The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-28
MEMORIAL SERVICES
GRAND ARMY POSTS LISTEN TO
ELOQUENT TRIBUTES.
Sermons Devoted to the Heroes Who
Saved the Nation and to
the Civil War.

Rev. d. K. Lucas, pastor of the Central
Christian Church, took as his subject for
his memorial sermon yesterday morning.
God, Love. Memory and Immortality"
In part he said: 1.-The most remarkable
phenomenon in the constitution of man is
the faculty we call memory. 1t is not ma
terial for the scientists tell US that the mat
ter in mans body changes once in every
seven years, while memory goes on for a
hundred. It is not made of stone or brass
or flesh: it has neither length, breadth nor
thickness, and yet exhaustive towers. on
which are written all the dialects Of the
world. may be built upon it. Out of the
fact that man has. this faculty originates
commemoration institutions and
memorial days. They are found in the fam
ily the state and in all religions. The
word remember occurs three hundred
times in the Bible. Every home has its
mementoes and its sacred days and SO has
the church. The Nation also has its days,
it's birthday of Washington, it's Fourth of
July and now its latest born-its Memorial
day. 1t is not to keep alive any hatreds
or bitterness born of the past, for bitter
ness can never abide In the presence Of
memorial. No man with heart in him can
read the name of his worst enemy on the
stone that marks his grave without the
bitterness dying out of his soul. Decora-
ton day Is the memorial that is finally to
auench the fires of hate and kindle the
flame Of peace over all the broad land. 1t
is not only necessary to accomplish this
purpose. but it is due to the memory OF
the men who sleep in untimely graves.
There is no danger that the names of
Grant. Sherman and the leaders on either
Ill - f~xrr
ten, for history will take care of that
They stood out in the clear light of pub
lfcity and their names are written high up
on the scroll of fame to abide the CEN
turtles.
'The story of the great conflict is now a
part of the history of our country, but the
be written only as IL Is written with the
memorial flowers on Decoration day. Every
conflict could tell you a story. of suffering
and hardship. Think you could be worthy
Of the friendship Of such men If did not
pay proper tribute to their memory? No
III could stand by the side of each lonely
grave to-day would lay a wreath OF flow
ers upon each one and would not be
fail to understand that there is nc bitter
ness in all this Memorial day has MOTH
ing to do with o the hates Or 9se
holier part that Is born OF heroic lives and
sacrificial deaths. If you would know what
1t means go and read the words upon In
diana's great monument, TO Indianas si-
lent victors,' and you have the whole story.
This memorial is a memorial Of men, The
I'D of February marks the birth of a man,
the Fourth of July marks the birth Of a
nation. but May so will always be marked
as the day of memorial for men. They
perished I'm conflict, but they deserve to be
remembered, not in costly offerings but in
flowers of remembrance, with the wreath
of the evergreen, the blooming rose and the
that make men worthy, but sacred thoughts
In holy bosoms alone make men noble and
their lives worth living. 1t is this that
makes a memorial to the dead an uplifting
TO those that live. Death Is mighty. The
world acknowledges him conqueror, but
who shall say that love is not greater than
death.
"a hundred thousand men sleep to-day In
unknown graves close beside where their
lives went out in the fiery furnace of the
great conflict, but they shah not remain
forever unknown. They did not crave for
getfulness in the full vigor of life The
gaze. but they boldly went to his embrace.
1t Is this sentiment that makes the memory
of the dead sacred and the living faithful.
He who forgets the dead whose graves have
been bridge by which blessings have been
brought across the stream Of time to him
opens his heart to ingratitude and does
himself grievous wrong
"In the quiet of this hour of memory,
when the angry roar of the cannon is no
longer heard, when the passions of the
past are hushed in the tender reverences
hearts be touched with a fraternal love
that shall continue until the cold chill of
death shall still our pulses and life's jour-
new shall have come to an end"