Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-05-27
MONUMENT TO
NATION HEROES
ITS PRINCIPLES
aLC. Granger at First Baptist
Church 80 Tells Patriotic
Orders at Service.
soC1FTIES FILL THE EDIFICH
,mnresSfve Exercises Characterize
Memorial sunday in Placing
OF Stars on Flag.

Paptist CnIFCh SSsteiu a4 HiNI A14S
-.-,icfDated in the memorial SER
ICES conducted by the pastor OF
he church. Rev. J. c. Granger. All
,,a natriotic organizations in the
~ we're represented at the ser
ICES each attending in body and
r+srching in procession to the
1EurcA carrying their respective
Ssnners and flags, and they took
1iaces in the front portion OF the
fbyrch which was reserved for the
.nsrjaI guests. The church edifice
ras decorated very appropriately
Win flags and flowers Of the sea-
Ian and the services were marked
IN their impressiveness and sol
srrri+v A feature Of the meeting
mas the placing OF seven additional
cars on the church service flag,
reoreseutinC the young men VINO
left In the last contingent for army
service. The exercise was under
The direction OF W L. CaulpetZer.
suDerintendent OF the Sunday
school. and either the mothers or
orber relative or near friend placed
The stars in their respective places.
The flag now contains 70 stars.
Snecial music featured the services
and consisted Of organ number by
Mrs Robert 7. Lee. violin number
nv Mrs. l. E Witt, anthems by the
choir and songs by the congrega-
lion. Rev. J. C. Granger chose as
the theme for his sermon 'Monu-
mental Stones" and he said in part
as follows
"Other nations have set apart a
dsv in which they remember their
living heroes and statesmen, but
our nation has set apart a day in
which to honor and keep sacred
the memory Of the brave departed.
Between the two powers OF good
and evil. right and wrong there has
been a constant warfare, these
striving against each other and con-
tending for supremacy. The very
civilization under which We live has
been secured by hard fighting and
las been built up through the ages
Of torture. suffering and sacrifice.
The foundation of human govern
ment has been laid in ruin and
blood and the Christian religion has
had its logic worked out in the
darkness and solitude of the dun
geon and its faith purified ~ the
fires OF martyrdOm.
Never has Memorial day had so
great a meaning as today.
For a little while l would like
TO play upon your imagination as
l attempt to build a monument of
memorial before which We will
bow and upon which we will place
the wreath, the kiss Of patriotic af-
lection.
For the foundation stone we will
70 back TO the days Of the revolu-
ton and 20 down into the valley of
conflict where the people fought for
civic and political liberty. The SEN
timent was expressed in the words
OF Patrick Henry when he said,
Give me liberty or give me death"
There in that river Jordan in
the Jaws Of death stood Washing
ton, the priest Of God, holding the
ark while the army passed through
that great struggle and raised in
America the stars and stripes.
These stars remind US of the eyes
that were looking over battlements
Of heaven upon the conflict. Those
white stripes tell US Of the pure
motive and the red tell US Of the
blood that flowed in rivulets down
the mountain side and through the
valley. From here we will take
the foundation stone and chisel the
one word, independence.
Emancipation and Freedom.
we wait a few years until the
hands OF the clock point to the hour
Of emancipation and I see the great
man Lincoln as he stands before
the American people and says:
These slaves shall no more be sold
Ike cattle from their stalls, but they
shall be placed on the platform
with equal rights and privileges
with their masters for at that time
liberty had but a half meaning, the
declaration was only for their mas
ter. Then the sound of that can
n0n,flFed at Fort Sumter April "A,
1861, went from mountain to noun
tain top and echoed in every val
ley until it reached yOnder golden
gate and returned like a mighty
wave breaking upon the eastern
shore and saying, All who dwell
under the folds Of this flag shall be
free
The voice OF that first gun was
more eloquent than the language
o. statesmen and it awakened a pa
uiotism that lifted each man out
o. himself into a realm that he had
not known heretofore and gave him
lev feelings Of responsibility.
At last Lincoln grasped the pen
OF our nation, dipped it into the
fountain Of human blood and signed
me great document that unloosed
lae shackles OF four million slaves.
Upon this stone is the one word,
union.
For the shaft of this monument
We VIII 60 TO the battlefield Of the
epanlsh-American war, when we
heard the cry OF those dying forms
q Cuba, who had suffered at the
lands Of Spain for the past four
g,andred years. I remember well
nose young men, most Of them
christians. who stepped upon that
.Ssattieship Maine and as she plowed
.ae waters OF the mighty deep, their
.4ees were toward Cuba, from
mere they heard the call OF hui
laa}ty We remember how she /
sue, 1sled into Havana harbor, only a /
III.
=. eA.psosion that sent many into eter- /
10y but our flag was carried on /
- planted there, which meant |
- - education. and liberty for all.
~, eFoa this shaft we will inscribe /
ne word freedom.
Resnnns iI.iIft,- NJ Hama