The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-05-27
MEMORIAL SERMON To
VETERANS BY REV. KILLER
UNION SERVICES IN PRESENTER
IAN CHURCH LARGELY AT
TENDED-SPECIA MUSIC.

Members of Post, Spanish war NeUer-
ans, Company Il and Fife and
Drum Corps in Attendance-Pro-
gram of Day.
The Memorial exercises and ser
mon at the Presbyterian church last
Sunday was largely attended. Spec
ial music for the occasion was rem
dered by a large choir under the
leadership of Miss Jessica Robinson,
organist The organist was assisted
by Sig. and Leon Katz and Jeffrey
Freeman, violinists. The choir en-
Enthusiastically sang the Battle Hymn
of the Republic" and an Arrange
ment of Onward Christian Soldiers"
Seated upon the platform with
Rev. Jesse Hermann were Rev.
Will H. Hitler pastor of the Metho-
dist church, who delivered an excel
lent sermon upon THE Victory"
Rev. A. L. Whitaker, of Grace Epis-
copal church, Rev. c. G. Miller, of
st. Johns Lutheran church, Rev. G.
S. Wendell, of the Baptist church.
Revs. Whitaker and Miller read
Scriptural lessons, Rev. Wendell Of
fered prayer and pronounced the
benediction.
Members of Captain James Ham
Post, G. A. r., veterans of the Span
ish War, soldiers of Company and
the Maple City Fife and Drum Corps
occupied seats in the front of the
church.
Rev. Hitler said in part:
Text: 1st Cor. 15:57-"But thanks
be to God, which giveth us the vic
tory through our Lord Jesus Christ"
Comrades and Friends: 1 had hop
ed to listen with you tonight to the
beloved pastor of this church as he
should preach to us the Gospel of the
Christ he so faithfully serves, and
we grieve that serious illness pre-
vents him from performing what to
him would have been labor of love,
and to us a lesson of inspiration and
profit. May Gods blessing rest on
DR.. Swift and his loved ones tonight
and may He in whose keeping he
calmly trusts, speedily restore him
to health and strength.
1t is a most fitting custom that
you have of gathering in the house
of God on the Sunday preceding Me-
mortal Day; it is the recognition OF
that God who through all the years
of peace and war has watched over
this nation and guided it to the
proud position it now holds among
the nations of the world.
If | understand the object of this
occasion, am not to deliver an ora.
ton, nor strictly speaking Memor.
ial address. They will come from
eloquent lips on Decoration Day, but
my task is to preach to these veter.
ans and these younger soldiers anG
their friends simple gospel sermon
that with Gods blessing shall hell
us to live in loyal service to God an(
man.
But the story of our Civil war il
itself sermon, written in blooC
and voiced by the pallid lips of ou
heroic dead.
The echoes that come down tn
years, from bugle, fife and drum; tn
rumbling cannon, the flashing sword
the roll of musketry, the prison pen
the soldiers grave, the tears O
motherhood, the grief of wife an,
sweetheart, the orphans cry, the ma
tionwide desolation of those awfu
years of war, and at last the shou
of glorious victory join together il
the exposition of the Fundamental
truths of Gods Holy Word.
Hark! Fort Sumpter has been fiji
ed upon, but the noise of belchin
cannon is the echo of the Judgmen
trump of God and the wrongs of tn
weak and oppressed must be wipe
out in blood.
Neither individuals nor nations ca
long condone or foster sin and e!
cape the penalty thereof. Now tn
war is on, and from thousand of 10y
al hearts and lips goes forth tn
song:
I'VE are coming from the east,
And we're coming from the west,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
And we'll hurl the rebel crew,
From the land we love the best,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
But that did not prove to be
easy as men thought it would b
Brave men met brave men in dead
strife, while the king of terrors
gathered in his victims from IL
ranks of the blue and the gra
and dearly won victory seemed
the land was filled with mournin
crown Rebellion's brow! but VIII!
Because our leaders sought to col
N promise, and God would not have
VI SO. He had said will dissolve yo
covenant with hell. Gods purpo
was to preserve the Union, whe
every soul should be free.
oh! those awful days of disast
and defeat. The rebel army is
Maryland There in the Viii
House, Lincoln, like Jacob of ol
wrestles with God in prayer, cryi1
Help me out of this hole and
will free the slaves" Gods answ
was Antietam. Lincoln kept
covenant with the Almighty and tn
successive victories followed, Gett!
burg, Sherman's triumphant mar
to the Sea, Grants victory at AppoI
tox, won at the price of precio
blood, made possible by the courai
the loyalty, the unspeakable endl
ance of the Boys in Blue, is, after
has been said, the victory of ril
81 over wrong; it is at once the victC
of God and of the men who were Il
al to his truth.
The key to the final triumph, v
the covenant that the Nations he