Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-06
HONOR THE ~rURLED RAINIER.

FOR THE UNION AND AMERICANA
"Christmas!" says the merry chimes, and
the streets are filed with the shouts and re
joicings of the revelers. But sit in the
glow of the freight and muse, and the
sounds of mirth fall all sadly ON my ears as
/ think OF the "times Of war" 'Tis not
meet that we should cast shadows over the
remaining joy of the present, but somehow
have no Christmas heart tonight, for shadowy
phantoms of buried hopes are rising, and
cannot see the light of living sunshine.
have Just been reading Southern jour-
nal, the uncompromising loyalty of which
/ cannot but contrast with the warm South
ern spirit evinced by its tonesix short monshs
ago. All this we can bear, but for the re
Elections cast complainingly upon the past,
and those snko are gone. | throw the traitor
sheet aside, while the indignant tears come
at this evidence, among thousand Others, OF
the iDgratitude of humanity.
o, the past, the past with Its neyer-dying
memoriesl How it rises in rebuking mourn
fulness, coming oft midst our hours OF gaiety
in the regretful heart-throb, while pale,
marred forms arise and chase away our
smiles to pitepus sighs. Wemay for giddy
hour forget .hem, but the silent aight will
bring back their brave dying faces and the
".fnrled banner dropping Ger them.
Aspirations for the future we must crush;
resignation we must learn; loyalty to our
Government is duty; but OH not to forget
the dead-not to tear from their martyr
graves the guerdon of grateful memory, and
coldly turn aside and with pharisaical voice
exclaim: "They were wrong; our rum be
upon their headsl"
AhlI sac wasted forms in the comfortless,
cheerless gloom Of prison walls, numbering
the dreary hours from day today till months,
ah wears creepon and rs the moments drag
their weary weight along, gaunt famine
stalks through those horrible homes of
of misery and yet see theproud indignant
blood rising to the wasted cheek when the
offer is made of liberty at the price of
dishonor. Look at the picture and say If
there be aught in this deserving the scorn of
cOuntrymen?
Look again on the narrow cots in the pris-
oners, hospital forms covered with terrible
wounds, burned, scorched with hungry fever,
denied all that makes sickness endurable,
vet here we find the patient strength of en-
durance, the determined unswerving faith of
purpose, never by word or deed to forsake
the cause for which they suffer. Zen when
graphing with the king of terrors in the
last hours of physical suffering, hear the
faint voice cry, "God save my country !"
All! by the memory Of such scenes, by all
that is godlike in the creature made little
Al al L. 1lxr
words that would cast oblivion, could the
die) on the GREATinth the history of
their martyrdom; the murmuripgs because
of the failure of a cause for which, God
knows they gave all they had, life.
Can the honorable, Of our conquerors, es-
TEEN in us such craven lies?
And We who have fought side by side with
those that have fallen, who have shared the
piercing cold, the famishing hunger, the
mortal fatigue of the fainting footsore
marches, and who have stood by them when
the frame was shattered by the cruel ball,
how can you feel that there is no void made
by their absence in the heart of a nation.
The last surgings of the tide of mighty
war havesearc died away, and can ye whose
blood leaped so wildly, proudly, when vic
tories were won, so soon forget those who
gave their lives SO willingly to gain them
Even foeman have admiration and reverence
for the brave who nobly fought for their
principle of right and although in theory
his is granted by all, yet the hurried eager
ness evinced by many, to prove (falsely) their
litter want of sympathy with their country
men, their abuse of the wrong measures"
If their Southern brethren, simply signifies
he wish to blot out all that remains of holy
ruth and beauty in the last cause truth be-
,ause of the honest candor and belief of its
ustice. Can we not suffer the South to crum-
Die into "dignifed " ruin" without striving |
o tear from her the clinging remains of the |
aurels her heroes died to bequeath her? |
Let not the world point in derision at our
,aseness; let us be loyal to our remaining |
interests, but oh never seek to sully the |
brightest images of the past.
KENTUCKY"