Morning journal and courier., 1891-11-30
SERMON TO THE VETERANS.

A Touching SermOn-What the Sold.
 iers Have to be Thankful FOr-I he
 Lessons to be Learned From Mili-
 tary Life.
 At the Center church yesterday after noon Rev. Dr. Smyth preached Thanks giving sermon to the members of Admiral Foote post, of which he is also a comrade.
 The house was filled early and shortly be-
 fore o'clock the seats along the central
 aisle were filled by the veterans, upon the
 heads of most of whom the hands of time
 has left its whitening impress. The pulpit
 was artistically decked with palms and
 chrysanthemums. Over the pulpit was draped national flag and on either side of the speaker were the posts colors and | national flag. The service which was specially for the veterans was also 8 con- l tinuation of the popular o'clock Sunday 1 service. The address was brief but force ful and telling and many of the vivid re- alistic struggles brought tears to the eyes of those sturdy patriots. Dr. Smyth said | in part:
 There are some special and peculiar req sons for the old soldiers to give thanks giving to God. Was it so many years ago l or but yesterday when you passed through the darkness and conflict of death? You
 recall now, trust, with thanksgiving the memories of those days. When you glanced down your regiment arrayed for ! battle, many a head you saw bent in prayer and many a face you saw white, but determined; and then the order to ad- ! vance and the awful conflict and carnage was upon you; and you were swept back
 ward and forward in it's grasp. Then when the darkness made an end of the l conflict you met together, remnant only, l to rejoice in victory perhaps, or to dash l into the darkness to bring back some faint | ing comrade.
 But, comrades, in the grime and grind | of the daily work of the world life seems | to be empty and we seem to be but travel CTS on some sandy plain, our clothes and ! faces begrimed and our very souls weary with the contest of the world. If eating | and working were the only things in life | we might we'll be discouraged, but we were born in time of moral greatness and we | ought to be grateful for the memories. Our halls were filled with patriotism, re- ligion was arrayed on the side of nation | al honor, and over this very church every morning Columbia's flag was unfold | ed. And now, sometimes, we seem to l catch gleam of those early times, which our young men do not now understand.
 
 | live on those heights of moral responsibil- | ities that were felt then. The young man
 then left college to struggle with mighty | question. O, surely, we ought to be | thankful in these sordid times, when it seems that every man has his price, that | we can look back on such glorious scenes | of moral heroism as these!
 We can cherish true military concep- ton of what mans life ought to be. Can we, who have seen man filling the full measure of manhood's duty-can we be in different to appeals of rights In our struggles with our own passions and temp
 tations we have the memory of military
 struggles. Our evil passions are our ene- | mics, and as armed foes we must fight them.
 | You remember the soldiers triumphant home coming. You had often dreamed of it. You had often thought of it when
 cannons flashed in your faces, or when on
 those long cold nights you stood on dreary picket duty. You remember the day of l the grand review when the Army of the
 Potomac brought its trophies to the capi- l tol, but you remember more clearly than | all this that order to go home and be mus ] tered out. And what home coming, too!
 With all New England eloquent with joy.
 What shall be the return of this mortal
 life for man who has fought the good
 fight" and "fnished the course" The
 voice of him who lives to eternity shall be
 heard saying: "Well done, thou good and
 faithful servant; enter now into the king | dom.