The Emporia News

HUMILIATION, FASTING AND PRAYER—PROCLAMATION.

Whereas, God Almighty has established certain fixed laws of Nature, for the government of the Universe and all that is in it; which laws, if faithfully obeyed, will produce only good results, and all ills come from violations of those laws:

And whereas, God never interposes directly in the affairs of this earth, for good or bad, except through the certain action of his fixed laws—a man may thrust his hand into the fire, and pray until his teeth drop out, but the fire will continue to burn him, a nation may violate the laws of health or of production, and may fast and pray until their entrails are like shitepokes', and their knee-bones wear holes through marble floors, but pestilence and famine will prevail;

And whereas, true prayer consists in acts, and in strict observance of the natural laws of God;

Therefore, by virtue of authority vested in it, by its obligation to do all in its power to enlighten the people and promote their welfare, the Kansas Chief issues this, its proclamation:

A season of humiliation, fasting and prayer is set apart, commencing on Thursday, the 3d day of June, 1875, and to continue perpetually, that the Plague sent upon our people for their sins in violating the laws of God may depart from us, and never more return.

Our sins have consisted in wickedly and wantonly killing the birds provided by nature for destroying noxious insects; in robbing the face of the earth of timber and grass, the sources of moisture, thus drying up streams, producing drought, and inviting the myriads of destructive insects peculiar to arid and barren regions; and in taking from the soil all we can get, without returning anything for compensation.

Let your fasting be a total abstinence from cruel sports, whereby the creatures sent to protect us from plagues are destroyed.

Let your humiliation consist in keeping a loaded shot-gun in the house, and lodging a load of bird shot in the rump of every man or boy whom you find shooting a bird, setting fire to the prairie grass, or uselessly destroying or injuring a tree.

And have faith that such fasting, humiliation and prayer, if persistently followed and constantly kept up, will in time be answered, and continue to be answered as long as we continue our devotions.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hand, and affixed our seal, at Troy, (in advance.) this 3d day of June, A. D. 1875, and of the Independence of the United States the ninety-ninth.

The Chief.