Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1915-06-05
Rev. Alfred Church's
Strong Sermon

The sermon of Rev. Alfred C.
Church at Congregational Church last
Sunday was one of the pastors great
est efforts. The spirit of the utter
ance was intensely patriotic as well
as strongly appealing to the noblest
Christian idealism and humanity.
The pastor, using for his theme the
days honoring of the nations
martyrs, pointed out that it was Ad-
jutant-General N. p. Shipman who in
conference with General J. A. Logan,
OF the G. A. R., in 1868 brought about
the establishment OF Decoration Day
as d national holiday.
In 1898, thirty years later, after
the Spanish war, the movement was
started to make the day more of a
Memorial Day, and a day for honor
ing the mothers of the nation. In
this movement party lines were obllt-
Grated and all classes united.
Reverend Church sketched the
national development and showed that
1t turned around four great points
the settlement of jamestown in 16Ol :;
the landing of the Pilgrims at
Plymouth Rock in 1920; Meade's con-
fiict with Lee at Gettysburg in '63;
ana the battle of Manila in 1898. Be
tween these turning points, the great
questions of individual liberty; the
separation of church and state; the
securing of constitutional govern
ment to the people; and, lastly, the
shedding forth of these blessings IL
the outer world, as at Manila, and,
Mexico, were set forth as the fruits
of American civilization. An example
OF this shedding Of our influence was
seen only two days previous when
President Wilson issued proclama-
ton asking aid for the Red Gross
work in Mexico.
The pastor referred to the Declara-
ton of Independence and the Eman-
cipation Proclamation as two of the
greatest state papers ever coming
from the hand Of man. He said that
we owed it to our youth to hand
down these wonderful heritages to
them, for the cause Of virtue and in
telligence, as opposed to the destruc-
ton of vice and ignorance.
The pastor read knowingly the pa
triotic poem, '"The Blue and the
Gray" using this as basis for
pointing out the wrong of the prin-
ciple of States Rights, and the righte-
BUSINESS of the Union cause. He point
ed out that freedom was not secured
by the winning of single battles, but
had to be striven for INCREASINGLY.
Justice and equity had to be constant
iy worked for.
Progress, the preacher said, was
not gained by slaughter; it was not
gained by the melodious call of the
bugle, and the beating of drums. Bet
ter ways than slaughter as between
man and man had been found. The
same better ways must be found for
nations.
In the past nations had worshipped
an ideal of war, as in the case of
Hebrews and Greeks; and then
Christ came, and now the world had
new ideal.
The people, in the present struggle,
deserved every praise for their loyal
support of the President; also the
press for their remarkable for
bearance.
Mr.. Church read from the bulletin
just received from the Congregational
Board of Foreign Missions in which
the most pitiable conditions of suf-
fering in the lower Balkans and Tur-
key were set forth. The pastor spoke
graphically of the heroic work of
the missionaries of the board in
Erzroom, and of their sufferings and
deaths from typhus.
He said that it was by contribu-
tions and gifts made right here at
home that relief could be afforded to
the tens of thousands of war sufferers.