Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1901-12-06

upon to celebrate once more is sancti
fled by hundred sacred memories. W,
approach it tenderly as we might wall
TO the graves of our beloved dead. /
Is sacred TO us because il was sacred tt
our fathers. Ii means so much to III
because it meant so much TO them Ir
the days long gone it commemorsted {
few joyous victories taken out of The
yielding hand of God. Today Il repre-
sents an accumulation of national anC
individual victories from the very
birthday of our beloved republic to this
its latest hour
From the start it has been nstions
day in the widest, deepest, truest sens.
of the word. 1t is the day that the ma
ton as such carries It's trOphits to the
shrine and lays its heart on the altar oil
God. 1t is day when the Republic
bers the long and bloody patti
its past has trod-snd with bosom
big with hope turns steadfastlv future
ward. From the start also it has neces
sarily been q christian day. 1t il
only the principle of christianity-tht
true leaven of Gods highest revelation
to Woodworking In the great heart OF
the people that could make such an oc
casion at all possible. The religion OF
Jesus alone is able to seal every stony
path with glad Ebenezer and bless
the spilled blood of sacrifice with hope
that is not afraid nor ashamed, with q
trust that is triumphsnt-wlths faith
that becomes coal of fire In the breast
of conservation to urge it on to vssteI
undertakings and gladden. accomplish
ments.
But if on all occasions ii has been q
season to be regarded with such tender.
ness, this time it must be more so. We
come to it with solemn step and bowed
head. We speak very gently lest we
disturb and desecrate the hsllow ed
hour while we sit with God and remem-
Der. Our hearts are still swollen with
great national grief. The body OF
our fallen president is scarcely cold un-
| der the sod-his breath has scarcely
winged its beautiful way to God. And
| while we stare and wonder at the disas
| ter, we tremble none the less for the
sorrow that has come unbidden and sc
| unwelcome! But it Is easier for us &c
be recOnciied because he was recODciled
| 1t is easier for us to say, at is Gods
way; he knows best!' because he said
it. Submission is better than triumph
suffering is better than immortal
pleasure. Thanksgiving is better than
mourning and the gladdest cry of all
our thsnktulness now must rise be-
cause out of our national affection God
has still left us hearts that can be
thankful!
Let US address ourselves today to the
seeking after the significance of Gods
greatest gift to the race, for the natural
course and extremities of human lie
personal and historical And the theme
| is by no means narrow one. 1t is az
wide as the purpose of Providence with
men. Ii starts with material benedic-
tiOns, with Physical powers and COM
| forts, with the miracles of human in
genuity that have utterly transformed
the conditions of civilization. Ii
scarcely ends with the high and exquis-
ltely beautiful OSCILLATIONS of art and
music--those sngel-presences that
touch us with fingers of fire and heal
US of our earthlineRs and transport us
into heavenly hsbitstions to dwell a
time with God.
Victory is word that flames out
over all the history of the christian dis
pensstiOn; beautiful wOrd--sOulful sylla
bles that stretch out like streaming
| light into the dark places of the future
and fill every nook and Granny of our
benighted hopes with a radiance that
puts to flight every ohadow of fear and
despair Victory is the watch cry that
men never learned to speak until it had
been spoken in times of cross and
bloodl Victory at the cradle--victory at
the open grave; victory, when love and
faith are born; victory, when hopes
fade into fire and die like the leaves Of
summer chased by the winds today;
victory, in high places and in low
places here, there, every where-- Victory
Thanks be to God which giveth us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
And it is victory in spite of human
Limitations. The text stands as q mag
nificent contradiction. The apostle
has just dug out grave and babe Us
look into its gloom and dark. He has
given US a picture of desth-thst pic
ture which always makes us shrink and
tremble and turn away to grOpe after a
CLINT of Immortality. And then he
turns and smites his dreaded picture
with this quick, incisive little contra
diction and 1T crnmbles into fragments
at our feet and victory rears its glori-
GUS ensign high above the glad ruin.
The dark grave is filed up in mo-
ment with that ponderOus "but"-the
| first word of the text, and the wheels of
the conqueror's chariot roll smoothly
and magnificently over into eternity
| Christ is a constant contradiction
They that cannot reconcile paradox
are not able to find calvary for the
cross nor a heart for q faith in the