The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-04-25
DIR. SMYTH ON LOYALTY
SERMON PREACHED TO THE NAVAL
RESERVES.

otto Service.
The First division of the Connecti-
| cut Naval battalion turned out in uni
| form and attended the morning SER
vice at the Center church yesterday
| morning. Rev. Dr. Smyth preached an
eloquent and patriotic sermon on 10y
atty" The words of his text were
taken from Mark 1922. "And they
| We're on the way going up to Jesusa-
| lem; and Jesus went before them" He
said, in part:
Eat this time we must, as always,
look to Jesus for leadership and ex-
ample. AT the time referred to in the
text Jesus and His disciples were on
their way up to Jerusalem, where Jesus
was to meet His death. He was then
as ever leading His disciples in the
| way of duty. Every hour has it's es-
pecial virtue. That of the present hour
is loyalty. Although lighter thoughts
| may now be uppermost in the minds of
you young men, before me, the deeper
and real reason why you will serve
your country will be your loyalty. You
may perhaps hardly have realized the
! loyalty which you had. 1t is the re-
suit of all your past life and surround
| ings. It's first lessons were taught you
in the sweet fidelity of the home circle.
1t has increased as you have developed
into manhood.
Loyalty is taught in all the realms
nf OF a fhara c n, nc
from the violet beside our path to the
stars in the heavens above are obedient
and loyal to the laws of Him who form
ed them. Loyalty among men may be
divided into three classes. The first
is the loyalty of the boy, at times
amusing because of the boyish enthu-
siasm, but always sacred. The next
class is the loyalty Of the man when
he has come to a clearer and better I'M
Outstanding of the grounds on which
his patriotism rests. The last class is
when the thoughtful loyalty of the
man becomes again the enthusiastic
loyalty of the boy in times of national
need like that of the present"
DR.. Smyth reviewed briefly the causes
which have led up to the present war.
This war Is not the result of a ques-
ton of a few months or of few years
duration" he said. '"The Cuban ques-
ton has agitated the country for fifty
years. The present war is the outcome
of the larger strategy of history.
president Polk wished to purchase
the island of Cuba fifty years ago. The
purchase of the island was agitated by
some to aid slavery a few years later.
The greatest of abolition orators, Hen
ry Ward Beecher, after the close of the
war advocated the freeing Of the island
by this country.
But the time for freeing the island
hand not come. Gods time of eman-
cipation waited till all was ready. 1t
was not for the pro-slavery party, not
for the abolition leader to free the is
land, but 1t was to await the hour
when the country should be united in
carrying on the work of Cuban eman-
cipation. Till now when an ex-Confed-
crate general, and one who bears the
name of a distinguished family, deem
ed it an honor to be called a Yankee by
the rabble in the streets of Havana.
The question has been long delayed.
Those who say that the war has been
precipitated upon the country by a
group of public incendiaries need to
inform themselves on their country's
history. The presidents hand was not
forced
DR.. Smyth then read extracts from
presidential messages since the admin
istration of President Grant. In one of
his messages Grant wrote that the Gu
ban question had been long protracted.
"And yet people say to-day that the
negotiations had been hastily broken
off Grant did not ask for $50,000,000
to put the nation in a condition of de-
fense but he went ahead and put the
navy on awarfooting with the funds
available. President Cleveland in 1892
referred to the Cuban question and to
condition which might arise out of 1t
in language which in the light of af-
fairs to-day seems almost prophetic.
He said the time might come when we
| would be compelled by circumstances
to change our policy of waiting. That
time did come in the destruction Of the
Maine. In the lurid glare of the Maine
explosion the people of the nation saw
their duty clear. They saw that the
time had come when waiting should be
changed into action. Now that war
has come the preacher urged that it
should be carried on in no spirit of
revenge. He also said that patriotism
and loyalty found their greatest sup
port in religion.
The service closed with the singing
of America by the congregation. Over
the desk was hung flag which had
been nailed to the steeple Of the Cen
ter church during the war Of the rebel
lion by a, patriotic member of the
church, and had remained there till
the close of the war. DR.. Smyth re-
ferred to this incident.
Words spoken by him on a somewhat
similar occasion at the outbreak Of the
civil war were repeated by DR.. Smyth
as his last words to the division. They
were patriotic and inspiring.