The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1913-05-29
MEMORIAL SERVICES, SUNDAY
Continued from Page One)


Glaufins sermon. The text was
taken from Exodus Il IL
And this day shall be unto you
for a memorial. Memorial Sunday
with sacred and sorrowful memories
has come once more as surely as
the Day makes its appearance, we
recall the great events which made
the occasion of the Day The differ
ence in construction put upon the
constitution by the people of the
North and South, The awful menace
Slavery, the want of communication
between the two sections, the pub
fishing of sectional books together
with the influence of demagogues-
these are said to be the causes. or
some of the causes of the greatest
civil struggle known TO all history.
Today we can truly assert that all
strained relations, all asperities en-
rendered by the conflict between
freedom and slavery have been blott-
ed out. Such as engaged in the con-
test. soldiers on both sides, who are
now living fraterniZe with each other
as brothers, have become citizens of
common country with one and only
one interest
1t is most fitting that those who
laid down their lives in the struggle,
or entered the strife and have since
been mustered out, should be held in
highest esteem for the devoted ser
vice rendered to country and univer-
sal humanity. In studying the scrip
ture somewhat carefully We cannot
help notice that in the crucial mo-
ment when the children of Israel
were about to enter the struggle
which would give them the promised
land, the word of command was heard
by them to gather about the Ark of
the Covenant, as their national en-
bem Here is pointed out to us the
one great fact about which cluster
all the interests of the history of
Israel. Just as certainly is it also
brought to our attention that the
focus of Israels national life is the
law of its God. For this, Israel was
to enter the conflict, that she might
overcome, not simply for the materi-
al purpose of gaining possession of a
rich and fertile country to develop
her natural resources.
ell lay in her love for and devotion
to the Ark of the Covenant, and just
as certainly lies our success for pre-
sent and future success in our fidel-
ity to the law of our God and the
national emblem. our flag. This is
the focus of our national life, the
stripe of red representing bravery,
the stripe of white. purity and the
royal blue representing loyalty.
Here in Old Glory is sacred
memorial of our religious faith as
we'll as national and this is to be our
great rallying central point in the
day of special effort
Israel had two aspects of the max
ing of her history, the one earthly
and temporal like the contest for a
fruitful land for Gods people, the
other better, more apparent, and
hardly less than divine 1t is the
same for us.
In our lives as in the lives of the
children of Israel, everything that be-
falls us has a double bearing, one
of earth the other of heaven. We
are here to secure position, suffer
discipline. lay hold on education,
subdue foe, raise up children. We
become greatly effected in our sphere
of earth, sometimes forgetting that
these have a heavenly bearing But
they all have an intense meaning for
the future, they influence us toward
the higher life, moulding and fash
Joining us for the heavenly. They
establish within us the highest gov
ornamental authority for a righteous
ness of which the Ark of God was an
emblem, and the church of God is
our emblem today. And, the Flag
of our Country is the emblem of the
Nation. 1t will not do simply to
belief in a sort of a destiny through
these events of life; rather. we must
put ourselves in the way of working
out and fulfilling and completing the
divine plan. We have battles still
to fight and victories to win equally
as great as those of the Civil War.
We need now as were needed then,
men. We look upon the needs OF
today in this land of ours and con-
sidering the Liquor question, and the
Tobacco question and the Moral ques-
ton, cry in the language of the Bis
hop of Exeter.
Give us Men.
Strong and stalwart ones;
Men whom highest hope inspires,
Men whom purest honor fires,
Men who trample self beneath them,
AS her noble sons
| Worthy of their sires;
Men who never shame their mothers
Men who never fail their brothers,
True, however false are others.