The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-05-26
VETERANS
SERVICE
Held at St. Peters Church,
Interesting Order Of Ap-
propriate Exercises.
REV. MR. STURGES' ADDRESS

0U. GeLSr CnuTcl was crowded on
Sunday evening, the occasion being
the annual service of a . T.. al. Torbert
/ Post, No. a, G. A. r. The two Pres
byterian, the Methodist and the Bap-
tist churches united in the service and
the pastors of the churches occupied
seats inside the chancel and partici-
pated in the service.
The services opened with the hymn
Onward Christian Soldiers as a pro-
cessional. The opening sentences
were pronounced and the Lords pray
er was led by Rev. o. G. Horsman.
after which Rev. William Russel Ben
nett led in the resp nsive reading Of
psalms Il and 145. The first lesson
was read by DR.. Stephen Pierson from
the Book OF Wisdom Ill, LILO. After
the singing of the magnificent by the
choir, Captain j w. Miller read the
second lesson. Hebrews IL 81 to. u /: Z,
which was followed by the Nunc Di-
mitis with baritone solo by w. HI.
Thompson.
Rev. Alexander MacColl led in the
recitation of the creed and read the
prayers for the President of the United
States and all in civil authority, for
the State, for the unity of Gods pao-
pie and general iDtercession. Then
followed an anthem.
After prayer by Rev. r. B. Urmy,
Rev. Philemon +. Sturges welcomed
the veterans and others assembled
, and announced that the Offering was
for the benefit of the Relief Fund Of
the Post. Three verses of America
were then sung.
4 The preacher of the evening was the
: Rev. Philemon +. Sturges. Mr.. Stur-
, geS said the people had gathered for
simple and definite expression in the
: presence of Almighty God of our re-
membrance of the men to whom we
owe, under God, the maintenance of
our nation and preservation of ideals
of America. We express particularly
thankfulness for the men Of the t,nVyfs
and county who showed LOYALTY and
sacrifice for the nauion during the
t period of the Civil War the most, am
gust as well as awful in the nations
+ history. 81 i 80
There was, be said, personal sense
q OF gratitude, as he thought Of the
Z veterans gone before. 1t must seem
z, tragic at the ending of life to see What,
e they bought by blood accepted by the
O present generation as matter Of
course. Ideals become common place.
. The world pasSeth away. The inter
G est, the passion, the struggle and sac
b rlhce OF the veterans lives is now bnt
story OF the past. However the con-
trlDutlon OF the veterans can never
pass away. We cannot fail to read
2 tne message. America has produced
2 type OF man ready to respond with
his life-his all-for an ideal.
There are third of a million in our
national cemeteries, half of them in
unknown graves, and who can tell how
many more in the graveyards all over
J the country. Being dead they speak
: unto us. Their message is prophecy
OF eternal Significance to US. These
. men were the Justification of the faith
. in what this country was founded and
stands for--JeSuS Christ, democracy.
every man. The last man can be
trusted to make sacrifice for principle.
That principle will far surpaSs the
memory OF the great leaders. For
t four bloody years they fought not for
prosperity, success, rights of property,
or that shibboleth 'sthe full dinner
3 pail," but for social ideal.
Slavery, the unity of the nation.
were but expressions. However diff
cult and confused to the rank and file,
not one but fought for the principle of
human right. That is the living power
OF our American inheritance.
d The speaker said he had faith to de-
i pend upon the American man to make
the right answer to the appeal to
> right. He trusted the common hu-
II manity, the American idea.
y The greatest single menace to the
l. country to-day is not the fear of an at
, tack of the discontented upon vested
- property, neither light regard for
e law nor the doings of unscrupulous
It wealth. America will never see a So
If cial revolution such as France saw
= during the terror. But lowering of
. our faith in American principles in in
= Sensibly taking for granted what once
u concerned many, in believing the only
e success is wealth is our fOrmoSt dan
: ger. If you and | believe only in self
= enrichment, if we surrender to the dol
- lar sign as our national symbol Mr..
/ Sturges said, he was Christian Scien-
b test enough to believe we would make
+ that so.
There are issues facing us just as
: grave and awful as those of 1861,
t wrongs to be righted, burdens to be
+ lifted, but ideals will never be budged
! if we keep the faith of the men Of the
: Civil War.
, Too many believe the loss Of self re-
t Straint which they think they see is
2 an index Of the temper Of manhood.
To believe it, think 1t, tell it, is trea-
son TO national belief. Men are to be
trusted and when they fail, to be
trusted again. They may be trusted
J through the storm of any crisis before
e us. Therefore in closing he urged on
n his hearers the admonition Of Paul
n 6 Therefore be ye steadfast unmova-
: BILE, always abOunding in the work OF
! the Lord, for as much as ye know that
d your labor is not in vain in the Lord
o. Rev. w. M. Hughes made the mem
orial prayer, after which Angels
ever bright and fair was sung, fol-
e lowed by the benediction by DR..
: Hughes. The reccssional hymn was
! God OF our fathers whose almighty
!, hand.
Among the clergymen present, but
who did not participate in the service
J was the Rev. Louis Shreve Osborne,
3 of Trinity Church, Newark.
II There were thirty-Six members of