Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-06-01
CalnnaQe
Sermon
~ Rev.
Frank % Witt Tsimaee. b. D.

Los Angeles, Cal, May 26.-This Me.
mortal day sermon voices the longing
OF all thoughtful men and women
throughout the world for the early
realization of the promise Of universal
peace aud welcomes the agencies that
are now at work for that purpose. The
text 10 isaiah II, 4. Neither shall they
learn war any more"
Every great catastrophe Ia an inspi.
ration for overcoming or at least for
lessening danger. No sooner did the
awful conhagration Of the 1roquois
theater take place in December. 1904,
than the whole city Of Chicago arose
In protest. Excoriating denunciations
appeared in all the daily newspapers.
Editors NJ we'll AZ people declared mo
fire trap like that had right to exist"
At once there was scurrying about Of
the city officials. The fire regulations
were overhauied. The means for flght.
ing Ore were increased. The Are In.
spectors were clearly and cmphatically
told that hereafter there was to be no
evading Of the fire laws and Of the
building restrictions. The will of the
people plainly said. 1.-The horror of the
past through criminal negligence Of the
city officials shall not become the hor-
ror Of the future"
What IL true In reference to fire ca.
tastrophes is also true about railroad
accidents. The tragedy Of the Tay
bridge In old Scotland strengthened the
abutments Of many bridges In many
lands. The terrific annual 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 en-
dangering the body Of brakeman or
other railroad employee. SO the awful
tragedy Of the civil war, with its mil
lion dead, ought to be an inspiration to
teach us not only how we should honor
the soldiers who fought and bled and
died, but also how we should honor
those who are living, to prevent such
horrible butchery Of 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
legs with houses and factories and
schools and churches instead Of with
camphres and fortresses and burning
towns? Shall we not honor the mer
who are teaching us how to change
our plains Of Esdraelon into "cities Of
refuge" which were once battlefelds
In many wars? Shall we not honor to
day such teachers as Professor r. G
Holden Of Iowa Agricultural college
who in 1904 gave to the farmers Of
the west a certain kind Of corn seed
which would produce better kind Of
corn In that region than the farmers
had been able to grow ard thereby II
one year put into the western farmers
pockets $4,000, 900 more than had evel
been there before? Shall we not honol
such a one as we'll as we honor thu
soldier who caches the Iowa boy how
to march and how to shoot and how t
slay his brother?
Roosevelt's Pen Versus His Sword
Shall we not honor Theodore Roose
velt's pen as we'll as Theodore Roose
velt's sword? The pen which sum
mons the representatives OF all the civ
ilized nations to the peace conference
at The Hague Is just us truly Draw
and patriotic as was the sword whicl
our president drew at San Juan hill
and the sword which today is ready 4
be drawn II foreign nations dare tram
pie upon the rights of American citi
zens. Yes. the pen Of peace Is to b.
honored quite as much as the swort
Of war. Therefore, on this Memoria
Sunday, when friends and loved one
are strewing the graves Of our dea'
soldiers with flowers. would plac
garlands upon the brows Of the livln
heroes. upon the brows Of the men an,
the women who are living and work
ing to prevent future civil wars and III
ture international strife.
This subject which we are about /
discuss Is one which is uppermost to
l O0y ia TUG uAluOS utbu oSdiNS VI Inuoy
ut has occurred to me recently" wrot
a dear friend from the east. that
good subject for a sermon at some eal
ly day would be Peace and the move
ments being made for the prescrvatio
Of the worlds peace. Now that tn
statue OF Frederick the Great has bee
set up In Washington 1t Is seriousl
proposed to supplement 1t with tn
statues Of Caesar. Napoleon and Har
nibal. This may be war college idef
l do not know who made the sugge,
ton, but It is not in line with the tr,l
spirit of the age, which 10 one of peac
and arbitration. Instead OF glOrifyin
these great destroyers Of nations "
might do well to emulate the Sout
American republics Of Chile and Al
gcntina. which have entered into IN,
tual arbitration compacts. melted thel
cannon ana set up huge statue q
Christ ON q peak Of the Andes as th
bringer of peace to the world" Ths
letter has In It the true ring Of the gol
pei and Of the best Christian state
manship. May God help us. one an
ell. to honor the dead soldier today
the best Of all ways by teaching maj
kind to honor the gospel and the ten
poral agencies that are at work to pr
vent future wars!
Tsus Statssoasship.
The dead soldier Of the civil war
the first place should teach us that u
statesman who ought to be most r