St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-27
GEN. GRANT AS A MAN.
Esttnate of the Dead Hero by the
Rev. DIR. Fisher,

Rev. DIR. Fisher.
At the First Methodist Episcopal church
last evening the Rev. Mr.. Fisher delivered
a sermon on Gen. U. S. Grant, giving his
estimate of his characteristics and qualities.
''He who stands upon the mountain side
cannot rightly estimate its magnitude" said
the speaker. ''0nly in the distance do its
proportions appear. Tonight we are too
close to U. S. Grant to rightly estimate his
greatness. His work has been done during
the past twenty-five years, and not until
fifty years or a century have passed, shall
we know the full results. At our second
centennial, which we may celebrate at the
headwaters of the Mississippi, in the then
greatest city on the continent, the chosen
orator will call the roll of late
heroes. What names shall outshine
George Washington, Daniel Webster,
Abraham Lincoln, u. S. Grant? If the
next century produces an equal quartet we
shall surpass all nations. Our nation has
had two crises-birth and baptism. Our
nation was baptised in fire. The black
sin of human slavery stained the national
heart with deepest guilt The flood of
words could not wash it away. The plead
ing words of Mrs. Stowe or of innocent
Eva st. Claire, the stern music of free
dOm's poet, John q. Whittier; the thrilling
eloquence of liberty's orator, Wendell
Phillips, could not cleanse US from slayerys
sin. BY the fiery baptism of fiercest war
God wiped out the stain, and the high
priests of this baptism were Abraham Lin
coin and u. S. Grant. After an interval
OF twenty years Grant
HAS REJoINED HIS BRErHREN.
What shall be our imperfect estimate of
his character? The opportunity reveals the
man. The guns of rebellion bombarded
Sumter, and the opportunity was come.
The first test was Fort Donelson. With
the watchword unconditional surrender"
Grant won the first great victory of the
war, and the man stood revealed. Shiloh
was severe test. Surprised, outnumbered,
unsupported, he was beaten back and al
most crushed, but he would not own defeat.
Reinforced, imbuing the whole army with
his indomitable will, he fought the enemy
slowly back until the victory was his, and
the man was again revealed. Then came the
bright story of Vicksburg, crushing one
army and shutting up another, and, with the
giant hand of a relentless siege, throttled it.
Vicksburg surrendered, and the majestic
Mississippi measured the stars and stripes
from Itasca to the sea.
Pausing an instant to direct the twin vic
tories of Lookout Mountain and Mission
Ridge, crushing an army and delivering two
states, he passed to the head of the great
Army of the Potomac, and as ieuten-
ant general commanded the united
armies of the nation. More than 1000, 600
men marched at his command. The piano.
rama is two fold. In the West. under
Sherman, is the magnificent march to the
sea, until the stars and stripes float beside
the Atlantic once more. In the East.
against worthy adversary, the greatest
general of the South, Robert 4. Lee, Grant
slowly, yet fercely, makes terrible head
way. By blow after blow, through the
fearful Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court
House, Cold IIarbOr, marching, marching
by day and fighting by night; forward if
possible, if not sideways, but never back
wards, he compels the enemy to retreat.
The whole army seems inspired with the
will of this great man. The line of the re-
lentless siege draws closer, and closer until
Richmond dissolves and the
REBELLION Is CRUSHED.
Then, as quietly as when he began, the
victor in the greatest war that ever shook
the earth received the sword of the van
pushed.
Of his presidency, we may say that il
contains one event worthy of perpetual
record-the Geneva arbitration. The two
greatest nations of the earth, England and
the United States, decided by reason what
the world had always before decided by
war. We need not detail the triumphal
tour around the globe. The world did him
honor
His life reveals two great characteristics,
humility and courage. Ever since the life
OF Jesus Christ humility has been a mark
of eminent greatness. U. S. Grant was
always humble. No triumph turned his head.
The praises of kings could not move
him to foolishness. He sat beside the
laborer, as truly brother, as beside the
king. Because he humbled himself he was
exalted. The second characteristic is cour-
age. He never knew fear. Defeat did
not daunt him. At Shiloh, at Vicksburg.
IN the Wilderness, his quiet, Il will fight
it out on this line if it takes all summer"
revealed invincible courage. But the high
est exhibition Of courage was in his battle
with death. Silently, patiently. while
strength vanished and voice failed he
awaited the Grim Conqueror, and when the
end approached he could calmly write. II
am ready TO CO." The highest courage
shines in that dark hour. These twin
virtues, humility and courage, demonstrate
his greatness
HIS DESTINY.
What is his destiny? First in fame. DOS
terity will write its roll of famous warriors.
and these names shall be there: Cesar
Hannibal Napoleon, Wellington, U. S.
Grant.
In Immortality we bring no test of creed
OF profession. Character is the supreme
test. the good or immortal In all relations
Vi meas son, as husband, as father. as
helghDor' as citizen, as man-his home. his
hauon. his race, declare that u. S. Grant
was good.
concerning the COurt-MartiaI.
The court-martial which is sitting in Col
benos case is brought to sudden halt by
the issue OF a writ of prohibition from the
supreme court, which was granted on Sat-
NfdaN. As there Was dninht II, AZ. -