The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1862-12-06
RICHMOND, WAYNE CO., IND.,

t there should also be institutions where
y Sufficient number Of young men can get tn
t preliminary education necessary to 1T then
: to enter the schools of of6cers--an educatio,
a which, besides being as complete and thor
e ough literary one As officers ought to have
, should also be such in point OF military dis
J.. cipline and instruction As shall lay goot
5 foundation for building themselves up anc
5 perfecting themselves IS officers by subse
queut instruction and experience. 1t is no,
absolutely necessary to establis b institution:
exclusively or specially for this purpose
The end might be attained. if suficien,
amount of military instruction, drill, and
discipline were sdded to the presen, course
of education in the schools, academies, and
colleges of the land. This perhaps would
be the best way. 1t would accomplish the
object OF preparing sufficient number of
young men TO enter the Stat. schools OF
officers. and would beside tend to diffuss
throughout the body of the educated class
of the people something Of military knowl.
edge and of the spirit OF the military virtues
to the great advantage OF the nation in
any times, but especially in critical emer-
gencies demanding great aud heroic sacIi
| fees.
| So horrible thing is war. and SO dread
| full are its inevitable miseries. that there is
at first thought something shocking to many
persons. in the idea of making military in.
struction part OF the system of public ed
ucation-:u cultivating the military spirit,
and training the children snd youth of a
nation TO science and skill in the arts OF
carnage. The kind and gentle-hearted find
little consolation in being reminded that war
is one of Gods agencies. They acknowl-
edge that the earthquake. the pssti!ence, the
tornado, are His agencies. They find no
difficulty in saying. with Wordsworth. in
regard to these:
We bow our hearts before Thee. and we l.ud
And msgri ify Thy Name, Almighty Got?
Yet when he adds:
But Thy most dreaded instrument
Ia working out pure intent,
J. arrsved for mutual Slaughter
Yea, Carnage is Thy daughter.
they shrink from the thought aud the i'm
age. 1t is too dreadful for ready acauies-
cence.
Bat there is another side to the subject,
and a deeper view. Sec how the hero
preacher. the sanity hearted Robertson-
as pure and tender spirit as ever breathed
puts the matter
Take away honor and Imagination and poetry
fr' II war. d it becomes ciraase, Doubtless And
take away iublic spirit and invisible princpls frc
Resistance to u tx snd !iampden be ,omes a noisy
denagolu Carnage is terrible. Death,
and human features obltersted beneath the hoof of
the war horse, md reekins hospital. and ruiacd
uierce. and oatrd homes an. broken hearts they
are all aw' al hut there is something than
!ea H. Cowardce Is worse And the decay of en-
thasiasin aud manliaess is worse. AMI it Is worse
than death aye. worse than hunirei THOUSAND
deaths " hen people has grsvtsted down into the
creed .ha. the wealth Of nat consists not in
rons he.rts In national virtues and primitive sinP
cry and her.lc endursnes and rsfs enes o, duty to
thing The, call capital Peace is bies,es--peaee
arising cut of charity. But Ieace SPRING ng Of
the calcuations OF sedsbness i. blessed IL the
price to be paid for peace is this that we.
lare and men decay better lar, that every in
every ,osn Of cur country should run blood
Now it may be that it ia Gods purpose to
save us by the war we are now engaged in
from such 'gravitation'--to save US by
war from calamities far worse shan any that
war can bring upon us. But be this as it
may, one thing we must all admit, that hor.
rIble war is, and dreadful as are It's mis-
cries. no nation is itto be nation that will
not defend itself by arms, if war is forced
upon IT. And no nation is safe, cr wor-
thy of a place among nations, if i. is not
To maintain its existence against
invasion from without or rebellion from
within. Beside. to be prepared Tor war is
one OF the best securities against war
But the best, the only sufficient foundation
for this preparation. must be laid in the
edpcation IF The yOung-an education not
exclusively military fer any. but while pro-
fessionally military for a sufficien, number.
YET as TO the rest, military in just and due
proportion AN education wh:h. as john
Milton says, fits mar 10 perform j is,ly.
skilfully and maynanimously, all tie III ;es.
both pubic and private. OF peace and of
war The na'ion,' says Wordsworth. in
the preface 10 one OF his grand odes. the
nation woulj err grievously, il she suffered
he abuse which oth.r states have made of
he military power, to prevent her from
Derceiving that no people ever was or can
De independent, free, or secure. much less
great in ahy sane aspiration Of the word.
without martial propensities and an iiu-
,us cultivation of The military virtu-s.'