The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-11-12
THE MEMORIAL SERMON FOR
THE LATE REV. DR.. BINGHAM

At the memorial services held at the
Associate Congregational Church in Bal
timore on October % for Rev. DR.
Hiram Bingham, who died at the Johns
Hopkins Hospital on October %, Rev
Oliver Huckel, DID,, pastor of the
church made the following address;
Dear Friends: We have met here to
pay our tributes of honor and respect
and love to this veteran missionary, DIR.
Hiram Bingham, the "hero of Micro
nesia." For fifty-six years he has been
in active service as a missionary, doing
heroic work.
1t is only fitting that this soldier of
the Cross should be buried with all
the honors of war, the divine warfare
that he should be honored in the sane
tuary; that the great church organ
sould play the final march for him;
that the hymns of the church should be
sung over him, and the words of prayer
lie heard in thanksgiving for his noble
life and work We desire to express in
this service our gratitude to God for
the splendid faith, the dauntless spirit
and the untiring and wonderful service
the American Board and all the heroic
company of those who have served at
home and abroad in all its long years
of apostolic labors for the spread of
the Kingdom; we desire to express our
sympathy in this great sorrow with the
bereaved family, with DR.. Bingham IS
sister, Mrs. Coan, wife OF the famous
missionary, DIR. Titus Coan; with DR..
Bingham s son, Prof. Hiram Bingham
of Yale, now on the ocean going to
South America on a government COM
mission and knowing nothing of his
fathers illness and death; to DR.. Bing
ham IS two nephews, who are present
with us, and to all DR.. Bingham s
host of friends in America, and in Ha-
wall, and the islands of the South Seas.
We rejoice in the heritage of noble
memories and the benedictiOn of a grac-
ious life and service which he has left
to them and to us all.
The words that st. Paul the aged
spoke of himself as he neared his death
may be applied with perfect appropri-
ateness to this aged servant of God
about whom we are to mediate at this
time: 81 have fought good fight, L
IAave finished my course, | have kept
the faith. Heneeforth there is laid up
for me crown of righteousness which
the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall
give to me at that day; and not to me
only, but unto all them also who love
His appearing" Less. than two weeks
ago it was my privilege to hear DR..
Bingham make a stirring address at
the American Board meeting in Brook
9yn. He was one of the old men there
seventy-seven yearS-but one of the
youngest in spirit and hope. +
90 m not here on a furlOugh; I'm
here for orders,'' he said in his ringing,
heroic way. He scarcely realized what
the orders would be in few days. He
received his orders from his Heavenly
Father to come up higher-for a long
furlough of rest there, and also, as [
believe, for further glorious ministries
in that immortal world
He was a heroic figure as he stood
there at that meeting-very TALL for he
was six feet four inches; spare, with
white hair and white beard. He looked
like one of the apostles just walked out
from the pages of the New Testament.
He did write a new chapter in the new
Acts of the Apostles by his work. He
told the story of his life in simple
and touching way. AS most of you
know, he was the son of the missionary,
Hiram Bingham, who helped to trans ;
form Hawaii He was born in Homo
lulu, educated there and at Yale. He
himself to Christ CT re-
the JOY with which he spoke
those words at the meeting of the
American Board, and they represented {
his whole life). He sailed in 1852 in
the first "Morning Star" the first yes
sci built by the contributions from the !
children of America, for {
work among the islands of the South :
Seas. His work was with the Gilbert
Islands, and there he spent his whole !
wears of service as mis- T
siOnary, scholar and statesman. He :
translated the Bible into Gilbertese; he /