The National tribune., 1895-06-20
Trouble in San Francisco.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Memorial
Day for 1895 is over. The graves have
all been carpeted again with gsrlands
of roses Of Springs choicest bloom. The
memory of those who stood on tine rim of
battle, and saw million bayonets glisten
in the mornings sum- has not yet perished
from the earth but way out here by the
Sunset Sea it remained for the crack Post of
the Grand Army of the Republic, west of
Chicago. TO take aioDgue-lashing from an un-
expected source. Byspecial invitation az its
custom annually, George II. Thomas Post,
No. 2, OF this CRY, attended divine service
on Sunday evening at the First Unitarian
Church. This church is better known as
Starr Kings Church, for it was over this
church that great patriot and orator pre-
sided during the days of endless clouds in
our Nations history, and in the churchyard
adjoining lie entombed his remains. His
sue cessor, way back In the sixties, was the
Rev. HOratiO Stebbins. who has been pastor
of the church for more than quarter CEN
tury. On the Posts arrival ut the church
we found, TO our dismay, no preparation of
any nature had been made, and the regular
audience were conspica0usly assent. No
flags were draped on the walls no music OF
a patriotic nature had been prepared and, in
Idcl, IL WAS " NtIIibplc 4iOoA- OHl1kt IHc
grand reception heretofore accorded the Post
by such churches as Plymouth Cangrega-
tional and Simpson Memorial Methodist
Episcopal we marched in, and no usher
directed us to q reserved portion of the
church, for we were evidently alone In
stead of the jam we we're wont TO, the
church. a small one was not over two-third5
full when the Post, with part of Garfield
Post, 81, and body of Ladies of the 6. T.,
had seated themselves. The singing was
the same as would have been rendered had
not our presence honored the occasion, save
good old America" sung in double-quick
time to save further Expense for gas.
At the close of the service Rev. DR.. Horatio
Stebbins took occasion TO give the Grand
Army OF the Republic such tongue-la -lashing
as it never before received at q Memorial
service from a Christian minister. Among
other things he said, in substance if not in
exact words were these: Men of the Grand
Army of the Republic, am going to say
few words to you plainly, allowing you to
ponder over it and draw your own eonclu- |
sions. The air is rife with rumors, and we
are not In position TO refute them, that your
has been used for political pur-
poses, first by one party and then by the |
other, in the vain hope of winning prefer |
euce from eiUDtT. III Is diSO IuIuOrSU, aDu
the rumors have received the widest circula- |
ton, that great portion OF the patriotism
Of your organization is eentered in the pro-
curing of pensions, thereby adding to the |
burdens of the Government" This, as / |
have said, may not be q stenOgraphic report,
but the 200 veterans present viii bear me
out in the statement that if not exact in
words it varies not q hairs.breadth in senti-
lnent The Post left the church thoroughly |
disgusted. and should the Grand Army exist
for another quarter century, the First Unita-
rian Church will never again have its doors
darkened by its presence. DR.. Stebbins, to
be sure is AN old MANN fact fossil of the
old days Many who admired him two
decades ago are charitable enough to say he
has not been in his right mind for several
years past. He never was a great preacher
in any sense of the word, but rather jnggler
of words which tickled the ear for the mo-
ment but died as soon born. His insult
to the organization, which, with its 100000
members, has dispensed in charity in the
past % years more than all the combined
churches of the Nation, and teaches reii-
gion good enough to live by and good enough
10 die by, was wholly unwarranted, and will
not be. soon forgotten.-A VETERAN WHO
WAS THERE, San FraniscO Cal.