The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-10

Los Angeles Cal, July 3.--At this sea- son 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-sacrifice the great empire of the northwest was added to our national domain. The text is Matthew XXI; 42, "The stone which the builders rejected. the same is become the head of the corner"
 Every Fourth of July 1t Is the cus- tom of patriotic speakers to eulogize the name of George Washington and Sam uel Adams and James Otis and Joseph Warren and Patrick henry and De Witt Clinton and John Adams and John Han cock and Robert Morris and Benjamin Franklin and John Witherspoon and Thomas Jefferson and Nathaniel Greene and Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. These were the mental giants who hewed out of the new worlds quarries the titan ic stones which became the foundation layers of our national government. But these were not the only men in those early days of our national history to
 
 ought to be careful lest the glories of those luminaries blinds us to the grand eur of character of patriots less conspic- uous, whose courage, devotion and sell sacrifice helped to establish our liberties or to extend our opportunities
 Tomorrow we shall celebrate our na- tional holiday. Let me present to you today name which ought to be familiar to us all, but which is seldom placed in ha nlx tfob fp hau on 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. a few words of praise for man to whose daring and perseverance it Is due that at least one If not several stars were added to those that glitter on our national flag. I place my wreath of immorteles today on the grave of Marcus Whitman, who practi- cally. single handed saved the states of Washington and Oregon to the union. To the heroes of Bunker Hill and Sara toga and Yorktown we owe it that our eastern shores are lapped by the Allan tic; to Marcus Whitman we owe 1t that we hold on our western shores the crystal gates of the Pacific. I praise the Marcus Whitman of 1S42. who placed the des- pised capstone of Oregon upon the top most pinnacle of the Washington legis- iative halls. made up of the stone of many states.
 Nations Debt to Whitman.
 How did Marcus Whitman save Oregon to the United States? First, by needing the Macedonian gospel cry of helpless ness Like the Pilgrim fathers he obeyed inc direct summons which came to him in inc voice of many thunderings to carry rhrist's message of salvation even unto The uttermost parts of the earth. He left his home among the beautiful hills cf central New York state, not out of a spirit of adventure, as Chanler Astor might plunge into the African pungles to hunt big game. He left 1t not. as did John Mclaughlin, to dangle before the avaricious eyes of North American Indians his prizes. which would make the red skin hunters more expert in set ting their traps and bringing in their niles of furs He left it not as die the English gentlemen who came to Jamestown, Va. in the hope of becom- ing landowning aristocrats 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 Mar GUS Whitman end Samuel Parker dared