Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-09-30
Calmase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talrnasc. d. ID.

opening of n new period of activity in
call 10 arms to all who are eager for
spiritual conquest. The text is Revela-
ton iii, s, 81 have set before thee an
open door, and no man can shut it,"
Have you ever roamed over any OF
the great battlefelds of the world?
Have you ever stood upon Lookout
mountain and had an old Federal or
Confederate soldier point out to you
the chief places where the great bat
tie above the clouds" was fought?
Have you ever walked along the stone
fence of Fredericksburg. toward which
Fighting Joe' Hooker drove his troops
in three heroic charges, but near to
which that great giant of war, James
Longstreet, had planted his canuon2
Have you ever walked over the hiStor-
&c sites of Bull Run or Antietam or
Shiloh or Fair Oaks or Nicksburg?
Well, IL you have and at the same
time il you have studied these battle
fields intelligently, you have been i'm
pressed with one gigantic idea. A bat
hazard place of meeting where two
great armies wrestle in mortal combat,
hut a carefully chosen position. afford
fnT opportunities for attack or defense.
Thus the Japanese armies have been
concentrating for weeks and months TO
acquire commanding position at Port
Arthur and have been seizing strategic
points from which they could drive the
Russian armies which were being sent
TO its relief. These strategic move
ments are planned in advance with the
utmost care in selection ofsthe ground
SO as to get the advantage OF elevated
positions from which to fire upon the
enemy. The generals on both sides are
aware that the conquest of the region
depends in no small degree on the skill
exercised in this important matter.
Months before an invading army
moves for the subjugation of a coun-
try trained military minds study it's
natural features and intuitively settle
the strategic points which il is essen
tial to capture and to hold and the
course which the various corps must
take TO cooperate in the general
scheme. 1t is related that before our
own civil war, as far back rs the po-
litical campaign which resulted in Lin
coins election and when n war was
but dim and dreaded possibility, the
plan TO be pursued in the event of hos
tilities was considered. William T
Sherman, with one OF his fellow off,
GERS. George Henry Thomas, after
ward nickuamed 1.-The Rock OF Chicka-
nauga." was visiting his brother, the
late Senator John Sherman of Ohio
John Sherman, in his subsequent biog-
raphy, relates that ut that time these
two soldiers placed u map OF the
southern states upon the floor Then
upon this map they practically traced
out every important military move
ment which was TO follow. With one
line they showed how the great army
or the west must fight its mighty bat
Ties before Shiloh and Vicksburg 10
open the gateway Of the Mississippi.
With another line they traced the
movements OF "A ,1ntral army fighting
on TO Atlanta. and on TO the sea. where
William L. Sherman was 10 win i'm
mortal fame. although. as Henry w.
Crazy, the great Georgian orator. once
quantity put IL, "SOmc people did think
that he showed himself a little care
less with fire" With another line
they traced the movements or the Army
OF the Potomac. fighting its way from
Arlington heights to Richmond. All
those movements OF these different
armies were carefully traced by the
two soldiers. studying the map OF the
southern states, stretched out upon the
floor OF Senator John Sherman's par
Tor, months before Major Anderson in
Fortress Monroe heard the booming OF
the gun which started the most gigan-
tic war OF modern times.
Campaigns Must BE Planned.
Thus coming campaigns or the mill
fary lines OF summer operations are
planned for the most part by the diff
ferent commanders OF invading armies
While their armies are encamped In
winter quarters. Therefore the ques-
zion which ut this season naturally
forces itself upon my mind is this:
What is the gospel campaign ahead
OF the Christian church for the ensu-
ing tea months? i am n captain in the
army OF Christ. How am / TO lead my
people? Where am l 70 goy' In the
beginning OF this winters work | am
exactly In the same position as the mil
itary leader OF an invading army who
Is about TO break up winter quarters.
Summer is really the time for winter
quarters In city church. When July
comes many of the Christian soldiers
IN large city pastorate HE themselves
away TO sea beach or 10 mountain
stream for rest. They are very tired
from their winters labor. But by the
time the middle OF September * here
the schools are all opened and the
members OF the city congregations are
back TO their winter homes and are
filling their church pews. When they
arrive and start out for gospel work
fhe Christian soldiers of each church
naturally expect to know the kind OF a
gospel campaign which is ahead
Christ is our great commander. and
as captain under him / would here
and now point out TO you the mighty
opportunities which are before us.
would sketch the line OF campaign we
as church are about to enter. And.
Furthermore. not only want to show
you how we are to fight, where we are
10 light, but also TO try to encourage
you by reminding you OF the great
agencies OF our time which are going
TO help us in this coming years strug-
gle.
The glorious twentieth century Is
opening wide its doors to let the church
OF the Lord Jesus Christ pass forth in
TO Gods conflict, aided by scientific
and social facilities that no other age
possessed, whereby each man can dou-
bic and treble and quadruple the
amount OF work which his GRANDPA
ther Or his great grandfather was able
10 do. 1t Is saying to us: MAN, if the
length OF your life is to be estimated
by the amount of work you shall be
able to accomplish will let you live
longer than did Jacob, who died of old
age at one hundred and forty-seven, or
Isaac, who lived one hundred and eighty
years. Or Abraham, who lived to be
one hundred and seventy-five years,