Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-07-08
Caln1age
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, ID. d.

sermon new aspect is given to the
patriotic holiday. The text Is Ill Johh
IA, "Our friends salute thee"
God pity the man without country!
God pity such man as Philip Noiah'
whom Edward Everett Hale pictures
In his famous story, who, on account OF
his own sins, has lost the confidence
and the respect Of the people among
whom he was born and who OH account
of those sins is excluded from the land
OF his birth, God pity the man VINO
does not glory In the sacrifices And tri-
umphs Of his nations heroes ana hero
ines. who does not live In his country $
homes and who does not feel thrill or
honest pride when he mentions his
birthplace and ayows, as did Paul, i
am a man which am Jew OF Tarsus,
n city In Cilicia, citizen of no mean
city" God pity, l say again, the man
who does not feel I'm every part OF his
body. mind and soul that the land OF
his nativity is the best place In all the
world in which to be born. that his peo-
ple are the best people In all the world
with whom to associate, does not hope
that the place OF his cradle Will be the
place Of his sepulcher!
Such is the patriots boast where'er we
roam;
His first best country ever is at home
THAT man is little to be envied,
wrote Inch Kenneth, whose patriot
ism would not gain force upon bis
country's plains OF Marathon and
whose piety would not grow warmer
among her ruins OF Iona" That Amer
leans life Is not to be envied who
with cold, letharglc temperament
and unmoved heart, could 60 and LOOK
at the Lexington commons, where
little handful Of farmers dared defy
the British soldiers, OF upon Breeds
hill. commonly called Bunker Hill
where the first cannon sounded forth
the call for the minutemen to rally FOL
Americas liberties, or upon valley
Forge. where in the awful winter ol
l777 and 1873 George Washington and
nIs brave wife shlyered and shook IN
camp with the common soldiers. or up
Oh old independence hall Of Philadel
phia. where the immortal document
of the Declaration Of Independence
was signed. or upon Yorktown, where
CORVALLIS and his officers were com
pelled to surrender their swords tC
the allied French and American troops
which surrender practically ended the
! bloody conflict for American freedom.
But nc | began to think over my ser
mon which was to precede our nationa
| holiday of the Fourth of July l said Il
myself: "Have we truly triumphed ovel
| England? Are we truly independen
of our mother land? Has not the Brit
ish nation & rquered US In truth ant
I'm fact? Has she not and does she no
annually send over great invading ar
mics and annually demand that W.
pay her not only gold, but things mor'
precious than gold? Yes, yes" l sait
to myself, England IS not conquered
rival, but conquering friend. In
stead of preaching a patriotic sermon
10 show how the American nation ha
triumphed over the British empire
will twist my theme around. would
tell how the British empire has con
ouered America And when | SHOW
how the British empire has conquered
us | will glory In that conquest, 70
as England and Scotland and Irelan'
have put their impress upon us, 80 w
in turn through them are helping t
put our impress upon the whole worlC
for civilization and for Christ"
How the British Conquered America
The British empire, in the first place
has conquered America by the powe
of the tongue. The first words that w
learned to lisp at our mothers knee
the words that we shouted on the play
ground and spoke before the schoo
desk. the words that We read In tn
morning newspaper and In librar
book and hear from our lecture plat
form and pulpit are English words
The language of the American peopl
Is the language of England's rose an
OF Scotland's thistle and Of Ireland
shamrock The same tongue we spea
was spoken for centuries In the Britis
isles. Therefore, though new nato
was born on July 4, 1776, it was not
new race. 1t was simply the Goodies
Of Liberty as a bride leaving the oil
English homestead and setting up l
| housekeeping for herself. She still bt
longed to the old English family. Sh
still spoke the mother tongue. Nor
than that. she was dominated by be
mothers accustomed ways Of thlnkin
and doing things. And this tie of lar
guage which binds the American pee
I pie to their British kindred cannot b
found binding us to any other natio
on earth.
When two nations like the Brltis
people and the American people spea
the same language they must inevitt
bly, be one in feeling 1t does not max
much difference who sits upon tn
English throne or who Is in America
presidential chair, the two nations al
one. They are one because they hay
the same teachers. They are one b.
cause they have the same legends The
are one because they naturally thin
alike, whether they will or no. Th
fact was beautifully illustrated SON
years ago when John Hay, then Anne
lean ambassador TO London, spoke
the unveiling OF the bust Of Sir Waite
Scott In Westminster abbey.
"The books n boy reads" said NJ
Hay, "are those most ardently admire
and longest remembered. and Americ
reveled In Scott when the country wa