Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-05-29
THEIR PRESENT DUTY,
Now That the Great Civil War is
Over.
Synopsis Of Valuable and Interesting
Sermon Preached to Branum Post.
G. A, r.. BY Rev.
Beaii.

! Rev. n. E. Beall by invitation preached
! a memorial sermon to the Uranium Post
last Sabbath evening. The weather was
threatening. but at half past seven the
church was very comfortably filed. The
| front seats in the middle block of pews
had been reserved for the soldiers OF the
| post who marched in. and as soon as they
were seated the choir struck up volun-
tary, which was rendered in manner that
reflected credit upon their well established
reputation.
THE SERMON
was preached from Isish tx, SO. After
few words of introduction expl anatory Of
the text, Rev. Beall pictured briefly the
horrible raysgeS OF war and the suffering
that follows In its train, and declared it
vas only justihable, when the life OF q
nation is at stake. He then proceeded:
in the late rebellion an honest opinion
and loyal conviction, with but few eIcep-
tons, prompted the rank and file to march
out to battle, and TO death. There was
ambition, but ambition subordinated to
the grand principles at stake"
He declared that the majority on both
sides believed themselves to be right, and
illustrated that position by Gen. Thomas
stand at Chickamauss, and StOnewali JACK.
sons stubborn resis ance to the advance Oh
our forces.
Both parties are SO firmly convinced
that they were right that argument couid
not move them. and they
APPEALED TO THE GOD OF BATTLES,
and the answer came when hard-earned
victory at last perehed upon the hsgstat.s
from which toated the stars and stripes,
the dear old banner which came out OF the
struggle without losing one OF its precious
stars"
In speskipg OF the soldiers slain in bat
tie and the. object of their death he said !:
They died not that the visitor should
have power to place his foot on the neck OF
the vanauished. They died not to lend
power to the bitterness OF sectional feel
ing which in time past has made the coun-
try one in name but two in spirit.
while we are here to honor the memory
OF the brave soldiers thus persisted, let rs
invoke heaven 10 rermelte us with the
spirit OF our martyrea Lincoln, who at
Gettysburg said 1t is for uS the living rath,
er 10 be dedicated here 10 the unfinished
work they have thus far carried on. 1t IS
rather for us to be here dedicated TO the
great task remaining before us; that from
these honored dead We take increased de-
votion 10 the cause for which they gave
the last full measure OF devotion; that we
here highly resolve that these dead shall
not have died in vain; that the Nation
shall under God have
NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM,
and that Government OF the people, by the
people and for the people shall not perish
forever from the earth In this spirit we
should address ourselves to the issues oil
TIE day. Wherever fomenters OF sectional
strife rear their heads above the rot
ten breastworks of passion and pref
dice. il is your duty, soldiers of the
Grand Army of the Republic, to detail
| your best sharp.shoOters to PICK
them of. When broken limb
| is in the very act of knitting together it
! is no time TO undo the bandages and scrape.
! the bone, simply because the surgeon who
| set the limb Consults with homeopathic.
1t is no uncommon sight to
see countries rent asunder. History is full
| of such rents. 1t is easy to break, but, oh
how hard it is to unite again But the
union is here more precious than ever be-
cause onc9 endangered. Men have said il
is a failure. but they are like the owl
perched on the limb OF a tree. winking,
and blinking, and screeching, Daylight is
failure.
The minister then compared the coming
together of the North and South to the
coming together OF the Allegheny and the
| Monongahela rivers, which unite and form
the Ohio. After speaking in this COnCllia-
tory manner for some time, he reverted to
our duty to the memory of our fallen
braves, and bestowed the following eulogy
upon them: They were no ordinary men.
They lived for no ordinary purpose. Their
blood was the price of our free Union.
Peace TO their silent shades. Fragrant a
the breath of morning be their memory.
The winds OF two score years have
SWEPT OVER THEIR GRAVES.
Their bones have mingled with the sands
OF the CarOlinas and fertilized the cotton
fields of Georgia; but they still live. Live
in the institutions they have preserved.
Live in the grateful remembrance of their
living comrades. Live in the new genera
ton now filling their places, and they will
live in the gratitude OF generations yet I'M
born. And shall We who keep their graves
and bear their names and boast their blood,
dsown the heritage they have left us, or
disgrace it by selfish partizan strife that
will destroy the power OF their death?
Never, Never, Never,
The minister then said that he appeared
before them not only rs chaplain but al.
so as a recruiting officer to endeayor to en-
list them to fight under the banner Of the
holy child Jesus. He read the bounties
the Bible promised, and the accoutre.
ments that would be provided. He showed
what the army had done, and what was
still before il, and concluded by a descrip-
ton of the review of the army at Washing
ton at the close OF the war, and compared
that to the assemblyof the hosts in heav-
Ell, when the forces against sin shall have
been victorious. We have not space TO
give il IN full, for which we are very sorry.
as the entire sermon should be heard by
all. 1t was one OF the sblest addresses ev-
er delivered in our city on any subject.
Rev. Beall is gaining reputation As an Or
ator and scholar which will one day