Daily Kennebec journal., 1879-05-26
VICTORY. TEMPOR AND SPIRITUAL.
Memorial services-Serunon by Rev. q. W j..
whitney.

Hc Mem III u sVINlcSs preparatory 10 tHc
more general observance of Decoration Day,
were held last evening in the Granite church,
every seat in the large edifce being filed
The singing wa, performed by a select choir,
and was beautiful, impressive and appropri-
ate. Rev. Dr. Kicker, Rev. Mr.. Sterling and
Rev. Mr.. Tilden took part in the services of
the pulpit. Rev. Mr. Ecob and Rev. Nr.
Penney were absent from the city.
The memorial sermon was preached by
Rev. GeorgetW. Whitney, pastor Of the Uni
versalist church. ltwas thoughtful, earnest,
Gospel discourse, appropriate to the OCCASION
and We are happy to present an abstract of
the same to our readers;
Thxr-I Cor, xv. 81. But thanks be to God
which givcth Us the victory through our Lord Jesus
| Christ.
On every hand there is generation rising
up who only know of the late rebellion by
report, but to those of us who stand close to
! litc's meridian. how near and vivid that great
| struggle seems. And even the events which
led to the conflict are remembered by not IL
few in this audience. The repeal of the Mis-
! souri, Compromise in 1888. the formation of
the Republican party, the bred Scott 1cci-
!
Brown in the autumn of 1859, and the break
ing up of the Democratic party into the
| Douglass and Breckenridge factions. were
important prcliminaries of the coming con-
| test. At last the great storm came. The
masses of the South recolcd more or less
from the fratricidal war. and it was difficult
to persuade the North that their countrvmcn
south of Mason and Dixon's line really
meant carnage and blood,hed Then speedily
| followed the bombardmcnt of Fort Sumptcr,
and the effect was electric. Thoroughly
aroused tine North brcathed with mighty
wrath. Seycntv-five thousand three months
men were called for, and very zeal made
the way to victory seem short; but the terri
bic disaster at Bull Ru,. enlightened the ma
tion. Instructed by defeat, the blacks were
looked upon as contraband, and at laStmade
| active allies bv the evcr-glorOus Emancipa-
tiun Proclamation. little later. the Mis-
>issppi was opened to the North, by the cap
turc of New Orleans, Port Hudson. and that
almost Gibraltar-like defence, Nicksburg
| After this came General Shcrman's march to
the sea. a wrestling at the first with .tupcn-
! dous obstacles, but at the last, almost an
ovation. The Confederacy cut in twain.
Gen. Grant began To move rapidly toward
| Richmond. Through the horrors of the
wilderness ne pressed, and the victorious
|
stripes foatcd as of old over Richmond.
| Then came the dawn Of Peace, that grand
hour when the hearts of the people were
fairly tremulous with joy. The shacklcs Of
| the slaves were broken, and the bloody sweat
of war was DER We had triumphed, and
the Union was restored. But these blessings
had been purchased at fearful cost. The
wide spread sadness and dcsoation were but
the lesser tributc-money of the great sacri-
flee. \ vast multitude were manned for life,
while much valuable property was DESTROYED
and heavy National debt created Thou
sands of Northern braves sadly langui,hcd in
southern prisons, enduring great barbaritcs,
and hundreds of thousands sealed their te,ti-
mony with blood. And the South also sut-
tcrcd greatly in men and money; hut the
| great conflict had been inevitable. Freedom
and Slavery are ctcr"al antagonists, and too
| long had the nation bowed to the behests of
the latter. Slavery camored for Louisiana.
and the cry was needed: then she wanted
| Florida. and that was also purchased. Texas
was annexed on slight prcteNt>, and after
ward. another slice was taken from Mexico.
\ little later the Missouri Compromise was
repealed. and then an attempt was made to
purchase Cuba. All these things were done
in the interest, of Slavery. Yet through all.
the growth and prosperity OF the North far
exceeded that of the South. The sceptre of
power was slowly yet surely slipping from
| the hands of shareholders, and mad as they
were with ambition, the prophecy of war
| stood revealed in the heavens. Right and
wrong stood facing each other and even the
angels of God might not avert the conflict.
And so the war came lndeniably great as
have been its evils, they shall pass away,
while its good shall be permanent. The
| lightning bolt that opens tount in the noun
| tain soon disappears. but the water flows on
forever. More than three million slaves bave
been set free, the whites of the South have
been helped to noblcr manhood, and the
nation i. now moving on to a higher and no.
bier unity than had otherwise been possible.
Shall We not then rejoice tonight: First,
| those who fought on the battlefield for their
country: then the balance of the nation. But
| the text also suggests the spiritual conflict.
| As Christians We are members OF a grandcr
army than ever shouldered nuskct or drew
the sword. Ga one occasion the Union bat
tcries were planted above the clouds, but the
| defenccs OF the Christian are ever there.
! The spiritual victory is among other things,
a triumph oret ignorance and Superstition.
The Gospel goes among the cannibals and
they cease to rcvcl in that strange onormtv
it finds its way among idolators. and they aban
don both their penates and their public idols.
Then comes to them larger view concern
ing divine things, and they everywhere find
traces of Gods wi,dom and love. The new
view of immortality cnightens their souls,
and they no longer fear the evil eye or other
kindred supcrsttions of the hcathen world
Wherever the shadow of the cross falls, con-
science is awakened. and man enters upon a
life of duty and love. How adequate and
beautiful then the declaration that Christ is
The light which lighcth every man that
comcth into the world" Christianity also
gives lis the rtctJrY orer siH. If evil is not
quite extirpatcd, it is at least often driven
from the field of moral conflict. And what 4
lt, is that when one loves God and good SUI
prcmCly. and for his trllow-mcn practices
daily the life of sacrifice and serving. In the
presence of the Christian believer, EreH
DeaM loses its y'er1or. The love of life is
implanted In our natures and we are prone
to dread death not only As II painful expert
enCe. but because we see in it the departure
of our friends from the sphere in which we
live. The spirit may survive the shock of
death, butwc have seen human life only when
bcgrt with physical conditions. and if our
hearts are tathless, We shall, with the dy-