The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-10

The third of series OF Sunday evening
sermons On the history of Washington
during the past hundred years was deliv-
cred by Rev John Van Setback at the
| Church of Our Father. last night. Burned
by the British" was TIE title OF the ser
mon which was listened TO By an audience
that completely filed the church. The
| text was taken from the twentieth verse
of the eighth chapter Of Joshua. .Rehold
/ the smoke OF the city assembled up 20
| Heaven
| In the course OF his sermon Rev. DR..
Schaick said: Two of the bravest nations
| in the w5rld were disgraeed when Wash
| ingtcn was burned. Time has softened the
| feeling engandered by THAT event. humor
| has lightensI up the harsh details. charity
| has cast over it her mantle. but the fact
| remains nevertheless that when the smoke
| Of this city assembled up 10 Heaven it was
| stain urOn the fair mans Of Englistmen
! on both sides of the Atlantic.
1T is however. from defeat as well as
! victory. from pain as well ds pleasure, that
| the world learns wisdom. The story Of
| Washington burned in August OF 1914. as
well as the story of Washington defended
| in July of 1864 is valuable and suggestive
At the present time. 1t happened in that
| strange contest with England called the
war of 1872, Il contest marked for us by
some of the greatest victories and some of
the most unnecessary defeats in our his
tory. 1t was the war in which Old from
sides sailed back and forth across the At
lantic in her victorious career. in which
Perry. with his little hastily built neet,
swept the British from the Lakes. in which
Harrison Scott, Porter aud Hull gained
renown. in which Jackson won the Presi-
dency, and in which tn, gallant Lawrence
laid down his life.
1T was on the other hand a war in
which that other Hull hoisted tho white
Tag at Detroit in which Tccumseh raw
aged the West and Van Rensselaer, was
driven back IN disgrace from Canada. Be-
longing to this latter class of exploits is
the story of the burning of Washington. 1t
is exceedingly foolish to say. Remember
the pleasant and forget the unpleasant in
cidents of history: remember the gloros
and forget the diSgraces. Both are needed
to temper and balance our national life.
Washington was burned because of over
confidence and panic. the twin causes OF
disaster to our armies fortyseven years
later at Bull Run. Those in control TN
derestimated the danger, made inadequate
preparation to meet it. and consequently
were thrown into panic when sudden
crisis brought them face tc face with ,heir
mistake.
without harsh censure. but without
palliating excuses, let us look NJ Ike facts
!, as they are. James Madison was Presi-
dent OF the Uuited States. James Madison,
the husband of the brilliant Dolly Todd ;
Madison. interchangeable worker in Con-
gress. the father of the Conati.ution =
slow. steady. thorough going. scholarly
Madison. exactly the right man for long
siege at law, lovemaking. or logic. but
not at all the man for Il quick move or
sudden dash. Two veterans of the kevo-
luton We're in his Cabinet-Monroe, as
Secretary of State. and Armstrong. as
Secretary of War There ought to have
been military sense in that Administra
ton but very little was displayed.
Early in the year ISL, Admiral Cock
burn appeared in Chesapeake Bay. News
came that the powerful Bermuda fleet
was on the way to join him. The $500
inhabitants of Washington were tho--
oughly alarmed. Old General Van Ness,
day after day, voiced their feeling as he
went from State Department to White
House and back to the War Department
TO see II something could not lie done TO