The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-06-02

able homes as pray GOu you may never
witness. Oh, what time 1t was when
fathers gave up their sons, never expect
ing to see them again, and never did see
them again until they came back mutt
lated and crushed and dead! -Four years
of hostile experiences. Four years of
ghastliness. Four years of grave-dig-
ging. -Four years of funerals. collins,
shrOuds, hearses, dirges. BlOurningl
MOuTnmgl Mourning! 1t was hell let
loose. What time waiting for n6Wsl
Morning paper and evening paper scru
tinized for intelligence from the boys at
the front. First, announcement that a
battle must occur the next day. Then
the news of the battles going on. On
the, following day still going on. Then
the news of 10000 slain, and of the names
of the great Generals who had fallen,
but no news of the private, soldiers.
Waiting for newsl After many days a
load of wounded going through the
town or city, but no news from our boy.
Then long list OF wounded, long list
of the dead, and long list of the miss
ing, and among the last list our boy.
When missingP How missingp Who
saw him lastp Missing! Missingl Was
he in the woods, or by the stTeaml How
was he hurt? Missingl Missing What
burning prayers that he may yet be heard
frOmI In that awful waiting for news
many life perished. The strain of ankle.
ty was too great. That wife's brain gave
way the first week after the battle, and
ever and anon she walks the floor of the
asylum, or looks out of the window as
though she expected some one to come
along the path and up the steps, as she
sOlilOquizes: "Missingl MissingP What
made matters, all this might have been
avoided. There was no more need of
that war than this moment | plunge
dagger through your heart. There were
few Christian philanthrOpists in those
days scOffed at by the North and South
who had the right of it. If they had been
heard on both sides we should have had
no war and no slavery. 1t was advised
by those Christian philanthTOpists, Let
the North pay in money for the slaves as
property and set them free" The North
said, 1--WE cannot afford to pay" The
South said, ave will not sell the slaves
anyhow" But the North did pay enough
in war expenses to purchase the slaves,
and the South had to give up slavery any
how. l swear you by the graves of your
fathers and brothers and sons to a new
hatred for the champion curse of the
universe-War! o Lord God, with the
hottest bolt of thine indignation strike
that monster down forever. ImprisOn
it in the deepest dungeon of the eternal
penitentiary. Bolt it with all the iron
ever forged in cannon or nodded into
hOwitZers. Let it feel all the cOnfgra-
grafton of the hOmesteads which it ever
destroyed. Deeper down let it fall in
fieTceT flame; let it burn till it has gath
cred in its heart all the suffering of eteT-
nifty as well as time. In the name of
the millions of graves of its victims
curse it'll The nations need more of the
spirit of treaty and less of the spirit of
war, less of the DisTaelian and more of
the GladstOnian.
Again, by this natural ceremony We
propose to honor courage. Many of these
departed soldiers were volunteers, not
cOnscripts, and many of those who were
drafted might have provided substitutes
or got off on furlOugh or have deserted.
The fact that they lie in their graves is
proof of their bravery-brave at cannOn's
mouth, brave on lonely picket duty,
brave before the dungeon, brave in the
dying message to home circle. We put
garland on the brow of courage. The
world wants more of it. The church of
God is in WOeful need of men who can
stand under fire. The lion of worldly
derisiOn rOars, and the sheep tremble.
In great refOrmatOry movements at the
first shot how many fall backl The great
obstacle to the chuTch's advancement is
the inanity, the yacuity, the soft pretti-
ness, the namby pambyism of prOfessed
Christians. Great in a parade, towards
in battle. They go into battle, not with
warriors gauntlet, but with kid gloves;
not clutching the sword hilt too tight,
lest the glove split on the back. In all
our TefOTmatOry and Christian work the
great want is more backbone, more met
tie, more daring, more prOwess. We
would in all our Christian churches like
to trade off a hundred dOnOthings for
one do everything. Quit yourselves
like men; be strong"
THY saints In all this glorious war
Shall conquer. though they die;
They the triumph from afar
And seize 1t with their eye"
Again, we propose by this national OBJ
serVance to honor self sacrifice for 9TH
eTs. To all these departed men home
and kindred were as dear as our home
and kindred are to us. Do you know how
they feltp Just as you and / would feel
starting out tomorrow morning, with
nine chances out of ten against our ever
returning alive; for the Intelligent sold
ier sees, not only battle ahead, but ma
larial sickness and exhaustion. Had
these men chosen, they could have spent
last night in their homes, and today
have been seated where you are. They
chose the camp, not because they liked
it better than their homes, and followed
Lne urum ana nIe, not because they were
better music than the voices of the do
nestle circle. South Mountain and Muir
| freesbOrO and the swamps of Chicka-
hominy were not play grounds. These
heroes risked and lost all for others.
There is no higher sublimity than that.
To keep three-fOurths for ourselves and
| give one-fOurth to others is honorable.
To divide even with others is generous.
To keep nothing for ourselves and give
all to others is magnanimity, Christ
like. Put girdle around your body,
then measure the girdle and see if you
are fifty or sixty inches round. And is
that the circle of your sympathies-the
size of yOurselfP Or to measure you
around the heart would it take girdle
large enough to enciTcle the land and
encircle the worldP You want to know
what we dry theOlOgians mean when we
talk of vicariOus suffering. Look al
the soldiers graves and find out. vi
cariOusl Pangs for others, wounds fol
| others, hOmesickness for others, blood
for Others, sepulcher for others. Those
who visit the National Cemeteries at Ar.
lingtOn Heights and Richmond and Get.
| tySburg will see one lnScriDtiOn on this