The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-05-28

Services commemorative OF Memo
rial Day we're held last evening in two
Of the city churches. AT the First
Presbyterian Rev. James McLsod. d.
D., preached To Lieutenant Ezra Grit
fin post, No. 139. Grand Army oc the
Republic, and at the Penn Avenue
Baptist church Rev, Warren G. Part
ridge addressed the Colonel Monies
post. There were large audiences
other than the veterans at both ser.
vices.
At the Penn Avenue Baptist churc h
nearly every seat in the auditorium
was occupied when at :. 80 o'clock the
Colonel Monies post was escorted to
to the church portals by Companies A
and b of the Boys brigade. The vet
Grams first filed in and were followed
by the younger organization. This
feature Of the passing of the old and
coming Of the new was an impressive
part OF tho programme.
The services included the singing Of
special hymns such az Onward Chris
tian Soldiers" America" etc.
Rev, Mr.. Partridge's address was
from Deuteronomy xxxiv, g.: mo man
knoweth OF his sepplchre until this
day" From the leading Of the slaves
out Of bondage byaMoses. was drawn
the thought that according 10 God an
evil and a nations welfare are not com.
patible. The address was rs follows {:
This text refers to Moses who was q val
liant soldier and a consumate general. He
LED q horde of slaves from the letters of
Egyptian bondage to the frontiers of their
own free and magnificent country of
Canaan. From those slaves he equipped
and disciplined an irresistible army of 600,-
00G heroic soldiers and led them success
fully for forty years through the wilder
ness and founded q free and powerful ma
| tionali ty.
This general endured the shock Of battle,
the mutiny of his soldiers, the hardships
| OF long marches in q hot and hostile couu-
try, and at last came through this baptism
of blood, ~vanQuished every foe and stands
in the forefront Of history rs the greatest
military Of ancient times.
Thousands of these brave soldiers found
their graves in a strange country, and no
monument commentaries their heroic
deeds or p~erpetuates their memory. The
winds Of the desert for four-thOusand
years have mourned o requiem over their
graves and they will sleep in unknown
graves until the resurrection morn.
On memorial day our own nation decks
with flowers the graves of those who fell
III our own civil war to preserve the Union.
What a vast number Of these graves are
marked unknown OF thusauds Of slain
veterans it can be said as truly as it was
OF Moses, mo man knoweth of his sepul-
chre unto this day"
BITTER FRUITS OF REBELLION.
There are in our country as the bitter
fruit OF rebellion, seventy-nine national
cemeteries; Of these al, except two with
only a few hundred intermonts, contain
unknown graves. These seventy nine
cemeteries are found in Alabama, Ar
kansas, District of Columbia, Florida,
Georgia. Illinois, Indiana, Indian Terri
tory, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland. Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska,
New Jersey, New York, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Vlr-
ginia -twenty-four states, one territory
and the District Of Columbia. The whole
number of soldiers who are buried IN orr
national cemeteries is 3lS, l76. OF this
vast number 1866 are marked ''un-
known
10 what q multitude Of regiments and
! SOlbl hAApl ia Ah y bClOhaGN Allh III
what q multitude of hospitals, marches
and battles they must have fallen, I'm
agine these graves unknown" rising to
life. clothed in their uniforms of blue, each
Selling a musket.
Here would DC q vast army of l46, 600
valiant men who were our brothers. They
were the flower Of our Anglo Saxon race.
Most OF them were in the prime of life.
Thousands of them were young men and
many Of them were only boys.
We think not today bitterly Of the en-
envy; we think not of partisan strife or of
fractional animosities. We think only of
the nations dead and the great lessons of
their lives.
We see in these soldiers graves the
sublime lesson of self-sacritice. 1t is COM
paratively easy to give your time, money.
or your labor to o great cause; but to give
your life is the most difficult self sacrifice
IN all the world. 'Greater love hath no
more than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends" Thousands of
soldiers gave their lives, thousands like
some of these veterans before me tonight
gave a limb, their health and years of the r
best life for their country. In their
crippled fortunes, in the rafting crutch, the
empty sleeve We see what these noble men
were willing to sacrifice, inspired by the
noblest patriotism.
CAUSED BY HUMAN SIN.
We sec in these graves of our dead
heroes, also the malignity Of human sin.
Wickedness in any form is q gigantic
power but when any sin becomes deeply
rooted in a human heart or in a nations
heart by years Of growth, it spreads in in
tensity and destructive power. Deep seated
wickedness can be eradicted only by
mighty effort and heroic resolution.
Slavery and Christianity are a%ntagonis-
tic in fundamental principle; it is impos-
sible for them to grow side by sido for
centuries; one or the other must be
crushed ultimately.
The Mayflower brought to Plymouth
Rock the Christian religion, and this re-
public Graded in New England was rocked
by Christian hands. Our fathers fled to
this continent to find q country where
they could worship God according to
reason and conscience. Christianity brings
In her right hand to every free land, the
schoolhouse, the newspaper and the open
Bible; Christianity enunciates that God
created man in his own image and that all
nations are OF one blood, that all men have
the inalienable right to equality and free
dom. These principles are ~antagonistic to
human slavery.
The Almighty had written with the iron
pen Of destiny that the gates of the Nine.
tenth century should not close upon
America until human bondage was ami
hilated forever. The trumpet of war was
sounded throughout our land and all loyal
citizens of all parties responded to the call
to arms. The flag Of country rose above
the flag of party and both at home and in
the tented field, all patriotic Americans
swore that slavery must die forever on
every square inch of territory covered by
the stars and stripes.
We see in these graves also the sublim.
ity of patriotism. Love to God is mans
first duty, love to country is mans second
duty. When the alarm OF battle sounds
in the land the coward hides; the selfish
and cruel speculate on the soldiers food