Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1904-06-01

Ck---.-9m,lLrIMTJ of its Divine birth.
its sacred mission
and its exalted destiny. The writer of
the Hebrews has just finished inscrib-
Ing in the sacred hall of fame the
names OF the splendid galaxy OF
heroes OF faith. and reaches the climax
IN our text. He points to the cloud of
witnesses as example and inspiration,
he exhorts to earnest, faithful living.
and holds up the Christ as the perfect
pattern and guide. Inspiration from the
past. obligation Of the present. depend
ence upon the Divine, are the thoughts
with which the message is weighted and
freighted. The cloud Of witnesses of the
spiritual kingdom speak a certain and
important message and the cloud OF wit
nesses OF the nation speak for il just as
surely and authoritatively. There are
the men OF past generations whose per-
sonality has made its impress upon the
nation, whose genius has wrought splen-
didly in the weaving OF the fabric of the
national life. whose virtues have been
stamped into the character OF the ma
ton. and have made It the greatest and
most enlightened and most progressive
~fON NAN Soi III. mere are the
ots OF peace and war, whose sterling
qualities, integrity, fidelity fearless and
undaunted spirit in the face OF every
changing fortune. have provided the
solid ballast which was needed to keen
the nation upon an even keel and stead
lily upon its course. And from the ranks
or genius and from the great thrones
or the common people have come those
heroes who, in the hour of the nations
peril. have given their lives that the
honor and integrity and union of the ma
ton might be preserved.
In thousand shaded valleys,
ON thousand sunny hills
In thousand OF still alleys.
Beside the ripping rills.-"
the soldier dead sleep. Who can toll tho
NUN oers! Their graves dot the land
scape, north and south. east and west
ana they rise in memory as a cloud of
witnesses for the nation.
A ND the nation honors these soldier
~ dead, this great cloud of witnesses m
the nations peril and need, to heroic
hacrince and death. to the triumph of
righteousness and truth. All, how
They merit all our hearts can give.
Our praises and our love they claim:
Long sinai! their precious names survive
He'd sacred by immortal fame
Honor the memory of the dead
=" mere er the sun Of Freedom shines:
"reathe with fair flowers each sleeper's
bed
Cherished and loved. as holy shrines."
But when the nation has honored its
defenders with words of tribute and
oecked the grassy mounds with the fra
grant blossoms, is that all that is To he
realized from the annual Memorial dayq
Are we TO give and receive nothing i'm
return! Are we to drop the passing tear
and the fading flower upon the graves
and then go away ard forget? Or IS
there TO be an answering message back
from the silent dead? Are they not TO
rise as mighty cloud of witnesses to
bear their testimony to the living pres
ent? Paul marshals his valiant hosts
before the disciples of Christ in order
that he may stir them to- more intense.
purposeful living. And as the ma
tion's splendid cloud OF witnesses rise
before us at this Decoration day time
may we not exclaim: Let us as citi-
Zens of this nation, which has been pur-
chased and maintained at the cost OF
the precious blood of its brave sons. Law
aside every weight and the sin which
doth so easily beset us. and let us run
with patience the race that is set before
us. not forgetting to look to God. who
plants the nations and marks out their
sacred mission"