The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-05-25
NJ FOR OLD SOLDIERS
They Are Preached in Memory of Com
rades Who Gave UpAll for the Union.
The Faithful Veteran the Guardian Of the
State-Sentiment in Memorisls-0ld Bapt-
Isl Pastor Welcomed-0ther Services.

The special memorial services at the Sec
ond Presbyterian Church yesterday fore
noon brought IN audience that filled the
largo auditorium. which was decorated In
honor of the soldier guests, the membersof
George II. Thomas Post. q. A. K. Sons of
Veterans, indianapolis Light Infantry and
woman's Relief Corps. The decorations.
consisting of large American fsgs. were at
the entrance. and within draped the win
dows and above and behind the pulpit,
while the platform, upon which were the
officers of George III. Thomas Post, was
banked high with white flowers and vines
of myrtle. The music by the choir was es-
pecialIy good. After the reading of the les
son of theday, which was from the eleventh
chapter of Hebrews. beginning at the six
teenth verse, . collection was taken up for
the benefit of the Woman's Relief Corps.
Rev. Joseph A. Milburn then preached
the sermon. He took for his text the thir-
ty-fourth verse Of the tenth chapter of
Matthew:
Icame not to send peace but a sword.
1.-THE Calling gun is not q pleasant thing
on which 10 look,D Mr.. Milburn said. 1.-The
u 6WOIu II q tNh1o A81@
They provoke dark, unhappy memories.
1t is the hope of ell good men that the day
is not far distant when the history OF war
shall read like q somber fairy story OF the
past. 1t is the prayer of all great men that
the day shall soon dawn upon q rational
and a happy world. when with arms
stacked in an everlasting truce the reveille
shall no longer call the weary warrior from
his peaceful slumber to 60 forth into the
tempest of battle, when the poets dream
shall be fulfilled:
"When the war-drum throbs no longer, and the
battle-fiag Is furled
In the parliament of man-the federation OF the
world.
sYet after ALL" continued the preacher,
by an appalling conservation of rich. red
blood that the human race has moved TO
the grandeur of Its present state. The sol:
der has in every age been the coadjutOr of
the prophet. the guardian of the state. the
protector of the home, and il is IN his blood
that humanity has been baptized. 1t is 3
common habit among men to estimate q
nation by its material property, by its
vigor. by the freedom of it's institutions, by
its power and %splendor. Look at the bis
tory of the jews. to the empire Ct King
David, in its day the monarch Kingdom OF
the world; it's patrimony wonderful. affiu-
Did all this come through the
prophets, through the hierarchy, through
it's temples. through the law of Moses.
the law of the Bible, the law of the
Decaloguef To whom do you think you
Moses and his lawsf Yes, without q doubt.
To Isaiah and his exhortation3 Yes. with
out a doubt. To Ezekiel and his glorious
visionsf Yes, without a doubt; but also,
nra-aminanflu and axnraaalU I'm IQSnna
nd his hosts. Blot out Joshua and You
blot out all the record of the jews. Blot
out the grand old warrior and his legions.
and you blot out Moses. and Aaron, and the
the priests. Blot out the battle of
Beth-horon, and you shall no more behold
Isaiah prophesying In the faraway Judean
hills. Blot out the battle of All, and you
hEsh the voice of Ezekiel. Blot out the
Jewish soldier. and in the act you blot out
. mighty empire, and the elect city of
GOD becomes q city of nothingness.
But we do not need to look to judah TO
prove that the mar tial spirit, that the sol
der. the faithful veteran is the guardian
of the greatness of the state. We see it In
the history of our own loved land. We are
all proud of our country, it matters not
whence our ancestry may be. Whether 1t
be French, or German. or English, or Irish,
or Scotch, we all love America. We all,
without bashfulness, believe that Column
bia Is just a little nearer paradise than any
other nation on the earth. There are none
whose spirit is broader, whose conscience
is clearer. whose institutions are freer, mono
whose laws are more humane and just.
Here is room for every man to earn
his daily bread in dignity and peace.
Here Is room tor every man to think his
r0nss1 sn0a dsspotio n lawns. Hsrs every Gy
man has q full. rich acreage
in which to roam. q Noad and ample world
in which TO earn his fortune. Here every
q if he be actusted by q high and no.
BILE spirit. if he be faithful, can be %victori,
Gus. Here every man can live q regal and
exalted life. Here every man can be
benevolent. Here every man can be q gen.
tleman. Here every man stands an equal
chance with every other to be one of God
illustrious. distinguished kings. And
TO whom is tnis Nation indebted
for Its g%reatnessf To whom are you
and myself indebted for the largeuess and
the Wilderness of the liberties In which we
all livef To the economic glory of q Ham,
iltonf Yes. to him we owe q debt of graft
tude and thanks To the s~tatesmanship of
Adamsf Yes. to him also this country yves
of Clay and Websterf Yes. but
far more than to these. far more than to
Hamilton, or Jay, or Adams. or Monroe, or
Jefferson, or Webster. OF Clay. to the sol
diers who fought at Monmouth, and at
Concord. and at Bunker Hill: to the veter-
ans who fought at Gettysburg and Antie-
tam; to the men who fought, and bled. and
died at Fredericksburg and Malvern Hill,
that the land might not be wrecked by
schisp, and that the stars and stripes might
float free and triumphant over us, the SYM
Dol of q sovereign people. Not the states
men. then. nor the scholars, nor the au-
thors, nor the poets, but the soldier. the
faithful and courageous veteran, the mau
of blood and iron. the preacher with the
sword, the prophet with helmet n with
plume. The army of the nations.
the lronsides of Cromwell. the legions
of Concord. the soldier of the Wilderness
and Ulysses Grant at Appomattox. these
are the artiticers of empire. these the men
TO whom we owe the institutions, the hber-
ties: the laws: the rights that we have.
said the preacher. "come In the national
spirit to remind the church that it. too,
must fight That il must rise from its
psalmcdy and its prayers. and 60 out to
fight the glorious fight of righteousness and
truth. Your presence here is q reminder of
the seriousness of life, and that the CHRIS
tian must supplement his hymns by action,
by great and noble deeds. This 10 the
message TO the church of Jesus Christ. You
come here to rebuke the luxurious, COM
placent saints. the saints without much
energy or conscience. the saints without
much soul. This spirit you rebuke and in
its place you inspire us to action, TO celes-
tial warfare. To fight back the shadows. 60
fight IN the glory and the splendor of the
light. | feel honored to have had the prIvl-
lege of addressing You this Sabbath day.. If
there is any man on Gods earth who has q
right to feel proud. to exult in the great
ness and nobleness of human life he is of
You who tonight m the Northern army in