Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-05-17
Christian Patriots speech.

A christian Patriots speech.
AT the celebration Of the Fihy.Second
Anniversary Of the American Tract Society.
on last Tuesday evening in the City of New
York, Major-Gen. Howard being present
was intro luc3d and enthu siastically cheered,
alter which he spoke az follows:
During the war, and after | had received
n wound. | visited my home in Maine, and,
not being able to return to the field, accord.
inc to the advice of physicians, for two
months, | went through the State talking
10 the people and canvassing the State for
volunteers. urged on the people the self.
sacrifice as a Christian duty. We used to
be taught some peculiar theories in Way
lands Moral Science" upon the subject of
war. ! had tried to be a Christian man, |
sympathized with Chri. tan men, and | had
prayed with Christian men, but when the
question was presented to me, before my
country and before my God, "Will you step
forth and do what you can at this crisis, or
will you retire from the position of active
duty p" | felt that it was my Christian
duty to do what | could for my country
Applause. And it was ia this spirit that
| urged the people Of my State to do what
they could-not only as q patriotic duty,
but as a Christian duty. The Governor Of
the State wanted me to go down to the
coast, to a little town called the Secesh town
i will not mention its real name now-to
see what | could do there. The quota of
the tow was quite large, but there had not
up to that time been a single volunteer from
it. | went into the town, was introduced
to the leading spirit-secesh spirit-and
obtained his consent 10 preside at a Union
meeting. And | told those people the same
thing, that it was not only a patriotic duty
but a Christian duty that they should make
some sacrifice that it was as much our
duty to shed our blood to preserve the
Union as it was the duty Of our fathers to
shed theirs in inauEurating aud establish
ing it. Applause. Well, before a week
had passed, it was telegraphed to me that
the entire quota of that town was filed
Icheersl and such was the answer ] receiv.
ed from most of the towns in the State
That was the tins when people were gloomy
because legs and arms had to be lost, and
when many insisted that we were fghtiuG
against God aud against truth. Haven
you had enough? p they said, referring tt
the fathers and sons and friends they had
given to the war. stop this horrid war !
they cried but yet | found that when w
went among them with a cheerful face, anC
T talked to them Of oar duty to make sacri
fees when we told them what the hear
of the people really was, and that the pee
pie had come to the solemn determination
to succeed in the struggle when VIC tol,
them this, and that the soldiers who Tough
would be honored as much one day as thu
old heroes Of the Revolution were then
we found them ready to make tho sacrifc
demanded Of them. Applause.
, Well, my friends, we have had II terribl
o war 100000 men lie dead beneath the bal
tie-field, others are going about in d~eiormity
without legs and without arms. Some ar
t broken down in body, and others are di
' pirated because Of the injuries they have RI
ceived. These things all remind us of wis
: we have suffered but what have we gained
Why, we have gained our country!-lo lou
applause unless we should sacrifice it too
ishly now, and we can only do that by placin
expediency in the place Of right. Al
r plause. Why, it has been ezpodiency, e1
pedicncy, expedicncy, any time these fit
; years. Expedicncy has been the cry cv,
o since American Slavery was Instituted Say
T the Union This was the cry, but man
g cried it only for the sake of expedicncy, an
y ! thank God that this Society did take tn
stand spoken Of, sId did maintain it alon,
Cheers And | am glad to see the pr,
:, position made and generously responded
} Tor the reunion OF the two societies on I'll
= Radical principles of Right. Applause
), This and the other, and all benevolent s.
%cieties should go hand in hand now, for "
5 must not lose the fruits of the victory "
have gained.
Now is the time for sacrifice. During II
. war every body was willing to give som
- thing, but this spirit of sacrifice must ne
end now. Now that the clash of arms hi
ceased, the clash of principles has common
y ed, and il is not yet that we are a united n
ton with one people, one purpose. Ne
York has not yet come to that, Boston h
, not yet come to that, none Of the lsrl
cities Of the Union have, for the conflict
'' principles are still going on. The people
not see that it is absolutely necessary to
s to the bottom OF the matter, and to cduca
le the masses of the people. If they do n
do this We shall fail in our RECONSTRUCTED
lo if they forget the education Of the po
whites and the POOR blacks We shall fail
l. secure the fruits of our %victery.
Gen. Howard then spoke ofthe great 90,
done by the Tract Society, and conclud,
"a with an earnest appeal for u continuance
,r its work.
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