Democratic messenger., 1906-04-14
Calnnase
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaae. d. d.

Los Angeles. Cal. April Sat this
season of the resurrection Of nature
the preacher takes ils back ON n sacred
pilgrimage 10 the scenes of the first
Easter day. the text chosen being
Matthew xviii. o. Come. see the place
where the Lord lay"
The worlds most sacred shrlnes are
the vaults or oatledrals which coveE
the bodies of the honor, cad. When
the American tourist alights In the
London depot to begin the exploration
of the British metropolis one of the
first places he visits is Westminster
abbey. He does this not because West
minister abbey Is near to the parlln-
mcnt buildings, where assemble the
legislative bodies of the British en-
pirc. He does this not because Its
stones form the most beautiful archi-
tcciur;l coronet Of England. He does
this because for years for CEN
turtles the greatest dead of the British
realm have been buried there Not
only do we find England's kings and
queens sleeping within those stately
walls. but we find there the bodies OF
some of the greatest poets. dramatists
and musicians. painters. warriors and
statesmen. whose closed eyes cannot
he opened. whose ears cannot be filled
by the many thundcrIngs which the
mightiest Of capitals roars about those
silent graves.
When you cross the channel and go
80 the most beautiful OF all modern
cities. the French capital, what jour
ney do you first make? DO you say,
Let us get carriage and drive out
upon the hOuicvards and ride up the
Champs Elysees and see the Are de
Triomphcf" No. not If you are like
most American tourists. You want TO
see where the great dead sleep. You
wish To 20 Ia the \otre Dame, or TO the
Madeleine. or to the Pantheon, or TO
that greatest of all tombs where sleeps
the mighty Napoleon. II is said that
when Charles V. of the Netherlands
and Spain was about 10 he buried
courticr of his son and heir King
Philip. stepped forward and lifted
rod and struck the casket as he said:
"The king is dead, He shall remain
dend. He is dead, and there Is another
risen up In his place greater than he
ever was" But though that may be
true of Charles v IL Is not true OF
Napoleon L.. the warrior Napoleon,
the soldier. is dead. but another soldier
greater than Napoleon has not risen in
his place aud in all probability never
will arise. No wonder most tourists
seek the mausnlcum Of the little Cor
sican. What Is true of the toinbs OF
London and Paris is also true of Berlin
and St Petersburg and Rome and
Egypt. The graves of the great dead
have. for the most of us. more fasclna-
tion than the palaces and the thrones
OF living men, greater than their an
cestOrs though they may be.
But though Caesar may travel hun
dreds of miles TO stand at the tomb OF
Alexander the Great, and Otto III.
went far ont of his way TO open the
vault which contained the body OF
Charlcmagne, and Napoleon himself
went forth TO find the tomb of Caesar,
and though great may be- our fascina-
tion for the tombs of great men. that
fascination is as nothing compared to
the yearnings that draw US To the fam
lily plots where sleep our own beloved
dead. The greatest compliment we
can pay to living friend is TO ask
him To accompany us to the last rest
Ing place of mother Il father, n
wife or child. Because we have
loved our silent dead so much we do
plot unless our dear ones are sacred in
his eyes.