St. Paul daily globe., 1888-08-12

and his great deeds recorded with admiration.
There is one consOling feature that distin'
guishes the obsequies of our illustrious hero
from those of the great Hebrew leader He
was buried in the midst of war, amid the
clashing of arms, and surroundeded by the
armed hosts of the enemy; our captain, thank
God,
is BURIED AMID PROFOUND PEACE.
while we are enjoying the blessings of do.
mestlc tranquility. and are i'll friendship with
all the world
The death of Gen. Sheridan will be Ia
mented not only by the North, but also by the
1 know their chivalry; 1 know their
magnanimity; their warm and affec.
tionate nature; and am sure thai
the sons of the South, and especially those
who fought in the late war, will join in the
national lamentatioD and will lay garland
of mourning on the bier of the great general.
They recognize the fact that the nations
general is dead, and that his death is the ma
TONS loss. And this universal sympathy
coming from all sections of the country, ire
spective of party lines, is easily accounted
for when we consider that under an over.
| ruling Providence the war in which Gen.
| Sheridan took such a conspicuous part has
| resulted in increased blessings to every state
| in our common country.
There's divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough hew them how we will
And this is true of nations as well as of in
| dividuals. What constitutes the great differ.
| enc between the wars of antiquity and ouI
| recent war? The war of the olden time was
| followed by subjugation and bondage; in the
|
ton and freedom. Alexander the Great
| waded through the blood of his fellow man.
| By the sword he conquered and by the sword
he kept the vanquished in bondage. Scarcely
| was he cold i'll death when his vaSSalS shook
| off the yoke and his empire was dismem-
bered into fragments. The effect of the late
| war has been to
WELD TOGETHER THE NATION
| still more closely into one cohesive body; II
| has removed once for all slavery, the great
| apple of discord; it has broken down the
| wall Of separation which divided section
from section and exhibits more strikingly
as one nation, one family, with the same aims
and the same aspirations. The humanity eX.
| hibited in our late struggle contrasted with
the cruelties exercised toward the vanqushed
/ of former times is an eloquent tribute to the
| blessings of Christian civilization.
In surveying the life of Gen. Sheridan, il
shows TO me that these were prominent feat
ures and the salient points of his character
undaunted heroism combined with gentle
ness of disposition, strong as lion
| peace; bold, daring, fearless, undaunted,
| unhesitating, his courage rising with the
| danger, ever fertile in resources, ever prompt
in execution, his movements never impelled
| by a blind impulse, but ever prompted by q
| calculating mind. l have neither the time
| nor ability to dwell upon his military career
| from the time he left West Point till the close
| of the war.
Let me select one incident which reveals to
us his quckness of conception and readiness
| of execution. l
REFER To HIS FAMOUS RIDE
in the valley of Virginia As ne is advanc-
ing along the road he sees his routed army
rushing pell-men towards him. Quick as
| power of his word. by the strength of his
will, he hurls back that living stream of the
the enemy and snatches victory from the
jaws of defeat. How bold in war; how gentles
in peace. On some few occasions in WASH
ington L had the pleasure of meeting Gen.
Sheridan socially in private circles. was
forcibly struck by his gentle disposition. his
| 1pnOrt.
ment, his eye beaming with good nature,
and his voice scarcely raised above a
Mhis9er said on to myself Is this
the great general of the American army? Is
this the hero of so many battles? 1t is true,
Gen. Sheridan has been charged with being
sometimes unnecessarily severe towards the
enemy. My conversation with him strongly
impressed me with the groundlessness of the
charge, which could in nowise be recOnciled
with the adherence which he expressed for
the atrositles of war, with his natural aver
sion to bloodshed, with the hope he uttered,
that he would never again be obliged to draw
his sword against an enemy. | am persuaded
that the sentiments of humanity ever found
a congenial home, secure lOdgment in the
breast of Gen. Sheridan. Those who are best
acquainted with his military career unite in
saying that he never needlessly sacrificed
human life, and that he loved and
CARED FOR HIS SOLDIERS,
as father loves and cares for his children
But we must not forget If the departed hero
was soldier, he was too citizen; and if
we wish to know how man stands as a citi-
zen, we must ask ourselves how he stands as
a son, q husband and father. The parent is
the source of the family, the family is the
source of the nation. Social life is the re-
fiex of the family life. The stream does not
| rise above its source. Those who were adj
mitted into the inner circle of Gen. Sheri-
dams home need not be told that it was
a peaceful and happy one. He was
ate father, lovingly devoted to his
| wife and children. L hope
am not trespass1ng upon the sacred privacy
of domestic life when state that the gem
| erals sickness was accelerated if not aggra-
! vated by a fatiguing journey which he made
| i'll order to be home i'll time 10 assist at do
mestic celebration i'll which one of his chill.
| dren was the central figure. Above all,
| GEN. SHERIDAN WAS CHRISTIAN.
He died fortified by the consolations of re-
| ligion, having his trust in the saving mercies
| blessed immortality. What is life without
hope of Immortality? What is lire that is
bounded by the horizon Of the tomb? Surely
it is not worth living. What is the life even
of the antediluvian patriarchs but like the
mist which is dtspelled by the morning
sun? What would it profit this illustrious
! hero to 60 down to his hOnored grave COWS
cred with earthly glory, il he had no hope in
! the eternal glory TO come? 1t is the hope Of
| eternal life that constitutes at once our dig
| nifty and our moral responsibility
God has planted in the human breast an
irresistible desire for Immortality. 1t is born
with US and lives and moves with us. 1t in
spires our best and holiest actions. Now
| God would not have given us this desire if
| he did not intend that it should be fully sat-
| iSlied. He would not have given us this thirst
for infinite happiness if he had not intended
| to asSuage it. He never created anything in
| vain. Thanks to God. this universal
YEARNING OF THE HUMAN HEART
is sanctioned and vindicated by the voice Of
| revelation.
The inspired word of God not only pro-
claims the immortality of the soul. but also
| the future resurrection of the body. IT
| know" says the prophet Job, that my re-
| shall rise out of the earth and i'll my flesh I
| shall see my Cod ''WoIder not at this''
| says our Savior ''for the hour coneth when
| all that are in their graves shall hear the
| voice of the Son of Man, and they who have
| done well shall come forth TO the resurrec-
| ton of life, and they who have done i'll
! 10 the resurrection of Judgment" and
| the Apostle writes these comforting words to
| the TheSsalonians: Il would not have YOU
| ignorant, brethren, concerning those that are
| asleep, that ye be not sorrowful like those
| who have no hope, for we believe that Jesus
| died in Jesus, God will raise unto Himself.
Therefore, comfort yourselves with these
| Words.''
These are the words of comfort would ad-
| illustrious dead. This is the olive branch of
| peace and hope would bring you to-day.
This is the
SILVER LINING OF THE CLOUD
which hangs over you. We followed you in
spirit and with sympathizing hearts as you
husband. May the God of all consola-
ton comfort you in this hour of sorrow.
May the soul of your husband be this day in
peace, and his abode in Zion. May his MEM
ory be ever enshrined in the hearts of his
countrymen, and may our beloved country.
which q hOc and rrad ,r-alI