Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-04-15

and many people being compelled to stand
about the door-ways. A large bouquet stood
on the table below the pulpit, and was the
only and sufficient decoration.
The pulpit was occupied by the Revs.
Aiken, Goodrich, Hawks, WOlcOtt, MOnteitb
and Bige,ow, representing, respectively.
the First, Second and Third Presbyterian,
Plymouth and First Baptist Churches.
The services were conducted in the hap
piest, most patriotic and impressive man
ner. After voluntary on the organ and
the doxology, invocation was made by the
/ Rev. Mr.. Monteith, after which was sung
the l15th Psalm, beginning
''Not to ourselves, who are bat dust,
No. TO ourselves is glory due;
Eternal God thou only just,
Thou only gracious, wiss and true"
Rev. T. H. Hawks read passage o.
Scripture, the Psalm, opening, at is good
to give thanks unto the Lord" An i'm
pressive prayer was offered by Rev. Sam
uel WoleOtt, after which the celebrated
l'eBattle Hymn of the Republic" was sung
by quartette, the chorus by the congrega-
tion.
Rev. W. b. Goodrich then proceeded tc
deliver a Thanksgiving sermon from the
text found in the 7th chapter of the Book
of Ecclesiastes, and 9th verse: "Better is
the end of things than the beginning there
Of"
1t would be but trite to speak of it as 8
very foscible and eloquent production. Ii
was, moreover, temperate, practical and
suggestive, dealing not only with the past,
but graphing with questions, political, So
lcial and moral, which are soon to come up
for consideration and settlement. We are
sorry that we cannot present it entire to
our readers. We can give only meagre
report, with the exception of the closing
passage under the third head, which is
literally and entire.
The reverend gentleman opened the DIS
course by alluding TO the first Sabbath and
its religious exercises, after the fall of Fort
Sumter, four years ago. That days teach
ing was "the Christian Necessity of War"
He drew, with few mastery strokes, the
picture of thewid contrast Of the two occa-
sions, and in this connection remarked that
the importance of the operations of the last
four years cannot be fully realized nov, nor at
any time within the limits of the present
We are too near the events to
see their magnitude and relations to the
general secular and moral order. Such
fruit must ripen fully before it can be val |
ued.
He declared this war more Important
than that of the Revolution. That was the
birth-psng of the land; this the regenera
ton of the same. No one, not even the
Church, at the beginning considered the
struggle in this light, and
hence the war was entered upon with
Christian sadness. But it has proved al
gigantic means for the furtherance of
and civilization, so that the
end of the war is far better than the be-
ginning.
The first structural idea of the DISCOURSE
was this:
1. We have now for the first time anI
assured nationality. Hitherto our Union
has been but nominal and untried, ALI
the forms of nationality have been present
in our system, but nothing was sure in ourl
the present war, had been applied
A nation is never sure until it has
a history, until God has spoken, and putt
upon people the divine stamp. 1t is not|
that we have created q claim to this assur-
ed nationality, but it has pleased God to or
iain us a lasting people. The discordantl
elements in our system,-such as mixed
the seeming antagonism ef Sec
tions in interests and dsentiments,-werea al
luded to. They threatened our stability.
But these have all been fused in the terri
BILE fire of the war, as representatives of all
the nations ofearth have fallen in our strug-
gle, and joyfully died for this, their own,
country.
No iurther attempt will ever be made
to sever this Union of States. The ex-
pertinent just made will be conclusive toI
all time, What God hath Joined together
in these four solemn years, let not mani
dare attempt to put ssunder.
I'd. We have gained character of curl
own and conscious manhood. We haveI
not had a national character these eighty
years of our existence. Our faith in our in
stitutiOns has been only opinion, not faith
for it was all untried ;our resources unknown
But this war has developed in us full faithI
and knowledge in and of our institutions,
our country and ourselves. We, and all
other nations, now know our strength
we bowed down to foreign opinion
Now and henceforth Europe is behind us
We are no longer at school to the continent
We have a truer self respect, We shall
not think how we seem, concerned only to.
js what we are and may be.
The heroism of the nation has been mar
developed. From the ranks of
private life leaders, civil and military / aves
arisen, whose prowess and ability command
he admiration of the world, and we have al
host of women who are fit to be the mothersI
md wives of heroes. See how the half
hearted men have sunk beneath the heroism
If the times How readily people have
eft the comfort of home to brave the dan
yers of the battle field The memory andS
Example of the self-sscrifcing devotion to +
he Union, of the many distinguished andE
IN known dead, have entered into the type
If manhood made by this war. This is aE
,etter style of manhood than we once
hought ourselves capable Of But the war
las trsnsfgured US. Those who went out :
rom US boys, come bsck to us heroes.
3. We have risen to far nobler senti. 5
nent of justice and mercy. The ordina s
y effect of war was dwelt upon. In view
# it, no wonder many good men, taking
counsel of their fears, preferred the alter
native of divided country to the horrorss
f war. But God was wiser than theirs
ears. AL has worked well. Not princi- !
lie of freedom or justice has been compro-
nised. The mills of the gods have ground
asst, and they have ground fine. OH pref
Idices and conveniionalities have been and
re being rooted out. The grand strides to-
yard the great result, the popular recogni- I
ion of the moral and political equality of
he people here, were cited as proof of the
lew and ma, vellous convictions now shared s
y all classes.
The speaker continued:
We find laid upon US as nation greater
bligations than those which we sought in
ur hesdlessness to cast off. We are set to
tudy this great problem of right, how to !
esl justly and wisely and Christianly with
n injured race, with degraded class of
ur own countrymen, with loyal multitudes
ore from cruel prosecutions, and with a
Onquered, perhaps q sullen foe. We need