Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-07-08
CalnaSe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. d. d.

season OF patriotic Jubilee, when the
great ones OF our nations history are
recalled, the preacher chooses for his
theme the career of Marcus Whitman,
through whose heroiSm and self sacri-
fee the great empire of the northwest
was added to our national domain.
The text is Matthew XXI, AZ, THE stone
which the builders rejected the same
Is become the head of the corner"
Every Fourth of July it is the Gus
tom of patriotic speakers TO eulosize
the names of George Washington and
Samuel Adams and James Otis and
Joseph Warren and Patrick Henry and
De Witt Clinton and John Adams and
John Hancock and Robert Norris and
Benjamin Franklin and John Wither-
spoon and Thomas Jefferson and Ma
thanael Greene and Alexander Hamil-
ton and John Jay. These were the
mental giants who hewed out OF the
new worlds Quarries the titanic stones
which became the founda ton layers Of
our national government. But these
were not the only men in those early
days or our national history to whom
we, as n people, are indebted. We
. ought to be careful lest the glory of
those summaries blinds us to the grand
cur or character of patriots less con-
spicuous, whose courage, devotion and
self sacrifice helped TO establish our
liberties or to extend our opportunities.
Tomorrow we shall celebrate our ma
tional holiday. Let me present to you
ao<1o m To-
to US all, but which is seldom placed
In the rank IL ought to have on the roll
or the nations heroes. While we honor
the men who cleared away the debris
and dug out the foundation stones of
our national capital let us spare, too,
n few words OF praise for q man to
whose daring and perseverance 1t is
due that Mt least one If not several
stars were added TO those that glitter
on our national flag. I place my wreath
or immortelles today on the grave Of
Marcus Whitman. who practically
single handed, saved the states Of Ore
gon and Washington to the Union. To
the heroes of Bunker Hill and Saratoga
and Yorktown we owe it that our
eastern shores are Tapped by the
Whitman we owe il that we hold on
our western shores the crystal gates OF
the Pacific. i praise the Marcus Whit
man Of 1912. who placed the despised
capstone OF Oregon upon the topmost
pinnacle OF the Washington legislative
halls, made up OF the stone of many
states.
Nations Debt TO Marcus whitman.
How did Marcus Whitman save Ore
gon to the United States? First. by
needing the Macedonian gospel cry OF
helplessness. Like the pilgrim fathers
ne obeyed the direct summons which
came TO him in the voice OF many
thunderings TO carry Christ's message
OF salvation even unto the uttermost
parts OF the earth. He left his home
among the beautiful hills of central
New York state, not out Of a spirit of
adventure, as n Chanler Astor might
plunge into the African jungles TO hunt
big game. He left 1t not. as did John
Mclaughlin, to dangle before the avari-
cious eyes OF North American Indians
his prizes, which would make the red
skinned hunters more expert in set
ting their traps and bringing In their
piles or furs. He left IL not as did the
English gentlemen who came TO James
town, Va, in the hope OF becoming
landowning arIstOcrnts In new world.
or AS did the Spanish marauders. who.
in their conquest Of Mexico stole upon
the land what the pirates Of old used to
steal upon the seas. But Marcus Whit
man and Samuel Parker dared cross
the American continent because from
the faroff Willamette valley came the
story of the bitter need there was for
the gospel of peace to be preached to
the Indian war chiefs, with scaIpinc
knives and tomahawks at belts, who.
by their actions, said: I'VE need the
white mans book OF heaven. We need
the white mans Christ"
A strange ouest.
To describe how that Macedonian CRY
OF helplessness came TO Marcus Whit
man, let me transplant you in imagina-
tion back TO the little frontier town
OF st. Louis, Mo-, and. like the shad-
ow on the dial OF Ahaz, turn back
time until the year 1892 We will
suppose in order 10 make the wild.
weird scene we are about to describe
more vivid, that the old Indian fighter
ana territorial governor, up to 1921,
and the United States superintendent
or the Indians, from 1921 TO 1888, Cen
eral William Clark, is spending q So
cial evening with two of his old
friends, who followed Lewis and him
self on their famous journey OF the far
northwest. Suddenly messenger
raps at the door. In answer 10 the
grun call, Come IN" there enter four
FIathead Indians. Two OF them are
aged warriors, two young stalwart
braves. where are you from. NV
menT' asked the general, eying them
from head TO foot. From the muir
muring waters OF the Columbia? I'm
possible. From the Pacific shores?
Nay, nay. that cannot be- For what
did you come? For the white mans
book OF heaven? What, dIdst thou |
have to travel 1900 miles 10 hunt IN |
tho white mans book of heaven when |
the representatives of the Hudson Bay
company have for years been buying
your rursT Yes" answered the Nez
ferces Indians. I'VE have come 5000 |
mites Tor the white mans book of |
heaven. viii you give it usY" But
though the three wise men, coming TO
seek the newborn king in the Term
salem capital, never made more stir
than did the four Flathead Indians
coming to find the white mans Christ
In the Missouri frontier town of 1890
yet even there in that st. Louis frontier
town they could not find the white
mans book of heaven. These FIathead
Indians found there the white mans
sins, but not the white mans God.
Let me now read TO you the stran-
gest yaiedictory ever given at any
place. The two older Indians who
came on this mission OF seeking the
white mans God had died. When the
two younger braves were about to de-
part for their own faraway wigwams,
one or them In Indian eloquence spake
these words. which were published in
the lIffIa frnnffN- |