Morning journal and courier., 1882-05-29
Memorial Day Sermon.

At the Wooster Place Baptist Church-Kn' ed.
 ! Last evening the members of Admira ! Foote and Henry c. Merwin Posts, Gran6
 Army of the Republic, attended divine ser vice at the Wooster Place Baptist church an6 I listened to the annual sermon preceding Me moria1 day exercises. The discourse, whict was very able one, was by Rev. Dr. Stifer I the. pastor of the church, who is also mem \ ber of the Grand Army. The church was ! crowded.
 The services were opened with an invoca
 ton, followed by singing the familiar hymn, ssJoy to the world.
 The Lord has come" Then followed appropriate selections oi scripture and 8 fervent prayer for the welfare of the country by the pastor.
 After the hymn
 'My country, 'tis of thse," was sung by the congregation in spirited manner.
 Rev. Dr. Stifer gave the basis of his re- marks the following words: ''The righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart" He
  lived hundreds of years without king and every man was equal to his fellow. Slavery existed to 8 certain extent, but Jewish slavery was limited slavery and lasted only for term of years. Here was 8 territory but little larger than our own State with it's great men and nobles. The world has never forgiven the Jew for his crime at the cross The grand Jewish nation declined, and although the Jew is in every land he has none that he can call his own. The prophet uttered the words of the text whom the glory of the Jewish nation commenced to decay. They had no memorial days, and the contin- uance of s nation depends the affectionate memory of it's brave dead. The memory of the dead is linked with the cause and purpose for which they d1ed. Washington was great CT than the sword which he yielded Every widowed heart keeps sacred the relicts of her departed husband. There is nothing left us but the dust of our departed dead, and when we no longer keep green the memory of the departed then may we as nation be consid- cred as declining
 It is fact of geology that many countries now inhabitable were once swamps and nor asses and under water, but they were lifted up by some volcanic power. So the gospel of Jesus Christ lifts man up out of the mud
 and mire of sin. Slavery once fourished in this country, but now all men are free and
 equal, and Gods gospel was the elevat1ng
 process that raised Il out of the mud and
 mire. Jesus adopted memorial day for
 himself when he said 'Do this in remem-
 brance of me-" The communion is memor-
 ia1 test of the Christians devotion. So with
 our Memorial day. When we no longer see
 flags at half mast and the graves of the
 brave soldiers are longer strewn with flowers, then will the nation be morally dead.
 The hearts that remember the worthy dead
 are invlncible. While the church remembers
 it's Saviour it is safe and while the nation re-
 members it's dead soldiers it is safe. Jesus
 said, Be faithful unto death and I will give
 you crown of life" Let nation say,
 fight my battles and when you are dead you
 will be forgotten, and the nation itself will Soon be forgotten. We may thank God for
 Memorial day; it is purely an American idea
 Generations of children yet unborn will tread
 this continent, and will honor the dead sol
 diers sleeping in their graves. Oh, I wish
 the Church had memorial day! The light
 of any worthy mans grave is stimulus to
 right. Referring to recent visit to Wash ington and to the halls of Congress, the
 speaker said it reminded him of & sign
 workman put over door in England, which
 was, "All sorts of twisting and turning done here'' He then referred to his visit to the Soldiers cemetery on Arlington Heights, and paid glowing tribute to the dead heroes there sleeping. In closing, he urged his listeners to observe the day in an appropriate manner, as one of solemn import, that all classes should unite in honoring.