Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-06-19
DOOM OF The SWORD.
It Had its Mission, Has P,aJ,d its Part,
and Now Must G..

Chaplain 7. Dc Witt Talmage breaches the
Annual Sermon Eefore tho Thirteenth
New York Militia-The Great LESBOS Of
War-Peaos Universal DawnA
In the Brooklyn Academy of Music last
Sunday, Rev. +. ID, Witt Talmage, chap.
lain OF tn, Thirteenth N. Y. State militia,
preached the annual sermon to that re gi-
meat.
The subject Of the sermon was: "The
Swoyd-Its Missio, and its Doom" The
text Isaiah 34:5: "My sword shall be bath
ed In heaven"
the bible speak of that sharp, keen, curved,
inexoratle weapon, which flashes upon US
from the text-the sword. Sometimes tho
mention Is applsudatory, and sometimes
damnatory, sometimes as drawn, some
times as sheathed. In the bible. and in
much secular literature. tho sword repre-
sents all jave in,, all muskets. all carbines,
all guns, ali police c.u,s, al battle axes,
all weaponry for physical defence or at
tack. 1t would be an interesting thing 10
give the history of the plow, and follow
ITS furrow all down through the ages, from
the first crop in Chaldea to the last crop in
Minnesota. 1t would be interesting to fol.
low the pen as it has tracked its way on
down through the literature of nations,
FROM its first word in tho first book to the
last word some author wrote last night a.
he closed his manuscript 1t would be an
interesting thing to count the echoes Of tho
hammer from the first nail driven, down
through all the mechanism OF centuries
to the last stroke in the cafpenter's shop
yesterday. But in this my annual SER
mon as chaplain Of the Thirteenth Regi-
ment, l propose taking a weapon that has
done work that neither plow nor pen nor
hammer ever accomplished. My theme is
the sword-its mission and its doom
The sword OF the text was bathei in
heaven; that ia. it was sword OF righteous
ness, as another sword may be bathel in
hell, and the sword Of cruelty and wrong.
There is great difference between the
sword Of Ainklereid and the sword of
Leondas and the sword of Ben edict
Arnold. In our effort t. hasten the end OF
war, we have hun; the sword with abuses
and excavations. when 1t has had a divine
mission, and when in many crises OF the
worlds history it has swung for liberty
and Justice, civilization and righteousness
and God. At the very opening of the
Bible and on tho East side OF the Garden
OF Eden, God placed flaming sword to de-
fend the tree of life. OF the officor OF the
law, St Paul declares: ale beareth not
the sword in vain" Through Moses God
commanded: "Put every man his sword
"Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, o most
mighty" One OF tbs old battle shouts OF
the Old Testament was, 1.-The sword OF the
Lord and OF Gideon" Christ, in q great
exigency said, that such weapon was
more important than a coat, for He declar-
ed: "-de that hath no sword, let him sell
his garment and buy ons." Again He de-
clared: II come not to ssnl peace but a
sword" OF Christs seconl coming it Is
said: "Out Of his mouth went q sharp,
two-edeed sword" Thus, sometimes fig
uratively, but oftener literally, the divine
mission of the sword is announced.
What put an end to infamous Louis
XIV.'s plan of universal conquest by which
England would have been made to kneel on
the steps OF the Tuileries and the Anglo
Saxon race would havo been halted and all
Europe paralyzedl The sword OF Marlbor.
Roman war eagles, whose beak. had been
punched into the heart OF nations must be
brought down from their eyries All other
attempts had dissracsfully failed, but the
Germans, the mightiest nation for Drawn
and brain, undertook the work. and, under
Gcd succeeded. What drove back the
Roman cavalry till tho horses, wouu led,
flung their riders and the last rider perish
ed, and the Hercynian forest became the
scene OF Rome's humiliation! The sword,
the brave sword, the triumphant sword OF
Arminius. " lille passing throu ,h France
last January my nerves tin ,led with excite
ment and rose in the car, the better to see
the batted OF Cha!ons, the mounds and
ulSthn IN Il a,>~
hundred years ago they were shoveled up
Here, Attila, the heather monster, called
by himself the ''Scourgs OF Col, for tho
punishment OF Christians" nts life massa.
Gre OF nations, ca ne to iynominious defeat,
and he put into one great pile the wooden
saddles OF mis- cavalry, and the SPOTS OF the
cities and kingdoms he had sacked, and
placed on top Of this holocaust the won N
who had accomp ,nied him in his devasta.
ting march, ordering that the torch be put
to the pile. What power brok, that sword,
and aged that red scourgo OF cruelty that
was rolling over E1ropsl The sword OF
Theodore and Actius.
10 come down to later ages, all int Iii.
gent Englismen unto with all intelligent
Americans in saying that it was tae best
thing that the American colonies swung of
from the government Of GreI IT Brit ian. It
would have boon the worst absurdity Of
four thousand years il this continent
should have continued In loyalty to a
throne on the othor side of the sea- No
one would propose Governor General for
the United States as there is u Governor.
General for Can d,l We have had splen did
queens in our American Capitol bu, we
could hardly bs brought to support a
queen on the other side OF the Atlantic.
lovely and good as vi toria is. The only
-.
In this country is, to treat them wall waen
they pass through to their hunting groun ds
Ia the Far " est, or when thoir fortunes
have failed, reinforce them bv wealthy
matrimonial alliance. Imagine this nation
yet part Of English posses sions |
Tho trouble tho mother country has
to-day with Ireland would bo
Q paradissic condition compared with
the troub Q she wouli have with M