The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-26
THE NATIONS DEAD SOLDIERS.
An Eloquent Tribute by Rev. A. Marine, of
Central A venue Church.


At Central avenue Church, yesterday morning,
the PASTOR Rev. DR., Marine, preached an ex
ceIlent sermon, appropriate to the occasion, in
the course of which he said
A day has been set apart that we may join in
an observance which does honor to our better
nature, and affords proof that the great Repub-
lie is not ungrateful. the Both of May, every
year, the patriotic citizens of our country are
called upon to pause and reflect upon the service
of our honored dead, who laid down their lives
that the national life might be preserved; when
from mountain crest and side, from gardens
and meadows, and woodlands, the sons and
daughters OF America receive from natures
hands her loveliest and most fragrant flowers,
and lay them as vOtive offerings on the hallowed
graves of the brave and gallant defenders of the
Union.
Pursuant to an invitation of the Grand Army
of the Republic. to all churches, to observe the
Sabbath preceding Decoration Day with APP
propriate services | invite your attention
to the subject of "Our Dead Soldiers
Genius in its subimest strains, and
art in its costliest monuments win transmit the
record of the achievements of our boys in blue.
Our country is endeared to us by its origin,
by its thrilling history, by its vast domain, by
the character of its inhabitants, its political in
stitutons, it's freedom, its holy religion. and by
its great immunities, so that with loftier, be-
cause a much more hallowed and grateful feel
ing than that which led the ancient to sum up
everything in the declaration II am a Roman"
NAV each one Of us say, l am an American cit
izen.
Any tribute in human language would be but
an inadequate expression of the honor due
to our dead soldiers But while
Through glade and glen from deep to deep,
The silent hosts of heroes sleep"
let us but glance at the grand result secured by
our soldiers still living. and those whose graves
we honor and decorate with the richest garlands
earth can yield. First they proved to the world
that we are worthy of the trust hequeathed to US
by our noble ancestors.
They had hands that could strike,
They had souls that could dare,
And their sons not born to be slaves"
At command they deployed into line of battle,
with all of battles magnificent, stern array"
and stood as an impossible barrier between our
homes and the wars desOlation."
While high in air aud over ALL
Hung ike fog that gloomy pail,
Beneath whose CLEAN of murky smoke
The cannon famed and bombshells broke,
And the sharp rafting voey rang,
And sehrapnel roared and minies sang,
Whilst derced,eyed men With painting breath
Toiled onward at the work of death
And struggled hard in that stern strife
To save for us the nations life"
Battehelds, stretching across the continent
speak to all nations of the courage and valor of
American soldiers, and even now We see many
empty sleeves, badges OF honor, Worn by those
whose names and deeds are written in
flames plaud temple, and there unborn millions
shall read the glorious record of our boys in
blue" All over our land are those grand Old
veterans who so vahantly stood in the thiekest
of the fight or led the van of our conquering
hosts, aud so pobly returned their battered
tern and bloody battle-hags TO- aaorn forever the
grand temple of American liberty, But of many
it must be said:
They have slept their last sleep,
They have fought their last battle.
mo clarion shall wake them to glory again"
3 They have maintained the nations life,
unity and prestige against traitors and rebels at
home and their sympathizers and allies abroad.
And while We 20 forth to decorate the graves of
our dead soldiers, may we by ALI possible means
and at all cost maintain the supremacy of our
Americap idea aud Christian civilization.
g. They gave the monster secession its
death blow, and extrpated the. upas Of slavery
from the ocean bound republic, making it Of a
truth and in fact the land of the free and the
home of the brave And now, as the golden
sun rolls from east. to west he d9es not shine oR
a fettered man in this union, Of States, and 1--WE
rejoice to see the curse removed@ We have
recognized the essential manhood of four or Ave
millions Of our fellow beings, and raised them