The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-03-14
WHAT OF PEACE ?

Some weeks since, General William T..
Sherman celebrated his sixty-third birth.
day, on which occasion he is said TO have
made the remark that peace is enervating"
That is to say, peace unnerves men and
Nations; enfeebles and debilitates them. and
deprives them of force and strength. If
peace 'enervates," we are to suppose that
war energies and vitalizes men and Ma
tons. II General Shernan's theory is cor
rect, then bloody spears and swords are bet
ter than plow-shares and pruning hooks,
and the trophies of war better than those
which peace secures If peace is 'ener-
vatingi" then the angels whose shout
"Glory to God in the highest, on earth
peace, good will toward men," startled the
shepherds on Judean plains made tremen-
dous mistake, and the mission of the
Messiah was to stupefy and degrade men,
rather than arouse them to action, lift them,
emancipate them, dignity and glorify them.
Fair-minded men must conclude that either
the angels or General Sherman has made a
mistake. We are quite willing to admit that
General Sherman is great Captain, and a
still greater talker; that he looks well on
horseback, and knows how to flash his Da-
mascus blade in the sunlight; that his
profession is war, and that he likes It.;
but we are not willing to admit that
what is for the best for the human family
than did the angels who came to announce
the birth Of Jesus; and it is safe to infer,
when General Sherman is retired from the
Army, when General Sherman is dead, rot
ten and forgotten, when rust has eaten his
erected in honor of his name and deeds has
crumbled to dust, the shout of the angel of
hosts will still be heard, in clearer tones:
ION earth peace, good will toward men,"
It is unfortunate for General Sherman to
antsgonize the angels in the matter of peace
at the banqueting board, where a fusilsde
OF champagne corks was calculated to
remind HIM of battles won or lost Is not a
sufficient excuse for satirizing peace.
General Sherman takes view of peace quite
different from that entertained by the
Apostles and seems to favor the position of
"John P. Robinson he" as Lowell puts it.:
''Parson Wilbur SEE he never heerd in his life
Thet tn Apostles rugged out in their swaller-
An marched round in front of a drum an fife
To git some on 'em office. an some on 'en votes;
But John p.
Robinson he
Sez they didn't know evrythin down in
JUDGE"
Manifestly General Sherman wants more
war just to keep the American people from
stagnating. He wants more soldiers, more
powder and ball, more battles and blood,
more pomp and circumstances, more dead
and dying. more widows and orphans.
Why? Because peace is enerYating."
General Sherman wants to be again march
ing to the sea. Such grand displays do
not enervate. They do worse. They
kill, destroy, make fruitful fields
waste places, deserts. We beg leave
to differ with General Sherman. Tie world
has had war enough. Let US have peace,
progress and provisions, and less powder;
grand harvest homes instead of the music
of war bugles the changing of arms, burst
ing shells. sherman to the rear.
WAITS the use o. meetin' goin'
Every Sabbath, wet or dry,
Eff it's right to go amowin';
FeIlermen like oats an ryes
duno but wut It's poorly
Trainin' round in bobtail coats,
But iIs Gurus Christian dooty,
This ere cuttin' folks throats."