Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-06-02
THE MEmORIAL
SERMON

day morning in solemn procession
marched to the United Evangelical
church, Front street, where the me-
mortal sermon was preached by the
Rev. E. B. Dunn.
The veterans were assigned a space
in the front part of the church. A
number of persons not regular attend
ants in addition to the full congrega.
tion dropped into the edifice on the
occasion so that the comfortable littl e
building was filled to overfowing.
The memorial sermon was one of
Rev. Dunn's very best efforts, found
ed upon Joshua 4th chapter and latter
part OF 2lst verse: What Mean these
Stones?"
Israel like any other nation on many
occasions was beset by hardships, diff
culties and defeats. And it is note
worthy that the most of the difficulties
and defeats arose from insubordina-
tion. And yet the armies of Israel
were led by Jehovah. They battled
for their rights, they sought freedom
from slavery, the union of their race
and the making and the welfare of
their nation. Their old commander
Moses is dead and the new commander
Joshua has been commissioned and
after 40 years of marching, camping
and fighting the command is given
to cross the River Jordan into the
Land of Promise and strike a decisive
blow at Jericho. In crossing the Jord-
an they were ordered to take up twelve
stones out of the river and to set them
up on the other side as a memorial of
the Divine aid rendered them in cross
ing. We read in the Goth and % verses
And these twelve stones which they
took out of Jordan did Joshua pitch
in Gilgal. And he spske unto the
Children of Israel saying: When your
children ask their fathers in time to
come saying, what mean these stones?'
then ye shall let your children know
saying Israel came over this Jordan
on dry ground. "
Monumental building has been the
work of ages. From out the mist OF
the past first come the Pyramids of
Egypt They are 20 in number and to
the Israelites perhaps they are memor
ials carrying the memory back to days
when grain was stored in them by
Joseph against the time of famine.
The wonderful structures of granite
and marble, the proud castles, the tow
ers and the moss covered ruins of Eu-
rope are memorials of deeds of valor
and triumphs won. In America we
have our shafts at Bunker Hill and at
Washington. our memorials at Mt.
Vernon ana charleston. But no granite
staff, no marble slab, no structure of
mortar and stone is worthy to COM
the memory of the fallen
heroes of our Civil War. No sculptor's
chisel. no artists brush, no poets pen,
no historians narrative can portray
the real valor of their sacred deeds.
There are living monuments. and |
living memorials that are more prec
ious than granite, marble or bronze. |
Mems character and works stand ont |
and live on. The endless production
of the printing press is living me-
mortal to Gutenberg and Richard Hoe. |
Our vast railroad systems and the |
mighty locomotives rushing through |
the land are living memorials TO |
George Stephenson and his Rocket.
The vast army of steam ships which |
plough through the ocean and cir
the globe are enduring |
to Robert Fulton. The tele- |
graph, the Atlantic cable. the electric |
car are ever present memorials which |
speak of Franklin, Morse, Travert and
Fields. This mighty American con-
tinent with its inexhaustibler resources |
is a monument TO the undaunted cOur-
age and the unparalleled zeal of Col
umbus. The Declaration of Independ-
ence, the Constitution OF the United |
States. the civil and religious liberty |
that we enjoy are living and gloritied
memorials of our beloved Washington |
and the heroes of '76.
The flag with its unbrOken circle of
stars. symbolizinR the unity OF the
north and south, is memorial OF the
noble men who during the great Civil
War sacrificed home, loved ones and
fought and died to maintain the Union
and to save the nation.
They were heroes all. The eloquence
of no Cicero was necessary TO arouse
them, the zeal of no Peter the Great
to impel them. They heard the cry of
their country's peril and they march
ed boldly and Loyalty to her rescue.
What mean these stones: These
Memorial Days-what do they bring
TO your memory? Looking back over
the fields of time for more than forty
cloud gathering and again you hear
with sympathetic ear the wall aud
plea of a race in bondage, again you
feel the tremor and commotion that
invades every corner of our nationaT
life. Again you hear the call for
troops, again you see the long line of
marching columns and then comes
back to your memory the agony of the
parting from home.
These memorial days bring back the
long lonely hours of picket duty, the
fond dream of loved ones far away;
again you feel the heart aches and the
sighs that you uttered when none but
God was near. Again you toll over
the footsore and tiresome march you
hear the bugle call the drum beat, that
arouses to action; you hear the rattle
of the musketry, the clash of the sabre
and the roar of the mighty cannon.