Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-05-28
Speaker Detailed the Awful Cost of the
War Of '61-Urged Universal
Peace-Patriotic Music
Given,

but Cloutman post also, had suffered
from the grim reaper since last mem
orial Sunday. Capt S. H. Harper wa!
not there, having gone in answer to the
roll call of those who are in the com
pany of the great white throng.
Through some mishap the intention
Of the post to worship with the First
Presbyterian church on this memoria
was not made known to the authorities
in charge Of the services so that there
were no decorations and the pastor hav
ing had only a few hours notice was
not prepared for this service as he
wished to be at such times when great
events are remembered. But he had
thought upon these events and brought
a message suited to the hour and &C
ceptable to those to whom he parti-
cularly addressed himself on this oc.
casion. The choir sang that beautiful
|anthem by Belinni, mighty Jehovah .
j. A.. Walker carrying the baritone solo.
For the second number Russell Harper
gave cornet solo, ''Tenting Tonight
on the Old Camp Ground" and the
choir sang the chorus, some Of the old
soldiers joining in with them. "Ameri-
ca, the Battle Hymn of the Republic, "
and "Joy to the World, the Lord is
! Come" were hymns which the entire
audience sang with hearty sympathy.
Struggle Freed the Country.
Speaking on the text found in
Psalms 1907 81 am for peace" the
minister said, IF had had the time
for preparation which I would choose
to- have for a day like this, would
speak to you on the destruction and
curse of war. But of necessity must
bring to you certain outstanding
thoughts that are the conclusion Of
my thinking upon that great struggle
of the sixties quite apart from the
preparation for this day. They may
not be brilliant and, moreover, they
may be lacking in that illustration and
pointedness which make the message
of the speaker on day like this at
tractive, but these thoughts are worth
while to me and they may be worth
while to you. First Of all this is what
came out Of the great conf1ict,-there
was a settlement Of certain great is
sues. That is contamination devout-
ly to be wished. That this govern
ment is federal and not confederate
think it has been settled once for ALL
There are still certain echoes of the
doctrine of states rights which we
sometimes hear in the practice of
craftsmanship, but it never enters the
mind Of thoughtful men that it is sub
ject for controversy whether this Is a
federal government or a confederacy.
That was settled once and for all by
the struggle Of 81 to '65. In the sec
ond place that struggle settled once
and for all that this government Is to
be free and not slave. The doctrine for
which the noble Lincoln stood that this
government can not exist half free and
half slave is automatic. We are
thinking. it is true, of the enslavement
of one race by another when we say
this. If We meant only this that man
with one color of skin could not en-
slave man with skin of another color
that would be great result to have
reached. I believe we reached that
conclusion as it was never reached be-
fore for the whole world. The civil
war made human slavery. of one race
i by another race indefensible if not i'm
possible for all Christendom. But it
also established the indefensibleness
of human slavery, industrial slavery,
economic slavery, social slavery
slavery of whatsoever sort, so long as
it is the violation of the rights Of hui
man beings to be free and equal in op-
portunity, to be the most there is in
them to be. That was settled for
America as it was never settled before
once and for all. And l say these
are great requests for the generations
succeeding the civil war to have re-
ceived from the men who fought and
triumphed in that war.
War Made Great Characters.
"Out Of that strife there emerged the
development of certain great charact-
ers who have been boon to the
world: There is no inheritance so
great in the world for nation as char
acter. It might be improbable to ask
where would have some of these char
acters appeared in the annals OF the
world had it not been for the civil war,
unless it helps us to see them IN
clearer light as they appeared in that
strife. I think Of Lincoln and Grant
and Clara Barton who came out OF that
struggle and I ask where would have
these appeared had the civil war never
been? That may be difficult to say,
but we do know that in 1t they re-
ceived the opportunity for development
of all those great powers and qualities
which belonged to them and which
have made them to belong to the
world. 1t is worth our while to rem
ember that the men who have been in
strumental in setting up the last and
newest republic in the family of ma
tons tell us that they have drawn their
inspiration from the men who have
made this country great in the eyes of
the world-our Washington, and Lin
coin and Grant. Whence came these
men we ask, and the answer is before
us: Out Of the great crisis of war and
national and civil struggle for the ,es-