National Republican., 1880-05-24
MEMORIAL DAY.
An Eloquent Sermon to the Grand
Army of the Republic.
Patriotic Utterances from the PuIpit-Lcs-
sons OF the wnr-Tho Necessity of Gull
tivatiuE Pntriotism--A Christian
Church aud "A Schooi-House
for All - An Army of
Pence-Deooration.
A Sermon ON Memorial pay.

patriotism and the national obscrvances Of
memorial day, and Notwithstanding the rain
fell in torrents very fair congregation was
present, among whom were many members of
Lincoln post No g. Grand Army of tho Repub'
lie. The text was portion of tho 18th and
18th verses of the 9th chapter, Corinthians
What fellowship hath righteousness with un.
righteousness Aud what communion hath
light with darkness ..ARd what concord hath
Christ with Bolial ?"
The world, said he, is full of antagonisms
Truth and error are graphing now as they
have been over since the hour that Satan con.
frontod the first man in Eden. If there is
light there is darkness to oppose it. If there
is substance there is shadow to counterfeit it.
If peace is in the foreground war is in the
background. There is conflict over raging.
Before the clash of arms there is the clash of
ideas and principles. War is the terrible cx-
preston of an idea, the most emphatic decara-
tion of principle. An evil though it be, vet
what would the world have been witl.-
out it? We love Peace, white'robcd
Peace, for she is beautiful. but her robes
are white only as they have boen boached in
human blood. Without war we should not
know peace He described in eloquent words
the incessant conflict between the opposing
forces of good and evil, not only in spiritual
affairs, but in the lives of individuals and
nations. lie spoke of the approaching and
long-wished for time when wars should cease
and white-winged Peace shall dwell forever
with us, but said there were some things worse
than war, among which are national decay,
human slavery, ignorance and intolerance
There is scarce nationality of any promi-
nence whose birth throes were not battles and
whose every stage of development has not been
lraught with strife. France, Germany, Eng
land, all were made great by war. He pro-
ceeded to depict in glowing terms the grand
achievements of civilization through the agency
of battles with wrong and error, showing that
war is one of the most effective instruments by
which God works great things for good in tho
earth.
But now, my friends, said he, with the great
memorial day so near our minds naturally
revert to the struggles of our late civil war, if
not to the causes that led to it. and to the con-
ilict of opinions now in progress. OF the
| events of that war l caunot hcro give even IL
summary, nor is il necessary to attempt it, for
those events are fresh in the memories Of those
who have lived through them, while they are
familiar to every schoolboy in the land The
most of us remember the days when that liv-
ing tide of armed men flowed through our city
southwark toward the scene of deadly strife
| How like the memory of the troubled visions
of the night does the memory of those days
como back to us. They seem more like dreams
| than realities. What alternate victories and
defeats, what hopes and fears, hearts sick and
hearts glad, and oh the tedious hours,
the exciting dispatches, the hurrying to
and fro, the long train of ambulances
| freighted with the sick, the wounded and the
dying. All this we remember and tho fall of
Richmond, tho last battle, the great joy, the
| illumination, tho assassination of President
Lincoln, the national pail, and then the grand
| .,,1 ~.,.., sf
| That war, as also the entire history of tho
nation, is another illustration of tho truth
that there is no fellowship between right and
wrong between righ hteousness and uurightcous-
ness. The conflict began in England-it was
a conflict of light and darkness. Thought
was bound, conscience was observation-disclosures
was no liberation. A band of men and women,
lovers Of God and of liberty, sought the wilds
of America. Their first thought was to ind
place where they could worship God accord
ing to tho dictates of their conscience. Still
continued the battle of ideas and prin-
ciples with tho mother country. Then
| followed the struggle for independence.
This achieved, the nationality began, the war
of principles between parties was carried on
with increasing energy. Soon the nationality
was in danger. Secession advocated, threa-
oned, and at last became q fact. Then began
the war of arms. 1t was mighty struggle for
tho union of tho states, tho preservation ofn
tonality. This was mans purpose on the ono
side, and Gods purpose. And 1t was Gods
purpose, too, to strike tho shacklos from the
limbs of 1000, 900 slaves. SO the nationality
was preserved, and tho system of slavery was
blotted out. These are the two chief results
of that four years contest. 1t Is most impor-
tant, first of all, that the nationality be pre-
served then 1t is important that its best, its
most distinctive feature be continued Our
nation was founded 4 christian republic. 1t
was certainly not papal, or pagan, or inadel.
And there is danger that this distinctive fea-
ture of our nationality shall be marrcd il not
wholly obitoratcd. IT, in the providence of
God, tho time shall ever come wnen this con-
servRtiye feature impressed upon the nation
by the prayers of tho fathers and onchased in
their blood, shall be wiped out, then may we
expect soon to go tho way of the
nations now known only in history. For right.
eousness not only exalts but preserves a nation.
He dwelt upon tho necessity of cultivatimg
patriotism and desire for general education.
With these the future Of the country will be
safe. Let America be the worlds asylum,
and let us have christian church and
schOOl-hOuse for all let men of all cOlors and
nationalitics sit in the same classroom and en-
Joy equal chances, and let tho standard Of
manhood be not wealth, not blood, not color
but character. Nationality, liberty and edu.
cation are three strong pillars of our republic,
but there is one more, and this is patriotism.
If these pillars crumble the republic must
fall. Tho love of country must be fostorCd.
When people cease to love their country they
will not long have a country to love. Then
| followed n very interesting picture of tho
high prosperity and great happiness of peo.
pie who are patriotic enough to subordinate
personal interest to public good. lie thought
that our late civil war demonstrated tho fact
that there was patriotism enough in the
nation to save 1t. lie then referred TO tho
grand army Of the republic. Grand not only
because it is imposing in magnitude, hut be-
cause of its beneyolence, charity aud patriot
ism. The thousands of men who compose it
stand now, us before, shoulder to shoulder
in support Of the great principles to
secure which tho great struggle oc.
cured. This is an army of peace, and
yet it is doing battle against tho hunger and
suffering of the widow and the fatherless who
gave their loved ones to their county. Al.
though the Grand Army of the Republic is an
army of peace, it is nevertheless for war also
for war against the spirit Of disunion--sgainst
wrong and injustice. love to think, said he,
of this army keeping alive the sacred fires of
patriotism in the national heart. The electric
cords of sympathy stretching through every
city aud hamlet in our vast domain shall
carry swift the spark from heart TO heart
through all tho host, and they shall glow as
J one heart The grand army is ono, though