Washington telegraph., 1864-05-11

assign hlmself some WorK IN our struggle,
in which he may honestly hope to lend
help to the cause, and bend himself to il
with all his energies and all his heart. 1t
is disgraceful to be idle. 1t is still more
shameful to pursue ones own selfish in
terests to the prejudice of the best inter
ests of our country. No one is free from
this obligation. The conscript is call ed
by his ssuffering country, speaking through
Congress, to shoulder arms for her de-
fence. Like true sou, he should spring
| to the call without murmur. 1t IL a
noble duty. The exempt is relieved, not
for his own qualification, nor as Il personal
favor. He is exempted for the service he
may perform in his vocation. If he neg
lects to perform it with all his might. or
makes it the means of personal gain to
the prejudice of the community, he shame
fully betrays his trust, and wrongs the
soldier who has, for his part, undertaken
to endure the privations of camp, the
tolls of the march aud the dangers of the
field. Let no such man be tolerated -
Those who are not withla army age are
excluded by 'aw, not because they form a
favored class, nor because they are alb
solved from patriotic labors. They, too,
owe all they have to the country equally
with others. The interests and duties OF
each-of the young of %, and the old
man of 70-are equally pressing. The
excluded ages are for the preservation Of
good order aud civil society at home, for
the protection of the families of soldiers,
for the maintenance of our armies in the
field, and their families, and (let them
never be forgotten in the ardor of purely
military sympathies) the poor and decrep
it, who are consigned to our care BY One
whose mandate is universal through aces
and equally binding in war as il peace.
| The women, too, have felt tbe sense of the
same possibility, and have not asked
exem ptiou. Their fame will exceed tha,
of all their sisters in history If our IN.
dependence be gained, as It surely will, il
will be due as much to our women of the
| South as any one class OF co-workers. |,
will be proud record for them, and a
| humlliating one to the drone in society
who may have escaped the army, and can
point to no act or deed by which his coun-
| try may have been benefited. He may
have speculated, and become rich His
riches will bring neither honor lot happi-
ness. He may be a loafer, and poor. L,
will he poverty without sympathy, and
worthily dissraceful.
''There is tide in the affairs of men.
Which taken at its food, leads on to fortune !"
That tide now rises for US, all over the
Confederacy. Its waves are heard 10 every
quarter-rising day by day more glorious
ly. 1t will sweep US to victory aud in
derendence, if we avail ourselves of it
But we must throw ourselves into it with
all our hearts and with all our souls We
must do az gamesters do. and "press our
luck" wien fortune smiles. The com
parison is an unworthy one. We mus, ,
rather thankfully accept the smiles Of
Providence, appearing at length to bright
EN- our cause and assure US of its justice
We should show ourselves worthy of it By
putting all our hands to the work, and
pressing it to the happy cousummation
If We sit down content Will, what has
been already done, and go to holiday rest,
the tide will surely ebb in time, and We
will be left, before we are aware, stranded
amongst shoals and shadows.
Let Us each to work, then, 20 swell tn {
tide of our prosperity. The soldier 10 his
musket and the camp, there to cultivate
the sentiments, acquire the discipline,
and do the duties Of the true soldier; and
not TO avail himself of his position TO act
the thief aud the robber. az some do who
disgrace the name Of Southern soldier -
Let the exempt 90 to his vocation and de-
vote his whole time TO that with an eve
single to the public good. The women
may be trusted.
Most important of all, is the farmer
His duties are most utgeDt of all. Our
battle for independence is fought with the
plow and sickle as we'll as with the mus
ket. No one is excusable who does not
produce TO the extent of his ability; who
does not make. the last possible graiu. II
We can eat, we are safe. Much time vet
remains before the planting season is over.
None of it should be lost or wasted. And
upon all devolve the duties of maintaining
law and order Let each do what escl.
can do" and. whilst so employed. impose
implicit trust 10 those who NAV be placed
in control Of our armies, and uphold their
hands