Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-10-01
Calnage
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. d. d.

Los Angeles. Cal. Sept. 2j.-At the
close of the vacation season and the
opening of Il new period of activity in
the churches this sermon comes as a
call To arms TO all who are eager for
spiritual conquest. The text Is Reveal
ton iii. 3. Il have set before thee an
open door. and no man can shut IL -
Have you ever roamed over any Of
the great battletields of the world?
Have you ever stood upon Lookout
mountain and had an old Federal or
the chief places where the great bat
tie above the clouds" was fought?
Have you ever walked along the stone
feLce 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 cannon?
Have you ever walked over the histor
ic sites of Full Run or .Antictam OF
Shiloh or Fair Oaks or Vicksburg?
Well. if you have and at the same
time If you have studied these battle
fields intellisently. you have been i'm
pressed with one gigantic idea. A bat
tleficld is not. as Il rule. mere hap
hazard place of meetin. where two
great armies wrestle i'm mortal combat,
but carefully chosen position. afford
ing opportunities for attack or defense.
Thine I.nonoca arrniaS harn haan
concentrating for weeks and months to
acquire n commanding position ut 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 i'm advance with the
utmost care in selection of the 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 I'm no small degree on tie skill
exercised i'm this important matter.
Months before an invading army
moves for the subjugation of coun-
try trained military minds study its
the strategic points which il is essen
tial to capture and to hold and the
course which the various corps must
take to cooperate i'm 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 war was
h,,f I.d 40
plan to be pursued in the event of hos
tilities was considered. William L.
Sherman. with one of his fellow off,
GERS. George Henry Thomas, after
ward nicknamed the Rock of Chicka-
mauga." was visiting his brother. the
late Senator John Sherman of Ohio.
John Sherman, in his subsequent biog-
raphy, relates that at that time these
two soldiers placed map OF thu
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
of the west must fight its mighty bat
ties before Shiloh and Vicksburg to
open the gateway of the Mississippi.
With another line they traced the
movements of a central army fighting
OH to Atlanta, and on to the sea. where
William L. Sherman was to win i'm
mortal fame. although. as Henry w.
Grady. the great Georgian orator. once
quantity put it, Some people did think
that he showed himself little care
they traced the movements of the Army
OF the Potomac, fighting its way from
Arlington heights to Richmond. All
those movements of these different
armies We're carefully traced by the
two soldiers. studying the map of the
southern states. stretched out upon the
floor of Senator John Sherman's par
lor. 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
tary 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-
ton which at this season naturally
forces itself upon my mind Is this:
"What is the gospel campaign ahead
of the Christian church for the ensu-
ing ten months? | am n captain in the
army of Christ. How am I to lead my
people? Where am I TO go?' 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 u city church. When July
comes many of the Christian soldiers
I'm large city passionate HE themselves
away TO sea beach or to mountain
stream for rest They are very tired
from their winters labor. But by the
time the middle of September is 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