Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-05-31
Caln,aSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaae, d. d.

sermon for Memorial day the preacher
marks the line between true and false
hcroism, utters warning against mil
itary impostOrs and gives some timely
advice TO the old soldiers. The text is
Ieviticus xix, 81, Thou shalt rise up
before the hoary head and honor the
face of the old man"
Some time ago it was my privilege
and honor 10 address the old soldiers
in the Veterans home at Sawtelle. in
southern California lust before I as.
ccnded the platform the leader of.-the
meeting made strange request lie
said: please don't throw any bouquets
to the old soldiers. They don't like It,"
what do you mean ] asked. Why"
said the CHI! irman, Il mean do not call
them heroes and tell them what q no.
bic set of men they are. Almost ev-
cry speaker who comes here tries 10
get their good will by fiinging compli
ments at them. and too much sugar Is
always nauseating 10 the stomach"
"All right" l said: mo compliments
will | give. But though | may not
praise them. | feel like doing it Just
the same. for any man who can stand
before n great audience like this. made
up of Grand Army veterans. and not
feel like taking of his hat and bowling
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 enlogized The only time you
can compliment such men face to face
and not have them protest is when
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 filing past the reviewing stands.
: although many of these old soldiers are
now crippled and physically enfoehled,
they feel a great deal as Daniel Web
ster felt toward the old veterans of the
Revolutionary war when he was de-
: livering his great address Mt the lay
> ing of the cornerstone of the Bunker
Hill monumen In 1925. Veterans
said be, you are the remnants of
many a 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 sanguine as
youth IS, still your fondest hopes did
not stretch on to an hour like this.
At a period 70 which you could not rea-
sonabiy have expected TO arrive. at a
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
outfowings OF universal gratitude"
On similar occasion Edward Everett,
the great Massachusetts orator, deiv-
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 "St down
aged friends: sit down. No American
audience wants TO see you stand in lis
presence. We are the ones 70 stand
and uncover our heads to YOU. We
know that It was your blood and sac
rhce which made that flag possible
Sit down, aged friends; sit down"
Daniel Webster and Edward Everett
voiced the popular opinion. The Rev
dictionary veterans of 1898 did receive
the gratitude Of the American people
rs the aged warriors of the awful civil
war Of 1851 do receive the gratitude OF
the American people Of this twentieth
century. Truly on this Memorial day
Of 1906 we rise up and honor the he
roes of the American battleieds
Discriminating Eulogy.
Eulogy in Christian pulpit. how
ever, must always be discriminating
utterance. Here the speaker is under
n 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 shrked their duty and who in the
, long interval that has succeeded the
{ war have received honor they did not
. deserve. Some men. too who We're
brave on the battlefield were not rulers
/ Of themselves, and since the army dis
banded have by their sins and their
vices disgraced their uniform. Few in
! loed, compared with the whole num-
t Der, are these ignohle soldiers. and
their misdeeds we speak OF with sor-
row and regret, deploring them all the
7 more because Of the hcroiSm that we
2 honor
, First. let us go and stand by the era
die Of the Grand Army Of the Republic.
4 When you do this You will he Just as
e much surprised at the genesis of this
l rganlzation as / was. l always felt
Q that Major r. +. Stephenson founded
A this society rs IA social organization, il
r I might use that word. ] thought that
p as these old veterans had fought and
l bled together, therefore they wanted to
build their annual campfires of fel-
lowship and communion. They wanted
20 meet together and talk over the old
:, campaigns, sing the old war songs and
Y recall the memories Of the battlefield
Z But that was not the primal purpose OF
@ this organization 1t was started ia
j. help the helpless, the aged and the sick
n veterans and their families. 1t was
= started as an institution OF mercy fo