Elizabeth daily monitor. [volume] (Elizabeth, N.J.) 1868-1880, 1869-05-31
MEMORIAL SERMON.

crowded last evening to hear the Memo
rial sermon by Rev. E. Kempshall, by
invitation of Committee ON Decoration
of the graves of deceased soldiers and
sailors. The sermon was preached from
the text, This day shall be unto you a
memorial" Exodus 10Th chapter, 14th
verse.
Heroic deeds have been commemora-
ted from time immemorial. The mar
BILE lion at the pass of Thermopylae, and
the monument of Bunker Hill, the
Passover which the Israelites were
commanded to keep forever, are the
memorials which connect, as with a
golden chain, the history of the past
with the present. Every Christian
country has its day, which, by common
consent, is it's memorial day.
Yesterday, on that beautiful spring
day, when all nature dressed in its robes
of richest green, fair hands came forth
with beautiful flowers. wrought in curl
Gus devices, of crosses and wreaths, ito
decorate the graves of our heroic dead.
Each little mound has received its flo
raj tribute, while aprayer went up from
each cemetery and churchyard that God
would protect the widows and orphans
of those who sacrificed life itself, that
we might have united country. And
then the farewell shot was fired, remind
ing the living comrades of those who
slept beneath those garlands Of the car
mage and sound of musketry they had
passed through ON the field of battle.
And not only here, bat from the
Green Mountains of Vermont to the
sunny slopes of the Pacific, the decora-
ton of graves of those who on land, or
on ocean, gave up their lives that our
country might be saved.
Mothers, daughters and sisters at the
Sunny South have done the same for
those who fell in cause which we can
not justify, yet we may thank them for
the beautiful suggestion ; and while this
is being done, we will pray God that our
children, and our children's children
may from year to year gather, with less
and less alienation around the graves of
those who fell, until we have one har-
monious and glorious Union, bound to-
gether by the cords of love.
The late war was not only for the
blotting out of slavery, but for great
principle which lies at the foundation
of our National existence. The dark
spot of slavery has been wiped forever
from our fair eschuteon, and we are to-
day stronger as Christian power than
ever before. Now we all claim and en-
| Joy the inalienable right of life, iber-
ty and the pursuit of happiness.
1t has taught us lessons of bitter ex-
perience, through tears and sacrifice
which speaks to us to-day, now there
are no chains of slavery, that we are q
free people, wherever our flag floats to
the morning breeze. Every Christian
man can thank God from his inmost
soul that the vexed question is forever
settled. The march which this country
has made in establishing free govern
ment, free press, and free conscience
is but the drum-beat which will yet give
liberty to the world from sin, to enrol
under the banner of King Jesus.
Now, the gates of the temple of ia
nus are closed, and from beyond the
ocean they are coming in crowds, and
passing by us to the Great West. This
will be the Home of Freedom to the
world, the land Of the Bible and the
Sabbath School, and we may thank God
that the preservation of our National
unity is growing. No nation has so
high vocation as our own. We conse-
crate this memorial day to perpetuate
our beautiful banner, which to-day
floats over a happy, prosperous and
Christian people.
We can do but feeble justice to the
speaker in the above synopsis, The
sermon was beautiful and eloquent, and
was listened to with thoughtful atten-
ton.