The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1899-06-02


tie, Capt Philip Of the Texas gathered the
five hundred men of his ship on the quarter
deck, and with barred head said to them,
want to make public Acknowledgement
here that have complete faith in God, the
Father Almighty. want all of you, Of
teers and crew, unless there be those who
nave conscientious scruples against so do
ing, to lift your hats, and in your hearts to
offer silent thanks to God - and every man
stood reverently, for a moment or two,
with barred and bowed head. That scene
VIII not only ever be historic-it also fifty
expresses the spirit and purpose of all our
nations history, Built on the deep founda-
tions of Gods word, Gods truth and His
all controlling providence, the nation has
been wonderously prospered of God. And
so, when 81 years ago the question, whether
we should continue an undivided nation
and . government of the people, for the
people, by the people" be a reality, was
put to the test of war with all its tremen-
dous sacrifice, these men before me and
the men whose memory we honor tonight
freely fully met the high call, and God gave
the victory. Then followed 30 and more
years of unexampled prosperity, when sud
denly another supreme question was
forced upon us, VIZ: whether we should be
strong and great only for ourselves, or
whether we had a duty towards other peo-
PIES. oppressed and downtrodden and
longing for liberty too. The strange and
marvellous history Of the past twelve
months has answered the question. We
cannot but. exclaim with the Psalmist
The Lord hath done great things for us,
whereof we are glad.n The proud and
cruel rule of Spain has been humbled in
the very dust. her fleets destroyed beyond
recovery-one in the east, the other in the
wesst-and without the loss of single ship
and only two lives sacrificed. = Great and
marvellous are Thy Works, O God ~
Well may we pause, and ask, what does
the Lord mean by it all Shall we be equal
to the stern and solemn responsibilities
thrust upon us? How shall we meet the
problems, still unsolved? And the an
swer, it seems to me, is ready-by the same
unselfsh recognition of the Divine Hand
that has thus far guided us-the same loyal
obedience to honor and duty and God. We
can no longer stand a nation apart, we owe
1t to others-we may not refuse--to share
with the people whom God has laid upon
| our responsibility, the same price less
blessings of free government, equal rights,
Just laws and christian civilization. To
doubt would be disloyalty-To falter would
be SIM"
Permit me in few further words to
call attention to the one supreme condi-
tlon OF national greatness. We find it in
the inspired words of the leader of Gods
ancient people Israel, Lawgiver, Statesman,
| General, Moses, the Man of God. Dent.
4:6. This is your wisdom and your un-
Outstanding in the sight of nations which
| ohdll Acdl Ju6S6 statutes ana Say, surely
this great nation is wise and understands
Ing people. Keep, therefore, and do them"
You will see from these words that the
fame and wisdom of Israel were to be test
ed solely by their obedience to the Laws of
God. Mankind has many tests, God has
but one. For Israel, for America, for
every nation under the sun, there is no
other criterion, If the ideal of nation be
righteous, she will be great and strong. If
the Ideal OF nation be base or evil, she
Will sooner or later perish in her iniquity
and become kissing and byword. And
with this truth goes the inevitable infer
ence, that every one of us Individually
contributes to the glory or to the shame of
the nation to which we belong.
What then is the ideal of this American
Republic? Is it right or is it a wrong
is it noble or is it base-ideal? If 1t is
wrong, we can at least help to check it;
II 1t is right, we can help to promote and
| further it.
History tells of monarchs and nations
that thought to find their greatness in tcar,
military glory, loving and making war for
wars sake. Assyria and Egypt are ex-
amples. But God entered into judgment
with them; soon they passed away in fire
and sword, amid the wrath and hatred of
| the nations.
France, under Napoleon, became drunk
with the pomp and fame of glory, till God
made her drunk with the blood of her own
| children.
Mammon was the God of ancient Baby
Ion, of Tyre, of declining Rome of medi-
aeyal Spain. The last named, in the wor-
ship of Mammon, rose to the very height
and front of the nations, but possession
after possession was wrested from her.
Read what God thinks of the lust for gold
with its attendant cruelty and oppression
III the sunken fleets in Manila Bay and off
Santiago Harbor.
Selfishness and greed and luxurious liy-
ing are not ideals to set before a people.
Other nations have done So and like Israel
IN the wilderness craving for feshly indul-
gence. God gave them their request. and
sent leanness into their SOUL"
| And all these are temptations to our own
nation. They are perils which loom up be-
fore US. God save us from lust of power.
or gold or luxury
No, no, by all the memories of this sacred
hour. by the memories of men who went
in jeopardy of their lives, by the memoir
les OF the men whose graves on numberless
battletields and soldiers cemeteries, we
decorate with flowers, let us never forget
that righteousness alone exalteth a ma
tion:" The statutes and judgments of the
Lord! Let us Keep and do hens.n
God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-dung battleline,
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
dominion over palm and pine,
Lord God of Host, be with us yet,
Lest we forget-lest we forget.
The tumult and the shouting dies,
The captains and the kings depart,
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and contrite heart,
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget-fest we forget.
Far called our navies melt away,
On dune and headland sinks the fire
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday,
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the nations. be with us yet
Lest we forget-lest we forget.
If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe,
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser breeds without the law
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget-lest we forget"