The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-05-24

ouckfers, all shields OF mighty men. solo
mons Song, iv., 4.
With frowning, stupendous masonry over
topping all the city Of Jerusalem stood thi
ancient armory called the Tower of David
Advance and give the countersign to The
armed guard and pass right in under tn,
archway.. Instead of the modern arrange
ment OF the armory in which the members OF
a regiment stow away their equipment; this
Old armory of the text has the weapons hung
up along the wal in sight of all the people.
SHIELDS, helmets, javelins, bows that needed
athletic arms to bend them and ar
rows whose sting were DEATH Some
OF them are new and polished, Others
have seen terrific service. Look at that split
helmet! 1t was the work OF battle axe in
Engedi. Look at this shield! 1t is dented in
the middle by stout stroke of the spear and
crevassed from side to side by sharp sword.
The edge of that shield is doubled up by a
stone slung by the regiment of singers.
This bow is twisted by the grip of mailed
hand. This buckler is Scared and clipped
an | blood spattered, showing that the war
rior who held it was in the thickest of
the onset. Count them and you find
that there are Just a thousand shields.
They belong 10 complete regiment in time
of peace. The Tower of David, builded for
an armory, wherein there hung a thousand
buck!ers. all shields of mighty men,"
Officers and members of the Thirteenth
Regiment: You come to night from one kind
of armory belonging to the State into another
KIND of armory belonging to the Lord, and
IL we have sanctitied imagination enough we
can see all these four walls from floor to cell.
ing covered with swords, and helmets and
shields OF mighty men who have fought their
last battle for Go AMI their country, and
nave for brave service been honorabiy dis
charged from earthly combat. Their weary
march is ended and their arms are stacked
and they are resting in the land of eternal
peac Hulza for them! But some of these
weapons that hang around us, seen by the eve
OF faith are those which you are to carry and
weld, and the important question is what
use will you make of them!
For the first time we confront each other
IN religious service as chaplain and regiment
The figure of a shepherds crook in nv
shoulder strap means, l think, pastoral
service. Glad am that by governmental
regulation the absurdity of chapain's
sword has been abolished. Why should
minister of the gospel of peace have any
sharp edges about him! Our business is not
10 cut but to heal. And surely |, who
would go mile barefoot to help my worst
enemy, would not in any exgency need a
sword Overpowering all other questions
tonight is the one:Wh hat use can we DO to each
other in our newly formed relation? 1t
10 not mere play-spell or a meaning
less coming together. The graceful
crossing OF golden cords over your breast
does not hide from me the fact that you have
beneath them heart full of affections, hopes,
ambitions and sorrows The epaulet on your
shoulder does not not make me forget that
there are heavy burdens on that shoulder to-
night, l look beyond the soldier and | see
the man! And | will keep the secret no
longer in my heart, but out with with it here
and now, that when pray for this church
roo f.,,,I 4 4
now can be most encouragement and rein
forcement to you in the struggles of this life,
and how can be sure of your eternal com
panlonship in better world when we break
camp and go home to be with God And
those who were so good and lovely that we
could no longer keep them here, they will be
at the shining gnte to see us come in. They
used to come skipping down at eventide to
welcome us, and when our day of life is done
ana 1t is for us five o'clock, six o'clock, seven
O'Clock in the eventide, they will come out to
repeat the oldtime salutationS But until
then we are to live in world of conflict and
the conflict is in its six thousandth year.
There is something absorbing in the mill.
tary science of the Scriptures In oIden
times all the men between twenty and fifty
years OF age were enrolled in the army and
then levy was made for a special
service. There were only three or four
classes exempt: Those who had built house
and had not occupied it, those who had.
planted garden and had not reaped the
fruit OF it, those who were engaged to be mar
rled and yet had not led the bride to the altar.
those who werey yet in the first year of we'd
ded HE, those who were so nervous that they
could not look upon an enemy but they fed,
ana could not look upon blood but they
tainted lhe army was in three divisions;
the centre, and right and left wings The
weapons OF defence were: Helmet shield
breastpate buckler. The weapons of offence
We're: Sword, spear, javelin, arrow cata
puitIWhlch was merely bow swung by
machinery Shooting arrows at vast distances,
great arrows, one arrow as large as several
men could lift-and bailista-which
was sling swung by machinery, hurting
great rocks and large pieces of lead to vast
distances
The shields were made of woven willow
work with three thicknesses of hide, and a
loop inside through which the arm of the
warrior might be thrust; and when these
soldiers were marching to attack an enemy
on the level all these shields touched each
other, making wall, moving, but impene.
'Fable: and then when thew attacked a for.
Tess and tried to approach battlement, this
enleid was lifted over the head so as to resist
tne falling missiles. The breast-plate was
mace OF two pieces of leather. brass COW
ered, one piece falling over the breast,
the other falling over the back, at
me SIDE OF the warrior the two pieces
fastened with buttons or clasps, The bows
were 50 stout and stiff and strong that war
rlors r often challenged each other to bend one.
! ne strlngs OF the bow were made from the
nnews OF oxen. A case like an inverted pyra-
q MD was fastened to the back, that case con-
tanning the arrows so that when the warrior
y. wanted an arrow he would put his arm over
bis shoulder and pull forth the arrow for the
nghe The ankle OF the foot had an iron
When a wall was to be assaulted batter
ing ram was brought up. A battering- ram
was great beam swung on chains in equi-
!ibrium. The battering-ram would be
brought close up to the wall and then great
number OF men would take hold of this beam
push IL back as far as they could and then
!et go, and the beam became great swing
ing pendulum OF destruction. Twenty or
[orty men would stand in a movable tower
made drunk with wine, and then headed to-
ward the enemy, and what with the heavy |
leet and the swinging proboscis, and the |
poisoned arrows shot from the movable |
lower the destruction was appalling. War
,harlots were in vogue and they were on two |
wheels so they could easily turn. A sword |
was fastened to the pole between the horses |
10 when they went ahead the sword thrust,
md when they turned around it would NOW
Town. The armies carried flags beautifully
Tribe of Judah carried flag
embroidered with lion; tribe of Reuben, |
one embroidered with a man; tribe of Dan,
embroidered with cherubim, The noise Of |
Inc host as they moved on was overwhelming
and what with the clatter of shields and the |
'umbling Of wheels and the shout of the cap
!, AIMS and the vociferation of the entire host,
ne prophet says it was like the roaring Of |
ne sea- Because the arts of war have been
: lIdvanclng all these years we are not to con.
,iude that those armies of olden times were
In uncomfortable mob, but the science of
,eath has advanced until the inventions for
iestroylng life are more skillful than the in
'entions for saving it
Ihank God that you are soldiers in time Of
,eacel Ii there be no service of this sort. in
III probability there will never be any reason
'or your military existence There cannot he
mother war between the North and tbe
south. Within few days the leading ex-
general of the Confederate army has been
elected a member Of the Grand
Army Of the Republic. The old decayed bone
" contention, American slavery. has been
,ast out, although here and there a deprayed
,olitician takes it up to see il he can pnaw
of of it. Northern men have
married Southern wives and Southern men
ave married Northern wives, and we are
orever one. for the hardest thing on earth to
pit u cradle. Neither can there be a war