T H E TORCH O F REASON, SIL V E R T O N , OREGON, T H U R S D A Y , JU N E 10, IS.-7.
H E riO R IA L DAY.
th e end to which all sh -uid work. life, the I nion, an* of more value great generals are all gone hut we
M eanwhile, we need more ami th an any am ount of property, can rem em ber them yet an d their
A sermon delivered by Rev. W.
We
W ealth is good, I wish we old names are known to all nations of
E. Copeland at Unity church, more to cultivate patriotism .
need it now a* m uch as we did in soldiers had more of it, hut virtue, the world. Some have revisited
Salem, Ore., Sunday, May 30. the Go’s. Perils threaten us now
honor, hum an sym pathy are of the historic b attle fields on which
as they did then, and we need men greater value.
,
they did their p art and the whole
No other am ong the days set
who can rise above party or sect
1 he com rades of the G rand Arm y of the eventful day came before the
apart by law as a day of rest and
and think only of their co u n try , ami the other com rades, who have mind. Again we saw our com rades,
cessation from business is so truly
now as then. Properly is account never been m ustered into the G rand again we heard the dread noises of
a holiday as is M emorial Day.
ed of more value th an life, men A ,m y, not very m uch to look a t the battle, again we heard the coui-
W hat we now call a holiday was
may go w ithout work, women may now, worn, poor, m any of them ; m ands or gave them as of old. The
originally a holy day and was con
dress in rags, children m ay starve, growing old all of them , have a ranks of the old regim ent were full
secrated to the honor of some sain t
but property m ust lx? protected. quality which com m ands respect, once more; everything appeared as
or sacred event. On it the people
Now hot blood seethes through the ¡and th a t is patriotism , tested in when the day begum R ecalling hour
+iad a special religious service, as
veins, strong men are ready to use war. Doubtless am ong the young by hour, at last we came to the
now o r T hanksgiving and C h rist
violent m easures to right
the men, there are p atrio ts, I cannot close and saw the field strewn with
mas, or in C atholic churches on
wrongs, so to-day we need patriots, but believe th at, such is the case; the dead and dying. Once more
St. Johns day, or St. M arks day.
who will suffer for the sake of th eir but their patriotism has not yet we heard the fam iliar roll call, and
But in the course of tim e the m ean
country. T h at th e people are so been tried, these old veterans, with noted how few answered to their
ing of the word has changed and a
patient is evidence th a t w ehaveim t all their faults, and again I adm it, nam es. We who have never been
holiday is a day of m errim ent and
yet lost our p atriotism ; as the years we have m any, have been tried in on
the old
battle-field
have
festivity, except this which we cele
pass, it will be tested h ard er than the fire and their patriotism proved, oft
recalled
the
events
of
brate to-morrow, which still retains
ever, so th a t we need to em ploy They have shown by their deeds the past and they were as real as
its solemn ch aracter and has ser
every m eans which will strengthen th at they love their n ativ e land; ever. W hat m em ories come to us
vices of a sem i-religious nature.
it. It has been forgotten even by they have proved, under fire, their today as our th oughts turn back to
The sober mien, the grave face, lie-
com rades in the G rand Arm y, th at loyalty to the ever-beloved stars those (lavs in the 60’s, so big with
fit the holiday; for on it, we call to
the great war was fought over the and stripes; we have given our- m eaning not only to this nation
mind not perhaps saints, but heroes;
question of property.
The most selves, and no man can do more hut to the world, days on which we
men, who, for the sake of their im
valuable property in the s<»uth con than this to preserve the Uidon did our p art, each as full of action
perilled country, took th eir lives in
sisted of Black men and women; ......... l><‘i'.g shattered beyond the as are o rdinary years.
their hands and went forth to b a t
...
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the whites of the south Itelieved possibility of rejoining.
tle, m any of them never to return.
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M emorial day is not, as some im-
th a t they would lose this m ost
I hm k you the trial was easy; 1 , •
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Some of our com rades were indeed
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...
* agine, intended only to glorify a few
valuable possession. The Copper bow is it com rades?
Were the r
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far from saints, as sain tsh ip is de
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P°or °1<1 soldiers; to be sure we
heads waxed rich by com m erce with long m arches w ithout food, were ...... 1 . ..
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fined in the churches.
Some of
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' niaicli to the grave, we stand before
the slaveholders of the south and the fierce charges, were the m any ,
, ,lkl- .. .
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them were funny fellows, and we
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lhe public, it is one dav, but one
they say th eir trade was endangered, hours when we had to stan d and
,
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can all of us, who have been in the
,
,
(,ay ‘»»‘ly, th a t as visible signs, we
th eir property th reaten ed ; so these one and an o th er was picked otf,
great arm y, recall actions and
,
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’ niay recall to the m inds of those
parties joined to sever the Union were th e weary days in the hospital 1 ,
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about us, th e young men and the
speeches which provoke laughter,
and thus preserve th eir wealth. Of or on the b attle held belore we
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even when the tears are in our eyes;
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young women, those dreadful days,
more value to them th an the Union, were taken to the hospital, e a s y ; '. . t
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others were, what we m ust in justice
J " h e n the fate of a great nation hung
th an hum an freedom and hum an were the screech of the shell, the •
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adm it, rath er hard cases; not only
,
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, 1,1 f ’,e balance and no m an could
happiness, was their property. Such zip of the bullet, the boom of t h e ! tMii whl- ,
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swearing and drinking, but not at
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which way the scales would in-
men still exist; m any are to he cannon, th«* rattle of the m usketry,
tri
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all unw illing to tak e w hat did not
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c,,n e‘ VV hen, all over the United
found now who value m ore than lullaby m usic? It was music, th a t c. ♦
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belong to them ; in civil life this
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M ates, processions march tom orrow
hum an life and hum an happiness som e!lines terrified a n d so m e tim es .
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would have been called stealing; ,
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fo the cem etaries and com rades visit
th eir m iserable fortunes.
To pre inspired, vvere the sights on battle
,
but we called it foraging and were
« p i . ...... h„u..i,.i .
........... « ’•■'»■■y graves m lonely spot« and
serve those fortunes and increase field and hospital p leasant to look
place on them a flag and a hunch
not averse to sh arin g in th e bene
them , they would sacrifice their upon?
Those, who are so ready
of flowers, we are not merely honor
fits obtained by the forager.
In
co untry, they would side with op for war with foreign powers have
deed, an expert forager was a most
ing
of the
soldier o or r sain»
sail*»!
....♦ u ..1 ,1
x x-
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os the « dust
« b i - oi
m e »..juier
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pression and barbarism , and so per n o t h ad th e ir p a trio tis m trie d a s
excellent com rade to have in the
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♦
v x 1 x .
V 1"« tl,ere> we are honoring th
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m it Spain to perpetrate atrocities have these veterans. Not hut th a t
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country and the dag we are honor
mess, and we asked no questions
k
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in Cuba, which surpass the cruelties I believe they are w orthy sons. •
as to methods.
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“ ‘g heroism . I hese be practica
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of the savage red m an.
They B ut w a r is not lightly to be entered .
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d a y K ‘'»w hich we are in ten t 01
No, these com rades whom we would sacrifice the lives and hap p i
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caring, each for his own little af
honor to-day; to recall
whose ness of th eir fellow-citizens, if so be
or dishonor. I here are tunes, when
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we buv and sell
deaths and actions m em orial day is th a t they m ight increase their own p»*ace is no longer possible, and . we fans . of business,
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and
earn
our
bread,
if we can. W<
set ap art, were not saints; they w ealth: m ore to be condemned are compelled to resort to arm s, ¡ » j^
.
a *
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. I " ve ” •« practical age, when lift
were live, breathing, loving, hating, should they be, th a n the Rebs of <v
W hen the time comes; if ever it i . 1
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has
been
reduced
to
dead
level, am
real men, who had this tocom m end the GO’s, for they know better. Such does, which kind heaven avert, m ay ..11
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J all th a t interests us is 1 business
them, th a t they were patriots. And men in the GO’s m anufactured and our sons he
as ready as were th eir t i
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I
he
days
of
adventure
and hero k
sa' what you please, patriotism is sold shoddy blankets which the father«, to shoulder the m usket a.
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service are passing away. To do
a virtue, which every nation th a t rains and sun m ade worthless, sent and 1 go to the
front. Rem em ber t .
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f
,
,
to
dare,
to
die
for
the
right,
to
suf-
would be great, must place a t the to the front shoes which the first that h u m an ity is more precious
t
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»er for a great cause seldom falls tc
head of all virtues. W hatever may m arch destroyed, thought it a ,k
th an property, all men to he more
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r
th e lo t o f A m e ric a n c it zen s. Thif
have been the failings of our com
shrew d stroke of wisdom to furnish regarded th an a few inen. T h a t 1
.. all
Il else,
1 justice
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rades, and they had fully as m any wevily biscuit, spoiled beef and above
h
ebie
nikitiec.
.. iwl 11 b l.wrxtko»
and
ro th . er « » ,M 8el a p a rt to commemorate
as other m en; they were patriotic. other food unfit for dogs, to feed hood are the most valuable treasure, an unexpected heroism, when old
Some tell us th a t patriotism is a the in«-n who were im perilling their more to be desired than gold or men and boys shouldered the muskel
and m arched aw ay, some to come
narrow virtue, which just escapes lives to preserve th e Union.
Such silver, lands or houses.
hom e no more, others crippled for
being a vice, which some day we men still live and follow the old
M em oiial Day calls to m ind life. T hink of the departu re of
-hal, outgrow. I suppose we shall, g a m e , seeking w ealth over the dead
I hope indeed we tnav, and sav bodies of th»*ir fellow men. Thank seen«*«, such as th is nation never regim ent, with glistening and new
witnessed before and we tru st may equipm ents, think of the return
»'itri the au th o r hero of our inde God all rich men are not brutes,
never witness again; scenes whose with rusted bayonets, shabby and
pendence, ‘‘my country is the else we would be in a hopeless con
n arratio n will th rill the patriotic ragged uniform s an d tattered flags*
world.” I hope the time w ill come, dition. W hile it is true, that the
h eart of all time. B attles were we went a thousand strong only a
when all the partition walls be- love of m oney is the root of all evil,
fought, which have become historic few hundred came back. We were
ween n atio n s,an d between religion*, yet men m ay have great wealth and battles known to the whole world, baptized in blood and fire; rnav
foo, for th at m atter, shall be broken not love it. But this we want to
Shall we ever forget those scenes? I America never lack brave men, who
down and ihe hum an race become rem em ber, brought to our minds
think not; today they are as vivid in the tim e of need m ay rise above
°ne grand brotherhood.
This is by our memories of the w a r: honor,
as when we played our part. The J selfishness and care for the whole