The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-06-01
GARLANDS
Not Perishable Wreaths Upon
Pillows of Dust.
But Floral Tributes upon the Courage,
Sacrifice and Patriotism
Shown by our Soldiers.
t, DE WITT TALMAGE.


which could keep rank"
Decoration Day next Tuesday, Lift
up your eyes and see all over TINS lana,
from San Francisco to Canada, the peO-
Dle gathering in the cemeteries. They
are bringing flowers. The drums are
beating the grand march, The minute
guns are the heart thrObs OF the Ma
tiOn's sympathy. They bring flowers In
WreathS; that suggests the cOnquerer.
They bring flowers in crosses; that sug-
gests awful suffering. Some OF the
flowers are white; that means victory.
Some of the flowers are red or crimson;
the seed for them was planted at ManaS-
sas junction and Charlotte Courthouse;
planted in grave trenches and covered
with the iron rake of battle; blooming
now, suggestive of the blood that was
spilled and of the ruddy flash of musket-
ry. In this national observance we do
not merely put perishable wreath on
the pillow of dust where the dead sleep,
but we put garland upOU the selt-sac-
rifice, and a garland upon patriotism.
The military science of the Bible Is pro-
fOundly interesting. Cain ana ABEL
were the first cOmbatants, and all the
disputes between individuals and fami-
lies and nations have been only the
echo of Gains club. In Bible times all
the men between twenty and fifty years
of age were enrolled for the standing
army. Then levy was made for special
service. There were only four or nVe
classes exempt-thOse who built house
and had not lived in it; those who had
planted garden and not plucked the
fruit thereof; those who were engaged
to be married, and had not yet led the
bride to the altar; those who had been
welded for less than one year, and all
those very nervous people who would
probably run at the sight OF an enemy
or faint at the sight of blood. These
were exempt, The army was put into
divisions; the centre, the right and left
wings. The defensive weapons were
shield, helmet, breast-plate and buckler.
The offensive weapons were spear, sword
sling, arrow, javelin, the catapulG-
which was a great bow managed by
machinery, discharging arrows to great
distance, arrows so heavy that some
men could not lift them-and the bal
lista, which was a great sling swung
by machinery, throwing to great dis
tances rocks and balls of lead. The
shield was made of woven WlllOW-W0rk,
covered with three thicknesses of hide
and lOOped on one side, so that the war
rior might thrust his arm in. Attacking
an enemy on the level these shields
came close to each other, and made a
wall movable and impenetTable; but at
tacking battlements, these shields were
neIu OV6EQedu JO I6SlSG Gll6 Idll VI nllo-
sles. The breast-plate consisted OF two
pieces of leather, brass covered, one
piece falling over the breast, the other
over the back, the two pieces of leather
fastened at the side of the warrior with
buttons and clasps. The ankle and the
foot wore an iron boot. The bow was
so stout and strong and stiff that 1t
could not easily be bent, and one war
rior would frequently challenge another
IA hond II Tho dfrinOa Of the
bow were made out of the sinews of OK
en-. In case, the shape of an inverted
pyramid the arrows were placed and
when warrior wanted to d1slOdge them
he put his hand over his shoulder and
brought forth the arrows. The wall of
the ancient city bent inward, so that the
assailing party might be attacked on
the flank. The battering-ram was
beam hung on chains in equilibrium.
This great war machiUe was brought
up in front of the wall, and then great
many people would lay hold of the beam
and push it back away from the wall as
far as possible and then suddenly let go
until the beam became a great swing
ing pendulum of destruction. A tower
capable of holding twenty or thirty
men was built on the back of an ele-
phant, the elephant made drunk with
wine and headed toward the enemy, and
what with the heavy feet and the swing
ing prObOscis and poisoned arrows shot
from the movable tower the destruction
was something appalling. ChariOts of
war were driven down, each chariot
with two wheels, so that it might turn
easily, the driver standing, sword fas-
tened to the pole between the two horses
so that when the horses went ahead the
sword would thrust and when they turn
ed around the sword would NOW down.
Sharp, glittering swords were also fast
ened to the hubs of the chariot.
Going into the battle the
army carried flags beautifully embrOid
ered-the flag of Judah with the lion;
the flag of Reuben with the man ;the flag
of Dan with the cherubim. The noise
OF this advancing army, what with the
rattle of shields and the clatter of hoOfs
and the rumbling of chariOts and the
shouting of captains and the VOcifera-
tiOn of the entire host, was so great
that the prophet compares it to the roar
ing of the sea. While our men of mod
ern time talk about the advancement in
the art of war, we are not to come to the
conclusion that the ancient army was
an ungOVernable mob. Through the
text we catch glimpse of fifty thous-
and men who could keep rank. We are
all praying for the day of universal
peace. We all want the time to come
when the last weapon of war will be
changed into an implement of agricul-
ture,, and yet there is something within
us which ls stirred in the presence of
armed men. We invOluntarily keen
step at the sound of the drum. We thrill
at the blast of the bugle. We cannot
help but wave our hats as a re0iment
passes. While sometimes the dissolute
and the vicious take arms, we can not
forget that Joshua was a soldier, and
Caleb was a soldier, and David was a
soldier and HaUQlnok q oOIHinr nd
Headley Vickers was q soldier, and
Washington was soldier, and, though
the latches of the helmets of these fifty
thousand men of the text long ago were
lifted from under the chin, though all
their weapons have been unstrung for
ages, yet we can not to-day look upon
the fifty thousand men of the text with
out thrill OF em0tl0n as we see them
marching on and keeping rank.
In this natinnal nhsar1ro L, n1, = -.-.4 Z.