Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-05-28
Memorial Sermon
at First BAPTIST

lie VI. ~. H., tllO h1lito iNNiiNi
Corps, the National Relief Corp, the
Sons of Veterans Auxiliary, the AM
erican Legion Auxiliary, the Sons of
Veterans and the American Legion
attended worship in a body at the
First Baptist church as is the usual
custom on Memorial Sunday. Music
was furnished by the choir and also
by a quartette consisting of Miss
Helen Sibley, Mrs. Marjorie Ieavitt,
Mr.. +. c. Moore and Mr.. Lincoln
Harlow. The choir sang, "Soldiers
of Christ Arise" and the Quartettc
sang, "Crossing the Bar Rev. Mr..
Skillin read for his scripture lesson
verses from the sixth chapter of
Deuteronomy and used as a text
Genesis 49,. and I will make Thee
a great nation and ] will bless thee
and make thy name great: BE thou
Il blessing" Mr.. Skillin said in part
I'VE can say without bOastinS that
we are a great nation, great events
have taken place and great progress
has been made during the few years
that America has been an indepcnd-
Cnt nation, and 81 | want to well
come YOU who have helped make it
so, but it has cost something to make
this great nation, using words of
scripture, with a great sum OBJ
tanned we this freedom"
Those who lived through the
scene seeing the Boys of 81 start
out with new uniforms. drums beat
ing. and saw the return with torn
uniforms, armlesS sleeves and thin
ned ranks realize what a great sum
it did cost to obtain this freedom,
but all ages of history and all nature
too tells the same story. When we
think of the time when an ordinary
man did not count as an individual,
but as a slave to the lord of the
land and he know that criticism of
his land meant the dungeon, and
criticism Of his king meant death,
we realize the great progress made
since that time. There would never
have been Civil War and no freedom
of slaves. if it hadn't been for the
Christlike spirit in the hearts of
mon.
How much did it cost Savonovala,
that great monk of the early church,
who protested again the beliefs and
evils of the people? 1t cost him
death Think what it cost our own
Pilgrim fathers landing on the cold.
bleak shores of America and think of
George Washington and peoples of
that day living through those trying
wears of the format ton of our nation.
1t has always cost a great deal to
make great nation but in this
thought, ! would not forget the
women. From the early Cartha gin
ian women through the ages, they
have held most important part in
the making of all things great and
SoOd.
You more recent veterans real
ize the great cost; the long march
es. cold. damp camp grounds, COM
rades left behind. hardships suffered
in prison. etc. but we need to re-
hearse those things often-lest We
forget. In few days. you will
gather to place wreaths on the
graves of Your comrades. and to
hold memorial services. Some. of
YOU men will do the same thing next
year. but soon You will be gone
but the custom Will still continue.
What does it mean to he great
natiOno We are great i'll laws and
institutions we are great in terri
tory. we are great in wealth, we
have all kinds of climate. foods.
minerals, forests, etc, but true
greatness consists of those elements
which alone make people great.
Assyria, Babylon, Egypt. Greece.
Rome all had wealth. power. re-
sources. etc, but they have all fallen
because the people were not sure
and good in character. All these
things make a nation great only as
these are great in the character of
the people. The Kaiser of Germany
thought that the power of Germany
depended upon her army. but it
didn't stand the test, it was only
temporarily great.
China in her difficulty turned to
America for help because she real
lied the greatness of our nation.
America went to war and gave Cuba
her independence. she freed from
slavery the Philippines. In spite of
some few stains on our flag it is still
a great nation in spirit and charac-
ter-all a result of christianity. The
president of foreign republic once
said: 1.-The thing that has made
America so great is because it has
the open bible in it's homes. The
last part of the text is a warning,
BE thou a blessing" There is a
responsibility that goes with every
opportunity The Jewish people be-
! came a great nation but they forgot
the rest of the text and they lost
their place in the world.
We have Bolshevism and profit
eering in this country but America
must teach her children that Boil
shevism in this land should be an
unknown quantity. We have no
place for men of doubtful loyalty.
l believe It's Country should pay the
! passage of all Bolshevists and
profiteers to a land elsewhere. a one
way ticllet-no return. where they
can enjoy their belief, but not in
America.
In congratulate tho G. A. r. for
| the part it has played in making
this Country what it is. God grant
YOU blessings during your remain
ing years and may we all be true to
the trust. and the privileges of
America citizenship.