Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-05-26

want to come In. Instead OF 1864, when
you could not cross the line between the
contestants without fighting your way with
keen steel, or going through by passes care
fully scrutinized at every step by bayonets,
you need only railroad ticket from New
York to Charleston or New Orleans to go
clean through, and no use for any weapon
sharper, or longer, or stronger than a steel
pen. Since the years OF time began their
roll has there ever been in two decades such
an overmastering antithesis as between 1854
of complete bitterness and 1884 Of complete
sympathy. 1t is the difference between the
archangel of war and sky with sword BRAN
dished and archangel Of war and sky
sword scabbarded
Domestic Contrasts.
Contrast also the domestic lire of 1864
with the domestic lite of 1884. You were
either leaving home or far away from it
| communicating by uncertain letter. What
a morning that was when YOU left home.
Father and mother CRYING, sister crying
you smiling outside, but crying inside.
Everybody nervous and excited. Boys of
the blue and grey Whether YOU started
| from the banks of the Hudson or the banks
of the Savannah, don't You remember the
scene at the front door, at the railroad car
window or the steamboat landing? The
| huzza could not drown out the suppressed
| sadness. Do YOU remember all those
charges to write home often and take good
care of Yourself and be good boys, and the
goodbye kiss which they thought and YOU
thought might be forever. Then the home
sickness as you paced the river bank on
starlight night on picket duty, and the sly
tears that you wiped off when you heard
group by camp fire singing the plantation
song about the "Old Folks at Home" The
dinner of hard-tack on Thanksgiving day.
And the Christmas without any presents.
And the long nights in the hospital
different from the sickness when
You were at home with mother
and sisters at the bedside and the old clock
in the hall giving the exact moment for the
medicine and that forced march when your
legs ached, and your head ached, and your
wounds ached, and more than all, your
heart ached. Home sickness, which had in
it suftocatiOn' and a pang worse than
death. You never got hardened rs did the
9uardsman in the Crimean war, who heart
lessly wrote home to his mother IL don't
want 10 see.any more crying letters come TO
Crimea from YOU Those have received
! Just put into my rifle after loading it and
have fired them at the Russians because
vou appear 70 have such a strong dislike to
them. If you had seen as many killed as
| have YOU would not have as manv weak
de: as you now bave' You never felt
ike that When soldiers knapsack was
'ou, after his death in our American war
there was generally careful package con
tainng the Bible. few photographs and
letters from home On the other hand tens
of thousands of homes waiting for news
Parents saving: Twenty thousand killed
| wonder if our boy was among them
Paintings dead away in post-offices and tele-
graph stations Both the ears OF God
filled with the sobs and agonies Of kindred
waiting for news or dropping under the an
nouncement of bad news Speak, Swamps
of ChichahOminy and midnight lagoons
and fir6-rafts on the Mississippi and gun
boats before Nicksburg and woods of An
tietam and tell to all the mountains, and
valleys. and rivers, and lakes Of North and
South the Jerrmiads of 1861 that have
never vet been syliabcled!
RatiOns and Half Rations.
Besides that domestic perturbation and
Eome-sicknesS Of 20 years ago put the sweet
domesticitv of 1884 Where do you come
from tonight From home. The only
camp fire YOU now sit at rs at the one kin.
died in stove and furnace or hearth. Instead
of half ration of salt pork rcpast luxu-
RANT because partaken Of by loving family
circle and in sacred condolences. All, now
| see who those letters were for, the letters
YOU the Young soldier took so long in your
tent 10 write and that you werr so partlcu-
lar to put in the mail without any one see
ing lest YOU be leased by your comrades.
God spared you 10 come back, and though
the old people have gone, you have home
OF your own constrU, ton and you are here
tonight contrasting those awful absences,
and filial and brotherly and loverly heart
breaks with your present residence, which
is the dearest place Won will ever find this
side of heaven, the place where your
children were born and the place
where YOU want to die To write
the figures of 1864 | set up for crystals.
CRYSTALS of tears. To write the figures O.
1884 | stand up four members Of your
household figures of rosy cheeks and faxen
hair. if | can get them 10 stand still long
enough.
Contrast also the religious opportunities
Of twenty years ago with now. Often on
tie march from Sunday morn till night, or
commanded by officers who considered the
names of God and Christ Of no use except
TO swear by. Sometimes the drum-head
tie pulpi, and YOU standing in'heat or cold.
All the surroundings of military life having
a tendency TO make YOU reckless No pri
vacy for PRAYER or Rible reading No
sound Of church bell Sabbaths spent far
away from the places where you were
brought up. To-day the choice Of sanctu-
aries. Easy pew All Christian surround
ings. The air full OF God and Christ and
heaven and doxology The mountains lift
ing themselves into the holy light: Mount
Sinai laundering its law, Mount Calvary
pleading its sacrifice, MOaut Pisgah display
ing the promised -lnhd.
Then aud Now.
lS64-Spending money by the millions
M d billions in devastation Of property and
lie. lss4-With finances so constructed
n AZ all the stock gamblers week before las;
failed TO make a national panic.
ls64-The surgeons Of the land setting
broken bones and amputsting broken limbs
and putting in splints to eunshot Fractures
and inventing easy ambulances for ihe
wounded and dying lsSL-Surgeons CIV
ing their attentions 10 those in casualty OF
agriculture, or commerce, or mechanical
life. The rushing of the ambulance
through orr streets not suggesting battle
bat quick relief TO some one fsien'In
peaceful industries.
lS64-35. 900, 900 inhabitants in tsiE lhnd
1855, 900, 900
ls6a-Whest, about 50, ,000, 900 bushels.
lse4-The wheat viii he about 5Oe0e9. .0O0.
ls6i-CUtton, less than 3.00aob0 bades
Iss4-Cotton will be more than 100000
bales
ls64-Pacife coast FIVE wesks froGn the
Atlantic. I6s4-For threR reasons, the
Union Pacific. Southern Paeifc and North
ern Pacific, only seven day across.
Look at the long line Of shnr;h~- and uni
versities and asylums andhp.nes with which
during the last decades this land has been
decorated Oh, was not this country