St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-23
A SERMON ON SHERMAN.
Rev. Vail Reviews His Life and
Points Strong Moral.

Rev. Vail Reviews His Life and
Points a Strong Moral.
In his sermon on Gen. Sherman, yes
terday morning, Rev. Vail took the fol-
lowing text:
have fought good iight.-IT. Tim, w.. Z
Yesterday loving hands lowered the
casket containing the remains Of Gen.
Sherman to its last resting place.
AS we read the record of memory and
love, manifest all along the line over
which the body was carried, we all felt
that the last of the greatest soldiers
developed by our late war was gone.
If any question of the genuine regard
in which he was held had entered the
mind of anybody that idea was dis
PEELED by the demonstrations OF the
week. Gen. Sherman is gone, and
while his memory is fresh in the minds
of the people know Of no topic that
will give us more satisfaction to think
of at this hour than contemplation of
his life and its central lesson. The
preacher gave Il rapid sketch of the
main features of Sherman's life, bring
ing it down to the close of the war.
In after years Sherman lived much as
other men; was very fond of the theater
and opera; was kind father; a good
husband; was warm friend, a charm
ing talker, and, as he grew old, seemed
to take full enjoyment Of life. He be-
lieVed i'll his profession. The most Sc
riouS defeat he ever met was the diSap-
pOintment caused by having no son
willing to enter the army. l presume
it is true that he never until his last
sickness was reeonciled to the action
of his son who entered the priesthood.
In religion he was agnostic. He did not
pretend to say that he knew. Or had
certain belief. about the future. He
hoped for personal immortality. The
administration of sacrament to man
who was unconscious will rouse indig
nation in the minds Of nearly all men of
unbiased mind. To take advantage of
an unconscious man in order to gain
PROSECUTING influence should Suffuse the
cheek of every falr-minded Catholic
with shame.
Sherman appeals to our hearts be-
cause we all have natural admiration
for courage. By original endowment
men
Admire Physical Courage.
A Hannibal descending like sirocco
upon Rome; Cesar exclaiming "The
die is east" and punging into the wa
claiming, with his face turned toward
the icy crags that lowered above him,
"There shall be no Alps;o William of
Orange, rising to supreme grandeur,
giving the order. Break down the
dikeS and give Holland back to the sea,
rather thar surrender; q John Brown
| swaying the world as he stood in the
cart with a rope about his neck-all
| these are examples of what the hero re-
| ceives at the hands of the people He
remains dear in the traditions of ma
| ton. He stands as q Washington, 'first
in war; first in peace, and first in the
hearts of his countrymen." He may
not be saint, but there is that in his
| rugged nature which wakes Our enthu-
| Siasm.
Then war itself seems to give a stage
| on which the toughest life is mingled
! with the tenderest emotions. The
| author of shenandoah has made
tenderness developed BY war 1t comes
| in the intelligent assumption Of risk
that has behind it the feeling of love
| ana the feeling of duty. a man is
| wanted to go into the very teeth of
| danger to capture 4 cipher on which
| the fate of the day depends. 1t means
| the smell of powder probably death.
| Will any one come? Yes; but even the
| officer feels that it is almost murder.
| Still that brave man starts into the for
est, and another asks to go with him.
Our boys did this all through the war.
See that young man as they pull him
| from the place where he is frozen into
the mud there or the side of the hill at
Donaldson. Somebody asks him if he
did not think it cruel to be left there
when the men were passing on. To
this he replies: mo; they had to take
the fort" Sheridan. seeing flag III
the distance, asks if some one will
Volunteer TO Bring 1t.
A boy of nineteen, whose mother last
week held him to her fond heart long
in silent anguish, and then sent him
away at the wheels of the guns with her
blessing, a boy with strong hand and
brave heart, offers his service. He