The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-26
MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE.
4 PATRIOTIC COMMEMORATIVE
 SERMON
Delivered at Epworsh M. E. Church Last Evening by the Pastor, Rev. II .E' Hiier.

Last Evening by the Pastor, Rev. H h-
 Hiier.
 At Epworth M. E. church yesterday
 morning a fine discourse was delivered
 by the new presiding elder, Rev. pr
 w. A. Richard, before good-sized con
 gregation The discourse was based or
 Matthew vii, p: "The light of the body
 is the eye; if therefore thine eye be sin
 gle, thy whole body shall be full oi
 light"
 In the evening the pastor, Rev. Il. E
 Hiler, preached patriotic dlscourse
 commemorative of Memorial day A -part of this very excellent sermon IS as
 follows:
 I. John iii, 16: Hereby perceive we
 the love of God, because He laid down
 His life for us; and we ought to lay
 down our lives for the brethren"
 On this Sabbath evening preceding
 Memorial day we think it indeed fitting
 to speak of the struggles and the
 achievements of our fallen and living
 heroes. We believe that We do no vio-
 lence to the sanctity either ot the day
 or of the place when we declare Ill
 grateful remembrance the deeds or the
 men who, under God, have wrought righteousness for free and Christian
 America. In fighting the battles of freedom many of our soldiers sincerely believed that they were also fighting the battles of the Lord. In the triumph or the principles of liberty we read an other of the many triumphs or the Masters kingdom, If we would 1uily appreciate the great directing ana con- trolling forces in the War Of the Re- bellion we must necessarily remember the influence that the church had upon the life and the thought and the devo- ton of the men who marched to the front in the day of the nations peril. And now that the conflict is past and the nation is saved the church should not, and we trust does not, forget her debt of gratitude to those veterans who either fell beneath the carnage of the strife, or have since fallen amid scenes of peaceful industry, or still continue in our midst, soon to go down before the ravages of time.
 And while as Christians we do well to remember and reward the aged veteran who shared in the victory of Appomat- tox. we would not withhold our tribute of praise to the memory of our younger soldier who in these more recent years responded to the thrilling messages of the Gospel of the Son of God and pe- came the defender of the weak against the mighty and broke the shackles or oppression from the hands of struggling freemen. until to-day Cuba is free among the nations of the earth. In view of what has already been accom- plished, though with no disposition to reioice in the horrors of war, it would therefore seem unbecoming the dignity of an American pulpit to pass such an occasion without some word ot gratelul appreciation of the services ana the sacrifices of the valiant host who nave laid down their lives upon the altar or corntry and thereby achieved for US higher and more Christian civilization. Tn the days of the raging conflict TOT the preservation of the Union our loyal Methodist church stood firm for the cause of the north and fired many breast with patriotism and devotion. Tn recognition of the loyalty and ser vice of the church President Lincoln eu, thank God for the Methodist Episcopal church"
 Our fathers in the ministry were true to the soldier in the day of battle; they have been true to the veteran every time since; and we have faith to believe that as these heroes of the cross are being called to rest from their labors their mantles are falling upon their sue cessors in the work of the church, who will cheer the battle-scarred patriot while he lives and revere his memory when he has passed to the bivouac Of the dead.
 Memorial day is the anniversary of our nations sorrow. AS indlVlduals have their anniversaries so do nations What heart Is not thrilled with joy and r1a dness at the return of each happy birthday? What wedding anniversary does not bring comfort and cheer to the unbroken circle around the family What life has not in the | course of the year some day which 1t mav celebrate with devout thanksgiv- | inc for the mercies of God? What home is not made sad and dreary by that an- niversary day of the death of loved | one! DO III pul lidlloiiehl iiLS WE i'"'O l come to celebrate our anniversaries. | The Fourth of July is our anniversary | of iov because it is our nations birth | day. Thanksgiving is our anniversary l of gratitude to God for the blessings of | our lives, our homes and our native | land. Memorial day is likewise for us an anniversary-bu an anniversary of | sorrow for the sins and the sacrifices of | our common country.
 Nation waging war with nation is ter rible. but section arrayed against sec lion is pathetic. The people of the | north and the people of the south did | not rise up together to drive an oppres- sor from our soil; but each rushed to rms to crush and destroy the other. And all this was caused by an iniqui- Ions institution The fiend of slavery ,ad at last made men fiendish and in their madness they forgot the heritage if the Land of the pilgrims pride"
 Those must have been stirring days when Garrison and Phillips and Beech- .r and many others were pouring forth heir irresistible eloquence to stay and ,lav the power of the heartless slave ,rader. But as our nation had been ,owing the wind the time finally came when it must reap the whirlwind. The yar-clouds presaging the coming storm advanced thick and fast above our