The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-07-07
SERMON BY REV MIR. BURNES
DILIYERED IN HOWARD AVENUE
 M. E. CHURCH.

Patriotic Discourse Listened to by Il
 Large Congregation-Inter He
 miniscsnces of the Civil War.
 The following eloquent sermon was
 preached by Rev. Dr. Harvey F. Burnes
 of the Howard avenue M. E. church
 last Sunday evening before large con-
 gregation. The sermon was patriotic
 one and his text was taken from Il.
 Samuel, Xviii:2:
 And David sent forth a third part Of
 the people under the hand of Jacob, and
 a third part under the hand of Abishal
 the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and
 third part under the hand of Ittai, the
 Gittite. And the king said unto the
 people l will surely go with you myself
 also" Dr. Burnes spoke as follows:
 A word as to the connection. The
 great revolt of Absolem and of large
 part of Israel against David and the
 lawful government of the land had
 reached that stage where a single bat tie would decide whether the rebellion should succeed or the lawful govern T6-GSldDllSIltu
 the land. For three months the prepa- rations for it had been made. The gen.
 jus of David never shone more brightly than in those days of darkness. The contest was for his throne, but the bat tie was to be against his brethren l need no more than to remind you of the issue of the conflict. The campaign was successful to the national government. The rebellion was suppressed by the de- struction of that army, and after few weeks the rule was everywhere ac knowledged.
 The time had arrived when the great est rebellion of modern times should end. It had been long enough. It be- gan in April, 1861, and it ended April, 1865.
 In that time it had been very severe. Over two hundred battles and skirmish- es had been fought, and many of the skirmishes had been of the dignity of battles, and some of the battles had been the most severe of modern times.
 The blood of the people had been poured forth like water. The number of our dead was greater than the present standing army of Great Britain. The wounded was several itimes as great. The south had lost more men than Eng land had lost in battle in her eight hun dred years of conflict in every part of the world.
 Its cost had been immense. In the north a debt of billions was to tax the energies of the reunited people for two score years. In the south the entire so- s.aJ 1l part of the territory overrun by oppos- ing armies, cities burned, fortunes swept away and the financial credit ru- ined
 Never had there been greater heroism displayed. England commentaries in song the achievement of her Light Brigade" In our civil war there were regiments on both sides who did better work than that and no one ever thought of retiring them on their laures They were rather thrown in afterward when special work was to be done, The First Minnesota volunteers lost in the battle of Gettysburg seventy-fve per cent of its number and won the charge with what was left. The Second corps lost in the same battle forty-f1ve per cent. of its members and in the last charge took more. prisoners than they had left un- wounded men. The Louisiana Tigers left their organization on the slopes of Cubs Hill. General Lees entire army was only three-fifths as large as when 1t waded over the Potomac to the inva- sion
 "The world certainly was ready for the end of the conflict. Into that war had entered the two civilizations that had divided the world almost from the first. One resting on free labor, the other on slave labor. The conflict had therefore been necessary. It had been declared some time before that the na- tion colld not permanently be both free and slave. It could have been as well said that the world could not to the end carry on such a condition There are those who yet talk as though that con- vulsion could have been averted As well talk about the cessation of the kingdom of God on earth. The year of our Lord 1861 had arrived and that con- f1ict was all prepared for. It was not a match flung by a careless hand into a basket or refuse. It was not stray spark blown by passing wind. One could have as easily have stopped Mag ara Falls by pitching into the river above dozen bundles of straw as to have turned aside that conflict for hu- man rights. That made the war for the Union and liberty right Externally right. And that made the war of seces- sion and of slavery wrong. Externally wrong. So 1t was that when in August 1862 there was made the promise to the author of battle on a contingency of union victory. That a proclamation should be issued in behalf of freedom Antietam was the result. On January 1, 1863, that edict was issued and the battle of Murfreesboro was a victory to the Federal cause Then began that se- ries of victories that kept back willing and still more willing France from recognizing the Confederacy as a nation. In February, 1865, slavery was everywhere prohibited in our states and territories, and the world was ready for the advance which that meant. Brazil followed, for under the moral judgment evoked by that conflict nothing but freedom could be allowed wherever ruled. The conflict in the true interest of la bor is but another fea- ture of the same strife. It would have been impossible to have carried on this | not been first destroyed.
 Then, too, all was ready here for the | end. Who cannot recall the sheer of the |