Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1896-05-28
SUNDAY MEMORIAL SERVICE.
EXERCISES IN THE CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH.

/
The annual Sunday Memorial SER
vice in Lancaster was held last Sab
bath in the Congregational church.
The day was pleasant and large con-
gregation was present filling the body
of the church, the social room and the
gallery. Veterans of the civil war oc-
cupied the front seats; behind them
were the ladies of the Relief Corps.
the remaining seats being filed by
her citizens. The song service,
which consisted 'of patriotic hymns
and other selections, was led by cho-
rus of male voices. Reverends Brown
of the Congregational church, Sunday
School Missionary Macs, and VIM.
Rowe of the M. f. church. occupied
the pulpit. The last mentioned gem
tleman was the speaker for the occasion
and delivered most eloquent and
thoughtful sermon and touching trib-
ute to the valiant soldiers OF the civil
war.
The general line Of thought was
based on the text ',And by it. he being
dead yet speaketh, from Hebrews,
Ia, and was as follows:
The pail of death and the bow of
promise are here. The deep signifi-
canoe of Able's death is not simply
that he persisted on the affairs of his
devotion. In his life and death he
reared a shrine whose oracles should
teach all coming generations the story
of their universal need and hope
With his hearts blood he sanctified
the imperishable altar based on these
divine and fundamental principles:
lst., the supreme, unchangeful, and
rightful sovereignty of God, and 2nd,
under Him alone the unshackled SOW
oreignty of man. Across the graves
of nations and centuries he still speaks
The real champions of the rights Of
God and man never die. s.Wisdoln
is better than weapons OF war; and
the awful wars of envy, ambition, and
revenge confirm the utterance of truth.
In song and art. in marble shaft and
tower, are recorded the strategic
events and brilliant men of military
history and carnage, yet they OF hear
ing ears viii not fail to heed the dole
full story from the graves Of nations
and of men,
The colossal statute of Athene Pro-
machus tells the only and unblushing
story of ravage, rapine, and ruin
The numbers slaughtered on CORY
fields of battle too often fixed the status
Of nations glory. Our flag never
led a body of armed men to the field
OF battle for the sake of conquest, war
and carnage. We memorable our
heroic dead and celebrate the achieve
ments of our soldiery not because they
shell and left them bleaching in their
gore. They fought to defend and pre-
serve the union and constitution built
on Gods own plan that has the sweep
of centuries.
Let us dislocalize the war of 1S61--5
from the mere thought that different
factions of our country dipped their
hands in common Anglo Saxon and
country blood. That is true but only
an incidental truth. 1t was a deadly
struggle between the patriot of the
north and the rebel of the south but
it was infinitely more than that 1t
was the battle of all nations and all
ages. The inalienable God-endowed
sovereignty Of man, its scope was un-
iversal freedom. As such history
will record it,and in this light we must
contemplate the service of our patriots.
1t was a war of ideas, battle of
principles, driven in fearful regret to
this lasting expediency of, at the can
mons mouth, staying the awful crime
against God and man aud expelling
the reproachful shame and threaten
ing menace OF our common veal.
The unwritten. and perhaps the
written constitution has ALWAYS affirm
ed the fatherhood OF God and the
brotherhood of all mankind. Our in
situations were built ON these princi-
pies. Our great men and movements
have been evolved from so divine
thought. There has always been
profound sense Of the divine character
Of our mission and opportunity. Our
war was pre-eminently war of con-
science and Of prayer. With the lead
ders and soldiery Of our war we shall
utterly misconstrue and misunder-
stand their service II we fail to appre-
ciate the exalted level on which they
thought and wrought.
| The pulpit. the press, and the ros-
trum of the north were patriotic and
able in defense of our hag. The
breach between the north and south
increased until the crisis came.
We meet today as Christian patriots
to bring the tribute Of grateful recog-
milton rendered our God and home and
native land by men who sleep where
they fell in battle and they who have
answered the rollcall from the abodes
OF peace. May the time never dome
when our patriot soldiers shall lack