Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-05-30
AYBURN PREACH[S
MEMORIAL S[RAN
IMMENSE CONGREGATION FAT.
TENDS ANNUAL SERVICE FAT
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
VETERANS AND PATRIOTIC
SOCIETIES ATTEND fENMAssE

Dress Of Bunting and tho National
Colors-Rev. Mr.. Rayburn's Theme
Was That There Is a Great Man
For Each Crisis.
Preparatory to the observance of
Memorial Day an audience that filled
to overflow the Presbyterian church,
gathered Sunday morning for the me-
mortal Sabbath service. Two hundred
fifty members of, Frank NJ. Thomas
and Phil Sheridan posts, the w. r. &c.
and the Ladies of the G.. A. r.. attend
ed in body, seats being reserved for
them. flev. James Rayburn, pastor of
the church, delivered the sermon.
Graced with bunting of the national
colors sand flags the interior of the
CHURCH was dressed most periodically.
Bunting was draped about the pipe
organ, and an immense flag hung in
s5lken folds from the choir loft. Smaller
Jt1ags hoated from the chandeliers.
Great Mon For Each Crisis.
The congregation united in singing
america" Rev. Mr. Rayburn's chief
thought that God who controls
the destinies of men and nations
furnishes for each crisis in ma
tional life the one man best suit
ed to carry the climax sue
cessfully. Types of men were, ne said,
Moses, who led the Children of Israel
from bondage; Joshua, who led them
to the conquest Of Canaan; Martin
Luther, who captured the reformat ton,
and Lincoln, who led the nation out
of slavery. His sermon contained
many valuable thoughts of patriotism,
and was we'll delivered. He said in
part:
1.-THE occasion which We celebrate
today is one of great importance to
our nation, and we greet the grand
army and the Women's Relief Corps
and welcome you to our holse of wor-
ship
THE assembling of such a heroic
host annually is very fitting that a
noble pact may be properly comment
Grated, that the present may be sub
stantially aided, and that the future
may be inspired with hope. Within
this scope Of the lenses, rem embering
the past. thinking Of the present, and
hoping for the future, I ask that we
may base our thought on a passage
from Gods word in Job 8: $40: For
inquire pray thee of the former
age and apply thyself to that which
their fathers have searched out. Shall
not they teach thee and tell thee, and
utter words out of their hearth"
Lessons Of Memorial Day.
Memorial Day has many lessons
for the living, both old and young and
with this thought I selected the text.
Let us imagine this morning of the
former age and apply ourselves to that
which our fathers have reached out
that it may teach us here and now.
when a crisis in any age arrives
God has a man for the time. In any
crucial hour there has always been
raised up one thru whom the spirit of
God might dominate and lead. When
the cry of ancient Israel came up be-
cause of their bondage under their
Egyptian taSkmasters, Moses, was
called from the Life Of shepherd of
Midia to the mighty task of leading in
to liberty nation.
A Joshua to Lead Them.
when another crisis had arrived
and it was time to take possession of
the land Joshua was ready to lead
the host of the living God across the
Jordan and in the successful conquest
of Canaan.
Likewise in the new dispensation,
when the spiritual conquest Of Canaan
was begun, and the spiritual kingdom
of the Messiah was ready to be pro-
claimed and the gospel was ready to
Se, preached to all nations, it needed
one who could declare it in the centers
of commerce and culture. Saul of
SNrnO~
stoned to mighty leadership.
Reformation and Martin Luther.
Again, when day of liberty was
dawning after medieval midnight,
and men were to be made free from
papal supremacy and priestly oppres-
sion, a Martin Luther was ready to
lead In the stupendous struggle Of the
reformation.
Again, when thirteen weak, strugg-
ling colonies became ready to declare
their independence, a Washington was
ready to take command. And so in the
former age, to which we especially re-
fer today, when the cloud of civil war
hung low and dark over our land, and
when rebellion threatened us with ma
tional dissolution, then there came
from a law Office in Springfield to
the white house at Washington, Gods
man of the hour and Abraham Lincoln
became president Of the United States.
Man Almost Superhuman.
man almost superhumanly fitted
1t seemed to lead the nation thru the
darkest and most awful period of all
her history. In all history no one man
ever faced more formidable task and
no human performance has ever sur
passed his accomplishment of that
task. And so we see that in our time
of direst need God was ready with
a leader.
Next we are taught that great
principles must have first precedence.
Principles mere precious than
properties. and loyalty is more neces-
sary than life. The war, with its
dreadful waste of life and property was
terrible. yet no one today, even after
the short space of half a century.
would claim our great nation was not
worth the price paid A nation and
its institutions are of vastly more i'm
portauce than thousands of the indi-
vidual citizens Of that nation.
Sacrifices Of tho Rebellion.
Next to be remembered, and closely
associated with our second thought is