Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-30

and ill self-sacrifice. The one stands for destruction, the other for preserVa- tiOn. 1 look upon the late SpanlSh- American war as holy war, ana cer tainly the favor of the Divine rested
 upon the efforts of our army and navy.
 A few years ago we sent our army lnIo
 the heart of the celestial land - the
 time of the Chinese instruction, ana some of the good people of our own country have not yet ceased to speaA of the siege of Pekin, or at least our
 part in it, as a national disgrace and blot on our fair name. Why, my dear
 friends, that invasion of our army was
 one of the most godly things our coun-
 try ever had part in, and in the history
 of our national actions it would De
 hard for you to find a doing that has
 purer background behind it. There
 was time not long since when we should have been delighted to nave
 seen Turkish blot upon our fair name
 and if things continue in Eastern Eu-
 rope as they have been going on 1n re-
 cent days, would not be surprised to
 find myself wishing that Russian
 blot might be added to our so called
 disgrace.
 God moves in mysterious way,
 His wonders to perform,
 He plants dlis footsteps in the sea,
 And rides upon the storm"
 tfIt frequently appears that the bat tie is the Lords. Let governments
 always try peacalbae methods, but
 when they find hhese ineffective let
 them know that resort to arms IS
 commendab1e. Lincoln's soldiers i'm pressed this truth. Method after meth cd of peacable type had been ineffec- l tually employed to straighten out the
 wrongs that slavery had engendered.
 The war of '61 was inevitable and
 therefore necessary. u Again they gave US a grand lesson in self sacrifice. The distinctive glory of that war was that the union man l fought not for himself; he struggled l for others Very little of the fruit of l their effort went to themselves. Flu lure generations were to reap the ben eft of their agony and sacrifice. They l left their homes, they left their busi-
 ness; some of them gave up the bright
 est prospects in life, many of them 1 gave their lives on the altar of pa- l triotism, all of them faced death, and some of these have received nothing l in return except the ingratitude of a l thoughtless and indifferent people.
 But these men looked not for rewards, ] they were battling for humanity.
 They were out to win no matter what l the cost. An unselfish man fighting 1 ill a just cause is, bound toIsucceed. | The union soldiers and sailors were un,
 selfish men and were fighting for a | just cause, but they were struggling
 against men who were equally unsel- 1 fish and just as sincere in the advoca- l cy of a distinctly opposite thought. i To fight and subdue such men made
 the sacrifice all the greater. The man
 who has not learned to sacrifice himself has not learned to live.
 "But this is not all/ They impressed I upon us the the lessons of brotherly l love and the truth of the human
 brotherhood The conflict and it's az
 onies hinged chiefly upon the right of
 the downtrodden slave to enjoy the
 privileges that the blood of Gods own son had purchased for him. He fought \ for the unlettered negro, not because
 he was negro, but because he was a
 man and a brother. The spirit of
 brotherly love was beautifully illus
 trated by Grants treatment of Lee
 at the time of the surrender, and by
 the general attitude of the northern l people when the war was closed. En- emies in the conflict but brothers all I the while. brothers now. A united | country, thank God tor such an out come.
 You members of the Sons of Vet erans, and you who enjoy the blessed ness brought by these men, some liv- ing, some dead, remember through fo1 md Ina fof7 h Y queathed you royal heritage What will you do with it ? How are you go : ing to treat it ? Many man has met his disgrace and dishonor at the hand Of a prodigal son. God forbid that we sons of noble heritage should so treat
 the charge that has been left us. A : favorite author in one of his recent ; publications puts these words in the Z mouth of one of his characters } Where freedom makes her home } there is the center of power" Amer } ica is the home of freedom, and r think it is no exaggeration to say that America Is fast becoming the center 7 of power. When any great interna r tional question arises the crowned ] heads of Europe deferentia1ly await s our thought and if it is not our word
 that decides the matter it is at least f our spirit that solves the problem
 All eyes turn to Us as a nation and fl 7 the very power and influence we sway them is hidden a danger. Prosperity is destructive to some people, and i
 has ruined more than one nation
 Where conceit and carelessness abide
 trouble, is not far distant. The Is , raelites had the false idea of their owI successful destiny as Gods choser people, and the pompous attitude i created within them hastened thei
 downfall. Beware lest we permit sucl a spirit in the hour of our prosperity for it can augur no good to our land Be careful and guard every interest Some one has said fortune favors thu brave,' which is only another way O.
 sayaAg God guards those who deserve his protection, and they only deserve
 who strive for it.' At o'clock in the afternoon the or gapiZations marched to Riversid | cemetery where services were held a
 the urn under the. auspices of the Wo mems Relief corps. This concluded