Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-06-08

L
|ELIVERED BY REV. III. HOLMAN,
pr FREE BAPTIST CHURCH, WEST
CHARLESTON, MAY 9th, 1896.
Brothers and sisters, gentlemen of
be G. A. R., ladies of the G. A. R.,
pms of Veterans and fellow citizens.
he words which 1 have chosen as
Re foundation of my remarks, on
is occasion you will find recorded
\ Ps. 147:2O. sHe hath not dealt
with any nation" When
be committee of the G.. A. r.
bst invited me to address them at
N is, their first meeting of this kind,
nee the organization of Post here,
Esteemed it, not only duty, but a
fivilege to do so, and would to God
at some one might have the privil-
he of addressing every one of you on
Fery Sabbath Day, until your names
pre- all enrolled on the records of
g Grand Army of the Cross. 1t is
it'll pleasure, that l recall to your
emories few of the important ev
BITS in our nations history, which
I've had a mighty influence in deter
lining its destiny, and some of which
fave shaken the very foundations of
pr Union from center to circumfer
hce.
The Pilgrim Fathers, being unable
worship God sin Spirit and truth"
their native land, having been i'm
fisoned and punished for attempt
y it, set sail for America, with the
'hcere hope of finding land of liber-
and freedom. This desire was
indy cherished in the bosom of
Fery true citizen of the Colonies
b to the time of framing the De-
|hration of independence and then
was embodied in that instrument
the following words:
|tWe hold these truths to be self
Fldent, that all men are created
1 ual; that they are endowed by their
feator with certain inalineable
ghts; that among these are liberty,
Re, and the pursuit of happiness"
I'm the early settlers struggle for
berty and freedom, God was with
EN- and gave them victory. But
|norant of the terrible wrong that
Fked beneath the surface, they
|ade the great mistake, when they
|unded this country of planting
livery along side with that of the
ben Bible. This was wrong, and for
this nation had to pay the penalty.
pd taught the people Of this coun
", at the expense of millions of dol
RS and thousands of precious lives
lat nations, as we'll as individuals,
|e held responsible for their acts and
|ust pay the penalty for wrongs in
|cted or permitted. This brings us
lee to face with the great question
slavery. A question that ever
|ggests itself when we behold the
AIRED and bent forms, or the empty
eeves of those who fought SO nobly
put it down That question which
one makes such day as this pos
BILE. War is a wrong to man and
Lteful to God; But when His plans
|uld be accomplished by no other
cans God has entrusted them to the
Ford until His purposes have been
cured. 1t is my firm conviction that
Ir civil war was the consummation
one of the most wide reaching
hrposes of Divine Providence-the
Establishment of the brotherhood of
an.
The darkest period of American his
ry was not from 1861 to 1865, when
e thunder cloud of civil war over
st the skies, and filed our ears with
J terrific thunders. No; that was
e sunrise of our nations day Of glo-
/; the noon of the long night pre-
ding was the year 1860. Then
avery was triumphant over this re-
1blic. Willard Fillmore had just
gned the Fugitive Slave bill, which
rned Massachusetts, into a hunting
'ound of slaves, and commanded
rery citizen to be a slave hunter,
it'll penalties and Imprisonment for
who obeyed Jesus Christ by feed
g the poor and clothing the naked.
ne territories had just been opened
slavery by law; the bred Scott de-
sion was just about to nationalize
avery, asserting that it had right
rery where in the territories, not by
rtue of local and state laws, but by
Q force of the federal constitution.
The crime against Kansas was
Gifted by the repeal of the Missouri
which stood in the way
slavery. The crack of the slave
,lder's lash was heard in the national
nitoI. and southern senator had