The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1901-05-29
MEMORIAL SUNDAY SERVICES.
Rev. A. ]. Meek, Phi. D., Delivered an Eek
cellent Sermon From This Text: "A
Good Soldier"


Sunday at 100 u. IN. The old soldiers,
w. II. G.. and Sons of Veterans attend
cd the services in body. The church
was beautifully decorated with pottcd
plants. cut flowers and stars aud stripes.
Rev. Perry A. Reno, pastor of the NJ.
h. church, assisted Rev. A. ]. Meek,
Ph. d., pastor of Baptist church, in the
opening services, after which DR.. Meek
preached an excellent sermon from n
text selected from Tim. 2:3, "A Good
Soldier" We did not have the time to
put the entire sermon into type, but we
print part of 1t, as follows:
In order to be "a Good Soldier" 1t is
absolutely essential to have good and
righteous cause. What was the cause
for which you enlisted and became sol
diers? Was it the cause of error and
wrong? No! No. A thousand times,
MOI Some one has said that there can
be no great cause that Is wrong and no
good soldier that is not on the side OF
right.
True there were brave soldiers in the
South who were conscientious In their
convictions, yet that does not make
their cause just and right We can
never say that the South was right in
| the rebellion and that the North was In
the wrong. We can never look upon
those who fought against and for the
union in the same light, There is a
| line that separates the two forces.
| These gallant boys in blue must never
be asked to be ashamed of the part
which they took in the war. That
would be too great a strain upon their
consciences to remain silent and not to
resent the insult. I am charitable
enough to admit that many OF the SOL
ders of the south believed conscientious
ly, that they were in the right and that
they we're justifablc in secession and
the taking up Of arms. Their belief
had been fed by false statements, and a
misapprehension of fundamental truth.
Their belief rested upon what they con-
ceived to be self-interest. But we all
very well know that the nature OF
things is not changed by belief The
outcome of the conflict and the history
of the succeeding years have conclusive-
ly proven to any half candid mind, that
the South was clearly in the wrong and
that the North was In the right, and
that secession and slavery is forever
settled within our limits as nation
We had never fully learned that funda'
mental fact, contained in the Declara
tion of Independence THAT all men are
created equal: that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable
rights: that among these are life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness until We
saw our noble fathers and sons bid adieu
to their homes and loved ones and dor
the blue and take up the musket and
sword, many of them to fall in the dir
of battle. Never until their blood wa:
shed did we fully realize that all mer
are free and equal The North has nC
malice against the South, neither ha:
the South any malice against the North
The northern man may travel through
the South and everywhere be kindly
and cordially received. The brother
from the South may come to our homes
and share our hospitality with perfec,
peace and safety, although 30 years age
he was an uncompromising enemy. But
as time levels all ranks and heals al
sorrows so it buries all enmity in the
great sea of oblivion. To-day the south
ern orator may stump any Of our states
and visit our homes which were filled
with sorrow and made desolate by 6
causeless rebellion. We, the people Of
the North, have always been ready to
meet our brothers of the South more
than half way and hail them as fellow
citizins of this the greatest Republic
and nation upon the face OF the earth.
The South more than ever before, are
beginning to realize the business Of oul
cause and it is growing more clear tC
them that they were in the wrong
They are now beginning to see that
we are not prosecutors, but that We
meted out to them the punishment tha,
they justly merited a. our hands. Their
sons have been admitted into positions
of great responsibility and trust in the
Government which they attempted to
overthrow. And none Of our boys in
blue will for one moment object so long
as they uphold the stars and stripes and
maintain the constitutional rights Of
our Republic. The settlement OF these
questions, that had agitated our nation
for so many years, vindicates the righ,
and stamps the wrong. One OF our
poets has said,
Truth crushed TO EARTH shall rise again.
| The eternal years OF God are hers,
| But error wounded writhes In pain;
| And dies among her worshipers.
The same may be said of the cause OF
our mighty strupple In the late civil