Telegram-herald., 1891-05-25
MORAL WORTH Oh IlN
Rev. Cobb Declares il il the Test Of
Historical Greatness.
BISHOP GILLESPIE TO Tue CHILDREN
He Calls On the Sunday school fsecher
of st- Mark's to Aid Him In strength
ening the schoois-A Marx ~
MouTufui Respect

The Westminster Presbyterian church,
beautifully decorated with flowers and
flags, Was filled yesterday morning al
the memorial service. On the pulpit
platform was a large portrait Of Gen
eral Grant diaped with flags and fiow-
ers: also one of General Custer. The
Sons Of Veterans and three posts Of the
G. A. r. occupied the front seats. Rev.
Cobb took as his mornings text the SD
verse of the 10th chapter of Proverbs:
"He that ruleth his spirit Is better than
him that taketh city,"
"It ID good to know at the outset
what We are to talk about" began the
speaker. 1--WE see at once that It talks
Of war. 1t talks of assault and cap
ture. The meaning OF the text is deh-
mite. 1t brings up the bloody tights of
Lookout Mountain. Gettysburg, Vicks-
burg and Richmond. Glorious mem-
ories! to you and your myriad Of conf
rades. Out of the fountains of your
blood their flowed, and will How, the
life of the Republic. The history Of
nations IS largely a history Of battles,
from the siege of Troy 10 the siege of
Paris. Even in America the making of
the Constitution and the emancipation
OF the slaves, the two greatest events Of
American history, are apt to be made
inferior IN Importance, The text says
that the wars OF peace, of the work
shop, are the truly glorious victories.
The victory over self requires greater
sacrifice and deserves greater glory
than the taking Of Il city. AS is so often
remarked: We are our own worst
enemies. This is the judgment of all
the Divine Word, without which all
nations are lost. 1t is the sober judg-
ment of history. The nobility of war
depends on Its moral aims. There
have been wars of conquest, of defense,
and IL behalf of priceless moral
good. The question is: What was
the mora! significance of the war;
Notice the wars of Alexander. Such
wars, where the chiefest motive noticed
by the student of history is the love of
conquest, the qualification of the selfish
ends, of ambition and vain glory the
story is one OF brutal force and blood,
and on the chief characters we look
with contempt.
Cromwell and Alexander.
It is not 80 with other wars which
were big with the destinies of mankind.
Old Cromwell, whose watchwords were
texts of Holy Writ, whose battle-cries
were hymns Of praise, lives still in the
reverence of human minds, and will
when Alexander has been long for
gotten. Note the difference of the
causes of our own war of conquest of
Mexico and of that war in which your
comrades and you bore partssThe
memory of one. suffuses the face with
shame. 1t was as unjust as any con-
quest of Cortez. How glorious the
other! 1t gave birth anew to freedom,
broke the shackles from the slave and
bound the union closer. The historic
judgment of great souls depends upon
their moral power. 1t determines the
permanency of their position upon the
roll of honor. A great general may be
a wicked man, but history will Judge
him as great or small according to his
moral worth. For instance, John
Churchill. Duke of Marlborough. Not
withstanding his military brilliance, his
tory can not mention him without q
sueer. Nothing SO sweet to him rs the
click of coin. See, too. the great name
of Napoleon. That was once name to
conjure with. Yet as the judgment of
history crystallizes, the man grows
smaller and smaller. the lover of lie.
Contrast him with the Prince of Orange,
and our own Washington. History
again proves that the everlasting men,
ory of history is in the moral
worth of H,en. In view of the means
at his command, the exceeding difficult
ty attending all the surrounding Cir
cumstances, he ranks as the peer of any
soldier of history. Yet it is from his
moderation, his even character and
noble traits that make him loved by
all. His whole souled devotion to pub
lie duty, his incOrruptibleness, his
strength of purpose and purity have
made him immortal in history. But
cannot pass this chapter of illustration
without mentioning your own great
captain, the hero of the greatest yet
noblest war of all the world-Grant.
What an example of the prccept that
'He that ruleth his soul is greater than
him that taketh = city,
And / may suggest to YOU soldiers of
the republic without discredit 10 your
glorious deeds, that there may be for
you yet the greatest victory of all. a
hallowed memory. Future generations
shall arise and call you blessed. You
who have fought under great generals
swear your allegiance to the greatest
captain of them all. Jesus Christ. Ye
who have taken many cities, lay siege
TO the Kingdom of Heaven.
TRINITY SERVICES AT ST. MARKS.
The union services of the Episcopal
Sunday schools of Grand Rapids we're