New-York daily tribune., 1865-12-25
AFTER THE WAR.

deeree of anxiety as TO the future of the great
armies devastating the United States. 30
lono as tbev were held in the stern grasp oi
military authority, they were merely in'tru'
ments of war. Their warlike life was, however
a regeneration. 1t taught them new haoi'S anu
,essona fsmiliavi2ed them with new scenes,
DESTROYED the shrinking humanity that always
trembled at q wound, and made the physic"i
Tenure of life the burden of mocking song
Even Death himself is not so terrible wfeh We
como 70 know him; and We feared that the les
SIMS in devastation and blOodshed taught by
such inexorable masters AZ Sherman ana "rah'
would be remembered and repeated when the
conauorors of Richmond and Savannah were
freed from the control of their leaders. This
was natural We remember how nearly every
war has been followed by scenes OF internal
commotOn and rapine. and particularly
war like ours, where a Rebellion was to be sup
pressed and great people brought under the
dominion Of laws they had spurned.
Look at the rank and file Of the army Where
are the hundreds Of thousands Of gallant, sun
| bronzod men who marched up Pennsylvania
avenue not many months ago. They had passed
| like storm-clOud over Dation-presaging
wrath and destruction, tempests OF blood
and hurricanes more dreadful than any COM
motion of nature. The cloud has broken; anu
this aggregation of violence and power has
sunk into the earth like so much sweet and
grateful ran to frcshen and strengthen, TO
send forth haryests and manufactures and
wealth, homes made happy, virtue aud peace
and rest Every village has its hero; every
freside has its chroncler of the war. Every
long Winter night finds Grant and Sherman,
and Thomas. fighting their battles over again-
under the direction Of village Homers, who
sing their Had and Odyssey to every listening
company. What magnificent strategy with
broom and shovel and what tremendous work
the poker has to do in carrying the dreadful
nights. Then look at that vast multi
tudc Of routed. beaten, disccmfted men.
whose yalor has almost atoned Tor
the sins Of Rebellion. What dreadful things
they were going to do, They would make the
South a Mexico. They would be like the Span
iards when Bonapar;e was placed over them
They would become the most desperate bandits
on the earth. The guorrillas would be mere
lhaberdashers compared with them. They would
burn. murder. destroy. Woe 10 the Yankee
trader who came among them! Woe to the
Northern laborcr or capitalist who presumed to
Itoke an acre Of their most sacred soil. Better
they had never been born. They would be-
come assas,ns, and shoot them at night, on
their farms-yes in the very church, at the foot
of the altar. Lees oapituation ended the war
only to begin a strife infinitely more deadly.
As for the Union, Come back TO III Is thy
servant dogi Better grave by the banks oil
the suwanee river than a palace on the Hudson.
Better the Stars and Bars for a shroud than the
stars and Stripes for flag We know how
angry men will talk But men do not remain
angry for more than a woek-and our gallant
gray brothers are even now clamOring around
Washington, and kicking at the doors OF Con-
cress, and bcseeching to come in. Oh, how
good they will be Swear! Yes, all the oaths
that ever were recorded in Heaven. Rebel!
Nav their tongues cleave to the roofs of their
mouths--may their right hands forget -.
Patience, anxious brethren in gray The door
will no doubt be opened in time You closed
it unceremoniously in 1860. You fought hard
for five years to Keep it closed. After five years
of fighting, is il too much to ask for five years
of PRAYING
"wars beget military ambition-military
ambition always destroys Republics" Every
profound sophomore and freshman has proved
this from nmnbcrless platforms and to the
utmost satisfaction Of admiring audiences OF
bread .and-butter school-misses Did not Cesar
cross the Rubcon. and Napoleon chase crowd
of Deputies into the street. and so on? We
arrange things differently in America. One Of
our leaders Is now in charge OF Il machine for
patent pumping; another is building railway
through the oil country. One Of the first
soldiers of the Army Of the Potomac is in the
pistol business; another keeps a retail grocery
store; while one of Shcnnan'S most trusted
lieutenants il clain.agent. One Major-Gen-
cra prints weekly journal in Baltimore. Some
Of our officers have drned into Congress; Others
are on their way 10 distant Courts TO orepresent
the honor OF a nation they did somuch TO sustain
These starred and belted gentlemen go down
from the command Of cohorts to become agents
and partners and dealers perhaps with the
orderly who stood before their tents o. tn,
private who held their stirrup. SO with III,
Generals OF the Rebellion. The greatest o
them all is now a teacher of mathematics in {