Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-05-30


Of worldly dcrision ruars and the sheep
trcmblc. In great rcformatory movements
nj the first shot how many fall back.
Tho great obstacle To the church advance
mcut Is the inanity, the vacuity. the soft
prcttncss, the namhy pambyism of pro-
fcsScd Christians Great ON "a parade, COW.
ards In battle. Afraid Of getting their
plumcs ruilled. they carry parasol over
their helmet. They go into battle not with
warriors gauntlet but with Kid gloves.
not clutching the sword hill too tight lest
the glove split ut the hack.
In all our rcformatory and Christian
work tho great want Is more backbone,
more mrtilc, moro daring, more prowess.
We would IN all our churches like TO trade
OH hundred do nothings for one do every
thing. Quit yourselves Ike men; be
strong"
Thy saints In all this glorious war
Shall conquer. though they die.
They see the triumph from nfar
And seize IL with their eye.
self Sacrifice.
Again we mean by this national obscrv-
ancc to honor self sacrifice for others To
all these departed men home and kindred
were ns dear a. our home and kindred arc
MS you and would feel starting out to-
morrow morning with nine chances out Of
ten against our returning alive, for tho
Intelligent soldier secs not only battle
ahead, but malarial sickness and cxhaus-
ton. Had these men chosen. they could
have spent last night In their homes and
today have been seated where you are.
They chose the camp, not because they
a. hot. tl.u,. hot
followed the drum and ilfc, not because
they were better music than the voices Of
the domestic circle. South Mountain and
Murfrccsburo and the swamps of Chicka-
hominy were not Fairgrounds.
These heroes rislSd and lost all for
others. There Is no higher sublimity thnn
that. To keep thrce-quartors for ourselves
and give one quarter To Others Is honora-
bic. To divide oven with others Is gcncr
Gus To keep nothing for ourselves and
give all for others Is magnnnimity Christ
like Put gir,ile around your body and
then measure the girdlc and ste II you are
90 or 10 inches round. And Is that the cir.
clio OF your sympathics-thc size Of your
self Or. to measure you around tho heart,
would It take eirdlc large enough 10 en-
circle the land and encirclc the world!
You want To know what we dry theo
logians mean when we talk Of vicarious
suffering. Look at tho soldiers graves and
find out. Nicarious! pnngs for others,
wounds for others, inconsistencies for 9th.
ers, blood for others. sepulehcr for others.
Those who visited the national ccme-
teries at Arlington Heights ami Mt Rich
inond and Getty Sburg saw one inscription
on soldiers tombs oftcner repeated than
any other" Unknown" When, about 81
years age, l was called to deliver the ora
ton ut Arlington Heights, Washington. !
was not SO much impressed with the min
ute guns that shook the earth or with the
attendance OF president and cabinet and
foreign ministers and generals OF the army
and commodorcs OF the navy rs with tho
pathetic ard overwhelming suggcstivcncss
of that cpiiaph on So many graves ut my
feet. Unknown. Unknown! II seems
TO ma that the time must come when the
government Of the United States shall
take of that cpitaph. They are no more
unknown. We have found them out at
last They nrc the beloved sons Of the re-
public.
Would II not be well To take the statue
OF the heather goddess off the top OF tho
capitol (for have no faith IN tho morals
OF heather goddcss) and put one great
statue In all our national cemctcrics-a
statue Of Liberty in the form OF Christian
woman, with her hand on an open Bible
and her foot on tho Rock OF Ages, with tho
other hand pointing down to the graves OF
the unknown, saying, These arc my sons,
who died that might live" Take of tho
misnomcr. Everybody knows them. 1t
Is of comparatively little Importance whit
was the name given them In baptism of
water. In the holicr and mighticr bap-
tism of blood we know them, and yestcr
day the nation put both arms around them
and Rugged them To her heart, crying,
"Minc forever.
Future Defense.
Again, by this national ceremony we
mean the future defense Of this nation.
BY every wreath Of flowers on the soldiers
graves we say, Those who die for the
country shall not bc forgotten, and that
will give enthusiasm 10 our young mon In
case our nation should In tho future need
TO defend itself In battle We shall never
have another war between north and
south. The old dccaycd bone of conten-
iion. American slavery, has been cast out,
slthough horc and there dcpravcd poll.
tician takes It up to SEQ II no can't gnaw
something off It. We arc floating of far
Their and farther from tho possibility OF
sectional strife.
No possibility Of civil war. But about
foreign invasion am not so certain. When
i spoke against war said nothing against
self defense. An inventor told mo that he
had invented style of weapon which
could be used In self defense. but not In
aggressive warfare. l said, when you
get the nations to adopt TINT weapon, you
have introduced the millennium" have
no right To go ON my neighbours promises
and assault him. but IL some rufiian break
into my house for the assassination OF my
family, and l can borrow gun and load
IL In time and aim IL straight enough
will shoot him.
There Is no room on this continent for
any other nation--except Canada, and a
better ncighbor no one ever had. II you
don't think 40. go To Montreal and Toron-
70 and see how well they will treat you.
Other than that there Is absolutely no
room for any other nation. have been
across the continent again and again, and
know that we have not half inch Of
ground for tho equity foot of foreign dcs-
potism To stand on. But am not so sure
that some of tho arrogant nations of Europe
may not some day challenge us. do not
know that those forts around New York
bay are TO sleep all through the next cen
tury. do not know that Barncgat light
house Will not yet look of upon hostile
navy. do not know but that II half dozen
nations, cnyious Of our prosperity may
want to give us wrestlc. During our
civil war there were two or three nations
that could hardly keep their hands off us.