Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-05-28
MEMORIAL SERVICE
Held at the First NJ. e. Church
Yesterday.
REV. F. ". MERRM.L's SERMON.

The u A. r. and Kindred Organisations
Attend In a Body - Strange Compari-
son Made by the Speaker Drift of the
Discourse.
The First M. E. church was taste
fully decorated with flags and pic
lures yesterday morning, and the &.
A. H.. U. V. u, w. R. c., S. o. w.. L.
A. s., Rodman Rifles and Boys Bri-
gadc attended the annual Memorial
services. The subject of Rev. Mer-
rell's address was: Memorial Day
and Its Lessons
His text was Elk. 1914:
and this day shall be unto you for memorial,
Ont your generation. We sh.n keep t. "a feast by
an ordnance forever
The next text was Luke 22:19:
his do In remembrance Of me-
Memorial Days OF All Nations.
IAN nations" said Mr.. Merrell,
''have had their memorial DAYS on
which they have celebrated their
great historical crisis" He then
traced the various biblical and his
torical feasts of this character down
to The present day. America, he
said, has two Memorial days-July
4 and May 80. The first commemor-
ates the birth of the nation, and is
given up to noise, the booming of
cannon and the swapping of firecrack-
ers. The second has been conse-
Grated to serious and solemn obser-
vances. On the Sabbath preceding
Decoration day veterans of the union
are accustomed to present them
selves in the house of God for divine
worship, where lessons of freedom
are dwelt upon. 1t is fitting thus to
keep green the memory of the awful
and glorious days"
Incomprehensfble Scenes of War.
He spoke of the present generation
as not being able to comprehend the
awful scenes of the civil war, end
mentioned the names of Grant, Sher-
man. Sheridan, Logan and Lincoln
as the greatest on earth.
Very Strange Comparison.
He spoke of the enemies, with
which Americans were forced to CEN
tend today, as being three in num-
Der. Jesuits, the masses of foreign
ers. who emigrate to this country,
and the saloons. He said: 1--WE
would not exult as though we fool
ishly fancied that all the victories of
freedom were won and all the steps
taken in the onward steps to liberty
God forbid that / should hear utter
one word to mar the spirit of this
hour or to contradict the spirit of
charity which our holy religion rep.
resents, but let us remember that
there is a foe in our midst that seems
never to slumber or to sleep, foe
that is ever plotting against human
liberty and that has triumphed over
many lands, whose serpent trail
may be traced today over the
lands of sunny Italy, fair
Spain and the rich lands of Mexico
and South America and portions Of
our own loved land. l refer not to
the Catholic church, but to the
Jesuits.
Many nations, far behind our OWE
III freedom, and many Catholic coun.
tries, have found it necessary tc
Danish them from their borders.
America is called today the paradise
OF Jesuits. 1t is marvellous how, tina,
after they had surrounded the civil
cation on the Mayfower. on the
south. the north and the west, how
God seemed to restrain them in theil
designs, and permitted this one great
country to be the abode of free insti-
tutinns. And think not they have
become untrue to their vows"
| Closing Greeting.
III conclusion. Mr.. Merrell greeted
the veterans of the G. A. X. and the
kindred organizations present. ant
the principle for which they stand
Friendship. charity and loyalty
might prevail more and more, and
that as individuals, they might have
experience wherewith Christ makes
free and be not entangled with any
yoke of bondage.