The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-11-17
War.

One of the most astonishing facts pre-
scented by the current history of the world
is the love which Christian people still
feel for the dreadful art of shedding hu-
man blood BY wholesale-the trade
which takes citizens from the peaceful
pursuits by which God intended they
should live, and teaches them to murder
their fellow men by platoons aud regi-
ments. and ravage their crops, and burn
or batter down their cities and villages.
When we contemplate this subject in
the light Of reason and the teachings of
the gospel, we must look with horror up
on the battle field. What scene is
that where the sanetuaries of nature are
invaded by hostile armies In fair
landscape, perhaps, where the grass, the
grain, the shrubs, and wild flowers are
growing for the sustenance of man and
beast, we behold some thousands of men
drawn up ia battle array, confronting
each other with visages distorted with
passion, or stamped with determine
ton to slay, without conjunction, those
made in the same image as themselves.
They are furnished with all the instru
ments of carnage that a perverse and ac-
tive ingenuity could invent for the de-
struerion of human life; and there, where
the grass and grain are growing, water
ed by the gentle dews of night, and the
early and latter rains, and tended by the
Harvest Angels, these hostile armies,
stimulated by the cries of their leaders,
and the sound of martial music, rush to
the onset. Then the sweet-singing birds
are scared from the orchards and groves;
then are the fields devastated; then rises
cloud ofblack sulphurous vapor 10 blot
out the sunshine that was flooding the
landscape then is heard, instead of the
minstrelsy of the feathered songsters the
shrieking fife and the "silyer snarling
trumpet ;" and the babbling of meadow
brooks, the hum of bees and all the
sweet music of nature is drowned by the
battle-shouts, and the groans of poor
wretches, cut down in the vigor of-man-
hood, with their blood coursing holly
through their veins.
Hundreds have been slain, and one
party has driven the other from the
field and crowned its own leaders
with GLORY" But who shall carry
peace to the hearths that have been desc
lated? Ask that brave young man who,
with gastly wound in that bosom
which an hour ago beat high with hope
and ambition, has crawled to the banks
of cooling stream to die-to die with
the vision of the cottage home that holds
his wife and children-ask him if war is
not fearful trade. The question may
reach his ear too late, for the last red
drop may have gurgled from his bosom.
but his wife can answer the question
with terrible emphasis. In her dark
despair, as she looks upon her little ones
she will tell you that it is dreadful.
And yet as men and nations are con-
siituted, war is sometimes necessary
With all its horrors, it sometimes bles-
ses the world. Our nationality was
achieved through protracted war, our
infant liberties were baptised in blood.
The present war in Europe will proba-
bly, ensure us from molestation by for
eign powers forever, and thus secure an
asylum for the oppressed of all nations
for all coming time. Thus while our
commerce reaps a present advantage
from it, it will afford to US immunities of
incalculable value. Let us be thankful
that We have so far escaped the evils of
devastating wars, while on the other
hand, We secure immense benefits from
the wars of other nations-BosfOn Her
UId