South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-10-22
SPEAKS ON GREAT
PATRIOTIC HYMN
Battle Hymn of Republic" is
Topic of Sermon by Rev.
J.L. Gardiner.

i was present ldoL tNtilllb az tlAD ~"
triotic service held in St Paurs
Methodist Episcopal church when
/ the pastor. Rev James L. Gardiner
u. D, spoke on Julia Warde Howe's
noted hymn. known as The Battle
Hymn Of the Republic"
In part. DR.. Gardiner said:
TO fully appreciate the message
Of this hymn we shall have to recall
the stirring days of the Civil war
when Mrs. Howe received the inspir-
alton TO write IT, I shall not take
the time to trace the events leading
up to that terrible Civil war-the
worst civil war that ever shook this
world under the shock of battle.
Suffice it 10 say that in the year
1858 Abraham Lincoln. in debate
with the Little Giant Douglas,
made the declaration. which became
| the standard of a great political par
| " with Lincoln as its acknowledged
[ leader. That statement was A house
, divided against itself cannot stand.
I believe this country cannot perma-
nently exist half slave and half
free. do not expect the union to
be dissolved. 1 do not expect the
( house TO fall, but = do expect that
/ it will cease to be divided.
When Lincoln was elected presi-
! dent in the year 1861 he strenuous
ly maintained this position. His
primary object was to save the
/ Union; his secondary object was to
\ free the slave. Then followed the
| crisis-the secession of the southern
/ states, followed by war.
Not Always Victorious.
1T was the south that fired the
| first shot-the shot Oh Fort Sumpter
! in April, 1851. Then Lincoln issued
/ his call for volunteers and they an
| swered, We are coming, Father
/ Abraham, 100000 strong These
/ volunteers went forth but not al
ways to conquer Again and again
( they met with defeat. Many, many
soldiers of the north fell in battle
/ but without winning a decisive vic
/ tory for the Union. Lincoln's heart
was sad. Then came the summer
of 1862-that dark summer before
there had been any Gettysburg to
cheer the northern troops-that
summer when Lincoln waited week
after week for some victory which
would warrant him in issuing the
proclamation of emancipation. Ii
was on an evening during this sum-
mer of 1862 that Julia Warde Howe
had her vision Of victory and wrote
her great hymn, The Battle Hymn
of the Republic
THE message of the hymn is
threefoId.
First, il brings to us the truth
that the great need Of a nationa in
the crisis hour Of life is God
Mine eyes have seen the glory
of the coming of the Lord
The greatest need today of our
| nation is Cod. One of the best
books I have read on the present
war is II. c. Wells book, Mr. Brit
| ling Sees 1t Through In that book
he says, Religion is the first thing
and the last thing, and until a man
/ has found God he begins at no be-
i ginning and works 70 no end. He
may have his friendships, his par
/ tial loyalties, his scraps Of honor,
but all these fall into place and life
/ itself only falls into place only with
| God e.
The second message of the hymn
/ is a message of the great need Of
service or that every man must do
/ his duty.
HE has sounded forth his
trumpet that shall never call re-
treat
God Calling TO Every Man.
! I'm this great war against Prus-
sian militarism God is calling upon
} every man 10 do his duty. He is
sitting out the hearts of men before
I His Judgment seat. We may not
all be able to go 10 the front; we
may not all be able 10 fight in the
trenches but we may all do our bit.
We can subscribe for a Liberty bond
! and in 100 other ways bear our bur-
/ den toward making the world safe
/ for democracy
The third message Of this hymn
I is that of the need Of sacrifice. The
/ boys who have gone 20 the front
/ those who have crossed the seas and
are somewhere in France are learn
ing the meaning of sacrifice as never
! before. War means service, but II
means also sacrifice. Many, many
on that western front in France
have paid and many more are pay
, ing the supreme sacrifice in the
great cause of justice, humanity.
liberty and democracy.
% In the beauty Of the lilies Christ
was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that
transtigures YOU and me;
As he died 70 make men holy let
us die 10 make men free.
Since God is marching on
ALLEGED AUTO THIEVES
TO RETURN TODAY