The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-06-04
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.


Memorial day sermon voices the
 longing of all thoughtful men and women throughout the world for the early realization of the promise of the agencies that are now at work for that purpose The text is Isaiah ii. l. "Neith- CT shall they learn war any moren
 Every great catastrophe Is an inspi- ration of overcoming or at least for les sening danger. No sooner did the awful eonfiasration of the Iroquois theatre take place in December. 1904. than the whole city of Chicago arose in protest Ex- eoriating denuneiations appeared in all the daily newspapers. Editors as well as people declared No fire trap like that had right to exist" At once there was a seurrying about of the city officials. The fire regulations were overhauled. The means of fighting fire were increased l The fire inspectors were clearly and emphatically told that hereafter there was to be no evading the fire laws and of the building restrictions. The will of the people plainly said, 'eThe horror of the past through criminal negligence of the city officials shall not become the horror of the future.'
 What is true in reference to fire ca tastrophes is also true about railroad accidents. The tradegy of the Fay bridge in old Scotland strengthened the abutment of many bridges in many lands The terrific slaughter of human life upon the railroads of our country was the cause of creating the block system, the Westinghouse brake and the automatic coupling whereby car can be joined to car without endangering the body of brakeman or other railroad employee. So the awful tradegy of the civil war, with it's million dead ought to be an l inspiration to teach us not only how we should honor those who are living, | to prevent such a horrible butehery or human life in the future.
 As man has to be taught the art Of war. so he must learn the art of peace Shall he not honor his preceptors who are teaching him how to cover the val levs with houses and factories and schools and churches instead of with campfres and fortresses and burining towns? Shall we not honor the men who are teaching ns how to change our plains of Esdraelon into cities or refuge which were once Dattleheius in many wars? Shall we not honor to- day such teachers as Professor R. G.
 
 who in 1904 gave to the farmers or the west a certain kind of corn seed which would produce a better kind or corn in that region than the farmers had been able to grow and thereby Tn one year put into the western farmers pockets $5O000,000 more than had ever been there before? Shall we not honor such a one as well as we honor the soldier who teaches the Iowa boy how to march and how to shoot and how 10 slay his brother?
 Pen Versus Sword.
 Shall we not honor Theodore Roose- velts pen as well as Theodore Roose- velts sword? The pen which summons the representatives of all the civilized nations to the peace conference at The Hague is just as truly brave and pat riotie as was the sword which our pre- sident drew at San Juan hill and the sword which today Is ready to be drawn if foreign nations dare trample upon the rights of American citizens Yes, the pen of peace is to be honored quite as much as the sword of war. Therefore on this Memorial Sunday, when friends and low ed ones are strewing the graves or our dead soldiers with flowers l would place garlands upon the brows Of the hVlng heroes upon the brows of the men ana the women who are living and working 1
 international strife.
 This subject which we are about to dis cuss is one which is nppermost today in the minds and hearts of many. It has occurred to me recently. wrose a dear friend from the east that a E good subject for a sermon at some early 4 day would be peace and the movements heinz made for the preservation of the worlds peace Now that the statue or Frederick the Great has been set up In | Washington 1t Is seriously proposed 10 supplement it with the statues of Caesar, Napoleon and Hannibal. This may be war college idea. I do not know who made the suggestion, but 1t is not In line with the true spirit of the age. which is one of peace and arbitration Instead of nations we might as well emulate the south American republics of Chile and Argentina, which have entered into mu- tual arbitration compacts. melted their cannon and set up a huge statue of Christ on a peak of the Andes as the bringer of peace to the world" That let ter has in 1t the true ring of the gospel and the best Christien statesmanship. May God help us. one and all, to honor the dead soldier in all ways by teaching mankind 10 honor the gospel and the tenn poral agencies that are at work to pre- vent future wars.
 True Statesmanship.
 The dead soldier of the civil war in the first place should teach us that the statesman who ought to be most re- speoted in American politics is not nee essarlly the man who is elected to of- flee. but the mau who would sooner be defeated for advocating a just princi- pie than elected for advocating a wrong one He should teach us that a Jeroboam in exile may be more of true friend to his country than a Rehoboam. the heir apparent to a throne. publicly de- nouneed and disgraced Queen Nashti is infinitely to be preferred to Jezebel holding in her right hand the signet of ring of a reigning king. He should teach Us that Toussaint LOuyerture light