The Jamesburg record., 1897-05-01
A SERMON ON GRANT.
"our Illustrious Dead, The
Theme of Rev. ]. A. Trimmer.
A SPLENDID TRIBUTE.
An Inspiration to the Young and Every
Lover of His Country.

sor,pon delivered by Rev. j. A. Trimmer
in St. Georges Church, Helmetta, on
sunday evening, April 25th:
On this coming Tuesday the thought
of thi. nation will turn to that bluff over
looking our noble Hudson, where with
civic honors aud worship, will be dedi-
Gated the maus Oleum OF General Grant
Within the stately granite pile lies the
remains of him whose memory our coun-
try delights to honor, and which will be
kent green so long as this nation endures
How this event stirs the hearts of the
npople and recalls those awful days of 81 i.
If also brings to mind that memorable
dav in August, twelve years ago, when
the heights of Morning Side Park. where
over bis bier, North and South met in the
funess of reconciliation. 1t has been
said that "the nation which forgets its
heroes will soon have no heroes to forget. :"
1t is fitting at this time, think, to recall
our iliustrious dead and to remind the
rising generation of those who fought our
battles and purchased our liberty with so
great sacrifice. They have passed on
beyond the reach of human applause to
the bivouac that knows no reveile and
"on James eternal camping ground" they
wait the trumpet call of the resurrection.
but we do well to rehearse in song and
story their deeds of daring. their noble
valor. their splendid victories aud tell
them to the generations following.
Shakespeare said that some men were
born great, some achieved greatness, and
others had greatness thrust upon them.
General Grant belonged to the second
class. Through many years of struggle,
privatiUn. disappointment, and sorrow
he passed, giving no external indication
of the inner stuff of which he was made.
Within him. of course, were all the ele.
ments of greatness. These must be
inborn. Bat the opportunity for their
display must be given before their ex-
lstence can be apparent. The oppOrtu-
nifty came. 1t came to him as it came to
tens OF thousands of others. But out of
all this number he was the one man of
destiny, of Providence. to meet and mas
ter the opportunity. Never before in the
annals of time had such a demand been
made tor truly great leader as when
the Union army leaped from the tens OF
thousands of the firesdes of the nation to
save its threatened life. Peerless in its
cause, its count of regiments, its char
acter, its conduct, and its browning re.
suits as it marched into history, there was
needed mana king of men-to unity
and sway and make invincible the widely
scattered host. God himself struck the
honr, and the man was ready. With the
unfolding of the opportunity, so unique
ana vast, his powers unfolded. Nature
had given him that self. lf.confidence which
was the iron string to which all hearts
VI6rated. Not self-confidence based on
presumption, iDfatuation, or folly, but a
conclusion resting on an adamantins
foundation of fact and deduction. Quick
10 perceive, he yet verified his percep.
tons by accurate observations, and, when
he had thus verified them, his judgment
was as luminous as thought flooded with
sunlight. and his decision as instanta-
heous as flash of lightning.
A man who led an army against
powerful host to certain victory and was
twice elected President of the United
states; man before whom the potentates
oi foreign lands uncovered" and over
whose departure nation mourned, is
entitled to our consideration and study.
Let US glance at some of the lessons
suggested by his remarkable character
and achievements. AS already intimatsd
he was of humble origin with no great
prospects in life. His education was linn
I'eu' though he enjoyed the advantages
VI military training at West Point
"neFe he excelled in mathematics and
was graduated 23l in class of 35. He
ulu not possess the intellectual power of
0tohewall Jackson, neither was he fa
Vofed with the wide culture and brilliant
parts OF General Lee, but lie excelled
'uem both in generalship, and in sterling
worth and manhood in native ability;
III reserved force; in leadership ; in far
A'"clihg power, quick and electric in
.onmanding influence, he stood among
nIs iellow-men, like Lear-''every inch
A'ng. with a will as uubending as the
s'@nlte shaft, with promptness like the
rising of the sun, with silence like the
stars, calmness like the uurutfied deep,
win perseverance of following up
io7' and following out the advantage,
with grasp of the situation, like the