Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-15
MEMORIAL SERMON.
RbV. DIR. BENTON REVIEWS A PERIOD
OF NEARLY FORTY YEARS.
What Christianity Has Accomplished
During Several Decades-Early
and Latter-Day Religion.

mortal sermon yesterday in the Congrega-
ional Church in this city, whose pastor he
was nearly forty years ago. There was a
large gathering to hear the pioneer preach
er's review of the period intervening be-
tween his first occupancy of the "pulpit"
in the days when Sacramento had no
other temple of worship but the groves
that covered the citY's present site-and
the present. The reverend gentleman does
no betray, either physically or mentally,
that decay that usually follows SO many
years of usefulness and activity. being still
in apparent good health and displaying
much of his old-time intellectual yigor.
He was introduced by the pastor, Rev. W.
c. Merrill, and spoke as follows:
and thou shalt remember the way which
the Lord, thy God, led thee these forty years in
the wilderness to humble thee. to prove thee
10 know what was in thine heart, whether thou
wouldst keep His commandments or no."-Deu-
teronomy, viii, 2.
AT the end of forty years, from their great mi
grafton out of Egypt, the people of Israel had
been passing their wondrous story in kind of
solemn review. The text is a part of the charge
which their grand leader-scholar, poet, prince
and prophet that he was-gave them as the fit
ting lesson of their fresh survey. 1t is not the
object ofthis discourse to trace any analogies
between that situation and progress and our
own. The incident and its lesson are chosen BY
way OF example, instruction and authorization
They intimate to us, in what sacred and stately
steps they CO. who, after their forty years
OF training, and toll, and work, and war and
conflict and conquest, lay off their armor for a
day, to measure their progress, comprehend the
situation, get their bearings anew and readjust
themselves as out of the past for the oncoming
future a future whose nanpSSitips cor, hiatt
know than those whose grip has been firm
upon the giant energies that have been shaping
the destiny Of this people. 1he American stu
alton forty years ago only part will remember
as out of their personal observation. And to
them 1t may seem even more wonderful in the
retrospect than it did in the original prospect
l. The war with Mexico had thrown its
glamour over the persons of its victorious Gen
erals. The territory acquired by that conquest
had deepened and widened the auti-slayery ag-
1tatlon; The Free-soil party had been forme d.
In the PRESIDENTIAL election of 1913 General Tay-
Tor was elected by the Wings, because the Van
Burens father and son, had drawn over TO the
tree-soil party so many votes from General Cass
the Democratic nominee.
General Taylor was inaugurated in due time
bnt chose his chief Cabinet officers from the
North and thus disappointed the extreme men
OF the south. He lived but 4 few months how
ever, and was succeeded by MIllard Fillmore
He was man of mere policy, that missed his
opportunity, and soon lost the leadership of af-
fairs.
III the early AUTUMN Oh 1913, Wnen the political
campaign was lively and absorbing, the news
was published i'll the East of the finding of gold
IN Alta California. People read with distrust
and many would not give this matter any such
attention as would draw them from the excite
ments of the season Later on arrived abund-
ant combinations of the great discovery, and
from that time forward even the Presidential
election lost much of its consequence. The
gold fever spread rapidly, and all eyes
turned with eagernesS to a shore whose attrac-
tons had previously been regarded as very
slight.
That shore was as far distant as EI1rope or
Africa. For the multitude, it could only be
reached by journey of months. by land or sea-
journey OF tedious exposures perlls, un-
known complications and uncertain issues
The population and wealth of the nation were
then less than half what they now are Not
railway crossed the valley of the Mississippi
much less the continent. The ocean steamers
were just beginning 10 play their mighty part
The nations of Europe were amid the throes of
revolution. Stald conservatism everywhere
held its breath and lived in apprehension. All
the world was shaken up. Thousands began
saying There is no place like home ito get
away from.
So, within few months after the rounding
of of the year 1913, there set out by sea from
our Eastern shore 10000 Adventures. from the
spring across the continent by one route or an
other; and still another 10000 made their way
hlthe1 from the old world and the islands of the
sea. So that, when year had been measured
off from the golden era, and the autumn of '49
was upon us, about 1000 people were sojourn-
ing on our coast
The general situation of the East, so far as the
state of the public sentiment is concern ed, will
be but impertectly conceived, if the fact is not
considered. that ours was great slave-holding
nation, and that the nation was rising from
stage to stage into higher pitch of agitation
and excitement over the question of its abolish
ment. That agitation nothing could stop: and
It passed over, move and move, from social to
political agitation, which was frequently a
nd tfNN
welfare. Nor shall we be able to follow the
story of events as they unfolded, unless we
bear IN MUD the further fact that the eyes
OF the shrewdest propagandists, whether of free
dom or slavery, were fixed at or e on these
shores, es the possible scene of a conflict that
should turn the scale of victory forever; a con.
fict overlooked and forgotten, but temporarily,
amid the excitement that attended the gather
ing, the Quitting, and the departing of the
argonauts," and the transcontinentals of
1919, and the more discreet adventures of 1850
On this side OF the continent there lay a mag
nificent outstretch of country; laved on the out
side by the grandest of oceans and fenced on
the other by soow-topped mountain ranges
whose score of icy peaks were bearing up the
armament over tenth of the worlds circum-
frenee. Here were rolling hills, broad plains
and level prairies, laced and interlaced by
wondrouS rivers. From end to end, it bristled.
here and there, with vast forests of seQuoia. red
woods, pines and frs, to be the Joy OF many gen
erations. sky, and sea, and cline were mys-
terry and otfense to invaders; a sweetness
CuaEIn, anu slTeuSln 10 ali pOsseSSOrS.
Here were living groups of communities OF at
least three types of civil izaiion Tor the most OF
III, sparsely distributed over parts of the whole
land Here were the few Iumbemen of Puget
Sound; all scriptural people in this, at least
that they were famous according as they had
lifted up axes upon the thick trees" Here were
the settlements of the hardy pioneer, of ore
gon, who, through ten years, lof toll, had come
10 see the waving held, the fruitful bough the
blooming rose, the home amid yerdure, the
thriving town, and the naSceDt city. Here
were the mixed populations of the Southland
gathered mostly into pueblosr or upon the vast
domains of the ancient missions. born on the
soil whore their tataers had lived for more than
a century; rich, many of them in servants and
cattle, roaming boundIess acres: citizens. some
of them, OF commonwealth affair, whose secu-
tariZing processes had denuded many a scene
of its glory, and whose power had vanished
away like u cloud Aud here were the aborig-
mess; of a peaceful disposition, in the main
rudely representing at the south by a smatter-
ing OF Spanish WORDS, the missionary labors of
former generation, aud showing at the far
north the happy results of different type of
missionary endeavor, begun when the region
was treated as belonging to some foreign field
Their populations numbered few hundreds
here, and 4 few thousands there, and all told
could barely have reached 20,000, had q census
been possible.
Imagine, now. these two sides of a broad con-
tinent. thus framed, figured and stirred during
some dark and slumberous night, gently folded
together the eastern side upon the western, and
then held, tor an hour, and until great NUN Der
of people, mostly young men, foot-loose, enter
prising aud adventurous, had been precipitated
upon these shores. Thu n imagine the parts laid
back into their places. and the sleepers left as
in dream, TO awake in due time, wi h start,
and to wonder with what strange visions their
sleep had been disturbed imagine such scene,
and you will have some idea of the situation as
II twas when most of the pioneer ministers, and
their helpers, began Christian labor on these
attractive shores Nor will you be surprised TO
hear that all OF them did not take kincly 70 the
conditions they were found in, and did not wish
their requiem, when into them their LIES sun
should 50 down.
, What was to be done? MultituSes of peo-
pie, thrown together strangely, awaking sud
denly to the realities Of the situation knowing
almost nothing of one another, having access
present and resolve for the future and do il at
once. The neare,t questions were Where shall
We stay how shall we be sheltered? and
where shall we best procure our livelihood while
we are planning for place and power. fortune
and fdme2
These found, all who were here for public,
rather than for private ends, saw that, first of
the largest possible pace, in the thoughts, feel
lngs, and lives of the people; not only for the
preservation OF their piety and the protection
OF their morals, but also Tor making them in
dustrlous, thirty, prosperous liberal, self-sacri
ficiDg, public spirited, and otherwise genuinely
good citizens, For, citizenship was the next
great necessity. Some of these people. possibly
majority of them, would no doubt live and
die here whether so minded at the first or not.
Nothing substantial could be done no perma.
nent institutions reared unless firm society were
TO grow from these masses. They believed that
il would. and did accordingly.
Before them opened the vast areas of A State
here and State lharAs stast