Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-07-05
CalnaQe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Tslmase, ID. d.

birthday, the preacher recalls the
events that have contributed to our
country's greatness aud traces the Di-
vine hand guiding its destinies. The
text is Psalm lxxvii, IL, Surely will
remember thy wonders of DID,
During the coming week we celebrate
our birth as n nation. Our topic this
morning, therefore. should be patriotic.
The text l have chosen invites us to
"Reminiscences, and the "reminiscences
need not be limited 10 our own lives.
Like our famous writer, Edward Ever
EFT Hale. our thoughts may well In
clude THE Memories of a Hundred
Years." That hook deals, for the
most part. with the youthful history Of
this nation. When think of the Rev
dictionary war and the signing of the
Declaration of Independence and the
forming of the constitution Of the Unit
ed States and the political supremacy
of Washington's government, 1 always
think of our government as a new
born baby in its swaddling clothes.
But when think OF the government OF
Jefferson, Madison and Monroe and
the great causes which led up to our
civil war think OF the boyhood aud
young manhood OF our country. 1t is
about this development Of our govern
Such theme should offer us wide
scope for a national sermon.
AS I read that interesting book the
fact which forced itself upon me was
that in the beginning of the last CEN
fury the complete unification of the
United States government had not
been established. Or. Hale well said:
ION the LIST of January, 1901, the
United States was belt on the Allan
tic seaboard OF thirteen poor and weak
communities, occupying territory which
hardly ran back more than 100 miles
from the ocean. They had united
they were n nation. Even the states
men Of that day would have written,
The United States are ready or are
prepared while an officer of ours to-
day would say, The United States is
ready or IS prepared" In other
words. though the constitutional con-
vention which formed the original
thirteen colonies into n federation had
assembled In 1877, yet up to the latter
part Of John Adams administration
the different states still thought the
central government was OF minor i'm
portance and that the state legislatures
had more power than the national con-
gress.
/ knew this fact was true OF the be-
ginning OF George Washington's adj
ministration, but / did not think II was
SO clear down through John Adams
term. When the first president was
inaugurated in New York city, 1t was
almost impossible for him to get strong
men TO take positions under the United
states government. In the United
States government today the most i'm
portant position next to the presidency
Is that OF chief justice OF the supreme
court OF the United States. Yet John
jay, the first chief justice of the United
States supreme court, resigned his seat
in order to be u candidate for governor
or New York, In which contest he
failed. Washington had the hardest
work TO obtain proper men for his cab
met. John Marshall, who afterward
became the great chief justice of the
United States supreme court. refused
the position OF attorney general, pre-
ferrinS to remain a member OF the Vir-
ginia state senate.
AS an illustration OF the low esti-
mate placed on positions in the Unit
ed States government in the beginning
OF the last century we find De Witt
Clinton. United States senator from
New York In 1901, rcsignIng his posi-
ton In the United States senate I'm or
der To become the mayor OF New York
city. Can you dream of anything that
would be more incomprehensible to
The statesmen OF the present day? The
Idea our early statesmen had of the
union OF the states seems to have been
that OF a bond but little closer than an
alliance such as might bind two friend
ly European countries. But as they
came to realize that the union was one
for mutual strength and protection the
Importance OF the central federation
assumed greater proportions And SO.
my brothers, as we thank God TODAY
that the United States government has
grown into II cohesive unity we should
not be bitter or harsh In our criticism
or those statesmen who in 1861 still
believed that the single commonwealth
was supreme. John G. Calhoun's ad-
vocacy OF state sovereignty was the
natural sequence OF the thought, which
was almost universally prevalent when
THOMAS Jefferson became president,
that the United States was u confed-
eracy OF seventeen commonwealth
rather than n single government of
which the different states were only
integral parts.
The State Sovereignty Idea.
So universal was the idea of state
sovereignty In Washington's time that
when the first president made his IA
nous tour OF the New England states
the governor Of Massachusetts at first
refused to call upon George Washing
ton when he came to Boston. He prac-
tcally said. 81 hold as independent a
position as the president, and he must
come to me before go to him." Mark
you. this action OF the governor was
not in South Carolina or ia Georgia or
In the "biack belt'' OF Mississippi, but
In old Massachusetts, the home OF Gar
rtson and Wendell Phillips. The peo-
pie have now learned that the United
States is a nation.
Another fact which forcibly struck
me In DR.. Hale's autobiography was
The immense amount OF unoccupied
land which the United States govern
ment possessed which had not then
been explored and which the leading
statesmen did not expect to utilize for
century at least to come. They took
possession of this land MT haoaua.