The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1883-06-02
If not paid in advance, $l.25

Renkantile seemed lonely. He is think.
ing, perhaps, of his C mrades, the other
privates in his regiment There were
several private soldiers in the army.
Raukaufile. whom 1 know, WAS one.
Tue name Of the other one has escaped
me. Nor do know where lie is. lie
may be dead. Perhaps he IN married,
5 ,metbine has happened to him, certain-
ly. Il,ok fur him iu the L Rislature,
hut bis capiniu tells me he is not there.
seek him in Congress, but his colonel
l., lis Ine he has not 'en him nor heard
of him since last election. l miss him
in the Cabinet. He DOESN'T appear to
be Consul to any place.
And ye', il he would only come for
ward and show bimstlf. greatful conn
try has remembered him. lie can secure
a fam of one Hundred aHd sixty acres
in the far west, after the railroad has
secured all the best sections, twenty
miles from the nearest post office, twice
so far from water and as far as q railway
train can run in a day from coal bank
or for st. on precisely the same terms as
are accorded to a mau who has been in
this land fifteen minutes. 1t is n great
boon aud the private soldier should ap.
preciate it. And undoubtedly he does
in quite way. He does not make
much fuss ahout it. And really there
isn't very much for him to grow enthusi.
aitic about.
But the private soldier though indeed
he is exceeding rare and mirvelously
scarce at Intervals, is not entirely lest
1t will ice the hearts of his ~ xions
friends to learn that his absence has
bsen noted. People are iuquiring fo,
him. Eminent statesmen are 10 king
him up. Distinguished Cngressmeu
who are not morally certain of "goiup
back" are after him. Great men who
have positively 'gone ont of lolitic,'
for good, unless the voice Oi tue people
shonll impeatively call them back to
public life, are seeking the lost sol,iier
in his retirement. The time OF the quad
rsnnial reunion driweth nigh. Also the
year of the National Convention. L. the
days gone hy. when the private soldier
was more numerous than to-day, very
nearly thonsand Of him were required
to make one colonel More than many
times s. many are somstimrs = requisite tn
the Il ction Of member of Cousres sand
exc Presi lenl.
Therefore lie will he found. He will
be dragged from his lnrling place. i
b has not beeu seen NJ the polls by p.
m the nernls own carriage will come
after hm. 1t will not come after him
again for another fonr years. But it will
come for him then.
The pages of history teach MS. then,
dearly beloved. that the private soldier
is extremely necrs ssary during the pro-
gress of war. He is Indispensable so
long rs actual hostili'ies continue; he is
even useful Mt intervals in time Of
peace, bnt between the Intervals nobody
appears TO want any of him-during the
spaces of periods that elapse between the
times when there is somebody TO he elect
o | to something.
And it is pleasant to see linn dragged
1t into the light of day even Ouce in
two or four years. 1t is pleasant TO be
thus assured that he is not de'd, but
Only speecLl-ss; to know that he is still
go ID for something; that he counts one
apiece a. the polls; that he swells The
line Of the torchlight procession; that's
in the days Of Iore aud gurs. Lee Is IL E.
lul IN digging trenches, Ms it were. 1t
il great j y to know that he is not all
aud altogether gone. There used to be
so mIny of him that Low We seem to
miss him, even when We catch him out
alone ana count ulm'
And We rejoice, too, in the thought
that his time is come. One day the pri-
yate soldier will shine resplendent, n
blazing planet against the nebulous back
ground OF half-forgotten field and line
officers. 1t has been ever the fate Of the
private soldier. Napoleon is dead aud
all his marshals are dead. But tue pri
vdte soldier who fought under "The Lit
10 Corporal at Waterloo, is lie not
found iu every Sta,,? The Iron Dlke'
is dead, but does not the last surviving
soldi of The Guards" die some /! Lace
nearly ev.ry msuih? Washington is dead ,
but his body trvan'. is not Ills name
Legion, OF Legion count!? Aud SO some
day tue last general who fought III thr
war Of the reb llIuu will pass away. the
dual colonel, much against his will, must
die. NJ jors aud CAPTAINS will join the
mnu nernble caravan; but the last sur
viving private soldier Of every reg iment
that fought auyu here will never leave
us, bat will live tnihamed in tue peron.
uisl parAgRP: "rIll the suas shall
rise and set 10 more
i DIT. j. TURpETTE,