Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-06-12

An Eloquent Decoration Day Ser
mon by an Old Soldier.
MEMORIAL SERMON.

MEMORIAL SERMON.
Human loves most costly sacrifice Is last
what our adorable k.dremer declared II VAS
nineteen centuries ago. "Greater love hath
no man than this that a man lay Town his NE
for hts friends" As We engage In these
memorial rites In honor OF our patriot dead,
anc make In thought the rnOurntul pilgrimage
TO all their graves In cemetery, swamp and
cornield, In the wilderness and amobK the
rocks on the mCHntains, In our rivers, lakes
and bays, and dow In the dark halls OF the
ocean, where IN seaweed shrouds some Of our
heroe. sleep the long sleep; as we gaze into
Vile and behold the skeleton forms of our
boys In blue, does not the GalileeAn's voice
ring In our ears with all the elcquence OF
truths 'Greater love hath no man Inan this
that u man lay DOWN his life Tor his friends"
THE GREAT CRISIS.
After o Ion. period OF rest from war, and
when o generation had been born and reared
upon our soil accustomed only to the hum OF
harvest industry and the pursuits OF peace,
one might have supposed In taking the survey
OF cur country at the beginning Of 1861 that
the art Of war was one OF the lost arts among
our people. The plowshare aud pruning hook,
the implements OF q wise, home-lOving and
God.fesrng people, had 60 long held the SUI
premacy IN these states, especially north OF
Mason aud Dixon's line, that the only warfare
we were familiar with Was that OF honest
hearts and hands engaged In field ard work.
shop, in the mine and In the marks OF trade.
Or, that more pleasing conflict waged with
cupid's darts when our sturdy yoemen made
their corouests and led from happy homes
their beautiful and willing captives TO God's
peaceful affairs, there mutually TO pledge un.
dying allegiance snd'become one ipdis soluble
until death Such was the happy prospect
that greeted the eye Of the American for years
prior IN 1851. But on Friday morning. April
IL, 1851, the first gun In the great civil war
was fred from a rebel battery upon Fort
Sampler. From thst moment 1t became evt-
dent that q great crisis had been reached by
the u nited States OF North America. A deep
that morning. For far-seeing men saw In
that little cloud no bigger than q mans hand
that hoverrd over Charleston harhor the
gathering storm, which, II not speedily ar
rested. would work wider and more lasting
ruin, than all the plaques that would VISIT us
as a nation In a thousand years. lnordinate
ambition and a Inst OF reigning had fired the
hearts OF certain gentlemen Of the south, who
had so long had their own way In the govern
ment, that when Abraham Lincoln, @ noble
representative OF honest Industry and n true
type Of an American free m All, was chosen
president OF this republic, and II became evil
dent that an aristocracy reared upon the per-
petual enslavement OF the African and the
degradation OF labor could not extend the
curse OF slavery over the territories OF the
west. nor hCpe much longer TO ohlige the free
people Of the north TO act In the capacity OF
slave cstchers for the south, then they made
their appeal 10 the sword, resolved 10 DESTROY
the union OF these states. For this attack
pon the union OF the states many a secret
council Rad been held nv the arch cons ORATORS
and many a dark plot hal been suggested m
destroy this government. Preparation hsd
been going ON for Years In the south With a
view TO the dies Ilutiop Of n q Union.
The heresy Of state sovereignty as sdvnca'ed
nv Calhoun had been eating as "A canker Ia the
breasts OF the Shareholders OF the south.
Sworn men At TIE head OF the government aud
mary ot the officers of our armv. beginning
with the president of the United States, were
playing the role ~ Arnold. and were stealing
our munitions Of war. and scattering our little
army and sending our navy TO the erds OF the
earth, In get e. ont OF the way Of TREASON. The
gauntlet OF civil war wBs thrown down before
the loyal people ~ America nv Mr.. Davis and
his c0conspirators. a'rer thev had as they sup-
poscd shorn thn Union or ITS sire myth ga De
lilsh had shorn Samson That was . moment
calculated 10 stnggor the faith of the wises'
men IN the success OF q republican form OF
government. II was a c-tsts IN The history 81
a great nation. II treason shop'd be able ~
suhvert the government az tho United States,
then where shou'd pe hope IN find a people ca.
psble of sel' government. The auccPes ~ So
c~eas'on IN the south wou'd have heon q cslam-
itv to the world. And vhe' WIS there left, In
us q 0IDNsH N N7N"f 'rnpefn.
Our arsenalS were empty our army was
scattered far ard vide, and many OF our
most experienced officers Joined the rebels
and deserted their commands. Our navy
was sent away from the country Howel.
COBB managed TO get away with the United
States treasury, n what was there left tC
us? will tell. you. Almighty, God. and
Abraham Lincoln and the loyal people OF
the land We're on the side Of freedom the
good Lord will never be on the side ot
treason The boys who in a little while
.rA.A shA ora in Il1n GfnnI hntNUnan f.
Union and the armies OF treason aud gath
cred into their bosOms the, grape and the
canister. the shot and shell, and the colo
steel which traitors aimed AT their live
because they remained loyal to the ole
Flag. ! am sure. you vii, agree with me III
saying that we had reached a, crisis cnt
that was likely To affect for veal or woe TIT
destinies OF many peoples.
AN UNPARALLELED SPECTACLE.
The crisis had come. And now let me di
rect your attention to a spectacle that has
no parallel in the annals OF time. Armed
treason sought to destroy the union q
tnese states, and TO inaugurate an oligarchy
n the south, the chief corner stone OF whici
was the perpetual enslavement OF ,th'
African and the traffic IN human souls. le'
more than this, IT was an ATTEMPT on tn
part of n proud aristocTa"y 10. degrade la
Dor. The Son OF God assumed our nature
and worked In our workshops. thus dignity
ing human labor, and so put an immorta
honor upon all the sons OF toll. But treason
sought TO brand the laborer with the mari
of Il slave.
With our flag d~ishonored, with our liber
ties imperriled and our manhood about t
be degraded, there was no honora bic cours.
left to the free aud loyal people OF the nortl
but to arm themselves for war. The call Il
arms was sent forth from Washington b.
President Lincoln. and thousands o mel
ieaped forward eager for the honor OF dy
ing ii needs be for their country; Seventy
1--WE thousand. men were called for by tn,
President on April 18th. 1861. On April l6tl
the Mobile Advertiser advertised foI
twenty-five thousand black collins TO sup
ply ,he Confaderacy. All proposals mus
come from the south OF Mason ant
DiTOp's line and be addressed tC
had no need TO order collins for our men. The!
lad use for all the collins they could make, 70
their own men, sometime after that. The gov
errors of the slave states returnad the mos
insulting answers TO President Lincoln in re
Spouse TO his casl Tor troops. TIE Deums wer'
chsnted In the CHURCHES OF the south over tn
attack upon Sumter, and venerable bishops
lauded the men that dishorored our dag Th'
tidtngs Of SumteT's fall was fl 4shed from on
end Of this land TO the other. from sea TO sea
Then was seen such an uprising OF the loya
people OF these states as has no parrellel II
the world. Glance now over that peaceful
prosperous, happy scene which | set befor'
you, ss tx sting prior TO 1861. All ts nov
changed. Homes are instantly broken up
The father bids the wife and the children goot
bye. Sons are torn from their mothers EN-
brace by the necessities of wal. The youns
bride gives up her husband and beholds hin
90 I'm his noble manhood to die on some hor
rible field of carnage. Brothers and sisters
sanarate at the threshOld of the old home new