The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-03-02
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III - -
froaleits still'ahd CLASSY bosom to have the
.Bayies of the world lying motionless andr6t-
ting on the staynanti waters, their sails drop
ping off piece by piece. Better far the storm
HAT astfqs up the depths and gives lie and
vigor 10 tlieocean and all upon it. sssissl
-aFPhe storm IF war which now drives furi-
ouslyi ayerb our land. which, is heariugn and
lashipg in anger, may have lashed us into life
and saved us from stagnating and rettins In
| indifference and vice. Not that it is proper
to say that nothing but good comes out of this
| war; lHiwould be too7niuch to assert this-A
The eyil we suffer may be1a chastisement
for our sins. sgf tzss-f lrs
Il But there IS one advantage of this war that
is evident When peace comes at last, no
one can say that there has not been greater
opportunities for doing good during this war
than eyer before. The young men ofs..the
| present day never saw or read of a time as
grand as this. They never had such oppor-
tunitieS of doing great and noble actions. re-
fore this war there were no such opportnpil
ties. No people ever saw, r.its young men
a more glorious era for its, opening to famous
! deeds. And how nobly the young men have
taken advantage of 1t. Before this war the
| young men swarrned evcrywfrere, and YOU
etce-ffiSNt 5pdieS 1dcS
within that delicate form, were the germs of
! heroisn that would make the world look on
IN wonder But the TRUMPET call came. and
the young men leaped to the ranks in res
ponse tosits blast. Pale, fragile, and scarcely
able to- handle his mnsket, the Boylwent out,
and IN the camp, and amid the shock, and
! fury, and carnage of the battle, the germ of
/ heroism developed and expanded, and the
delicate boy lowered upas man and a hero.
| NV hat time this rs, too, for ilnn,asking
hnmbugs and hypoerites. 81 There is ne mercy
! for pretenders in the stern realities of a war
such as this. The mask is rndely torn off by
the iron hand of mortal strife You may
have won place in the worlds esteem by
pretended valor, and simulated nobiliey1sof
MING, but the battlefield is the fiery test that
tries the metal and distinguishes the dross
|. from the pure gold. When you stand in the
/ front rank, and before yon, rushing down on
| you, comes black mass sofi the eneiny---
when. from that dark thunder cloud the deadly
fire leaps forth, to blast and destroy, the mask.
| of humbug and pretence shriveis up and re-,
veals the shivering cowardce beneath. Noisy
| eioquence or pretended couragesare ofiino nses
there. AN your life IS there centered insonel
moment of action, and in the next few mo-,
ments of stern trial you may be put TO the
blush by the pale boy at your side hitherto
quiet and unaoticed, but who suddenly be-
comes transformed into a warrior and a hero
There is nothing like a battle to fnd out the
true characters of men, The. war is making
! people find their proper level. All through
the ranks of the army there has been re-
adjustment of the scale of estimation in
which people are held. 81 ss.ssi vlensjo,s5 ilis
The old catalogue has been. torn up, and,a
new one made, with an entirely different clas-
been. dnue until the masks have been tofileofs
in the fray, until there has been sitting of
characters in the hurting of battle. # for
this alone, the war, dreadful as it is, has been
OF use. ''=sti -iAs '@'si si-sst- >H - --
Not only in the army, bat at home, there
has been a resadjustment inOthesscale.i "A he
virtues and the selfshness of men. have been
brought to the surface. Some menrh have ta-,
ken advantage Of the war and have said, "I
will make my own privats fortune out Of the
necessities of my ceuntry.e Such men at
home are like the camp followers and thieves
who haunt the battle field to rob the dying
and strip the dead,
They are the Sharks that follow the ship to
fatten on the bodies of the dying crew. The
war has developed the charactef of these men,
but at the same time has, brought out the
|, honest and patriotic workers. Many man
hho oeaia III COaiitfy 10 III Si40 Will
retrench my expenses, will plant more, sow
more, and work more to help my country in
its hour of need.' Such men are fighting
the battles of their country in their proper
places. s.,.z.s s s.s-,.s ,s,as5 ~ ss5y{ 80
d Let us go farther back even than this
back to the new work which was ginated
bypthe women of5the country, and which has
been carried on by them. They gathered tos
gether and devised way by which, with
their busy fingers, they could do something
in assistance Of the cause of their country
They have gone on laboring, and increasing
the scope and magnitude of their undertake
, ing, ,s,,..ss F5,.,..,szs,s.4 4 \ sss sss4o n
J No zone appreciates the results Of those Ia
bors better than the soldiers. In every part
J of the battlefield the soldiers have seen evi-
/ dences of the. good work done By those wo-
, men, to assist, and cheer, and relieve them.
} From his own experience he.eould bear testi-
nfony to the value of such assistance After
, the battle ofdPittsburgh Landing, wheu lying
on that bloody, field, ,sonei of the first things
brought him was a counterpane which came
> from Cuyahoga County counterpane which
!. perhaps some aged mother had worked on
i with mingled smiles and tears--whieh had
s. kept her children warm, and been treasured
5 article in the house, but which had been sent
! to comfort the weary soldier. None bui those
who have had similar experiences could tel
r how precious thing to him on that nigh
e was that counterpane. $FEi Ms 81
One of the great elements that go 10 make
7 man brave, if he is brave, is to have, some
. one looking at him and caring for him. Il
!. puts life and courage into him. Probably nc
4 one, lin bthe first moment of.sthe first fight
II when the, enemy are pouring down en- the
$ ranks like an angry food, but has a. hrs
1 thought of seeking his own safety. But bis
e next Thought is that his comrades are looking
t at him, and that behind them his friends anc
!. the whole nation are looking at him and trust
i ing to him. He feels new, courage enterins
d his, breast, he grasps his weapon with a 1rm q
: grip, he plants his feet firmly and nothing
can make him give an inch Of ground. Witt
the eyes of his home and eountfyson him
Q with. their prayers for him---witlf their trus
4 in his courage and steadfastness, he dares no
s be coward.
Z Such gauizations as these have their IN
:. cidental advantages, that they cheer and sus
tain the soldier by their proofs, that they arr
Il looking on him as well as caring for him. i
! you could have one hours experience OF wha
] the soldiers say and feel as they wait for the
IS letters, the packages, and the kind remem
e brances from home, you would be inspired, t.
; redoubled exertiops. lszssis sssi ssliz a3 z
!. Turning aside a moment from this subject
k let us look at the present condition OF tn
country 1t has been said, and the story ma
n been caught up aud repeated from mouth t.
y mouth, that the war is drawing to q elose--
Il that this is the beginning of the .end-tha
: the rebellion has been struck mortal blow
: and is now rapidly dying. Do not listen 70
8 a s,mornert "a, this sfiattcfinx song Do no