St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-05-31
IN MEMORIAM.
ST. JOhnsbury Did Not Neglect to Pay
Tribute 10 the Soldier Dead.
The uses of adversely are sweet:

The uses of adversely are sweet:
Red war, the hate of kinsmen,is forgot:
Beneath bland skies nation stays her feet
To laud the hero, grace his sleeping-spot; !;
For every drop of blood old swords have let,
The rose, the lily, and the violet
The first feature of Memorial Day
exercises here took form, as usual,
on Sunday evening last, in a union
meeting at Music Hall, Rev. Frank
Appleton of St. Andrews church
preaching the sermon. Chamberlin
Post was present in a body, and the
hall was we'll filled with members of
the several congregations of the vii
lage. Rev Messrs. Davis, Tyrie,
Edward T. Fairbanks and Dockham
assisted in the exercises, and music
was furnished by a chorus choir
comprised of Miss Shufelt, Mrs.
Rowell, Mrs. Patterson, Mrs. Hazen,
Mrs. Mcneil and Mrs. Peck and
Messrs. Nelson, Hazen, Shufelt, May
and Silsby; Miss Kidder accompan-
led. The choir selections were
Jesus, Saviour of the World" and
Radiant Morn,' the closing hymn
being America.
THE SERMON.
Mr.. Appleton's sermon was a plea
for right apprecia ton of the mis-
sion of Christianity, and his text
was q came not to send peace, but
a sword"
He asked that the thought of his
hearers might center about these words
of one whose mission was not only to
bring peace but sword as we'll. We do
not honor the cause OF religion, said the
preacher, by assuming it to be the beat
iic vision of quiet, restful life. 1t is a
battle, not a dream. Its peace, if it Of
fers any, has always been at the saCri-
fee of life. Christianity's message had
no limits either in time or space, was
silenced by no prejudice catered not to
riches, smiled not at the follies of the
age, frowned at false pride and had no
fellowship with darkness. The trial of
its faith was awful. Christianity has
never claimed to give, strictly speaking,
peace; surely not self-contentment.
The speaker referred to the long-con-
tinued struggles of the Israelites ere the
promised land was reached, and drew
an instructive comparison between the
warfare there revealed and that empha-
sized in the New Testament, and set
forth the beauty and grandeur of self
conquest. He saw danger in any ap-
parent offering of peace in the name of
Christianity, which has never been at
peace with itself or the. age; and felt to
thank God that the too liberal distinc-
tiOns between piety and wordliness in
the medieval age had been done away
with. Christianity cannot cry Peace, y
till man is wholly clean. So long as
shame and wickedness exist, and woman
is enslaved, and trusts are no longer sa-
cred, and the rich lose sympathy with
the poor, so long will the Son of Man
breathe into our ears this: Il came not
to send peace, but a sword.
In the work accomplished by the civil
war the speaker saw the tulfllment of
the prophecy of the text, 1t is heavens 5
eternal law that all things worthy of
man-character, piety, love, Christlke-
ness-muSt be fought for. In closing Mr..
Appleton said: Il am not of the number
of those who would discourage the war
spirit. The reunion of old soldiers has
always filled me with q profound re-
| ligious awe. 1t makes me count the
blessings not only which through your
sacrifice l have been able to enjoy, but
which l so ignObly maintain. The truce
of AppOmattOX by no means signed the
nations peace. We who have received
your birthright have vet to maintain its
| honor and its name even in the spirit of
him who said, Il came not to send
| peace, but a sword"