The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1908-05-28

the true spirit of Memorial day we
view the individual soldier as factor
added in and force moving on
toward the great aim and purpose of
all life. It is this that takes war out
of the plane of mere physical contest,
the struggle of brute forces, and lifts
it up into the realms of the spiritual.
So we do not gather today as men
do to see prize fight. 1t would be
possible to review the war as an exhib-
ition of physical forces. A contest of
brutes. There are scenes of awful
carnage which you soldiers have wit
messed, baptism of blood you have
been baptized with, the rest of US know
nothing of. The mere telling would
invoke the blood-scenes which justify
Sherman awful words, "War is
hell" In such case it would be BIAS
phemy to talk OF "the God of battles. "
But remember how Hooker fought
the battles above the clouds! 1.-The
battle above the Clouds" up in the
spiritual heights, the real contest is
waged. There are different ideas of
government; there are different ideals
of manhood, there are differing spirits
moving in the hearts of men. These
are struggling for mastery, and while
war is brutal and surely as an end
cannot be justified method of it
may be all wrong-yet the end for
which men fought and died in the
sixties was worthy the sacrifice.
Looked at from material stand
point it would have been as we'll, or
better, to have let the south go. In
that case there would have been two
nations where now there is but one;
two flags, two forms of government,
two standing armies and naturally
greater complications. But there
would have been no less acreage. The
soil would have been as fertile, and
the climate remained unchanged; the
wealth of the forests and the mines
would not have been decreased, and
there would have been an immense
saving in material resources and of
still more precious life. Why could
we not have said to the seeding
states, "go in peace" But we could
not have let the south 60 and at the
same time remained true to our
spiritual heritage. Our fathers came
from their ancient homes with a
definite religious purpose. When
Pastor Robinson took leave of his
little flock it was with prayer and an
exhortation to follow the truth as God
gave them. to see it. They went forth
conscious of the leadership of God.
Before them all the early explorers
were animated by religious purpose.
When Columbus first landed he fell
upon his knees in prayer to God,
then rose to plant the cross of Christ
upon the new soil. He consecrated
this land to God before he took it for
Spain.
Our whole history is saturated with
the religious spirit. We believe we
are a nation established of God to
develop the highest type of manhood.
TO have let the south 60 would have
meant the arrest of the progress of
man in those higher conceptions of
manhood which underlie republican
and Christian civilization. A govern
ment of the people, by the people and
for the people would have proved a
failure. America has been called
the last opportunity of the race to
work out it's high destiny. Had we
failed in the sixties it would have
been lost opportunity.
The new world was destined for a
new manhood, not founded upon
genealogy or Inheritance or exercise
of lordship or race or color. Wealth
and power and culture and noble
ancestry all have a place but cannot
weigh in the scales against those
qualities which make character
character has to do with the spiritual
qualities of the soul.
This is the thought upon which l !
wish to dwell. Standing at the grave
of the old soldier 1 want you to
recognize the spiritual quality of his
act; the high aim and purpose of his
warfare. I wish you to see how a |
life, in itself so impotent and tran
STORY as easily to be snuffed out by
an enemy's bullet, or struck down by
the fever of the camp, when con-
secrated unto God and dedicated to
the service of man is exalted into a
divine fellowship with Jesus Christ
and becomes an immortal thing.
First of all see the vital relation
between religion and patriotism, most
perfectly illustrated in Cromwell's
Ironsides-an army of $4,000 men
who had the fear Of Cod heforo thoir