The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-06-02
Development Of the United
States Is Remarkable.
Progress Of the People Told In
Pen Pictures.
Handsome Tribute to the Vet
Grams of Civil War.
From Mondays Daily.

From Mondays Daily.
The annual memorial sermon for the
fallen heroes of the civil war was
preached last evening at the Presbyter-
ian church by DR.. George w. Davis,
pastor of that church, in the presence
of packed congregation. The altar was
beautifully decorated with flags and
flowers and perennial plants. The seats
in front were reserved for the members
of Wilkin post and other surviving sol
diers of the great civil strife, and the
members of the Woman's Relief corps.
Back of the old soldiers, seats were re-
served for the Spanish American sol
diers.
A double quartet furnished a more
than usually elaborate program OF
music. Dr. Davis preached thoughtful
and scholarly sermon, that was listened
to with the closest attention. He
said:
And / will make of thee a great ma
ton. and / will bless thee, and make thy
name great; and be thou blessing
Gen. 1872.
These words, SO simple, and yet so
full of prophetic and magnificent out
look, were spoken by the Almighty of
the Abrahamic race; spoken, not when
that race had become distinguished for
A cl- IN,
war, or civil government, but when it
was not even i'm evidence. They illus
trate not only his provision THAT he
knows the end from the beginning), but
also his inscrutable soverignty-that he
is the Moral Governor of the nations.
From the human point of view his
choice might have fallea moro wisely
on either Babylon or Egypt; for as mod
ern research has shown us, in all the
elements of civilized life they had al
ready attained to an extraordinary de-
relopment; and in after days they were
outshined by brilliant Assyria, by Greece
with its noble, refined and picturesque
language, and its marvellous attainments
in philosophical speculation; and finally
by Rome in its capacity for law, and
military science, and political organiza
ton. All these in turn became world
powers; but Israel, even in the palmy
days of Solomon, never became world
power. Its territory, in geographical ex-
tent, was exceedingly small. 1t was not
conquering nation. 1t developed no
school of art or thought It's language
was harsh, rugged, limited in its vocab-
ulary and non diffusive; and its wealth
from the fact of its isolation, the alb
sence of gold and silver mines, and in
ternal commerce ii. e. to any large de-
gree was insignificant.
And yet in spite of all these draw
backs, in spite of the absence of these
elements which in ordinary conception
make a strong power, God delivered to
his family should in the course of time.
after sore affliction and a chequered eX-
perience, became great nation and
an awe inspiring name.
What is the explanation of this uni
que prediction! 1t is found in these
words: "And in thee shall all the fami
lies of the earth be best" and because
that was their sublime destiny, he laid
it upon them as a perpetual moral duty
be thou a blessing"
But in what sense. Not, as we have
seen, in any material sense; not in any
intellectual sense. For correct answer
to this question we must appeal to the
Judgment of history; and that judg
ment is that they were to be the me
dunn of blessing wholly within the
sphere of religion, and of religion in its
redemptive aspect. Religion was thu
magnificent heritage which they be
queathed to the world. Everything els,
has perished-their nationality-thei
architecture, their music, their sacred arr
of the covenant, their literature-except
that one volume in which that religion i,
enshrined. Yes, whatever views we may
entertain concerning this strange PEG
pie, let us never forget that from then
we have received our Bible, our church
our Lord Jesus Christ and his saliva
ton, and those principles which are tt
govern our individual and corporate
life.
Now i'm order to give historic effect
to this high mission, God formed this
peculiar people" ipto a civil state-s
sort of religio- political commonwealth
Their immediate ruler was the invisible
God. The visible ruler, whether priest
or judge, or prophet or king, was sim
ply his representative. Their constitu
tion was found in the legislation Of