The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1940-04-20
E. GEORGE BIDDLE LAST OF
SHAW MONUMENT HEROES

slaVery'S cruelties crept into his ears
from the traditions of his environ
ment. The vivid contrast he was con-
stantly exposed to as boy between
free men and runaway slaves to the
land of the free, gave him a steel will
to battle against slavery's demoniac
power in the Nation.
Joined 54th Mass. Inf.
When therefore the guns of rebel
lion fired on Fort Sumpter, he was
ready for the call to the colors in
Massachusetts where he now lived, in
1863. 1t was more than two ~ years
before the leadership of Frederick
Douglas and the friends of "blacks"
were able to induce President Lincoln
to "unchain the black hand" of the
Nation to aid in the fight for its sal
walton against the dissolution of the
Union that the precipitators of the
Civil War were seeking. When, how
ever, after moving to Massachusetts,
the fifty-fourth and fifty-ffth Infan-
tries Of Massachusetts were organ
lzed, he Joined the colors in the Col.
Robert Gould Shaw expedition to
/ South Carolina which won everlasting
fame. He was wounded severely,
July Is, 1868, but was blessed not only
to pass through the fortuitous perils
of the war, but lived on to help mold
the character of his freed brothers
and sisters and continued in his nota-
bic career until he became the last
survivor, as a National symbol of
those whose names are burned on the
famous Shaw Monument on Boston
| Common.
Married in 1873
He was married September 1, 1873
to Miss Sarah E. Decker, daughter of
Rev. W. D. Decker, in Newbury, N. Y.
She made true and noble companion
and had beautiful life of service.
He ever carried forward the colors
in deeds or daring rectitude, in scorn
of all selfish aims, in thoughts sub
lime that pierce the night like stars,
as those stars and stripes lighted the
night Of strife for the cause of free
dom where Sergeant Carney shouted
The old flag never touched the
ground" Again; this man of fame was
as valiant Soldier of the cross" as
he was of the Nation. He believed in
democracy, in its freedom and bene-
fits, and stood for all that his nation
means in the world but it found the
source of both his patriotism and his
creed for life in the life and teachings
of David and the Prophets and of
Jesus Christ our Lord. One of his
mottos we choose for text; "The
Lord is the Strength of My Life, Of
Whom Stall Be Afraid" Pisa. 27:1.
There needs be no trumpet to pro-
claim his devoted Christian career.
From Names tall pines to Florida's
magnolias, from Atlantic's storm
whipped coast to the Pacifc's sun
kissed slopes, people of the Church
and patriots of the Unions cause knew
him as the example of those who
would follow Jesus Christ our Lord.
DR.. Biddle was the exponent of fervor
in the experience and practice of the
presence of God. God to him was
real and no one ever heard him say he
ever had a doubt of the reality of God
in human experience.
We may be sure that the secret of
his life was the fact that the Lord was
his strength. Like Sir Gallahad, ellis
strength was as the strength of ten,
because his heart was pure" This
security in Christ and his God made
him a preacher of courage. There was
no truth too daring for him to utter
when it came to him by reflection and
faith. For many years he had es-
poused holiness as his creed and he
gave bold and an aggressive advo-
cacy to the cause of scriptural holiness
as 1t was interpreted by the ardent
Protestant to replace Church and
ecclessiastic authority in Catholicism
and the established Churh. He never
weakened in his belief that the Bible
was an infallible book and had no
patience with what he called tamper-
ing with the book in revised versions.
He was truly an example of man made
strong in courage by faith in righteous
living. No one expected him to Weld
to the mordern attitude to reconstruct
the scriptures in terms of social orr
gins and scientific testing of the holy
literature. He believed that people
must keep on living irrespective of
what scholars were saying about the
world and God Intensely DESTROYS of
applying to experience his luxuriant
beliefs about religion he gave proof
that religion is the most satisfying
and comforting force in all the world
and that men may verify shout with
Paul, "The life that I live, live by
faith of the Son of God, or breathe
that other world defying, God-adoring
saying of the Advocate of Gentle
Christians, 81 know in whom I have
believed and I am persuaded that He
IS able to keep that which have COM
mitted unto him against that day." for
neither life nor death nor any other
creatures shall be able to separate me
from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord"
His FavOrite Hymns
In nothing is this security of trust
more manifest than in this mans
favorite hymns: give found Friend
in Jesus" and "What a Friend We
Have in Jesus" and as if to marvel
at the tremendous assurance this com
Dany of his Saviour created in him
he often raised the hymn in Church,
Glow Firm Foundation, Ye Saints
OF the Lord, is laid for your Faith in
His excellent Word"
Edited "The Zion Trumpet