The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-09-12

4 one-tnlrd It's Iorner numDer, III was dl
tributed among the military static
: within the Kingdom and Provinces.
large number of the surviving officers
the field of Waterloo were garrisoned
Ireland. They were generally men wi
had seen hard service, and earned the
honors and Offices in the battle field, bU
a considerable number of new men re
/; eeived appointments through the fave
of their wealthy and powerful friends
and came among the veterans with CON
missions in their pockets which CAV
them high rank in the army. The oil
soldiers naturally enough looked upol
these raw recruits as mere upstarts o
intruders. They despised them for thei
inexperience, and hated them for thei
injustice suffered by their promotion
In profession where honor is gainec
by killing the country's enc nies, it viii
scarcely be thought immoral to hate the
individuals rivals and supplanters.-
The apostle JOHN says that murder ant
hating ones brother go together. An6
taking the military sentiment for the
standard of judgement, it is mean to beg
or buy promotion where other people
have fought for it. But this is done
elsewhere as well as in the British army
for the Offices which are thought most
honorable are often obtained by means
the most dishonorable.
The hero of my story was in this sit
uation, and whether be deserved the
judgement.we have passed upon his class
or not, he suffered it in its fullest meas
ure. He had obtained b. patronage,
the Office of Ensign, and after the estab-
lishment of peace, was quartered with
some dozen or twenty officers of We'll
lington's army, in.one of the cities of
ireland. An Ensign is the lowest COM
missioned officer, and the salary or pay
is SO small that it is saying" If an
Ensign have wine for dinner, he must go
without supper" Our Ensign was very
poor-he was fricndIcss, very young,
and constitutionally shy.
On the other hand, the officers of the
station were generally well supplied
with money, and had nothing to do but
to spend it. They live fast and high,
and were, by their habits and tastes, un-
pleasant companions for such as he :
Besides his retiring manners, there was
something else in him which disinclined
him to their dislike; this was certain
air of self-respect, showing refinement
and culture, and strict propriety of
language and manners, which quietly
but all the more severely rebuked their
looscness and rudeness of conduct
They hated him for the manner be enter
ed the army, and still orsc for his per-
sonal character and demeanor among
thom. All this had its effect upon him
also, in the breach between them widen
ed every day.
A certain amount aud kind of court
esy he vas entitled to by the rules of the
service; this they gave him, but so
sharply measured out that every salute,
was an affront, aud every look an insult,
and he might have had cau~e to quarrel
1T any moment he pleased. 1t was, in
fact. the settled purpose of several of
these men to drive him out of the army
BY their incivilities, or to drive him into
l duel, and so dispense of him finally.
Thing grew worse continually. The
of the older officers for the
1oung Ensign, and his repugnance to
hem increased with every meeting, un-
il they paid no kind ofrespect for his
ceilings, and he avoided them with a
'aution that looked like antipathy.-
The worst of all was the evident convic-
ion in the minds of the whole garrison
hat he was a coward character most
hameful in soldier, and in any man a
Feakness that renders other virtues
worthless.
Poor fellow he was alone, friendless
md without dollar in the world but
lis monthly pay. With these beggar-
y circumstances he was a scholar and
gentleman, with feelings rendered
ver-scnsative by high culture and re-
ent misfortune. But his chief impedi-
nent was concience-a religious sense
f right, which left him no liberty to
elieve himself or amend his prospects
y any means which the highest morali-
y forbode. He suffered much every
ray, and most Of all he endured for l.
sake OF course he had
be strength and nobloness which such
sentiment bestows; but it is easier to
o great things than bear little ones.
There are more heroes than saints in
his world. St.Peter was not afraid of
be soldiers in the garden, but he was
shamed of his master in the Judge
lent Hall. To bear disgrace, and
hame, and scorn, to stand quiet under
,spicions that drive one out of society,
,r the sake of a principle which nobody
elieves or respects-is the cross-bear- :
lg.
Our young hero occupied the position 9
7 a soldier and gentleman, with the a
haracter of coward and slave It s
as bitter cup, and his enemies ksptit t
onstantly to his lips. Y