touch with older and wiser heads—those who had already explored the path of fife ahead. ^ Hpw much more may we ex pect benefits to be the result of a gathering where our best tal ent is convened and many drink ing from the outflowing stream. In order to be a successful minister of the gospel one must turn ajl of his gathered knowl edge in this one direction, and more than this, he needs to un derstand how to influence and lead men. As a commander’s success is measured, not by what he can do, but by how he can control and influence his army, and lead them to do; so in the church. Until the preach er learns to influence the church and bring the individual mem bers into service, and make available for church work the resources in the control of ,v>e church, there will be buried ents,'inactive resources, and 'I desired results come far sb jf the privileges enjoyed ' nis our day. - ^ It will be observed tk nave not hinted at regener i and consecration, suppc ,, and rightly so, too, I thi/,? .hat the minister has these i. art with ; tor without these his Knowledge at best will amount to mere show, and his efforts benefit Christ’s kingdom very little. JbJut, in the possession of these, he needs to add all that will make him more useful as a ser vant of God and to humanity. This idea must be consistent too, for while our Savior pos sed goodness to a degree infi nite, He also possessed knowl edge commensurate with his goodness. Then how absurd to suppose that a good man cannot be consecrated. In concluding these few lines, for it is doubtless better to give the time to the study of these subjects rather than consume more time in hinting at subjects to be studied, may we not hope, trust and pray that from this meeting and out of this meeting may flow blessings to humanity, strength to the church and glory and honor to God ; while we. his servants, go forth stronger and better equipped to battle against error and in the interest of truth. THE VOICE OF NATURE IN RE LIGION. BY REV. W. C. WICKER, M. A. There is one great system of truth and two great books. God is manifested directly through revelation, indirectly through nature. The Psalmist has said, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament show eth h i s handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” Tp this biblical truth the great scientist and as tronomer added as he studied and was impressed with the wonderful and splendid mani festation of God in nature, “We read thy thoughts after thee, O God.” Here we have two witnesses, the one on the side of revelation, the other on the side of nature, both declar ing that nature is a great book through which God is manifest ed. There was a time when the study of nature was regarded as dangerous to the church; and during this period the church made very little progress. The church had become a great institution endowed with impos ing worldly power but its spirit ual strength had degenerated. Idealism was the philosophy of the church, and the study of na ture was regarded as debasing. Scholasticism was the struggle between thought and church life a& held in the middle ages and Nominalism which allows free darn of thought and investiga tion. With this progress it was possible to open up new fields of research. With the revival of learning, came the study of na ture where men by direct obser vation and experience tested the truth of each conclusion. Gali leo in Italy, Des cartes in France, Tycho Brahe in Den mark, Boyle and Newton in England, Kepler and Leibnitz in Germany, and the two Bour noulli in Switzerland were great leaders in science and religion. [Concluded ou Fourth Page,]
The Christian Sun (Elon College, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
June 22, 1899, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75