Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-03-05
Memorial Services.
To the late Gen. william reeumseh Sherman.

The Congregational church was we'll
filed Sunday Morning to listen to the
Memorial service in honor of General
William Teeumseh sherman. Rev. P.
H. Mason. pastor, was assisted by Rev.
j. U. K. Volt. of the Baptist church.
and Rev. c. {. Schwartz. of the Meth
odist church. A large picture of Gen.
Sherman. draped with the American
Flag. rested Immediately in front of the
pulpit.
AT half past ten The Tom Cox Post,
No. lS2. &. A. R. with colors draped in
mourning. proceed up the aisle to tie
front seats assigned them, while the or
gan tittingly played march,, 2 Through
Georgia "
The choir then sang America, :"
followed by the reading of the 9Th
chapter of Judges by Rev. Mr.. Wolf.
An anthem by the Choir. Prepare 10
See They God" followed by an eloquent
prayer by the Rev. Mr.. Swartz. and
quartette He is Gone" when Rev.
Mr.. Mason arose and read his text from
II Kings. PIP
The Chariot of Israel aud the Horsemen Thereof.
/ he said:
Out south Of England, The English Channel,
stands the Eddystone lighthouse. IL is exposed to
the southwest winds which have an unobstructed
I for mn
The waves and lift themselves in a towering
rage and hurl themselves with many a tons weight
against the Eddystone, often overleap its top which
stands IS feet above sea level and sometimes they
grow frantic and send their spray spouting upward
If TO assert their superiority and for once at least
to look down upon the lighthouse, but the spray
must fan harmless again the level of the ocean
The Eddystone nerves itself and stands; with its
light in its own head it throws its glance out over
the turbulent waters for a distance Of thirteen
miles, and revolving its eye it sweeps the whole
circuit Of the within that radius; with calm
serenity it surveys the ocean as II to understand the
situation Thus has the lighthouse stood for many
a year.
In September, 1864, in Atlanta. Georgia, there
stood man. a. years of age Of tall, stalwart ath-
letc frame. He stood on a rock. a rock Of firm re-
The maddened waves of war we're dashing them
selves against him; the unleosed passions of men
were raging about him and sending their spray
spouting upward far above him, asserting super
iority over him for the moment; criticisin0 his
plans but falling again like the spray of the ocean
down to the oceans level He was one of the light
houses upon which this whole turbulent sea of the
American Republic was gazing. But Gen sherman
I a. ~.
ing glance he surveyed the entire circuit of the sit
nation; his vision swept the field with radius that
covered the entire territory OF the enemy There
was light prescience foresight that was to
keep the ship of state from being wrecked All,
but he who keeps the light burning in the light
house is greater than the light; and He who placed
this presceqce in the head OF the noble General
and kept it burning is greater than the prescence
The one great problem which engrossed the
mind of this man at Atlanta how to bring the
to close in the brefest possible time and save
the Union For the pomp of war he cared nothing.
He was looking beneath all the external glories
which strike the eye and fire the fancy in the CLEAN
of the sword, the flash of the bayonet the beat of
the drum an d the pageant of the march. 1t was
the dread realities beneath all this grandeur that
engaged his attention; and 1t was among these
dread realities that he lived all else was forgotten
"How shall bring this war to a close in the speed
lest manner" To this object he was willing to
make every reasonable sacrifice. The plaudits OF
his loyal countrymen he was not seeking That
II it came, must be incidental He was willing to
pass under the shadow of a temporary loss
of reputation; TO provoke upon himself a
storm of criticism and censure rather than relin-
quish plan which he believed to be step toward
the great object which he was seeking with single.
ness of purpose This all animating purpose which
was present with him conspicuously at Atlanta.
was present with him from the beginning TO the
end of the war 1t was this that led him when in
Kentucky to make that memorable reply to the
question, "How many men do you needYr ''sixty
thousand to drive the enemy from the state and
two hundred'thousand to put an end 20 the war in
this section" For this answer he was enveloped
by storm of criticism, and received the title of
crazy, was relieved of his command and dropped
out of the consciousness of the people: he passed
under cloud and the people forgot him But the
cloud passed and he again seen; the waves sub
sided and his light shining from the watch
tower. His strategy was not understood and his
feints were mistaken for errors OF judgment, his
very strength misinterpreted and regarded as
weakness. But little would he reck, IL they would
let him fight on.
Here is lesson for the preacher the lawyer the
statesman for men in every vocation In life; for
young men and old men. lesson not to seek
the paudits Of the multitude not TO be won by the
pageantry of life. Let there be a noble alI-consum
ing purpose deep down in the soul, purpose that
shall engross your whole mind and heart and soul
and energies, that you shall become oblivious to
all the world around YOU let the tides of opinion
come and CO. let the storms of human passion rise
aud fall, let the Of dash against and
envelope you and sink again to their level; you ere
founded upon a rock and are unmoved and i'm |
movable. What nobler purpose than to do justly
and to love mercyf What nobler purpose than to |
merge and lose your viii in the will of GodY |
The preacher who seeks the paudits OF his audience
the statesman who seeks the praise of men, or the
emolumehts of Office, and who sacrifices his prfnci
Piles for these unsubstanta rewards Is worth about
as much as would be floating lighthouse that is
sailiess and sailorless tossed helpless the waves
It il driven by tides and currents and winds until
at last it is wrecked upon the rocks or stranded