The Newtown bee., 1901-08-02

things the way most effective of meet
 ing and overcoming that temptation.
 WHEN GOD SETS THE BEAUTY OF HIS in mems hearts, or the light of truth in their thoughts, then devils find it hard work to come and possess them. Christ exercises demons to-day by great hopes, great endeavOrS, great thoughts and great enthusiasm which He puts into the heart of christian people. Christian ideals, christian interests, christian fellowships brought into a life will often do the work of hundred unf1inching Nos, and do it as effective ly and far more easily, in character building.
 Indeed this is one purpose of the special celebration of this memorial week and day. It is the symbolical bringing into our lives by service, and memory of an ideal, purpose and a service of patriotism, bringing it to our lives, and to the lives of the gen. erations yet to be, and putting 1t in amongst the other thoughts and feel ings of the peoples heart. As such it's very nature is to crowd out worse things. If child or man be given the patriotic motive in it's best force, it is truly Christian; it is higher call, call of God; it is call to service, and sacrifice and great doing. And so it tends to put away baser things. It is good for us to go to Bunker Hill, or Mt VernOn,O Arlington, or Gettys- burg, or to the memorial graves of our own cemetery and hear the voice which speaks from these places saying unto us: "See that ye also be worthy!"
 The terrible lust of gambling which manifested in business so vividly only few weeks ago, manifested in the numerous gambling resorts of our great cities, manifested in the use of games and athletic events, and social parties, not as ways of pleasant relaxa- tjon, but as occasions for feverish and exciting wagers, and even for the re- plenishing of the pin money by gamb- ling processes; all this has clearly re- vealed a dangerous movement in na- tional life; it's whole inspiration is just selfishnesS, the turning of legiti- mate business on the one hand or of carnivals of greed, of lust of money, and that lust in it's worst form, the lust of money gained without any re- turn work being given for it. It is the unbridled power of the meanest, shabbiest, most sordid instincts of the human heart over men. And over against all that stands the influence and the impression which dwells in memorial day. Here whole nation gives testimony to the exceeding great worth which it sets on the opposite of all such things, on unselfShneSS, on willingness to give mp the selfish end in fn fa 5c %o cause, righteous end, and a noble effort. Such an example therefore sends the thrill over a land which moves nation. Men do not hear the siren voices of greed and sensuality and political ambition half so clearly; there is by no means such seduction in their notes, when this Orpheus harp of sacrifice and heroism is clearly heard sounding it's higher chords amongst the people. Therefore we cherish the memories and repeat the stories of those days. We need to have them over and over again, drown feelings, and exalting by their illus tration of the nobler instincts. l would every old soldier might keep in his heart the thrill of the first im- pulse which sent him out to war, that he might be.kept by it from falling be- low that noble, unseltish enthusiasm into any SOrdid feeling that political place, or temporal wealth should the end of that for which he labored; that it might act as power to lift him above the temptations of drink and senSualitY and evil living which somehow seems at times to be especial ly dangerous as the aftermaths of a soldiers life.
 THAT THE OLD, GRAND, NOBLE MOTIVE might lift far above all that; God grant it. God grant it! And then that young men and young women may have this memorial day set it's seal up- on them, that an enthusiasm of serv- ice, of nobility, of generosity may be awakened in them until they say we could be heroes, and pray God we may be even though it is in lesser matters and in unseen ways. Thus would be the higher call drown the lower temp tation as Orpheus' harp silenced the sirens.
 We glory in every instance which makes evident that such things are not dead. These piping times of peace have not wholly caused the mo- bier instincts to rot in the hearts of men. Just the other day,-perhaps you read of it in the papers,-two workmen, Phelps and Stanbury, boil CT makers, were working in an old boiler in a factory, cleaning and re-