The National tribune., 1895-07-18

liSneu Dy the national christian Association
of Chicago was handed n son of veteran
accompanied by the texts written on scrap
of paper by member Of the Baptist Church
This tract was read ut our Post meeting
Monday night, and it stirred up the boys
nightly. i was directed to send it to you
as you were our only champion that could
properly preach such q sermon as il deserved
Yours in F., G. and L.,
c. w. KEIFER.
Adjutant, f. o. c. Ord Post, No. 81, Los
Gaios Cal.
Tract.
THE SONS OF VETERANS
Reu. H. H. Human.
A secret military Order in times of pence
is an anomaly, and altogether out of place
in free Government. The GAR was be-
lieved to be evanescent, and that it would,
with this generation, pass ont of existence.
The Order of the Sens of Veterans is de-
signed to make this military system per-
pctual lis terms of membership include
1.-THE sons, not less than Is years OF age, of
deceased OF honorably soldiers,
sailors or marines who served in the Union
army or navy during the civil war of 1861
1865; also, on attaining the age of 81 years,
all sons Of members of the Order in succeed
ing generations" This makes it perpetual
and establishes a military Order in our
midst, which, by reason Of it's secrecy, is
made responsible only to itself
Let MS notice their purposes. Surprising
them TO be me real ones, they are:
First. TO keep green tire memory Of our
fathers, and their sacrifices for the Union"
This sounds pretiiiy but since it is an object
of common interest it is not likely to be
neglected. We needed no secret society TO
preserve the memory OF Washington and
his com9atriots.
The second object is to aid the members
Of the GAR. III caring for their helpless
and disabled veterans; TO extend AID and
protection 10 their widows and orphans; to
perpetuate the memory and history OF the
heroic dead, and the proper observance OF
Memorial Day. None would suppose that
the G.. A.. K. needed the aid Of another organ
izaiion for the promotion of these objects,
especially as no nation ever larlshed upon
its defenders so much, both in hOnors and
in money, rs ours has gwen 10 the soldiers
who fought to preserve the Union. Few
people realize how vast is this sum. There
has been paid for pensions from 1861 10
J une 80, 1856, the sum of SS0S,624 81. 81.
Each voter has already paid nearly 500 for
pensions.
The proper observance of Memorial
Day " regard as one of those things =" more
hoDored in the breach than in the observ-
ance." A day that cannot be celebrated by
all of the Nation, and which annually calls
to mind our fratrcidal strife, will tend to
promote sectionalism apd bitterness and
keep alive the animosities that ought, long
since, to have died and been buried. What
we need rs a Nation is trne National unity,
the entire elimination of ali sectional and
race prejudices. Memorial, Day will not
tend 10 promote these objects, bnt rather to
re,ard their coming. 40
The third object is, " TO aid and assist
worthy and needy members of our Order"
This may be all right, but il does not appear
why "sons of veterans should need aid
more than other men3 Surely it does not
require secret Order with a vast system of
TO secure this end.
The fourth object is :. TO inculcate patriot
ism and universal libetty." This is surely
a commcndable one, but / believe that about
the least likely of all methods for it's pro-
motion Is the organization Of anJOrder which
must in its nature be aristocratic and des-
potic.
An insurmountable objection to this order
is its relation 10 the Christian religion. 1t
makes provision for cbaplalns and religious
worship. II requires u belief in Almighty
God, but makes no mention or reference to
Christ, the King of saints and OF nations.
Moreover, the order is declared 10 be nom
sectarian and non-political, and that the dis
cuss.on of such topics is strictly prohibit
ed" Now with such a confession of faith,
Christianity is but one of the secis, and its
introduction into the order would be, Of ne
cessty, ruled cut All the other secret or
ders inat make belief in God to be the sole
creed of the order, so regard the Christian
religion. 1t is placed simply on par with
and all other systems of
worship. To engage III religious worship
that is not distinctively Christian, that does
not propose from the first to honor the Di
vine Redeemer, in whose hands are all power
both in heaven and in earth Is idolatry and
If these Sons OF Veterans meant
10 have their religious worship such as
Christians could engage in. they should at
least have declared 1T 10 ne Christian. They
have done nothing OF the kind.
The building up of such an order in our
land can only be regarded as a national ca
Iamity, and one of the many evidences OF
decline in national morality.
Pab. by the National Christian Association,
Chicago, H.
Texts.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain Ex., 20:7.
ShouldesJ thou help the ungodly. II
Chron., 1872.
Keep not company with an evil one. /
Cor, D 9-13.
Be We not unequally yoked together II
Cor. q l4-l9.
Swear not at ALL Matt, 5: 1896.
1t is hard to be patient with such
crank as this. He is so blinded by his
narrow little sectarianism that he is like
an owl blinking in the sunlight of greater
truths than he can comprehend.
Because the GAR and the S. of VS.
do not cramp themselves down to the
narrow limits of his particular creed
whatever it may be---heI can see no good
whatever in them, not even in the
grandly solemn Memorial Day, and
wants them all abolished.
Mr.. Human wa simply born too
late, by several hundred years. He be-
longs to the 18th Century, not the 10Th.