The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1909-06-03
TRIBUTE TO HEROES
Rev. Father Levings Delivers an Able
and Patriotic Sermon to the
Old Soldier Boys in Blue.
Memorial Services at st. Edward
Church Impressive and rlusi-
cal Numbers Inspiring.

At St. Edwards Catholic church on
Sunday morning union memorial SER
vices we're held in honor of the soldier
dead. There we're 81 veterans in at
tendance and the church was crowded
to it's utmost capacity. "The Star
Spangled Banner" and "America"
we're among the musical numbers and
the floral decorations, together with
the standard of the Grand Army of
the Republic and Old Glory, produced
very pretty effect. The choral
selections were presented in an ad-
mirable manner and the sermon, or
rather address, by Rev. Father Lev
ings was one Of the ablest ever rem
dered upon like occasion. It was
an address that appealed not alone to
the old soldiers, but the entire audi
ence.
Taking for his text, "Peace I leave
with you, my peace give unto you;
not as the world giveth, do [ give
unto you" John XIV, Ply: Father
Levings said:
During very recent years internal
tional arbitration has become an es-
tablished fact and has operated to
avoid a multitude of unholy wars.
The judgment of peace tribunal has
come to be accepted as conclusive as
the result of bloody battle. Where
before a debt of a few millions of dol
lars, or worthless island, would have
trained the guns of enemies upon each
other, the white flag of peace has pro-
claimed the decision of tribunal of
peaceable men, written not in letters
of blood upon the tablets of suffering
humanity but in ink upon parchment.
The closed nineteenth century will be
memorable for this great triumph
alone we're all it's other years void
and empty.
God is bringing the nations to-
gether, and more and more will be
established courts Of reason and
conscience to supplant the field of
arms. We must engage in this noble
work Of Coda work to which is at
tached the most precious reward, viz,
'Blessed are the peace-makers, for
they shall be called the children of
GOd.'
The first words that we're uttered to
announce the birth of the Savior of
mankind was the angelic anthem con-
tanning a message of peace to the
world: "Gloria in excelsis Dec ct
in terra pax hominibus bonae volun-
atis'--" Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men of good
will''-a message so much above this
world as to equalize the highest and
the lowest of Gods rational creatures
one with another.
My purpose is to show the faint
hearted that Christ's mission has not
failed, but what has been accomplish
ed in the cause of peace is only hint
at what the future may unfold.
1t is by comparison that we can
most plainly see the results of chris
tian civilization. Let US follow the
great American, Cardinal Gibbons,
in his comparison of the military
history of the Roman empire from it's
foundation to the time of Augustus
Caesar, with the military record of
our American republic from the close
of the revolution to the present time:
I'm pagan Rome war was the rule,
peace was the exception. The temple
of Janus in Rome was always open in
time Of war and closed in time of
peace. From the reign of Romulus
to the time of Augustus Caesar, en-
bracing a period of seven hundred
years, the temple of Janus was always
open, except twice, when it was closed
for only six years. It was subse-
quently closed at the birth of Christ,
as if to symbolic the pacific mission
of the Redeemer of mankind. The
United States has existed as sove-
reign nation for about one hundred
and twenty years since the close of the
revolution. During that period we
have had four wars-the war with
England, from 1872 to 1915; the war
with Mexico, from 1845 to 1S4S: the
civil war, from 1861 to 1865, and the
recent Spanish war. The combined
length of these campaigns was about
ten years. Hence we see that the
United States has enjoyed twelve
years of peace for one year of war,
while the Roman Empire beheld less
than one year of tranquility for every
century of military engagement
What is the history of the Jews, as
recorded in the pages of the Old Testa-
ment from Moses to Maccabees, but a
narrative of fourteen hundred years
of warfare? And if you would fully
know the reason why war was so uni