The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-03

/ DIR. tai MAGE'S SERMON !
c.o.c.o.c.c.occ.cO0.c.
Nv raER Rev A D D
BY The REV FRANK DE WITT TALMAeE, o. D.

/ heroism, utters warning against MILL
tary fmpostors and gives some timely adj
vice to the old soldiers The text is
Leviticus xix. 49, Thou shalt rise up be-
fore the hoary head and honor the face
of the old man."
Some time ago it was my privilege ana
honor to address the old soldiers IN the
Veterans Home at sawtelle, In southern
California. Just before l aseended the
| platform the leader of the meeting MADE
strange request. He said: please don
throw any bouquets to the old soldiers
| They don't like it." "What do you
mean?" I asked. why" said the chair
man. q mean do not call them heroes
and tell them what a noble set OF men
they are. Almost every speaker who
comes here tries to get their good VIII
by hinging compliments at them, and TOO
much sugar Is always nauseating TO the
stomach" "All right" | said; no COM
piments will I give. But, though l may
not praise them, l feel like doing 1t just
the same, for any man who can STAND
before a great audience like this, mace
up of Grand Army veterans, and not feel
like taking off his hat and bowing oeiore
them has not the first elements OF patll-
otto pride. He has never lntelllsentiy
read the story of the glorious deeos 1hat
these men wrought" But truly prape
man always dislikes To be euioglzeu. ne
ohlv time YOU can compliment such men
face to face and not have them protest is
when they are lying in their caskets, ana
even then | think some of their podles,
although cold are still protesting against
the praises uttered over their unconscious
forms. ,,.,,,
When the American people on Memo ia al
Day see the long line of blue coats III
ing past the reviewing stands, although
many Of these old soldiers are now Grip
Med and physically enfeebled, they reel
a great deal as Daniel Webster felt to-
ward the old veterans of the Revolution
arv war when he was delivering his great
address at the laying of the cornerstone
of the Bunker Hill monument IN 1870
veterans" said he. ''you are the rem
nants of many a well fought field. You
hr,,e with Won the marks of honor from
Trenton and Monmouth. from yorktown
and Camden and Bennington ana sara
togo Veterans of half century, when IN
your youth you put everything at haalu
in your country's cause, good as tnat
cause was and sanguine as youth H. sun
YOUR fondest hopes did not stretch on 10
an hour like this. At a period to whlch
TO arrive. at a moment OF natlohal pros
neritv such as YOU could never have fore
soon Won are now met here to enjoy the
fellowship of old soldiers and TO receive
the outfowing of a universal gfautuoe'
On similar occasion Edward Everett
the great Massachusetts orator, delivering
an encomium upon the American nag, so
stirred his audience that two old veterans
of the Revolutionary war arose ana po"su
TO the speaker. Mr.. Everett, deeply
moved. said: "St down, aged friends; SIT
down No American audience wants 10
see YOU stand in its presence. we are
the ones to stand and uncover our heaus
TO YOU We know that 1t was your ploou
and sacrifice which made that nag pos
sible Sit down. aged friends; sit down"
PANEL Webster and Edward Everett
voiced the popular opinion. the ReVoiu
tionarv veterans OF 1925 did receive the
gratitude of the American people, as the
aged warriors of the awful civil war OIL
SOL do receive the gratitude OF the amer
lean people of this twentieth century
Truly on this Memorial Day OF 1905 we
risc I'M and honor the heroes of the Amer
| lean battlehelds.
Discriminating Eulogy.
| Eulogy in a Christian pulpit, however
| must always be a discriminating utter
ance. Here the speaker is under sacrec
obligation TO speak nothing but the truth
/ The heroes whom we honor are too noble
| 10 desire praise that Ignores the facts.
| great army such as that which won th'
| great battles of the war necessarily com
prised some men who were not patriots
! men who shirked their duty and VINO II
| the long interval that has succeeded th'
war have received honor they did no
| deserve Some men, too who were brave
| ON the battlefield were not rulers of them
| selves and since the army dlsbandet
| have by their sins and their vices dls
| graced their uniform. Few Indeed, com
| pared with the whole number, are thes
| ignoble soldiers. and their misdeeds W.
/ sneak of with sorrow and regret, deplor
ing them all the more because OF TN
heroism that we honor.
| First let us go and stand by the cradl
of the Grand Army of the Republic. Whei
YOU do this you will be just as much sur
prised at the generals of this organization
as | was. | always felt that Maj. b.
Stephenson founded this society as so
cial organization, If might use that WORD
/ thought that as these old veterans ha'
fought and bled together, therefore the!
wanted to build their annual campfire
of fellowship and communion. They want
ed to meet together and talk over tn
old campaigns sing the old war songs ant
recall the memories of the battlefield. Blu
that was not the primal purpose OF thi
|
helpless, the aged ana the sick veteran
and their families. II was started as al
institution of mercy for widows and or
phans.
Let me read to you the following word
once spoken by Commander-in-Chie
George s. Merrill Into the earlies
hours of well won peace there came tn
presence of disabled veterans, suffering
families, distressed homes. The aid t
these came eheerfully. but without organi
alton. and the frequency of the call speed
lily awakened the sense that somethin
in the line of systematized effort was no
only desirable but imperative. All owe
the north sprang up veteran associations
with varying plans, although general
united in common purpose of RENDERING
assistance to those in need. who had dare
the danger and shared the conflect.' An
my friends. the Grand Army of the Re
public had a nober significance to m
when flrst realized the purpose for whic
IL was started. 1t was not conceived 10
the purpose of praising the deeds OF 1t
members 1t was started to help the halt
the MANNED and the blind 1t was starte'
TO care for the widows and the orphan
of the fallen comrades. And as take OF
my hat to honor the empty sleeve OF tn
old veteran | also take off my hat to homo
the little button of the veteran. In tina
little button l see the symbol of charity
OF sympathy and of big hearted brother
hood.
Having seen how the Grand Army of tn
Republic was started. we naturally talk
| n step forward and see how 1t becam
the greatest political factor of this coun
try for over a quarter of century afte
the war was ended II you go to ono .
the old soldiers and ask him what are th