Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-05-26

AS the audience assembled, Miss
Bertha McClench of Iiallowell played
an organ voluntary in her finest man
ncr. Then followed, Onward, Chris
tan Soldiers" sung by the church
chOi p, m the Invocation by Rev Nor
man NcKinnon of the Congregational
church. Rev. +. l.. NeWbert, pastor
of the Unitarian church, lead in read
ing the Nineteenth Psalm, responsibility.
The Scripture lesson was the sixth
chapter of First Timothy and it was
read by Rev b. +. Hope, of the First
Baptist church. Belini'S anthem,
Mighty jehovah" was rendered by the
choir in a manner which elected much
praise. Prayer was offered by Rev. G..
A. Hayden, pastor Of the Universalist
church. After a response by the choir
the audience arose and sang with 4
spirit befitting the occasion the patri-
otto stanzas of Americas National an
them, My Country It's of Thee"
This closed the first part of the pro-
gram.
The memorial sermon was delivered
by Rev. r. +. Hope. Mr.. Hope took
for his subject The Warfare Of Peace
His text was from | Timothy. Vi:12-
His discourse was to the effect that
life is entirely struggle. He spoke
of the Darwinian theory of natural
life in which the whole course of life
is n struggle for self preservation. To
this has been added by Prof. Drum
mond. the struggle for the life of others
The two theories combined he thought
gave the correct view of creation. In
the first days OF creation men strug-
glcd as individuals, then as tribes.
then as nations, and however far along
man has developed this has been true.
Even In matters of intellect and sport
the idea of competition enters.
In the first place man must struggle
with circumstances. There is abund-
ant opportuni y for it all around us in
the natural prll. one of the first
things man WI told to DO was to sub
due the things about him. He was
slow in obeying and for a long time
he limited himself to a small realiza-
ton Of this command. Scarcely as
years ago the fastest man could
travel was by horse. But during all
the ages man has been struggling with
the forces of nature. The speaker then
went on to detail some of the achieve
ments as a result of this struggle. As
Il result there has never been an age
SO desirable or u country so advan-
tageous to live in as our own. There
never was a time when there was such
an opportunity FOR the putting forth
of efforts and there never was a land
SO favorable as ours.
The text says that the struggle must
be good fight" This means that we
are to fight with everything there is in
us. But i'm addition if we are to fight
for the glory of our country and our
God we must fight with good methods.
Fight hard, but do it honestly. There
is tremendous opportunity for good
fighting in business and politics.
Il am not marking out an easy path
for You to follow in order for you to be
as good as l wish you to be- said the
speaker. What we need Is men who
would suffer rather than do wrong:
men who would prefer tosee themselves
and their loved ones starve than COM
init an ignominious act. But this is a
hard thing to do. 1t would be easier
for me to go into the battles danger
than to be honest in business and poll
tics. No better fighting is required
than in the affairs of peace
Finally. fight the good fight of faith.
Even the language of spiritual life is a
language of warfare. For while the
church thought to fight the fight of
faith was to take the sword and to back
up the faith one possesses. But there
came change in this. Martin Luther
declared that faith meant to believe.
Faith dos mean that and something
more. Ii is the activity of ones spirit
ual nature and to fight the good fight
OF faith is to be active in ones spiritual
life. While there is great fighting in
other realms, it is when a man engages
IN this that he finds the greatest strug-
gle In conclusion the speaker said:
While a man who enters into the
struggle with nature, or into the COM
petition of business, social or political
life may win or lose. he who enters into
the good fight of faith must conquer,
and while l exhort you to fight in other
realms l exhort you to enter into the
contest in which you cannot lose"
Mr.. Hopes discourse was followed
with prayer by Rev. H. E. Dunnack of
the Methodist Episcopal church, and