Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-05-28
STRUGGLES OF
81 RECALLED
REV. J. r. ROBERTSON GAVE ELo.
oUENT MEMORIAL SERMON
TO FUTILE POST.

GRATITUDE SHOWN
Speaker Constructed Early Display Q
Forgetfulness to Present Day
Tribute Paid to Nations
| .s~ Defenders.
1.-THE best wish we can entertain TO-
YOU soldiers who have been spared
since that memorable struggle Is ina
the glorious and conquering Chris
may be your commander-in-ch1ef TO
day" said Rev. ]. F. Robertson IN hi
memorial sermon Sunday morning &c
futile post G. A. r. and w. 4. G. a.
the Willard Street M. E. church. The
sermon was filled with sense OF
gratitude to the civil war veterans fol
their struggles in 1865, and an clio
quent plea to the present generator
to emulate the patriotism shown by
their forefathers Mr.. Robertson be
gan with the scriptural reference OF
the unknown man who saved a city
and was repaid with ingratitude, and
contrasted this with the tribute paid
each year by Americans to the mem
DRY of those dead soldiers who are
revered for all time. The concluding
1 portion of the discourse was request
to the veterans to continue to nght
as they did in the civil war against
the giant evils of today, alcoholism and
white slavery.
Gratitude Ia Lacking.
There was a little city and few
men within it; and there came . great
king against it, and besieged 1t, and
built great bulwarks against 1t. Now
there was found in it poor wise
man and he by his wisdom delivered
the city; yet no man remembered that
same poor man" Eccl. 9:14-15.
This reads like paragraph from
real and authentic history. 1t may
not be the record of an actual event.
It may be simply fable and not a
fact. but whether fiction or fact, 1t
forcefully puts the thought the writer
had in mind. His theme is the van
ity and Enthusiastically Of the earthly
life.
"The world is often guilty Of ingrati'
tude 1t frequently falls to give COM
pensation to whom compensation Is
due. 1t receives many precious gifts
which are saturated with the life
blood of men and shows little recog-
milton of what has been done. Of
times it is cruel and heartless in its
lack of appreciation of real merit.
Here is a picture of mans ingrati-
tude, There was a little city with,
few men to defend it. One day
great and mighty king led his invinci-
BILE armies around the city to accom-
plish its destruction. The men OF the
city were alarmed when they heard
the tramp, tramp, tramp Of the invad-
ing enemy and saw them putting up
ramparts and breastworks. 1t was
before the day of rapid firing guns,
Of high explosives and the deadly en-
gines of war The long siege began.
Contact with the outside world was
cut off. What were so few matched
against so many? There seemed to
be no hope. Surrender was appar-
emily inevitable. Even the bravest
became terror stricken at the ap-
preaching doom. But In this crisis
there was found In the little city one
poor wise man and he, by his wisdom
and understanding saved the city,
by what piece of strategy we do not
know. Now this whole city will |
praise him and henceforth hold his
heroism in undying rememberance?
Alas it did not. Men are too much
skilled in forgetting The writer OF
the short story tells us that no man
In the city remembered that same
poor man to whom each was indebted. !
Not one had a memory good enough /;
to recall the noble service he render
ed by which came their preservation. I
| am glad it is not always SO.
Defenders Of Union Numerous
ut was nearly half century ago in
our nations life when 1t was threat.
ened with obstruction. 1t was not In
vaded by foreign foe, but by force
within itself which arose in armed re-
Dellion against our government. The
of our country, In which
our forefathers paid dearly in blood
and treasure, was in grave danger.
The southern states were seeking to
establish an independent government
lnder the name of the confederate
states Of America. Then, too, human
slavery honeycombed the south. In
he tragic struggle which followed, to
rescue our central government from
peril, there was found not one man
only but many to save it from the des.
rogers hand From Fort Sumter to
and Gettysburg to Apo
nattox 100000 men were muster.
ID in on the side of the union. OF
hese more than $4,000 fell in open
,attle. Almost $4,000 died Of wounds.
More than 10000 succumbed In I'M
anitary prisons and 100000 persisted,
he victims of disease. The awful
oil Of death in the army Of the union
vas $4,000. Of those who came
through those four awful years alive
many were manned, disfigured, brok-
N in health. Most Of them never
new the vigor of physical life they