The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-06-03
THE HEROISM OF MAN,
THE TEACHINGS OF THE PAST
UNTO THE FUTURE.
An Eloquent Address on the Lessons Of DecOra'
tiOn Day at PittsBuTg.

Last night the First Presbyterian Church was
filled with larger congregation than usual.
The reason for this was the announcement by
Rev. DR.. scovel that he would deliver a special
sermon to the Posts of the G. A. r. and take some
ofthe lessons Of Decoration Day as his subject.
Post was the only one that attended the service
formally. About halfpast seven about 40 Of It's
members and number Of the members Of other
Posts marched together into the church and took
seats that had been reserved for them near the
pulpit. After reading the Goth Psalm, which Mr.
sooyel said was fsVOrite at the time of the war
and delivering stirring prayer, the reverend
gentleman said
'tBy brief experience as a Christian commits.
siOner may give me the right to call the ex.sOl.
diers present Comrades and | am proud to be
able to do go. The thought COmts to us suddenly
that many now gray haired men, were active in
that far off war time and that msDy little ones
know nothing Of those great events. You can
not see the dome of ST. Peters until far away
from It. ThHs 1t is with all events, historic or
otherwise Now is our time to look back al the
stirring days Of the war The devotion and self.
sacrifice of our army is the great point TO admire
IN that time Therefore 1t is that l have taken
these words from Matthew 20h; 2Sth verse. for
my text Even as the Son Of Man came not to
be ministeTed unto but to minister and to give
his life as ransom for many"
The story OF Zebedee's children was then al.
luded TO briefly by the speaker and the mann r
in which these words came to be uttered was
told. He continued: What concerns people
can not fail to interest God. The noble elements
of our Memorial Day are Of this character 1t is
not for politics, to pray for men alone, or to
mourn for the touch of vanished hands. 1t is the
time to think Of the old days. the battlefield, the
camp, the comrades of our camp fire. It is the
time to tell the new generation Of those old days.
There never must be generation Of Americans
which does not know of the struggle Of the CO.,
with opening disaster and final triumph, We
should nourish our obligation to the dead. The
lonely, unnamed dead all died for us. Those
who struggled and were wounded and those who
fought, all did 1t for US. We can not be noble
and forget this. Sometimes feel that the land
has been consecrated by this struggle, The sea.
sons OF the year are memorials Of this or that en-
gagement If Memorial Day is kept active in the
hearts of our boys we will have a new crop of he.
roes when their time comes, We should not
sthdy the ability Of the commanders or the skill
Of this or that man, this day, but should think Of
the good who died for their flag and country.
Their share In the good will put laurel around
the head Of each dead patriot however, unwOr.
thy be may be to be remembered otherwise. The
payment Of the debt we can not pay the dead
must be paid to those they love, Who is 1t that
they loved? 1t is the ones at home. When the
balls from the muskets OF the troops pierced the
breast OF poor Maximilian in Mexico, he cred
out "Carlotta My Carlotta r When a much
nober man, Gustsvus Adolphus was lying
wounded on his last battle field he said to the
trusty friend who watched beside him-"My life
| Is fled-save you yours" Then when the soldiers
came up to him and asked his name and he said
II am the King CT Sweden" one Of them shot
| him and another stabbed him With his dying
| breath he cried "My God My God p aud then
his lips closed forever, one Of the soldiers who
knelt by him heard the broken words, my
Queen Ny Queen !" Thus 1t is that even to the
mind OF these great men the image Of home and
loved ones comes up in the moment Of DEATH
There Is nothing like war to tell how strong
society is. All great events are good 10 show us
| the strength Of men. Conventions are good, al.
though nowaday men are too apt oseek the elec-
| tion Of their candidate instead Of the advance
ment OF their principles.
Memorial Day reaches into the common chords
Of the hearts and binds all the nation together.
Society is apt to split into stratas. Here we
honor others dead and they honor ours One
touch makes us all AKIN. Better this than the
mourning for our dead privately. The color line
is being wiped out. After seeing the blacks ly-
ing side by side with their white comrades dead
before the entrenchment could never spell ne.
| gro with Two 'g's.' Memorial day teaches a
proper respect for heroic virtues. A people 1es.
| titute of herOism and right must rule among
men and tower over all things. How the hearts
| used to beat, What letters we used to write for
the sick and dying. They were full of love, but
| this love of country overcome every other love.
! Heroism conquered all. The knowledge of he.
| roism comes from God,not from man. Memorial
| Day has holy cause and holy ground. ValOr
without righteous cause is brutal. Put them
together ard men will die for them with pure
| heart. There never was cause as grand, as no.
| BILE, ss this of ours. The blue OF the flag is the
heaven Of liberty, the white is the symbol OF
| equality, and the red is the ripe red blood that
| was shed for the other two The cause OF the peO.
| pie is always the cause OF God. We must live up
to the rule Ofhis past The opportunity for high he
| roism in America is not over by any means Pol.
| itics must be purified, the Nation must be pushed
| forward to God and universal right To I've for
| yo1r country In the time Of seeming safety is
next to dying for her in the hour of peril, The
spirits of the dead fly hand in hand In one great
| s1adOwy cloud from the AlleghenleS to the Rock.
les and they bid us live for the country that they
died for. You have a land well worthy Of the
| last drop of your blood and the last spark OF
| your herOism. There must come generation to
whom the law is sacred. We want generation
| OF young men who can write courage candOr
| and capacity after their names, and make poll.
| tics clean from President to police. In cOnclu.
sion, Mr.. ScOvel said that the God who had an.
swered the cOuntry's prayer in her hour Of peril
must not be forgotten in her time of safety. Let
| mans beroism and Gods goodness be remember.
ed together; and together let them go down to all
time,-Pdts, Post 31st uH
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