St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-12-23
The TaIedunian.
ON THE RAPPAHANNOCK CHRIST
MAS DAY, 1862.
From Haper's Weekly.

the preference toto the JOab who
treacherOusly slew Abner, or to the
JOab who chivalrOusly risked his life
to get his king cup of water from
well in the camp of the enemyf /
do wonder which man in every one of
us God will favor. There was my old
comrade Sergeant Nelson, who had
gathered somewhat of evil in the army,
whose Christian virtues were not high
~ polished, and who, on occasion,
dropped into profanity as Wegg did
into poetry. Now | wonder which
Nelson God will keep, and which Mel
son He will throw away-the rough
soldier, or the man at Cold HarbOr
who said, "BOys, do you hear Bebout
and Stone calling our names and beg
ging for water 2" We left them at
the foot of the hill, wounded, that af
ternOOn, when we charged and were
repulsed. "BOys, it's mighty risky.
There is no truce tonight, and them
rebs shoot about as fine by starlight as
by day. But Pm going out to them.
You see, if you and | were lying over
there with hole through us, and we
called for water, and no one come,
though you heard us, we would curse
you all. Who will go with meq" 81,
sergeant" "And l." They went, and
two of them were killed. | wonder
which Nelson God will keep, which
throw away the Nelson who was no
saint, or the Nelson who died for man,
like Jesus Christ.
| wonder which man is me, and
and which will come to the front and
be on top at Judgment; this me in
the study here, with an open Bible be-
fore him, who fatty contradicts the
other me, who shivered with cold on
the RappahannOck twentyfOur years
ago this me who carries "A shepherds
crook, who visits elderly and ailing
sisters, who helps piOus women pack
boxes of cast-Off clothing for needy
and seedy missionaries this me who
is so inOffensive, so mild hammered,
turning both cheeks to the rich men
who patrOnize and criticise him, and
to the sisters who censure him for lev
ity or for lukewarmness on foreign
missions, or for neglect in not visiting
poor Mrs. Ailing, who magnanimOusly
and uninterruptedly, for Il whole hour,
shares all her ills and aches and trOu
bles with him, but never shares her
cakes, or courage, or faith, or health
or money. God reward them those
piOus souls who ring my dOOr-bell
twenty times day to share their adj
versity with me, but who never ring
me up to share their prosperity. They
keep all that to themselves.
1t is such "A funny world You and
| load our friends down with our aches
and misfortunes and troubles, but
when IA rich old uncle dies and leaves
us half million, we do not load that
on them. Oh no. But here am
preaching, so strong is habit. Yet
which is me-this gentle, meek, apOl
Ogetic clergyman, or that other me
of IA quarter a century ago? that 9TH
er me who wore that faded blue round
about hanging on my study wall, with
a lieutenant's shoulder straps on it,
who wore that sword and belt there
before my eyesR Which is me-this
man acquainted with meekness and
piety and aims and grief, or that me of
the sword and brass buttOned jacket
on the wall, who was acquainted with
war, deviltries, death, reckless daring,
loves young dream2 Here a happy
thought strikes me to try Oh that sol
dier's jacket and buckle on again that
sword. Alas years and larger rations
jacket won't go on; the sword, all !
the girth is greater-it won't buckle.
What is this: a tear on Harper's pa
per? Yes, tear for that other me
who wore that jacket at AppOmattox
in the mad days of his youth, when
his head never ached, nor his face had
a wrinkle, nor his heart sorrow. And
what is this-a laugh 2 Yes-sO close
lie sObs and laughs-fOr as l took
down my sword and drew it from it's
scabbard | recOllected a story | often
tell of n major general in the army
who was afterward governor of a
state.
He was very vain man, and one
day in his executive chamber he said
to his secretary, pointing to his sword
on the wall, "MajOr, do you know that
when that sword leaped from it's scab-
bard and flashed in the sunlight, the
war, sir, was virtually over-over, sir
decided. My sword did it," | re-
and laugh trod on each others heels.
Such is life. We swing like a pendu-
lum between pleasure and pain, hope
and fear, laughs and tears-and they
are never far apart. All things go in
couples. Extremes meet every hour.
Height and depth are correlatives
give one, you have the other. Can a
man laugh loud then turn him round,
touch a different nerve, pronounce IL
wOman's name, and 10 ! his sobs are as
sincere and deep as his laughter.
So, my present me, cannot you ever
stop preaching, and do a little prac-
tising9 Sure it is that the tolerant
God does not expect one man to do
two things very we'll. Ordinarily it's
enough to preach well, and leave 9TH
ers to practise. But here, now, my
mOralizing me, come out of the pulpit,
and be Il man among men. | am GO
ing to get into that jacket, so faded, so
small for me now | am going to
buckle on that sword, if it does COM
pei crOwding, bad language, rebellion,
pains, and being carried off the field
swOOning, as some ladies are betimes,
because of the uprOar and rage of the
incOmmOded guests within. Well, it
happened on this wise that | found
myself shivering on the banks of the
RappahannOck on Christmas day, 1862,
enlisted for three years or during the
war, food for villainOus saltpetre.
One day in June, 1862, our professor
of mathematics remarked, as he closed
the observatory: Gentlemen, what
Mars is up to in the sky doesn't con-
Germ us most just now, but to do our
share of his work down in Virginia.
The only exact science worth studying
these times is not trigOnOmetry, but to
determine the shortest line to Rich
mOnd and the most pressing duty of
the hour is not to prove right angles
equal, but to draw steady aim
through rife sights at a rebel in arms,
and to prove to all the world that the
American Union can, must and shall
be preserved. Gentlemen, the chair