Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-06-01
Calnage
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. D. d.

marks the line between true and false
heroism. utters warning against mil
ltary impostors and gives some timely
advice to the old soldiers. The text Is
Levitlcus xix. 80. Thou shalt rise up
before the hosry head and honor the
face Of the old man.
Some time ago it was my privilege
and honor to address the old soldiers
in the Veterans home at Sawtelle. in
southern California. Just before 1 as
cended the platform the leader of the
meeting made a strange request. He
said: Please don't throw any bouquets
TO the old soldiers. They don't like it.
What do you meanr' asked. why"
said the chairman. 81 mean do not call
them heroes and tell them what a no
bic set of men they are. Almost ev--
cry speaker who comes here tries to
get their good will by finging compli-
ments at them. and too much sugar II
always nausesting to the stomach
"All right" I said; mo compliments
will l give. But, though i may not
praise them, I feel like doing II Just
the same, for any man who can stand
before a great audience like this, made
up of Grand Army veterans, and not
feel like taking off his hat and hewing
before them has not the first elements
Of patriotic pride. He has never In
diligently read the story OF the glorI-
Gus deeds that these men wrought
But truly brave man always dislikes
TO be eulogized. The only time you
can compliment such men face to face
or,A t.
they are lying in their caskets, and
even then think some OF their bodies.
although cold, are still protesting
against the praises uttered over their
unconscious forms.
When the American people on Me-
mortal day see the long lines OF blue
coats fling past the reviewing stands.
although many OF these old soldiers are
now crippled and physically enfeebled.
they feel n great deal as Daniel Web
ster felt toward the old veterans OF the
Revolutionary war when he was de-
livering his great address at the lay
ing of the cornerstone of the Bunker
Hill monument IN 1895 Veterans"
said he. you are the remnants OF
many n well fought field. You bring
with you the marks OF honor from
Trenton and Monmouth. from York
town and Camden and Bennington and
Saratoga. Veterans of half century,
when in your youth you put everything
at hazard in your country's cause good
as that cause was and sangulne as
youth is. still your fondest hopes did
not stretch on TO an hour like this.
At period TO which you could not rea-
sonably have expected to arrive, at n
moment OF national prosperity such as
you could never have foreseen, you
are now met here to enjoy the fellow
ship OF old soldiers and to receive the
outfiowings OF n universal gratitude"
On similar occasion Edward Everett.
the great Massa chusetts orator, deliy-
ering an encomium upon the American
flag, so stirred his audience that two
old veterans OF the Revolutionary war
arose and bowed TO the speaker Mr..
Everett, deeply moved. said: "Sit down,
aged friends; sit down. No American
audience wants TO see you stand In its
presence. We are the ones to stand
and uncover our heads to you. We
know that IL was your blood and sac
rifice which made that flag possible.
H.
Daniel Webster and Edward Everett
voiced the popular opinion. The Rev
olutionary veterans OF 1925 did receive
the gratitude OF the American people
rs the aged warriors OF the awful civil
war OF 1861 do receive the gratitude OF
the American people OF this twentieth
century. Truly on this Memorial day
or 1906 we rise up and honor the he
roes OF the American battlefields.
Disseminating EuIogy.
Euloey In n Christian pulpit, how
ever, must always be discriminating
utterance. Here the speaker Is under
sacred obligation TO speak nothing
but the truth The heroes whom we
honor are too noble TO desire praise
that ignores the facts. A great army
such as that which won the great bat
ties Of the war necessarily comprised
some men who were not patriots, men
who shirked their fiyty and wp0 n tbs
long interval thai he's -sueceedsd : the
war have receiyst Qaer they did mot
deserve. Some men. too. who were
brave on the battlefield were not ruIers
of themselves, and since the army. dis
banded have by their sins and their
vices disgraced their uniform. Few In
deed, compared with the whole num-
Der. are these ignoble soldiers, and
their misdeeds we speak of with sor-
row and regret, deploring them all the
more because OF the heroism that we
honor.
First. let us go and stand by the era
die OF the Grand Army of the Republic.
When you do this you will he Just as
much surprised at the genesis of this
organization as I was. l always felt
that Major b. F. Stephenson founded
this society as social organization. II
i might use that word. I thought that
as these old veterans had fought and
bled together. therefore they wanted to
build their annual campfres Of feh
lowship and communion. They wanted
TO meet together and talk over the old
campaigns, sing the old war songs and
recall the memories Of the battlefield.
But that was not the primal purpose Of
this organization. 1t was started to
help the helpless. the aged and the sick
veterans and their families. It was
started as an Institution of mercy for
widows and orphans.
Let me read TO you the following
words once spoken by Commander In
Chief George S. Merrill: 'lnto the
earliest hours of well won peace there
came the presence Of disabled veterans,
suffering families, distressed homes.
The aid to these came cheerfully. but
without organization, and the : fire.
auency of the call speedily awakened
the sense that something in the line OF
systematiZed effort was not only desir-