the n K s ! !: kt a N.
And then one night, quite silent,
llelow in nuinhci seven,
There met the noblest little band
Heneath the stais of heaven.
On this seemingly small footing
Of fifty active member,
They limit a temple that will last
Though many lileak Decembeis.
And thus it was that Delia,
A child of noble bnth,
Found here the sweetest resting place,
Upon the face of eaith.
Palladia and Unio,
Two noble patents they,
Although engaged once in a while
In a sort of family fray,
I'laced heie to glow up stiong and fair
Her little feeble form,
Wheie she might conquer every foe,
Might weathe; every stoim.
Fioni o'er Nebraska's grassy plains
The people came to hear
The pearly gems ol wisdom
That aie piomulgated here.
And who can look at I.ehnhoff,
The man of inightv frame,
And say we've not liVe those of old,
A Hercules in name.
Or who can say that Cupid
Kemembeis not our halls,
Or look upon Pillsbury,
Ami say Troubadour ne'er calls.
Yes the ancient hemes all .ueoms,
Diessed up in modern style.
They make their pleasant little calls
At least once in awhile.
This temple is not built of stone
Nor tiimmed with leaves of gold.
'Tis of a different niateiial
Than was the temple old.
The temple of Apollo,
Although u sight to see,
Was built up of those, substances,
That soon must cease to be.
Hut the little Dcliau temple
I hat we have here today
Is built up in a manner
That it cannot pass away,
Till all the woild is perfect,
As it may be at last.
Then may this Dcliau temple
He a memoiy of the past.
J. C. 1'okti:ki'1i:i.ii, '02.
A National J'mtl.
This oration icccivcd fust piize at the Union contest by A.
C'i. Chapman.
All histoiy shows that any form of union of chinch and
state, is inimical to libeity, civil or religious. It was the per
secutions of ecclesiastical rule, not only at the hands of the
chinch of Rome in the mother country, but also in the Prot
estant colonial governments of New England, that led the
fathers of independence to separate the church from the state.
It is to the interest of our government that the ecclesiasti
cal and the political powers continue disunited, but theie aie
indications that efforts aie being made to bring about, at
least, a partial union. When cities patmnue denominational
hospital, or schools, as they do in so. many paits of our land;
when states found and maintain seetaiun institutions, as is
done in New York, Massachusetts and in other slates; when
congiess appropriates public funds to the benefit of some par
ticular religious otganiation; a gieat stiide is taken in the di
action of leading the state, indirect!) , it may be at fust to
suppoit the oiganizntion of the chinch.
eeited by the applicant. As protestnnt churches aie disu
nited, and their interests diversified, our greatest danger lies
in the chinch of Rome, whose organization is so neaily per
fect. I wish it distiucly understood that I say nothing against
Catholicism, as a icligion, nor do I speak of Catholic, as in
dividuals, I only icfer to the chuich of Rome as a political
oiganiation, dangerous to Aineiican institutions.
Realizing that it is rapidly losing its temporal power in
Euiope, the Roman Catholic chuich seeks to establish itself
in free Ameiica. To this end it labors with an energy and
zeal, evidently piompted by hope of success. If any doubt
his, let them tell what means the gieat inteiesi wnicn me
Pope is taking in Aineiican affaiis. Why should lie love our
countiy when everything, that is distinctively Aineiican, is in
diiect opposition to his every inter.st? l.ibeity of conscience
is most sacied of our constitutional rights. It is the very
keystone 01 the aich ol fundamental principles, upon the sta
bility of which, depends our national existence. The atti
tude of the chuich of Rome, as shown by utterances of Catho
lies themselves, is unconipmmisingly hostile to this principle.
Sas llishop O'Connor, of Pittsbuig, M.ibeity of conscience
is only endiued until the opposite can be cauied into clfect,
without peiil to the Catholic- woi2 ." Says Dr. Ilrownson,
"Piotestantism, of eveiy foun, has not, and never can have,
any lights wheie Catholicism is tiitnnphant." The infallible
Pious IX, in an encyclical letter said, "The absiud doe
nines, or tarings, in defense of libeitv of conscience me a
most pestilential etror a pest, of all othets most nloleeabj
ed by the state." Loyal Americans encourage education and
the public school, but histotysliows that ignorance and sup
erstition follow close in the wake of Papal surpremacy.
Loyal Americans believe in the equality of the citien. The
Pope 'chums temporal power greater than any eaithly inlcr.
Loyal Ameiicans believe in the piinciple of total sepaia.ion
of chuich and state. The lq e's ideal foun of government
has always been a chinch-monarchy. Loyal Americans ad
heie to Piotestantism, and see, in the multiplication of sects,
deeper icligious study, liuner moral convictions and a moie
chaiitablc feeling between man and man. The Pope iccog
nizes but one chinch, and denounces all believeis in others as
heietics.
In other ways has the pope of Rome shown his hostility to
Amctican institutions. When our country was being torn
asunder by civil war, the fust, and almost the only, foreign
iccognition of the confederate states was by the pope, who
by open letter dated December 3, 1863, blessed tne confeder
acy, and addiesscd Jelf Davis as, "Most Woithy Piesident."
Evidence, admitted at the trial of the murderers of Abraham
Lincoln, pioves conclusively that the assassination was devised,
diiected, and executed by subjects of this same foieign power,
which had blessed the rebel states. It shows that the deed
was plotted at the home of a Catholic, that for months, pre
vious to the assassination, Catholic piiests had held daily
conferences with the conspirators, that every person convicted
of conip'ieity in the eiinie, was a Catholic, that John Suiratt,
who escaped, was a Catholic, aided to escape by Catholics,
concealed in Montienl, by Catholic priests, fiom there trans
ferred in disguise lo Europe by Catholics, and, when found
by detectives, had been installed a member of the body
guard of Pope Pious IX, the head and diiector of the Cath
olic chuich.
Ami yet they say they love Ameiica, that they aie proud to
live in a land where liberty of conscience is guaranteed to
every citiz.en. Hut icalizing that the Jlihl. is the gieatest
bauier lo their ultimate success, they plead, "Since we can