West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-05-17
PROFIT AND loss.
A WORD ON MISUNDERSTANDING
Tho Soul in tho Same Balance with
Worldly Goods.

TEXT; "7He to,cer of Darid, bulded for
u1a orDlory. tCherein there hung a thousand
oucilcrs, all shields Of mighty men. Solo
mons Song, w., (.
With frowning, stupendous masonry over
topping all the city Of Jerusalem stood this
ancient armory called the Tower of David
Advance and give tho contersign TO tho
armed guard and pass right i'm under the
archway Instead of the modern arrange
ment OF the 0rrnory in which the members of
regiment stow away their equipment: this
old armory OF the text has the weapons hung
up along the wal i'm sight of all the people.
Shields, helmets, javelins, bows that needed
athletic arms TO bend them and ar
rows whose sting were death. Some
have seen terrific service Look at that split
helmeti it was the work OF battle axe in
Engedi. Look at this shield IL is dented in
the middle by a stout stroke OF the spear and
crevassed from side 70 side by n sharp sword.
The edge OF that shield is doubled up by
stone slung by the regiment OF singers
This bow IS twisted by the grip OF a mailed
hand This buckler is SCARED and clipped
ant blood-spattercd, showing that the war
rior who held IL was in the thickest of
the onset Count ihem and you find
that there are just a thousand shields.
Shey belong to complete regiment in time
OF peace. Tho Tower of David, builded for
an armory, wherein there hung a thousand
bucklers. all shields of mighty men,
Officers and members OF the Thirteenth
Regiment: You come tonight from one kind
OF armory belonging TO the State into another
kind of armory belonging TO the Lord, and
II we have sanctified imagination enough we
can see all these four walls from floor 70 cell
ing covered with swords, and helmets and
shields of mighty men who have fought their
last battle for God and their country, and
have for brave service been honorably 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 HuIza for theml But some Of these
weapons that hang around us. seen by the eye
or faith, are those which you are TO carry and
WELD, and the important question is what
use will you make of theml
For the first time we confront each other
in religious service as chaplain and regiment
The figure of shepherds crook in my
shoulder strap means, / think, pastoral
service. Glad am l that by governmental
regulation the absurdity OF chaplain's
sword has been abolished. Why should a
minister of the gospel of peace have any
sharp edges about himf Our business is not
TO cut but to heal. And surely l. who
would go mile barefoot to help my worst
enemy, would not in any exigency need a
sword. Overpowering all other questions
tonight is the one w hat use can we be to each
other in our newly-formed relationf 1t
= 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, look beyond the soldier and Il see
the mani And | will keep the secret no
longer in my heart, but out with with it here
and now, that when pray for this church 1
pray Tor this regiment and that am planning
how can be most encouragement and rein
forcement to YOU in the struggles of this life
and how l can be sure of your eternal com
partnership in a 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 gate to SEQ us come i'm. They
used to come skipping down at eyentide to
welcome us, and when our day Of life is done
and it is for us five o'clock six o'clock, seven
O'Clock in the eventide, they will come out to
repeat the old-time salutatious. But until
then we arc TO live in n world of conflict and
the conflict is in its six thousandth year
There is something absorbing in the mill
tary science of tho Scriptures In olden
times all the men between twenty and fifty
years OF age were enrolled i'm the army and
then a levy was made for a special
service. There were only three or four
classes exempt: Those who had britt 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
ried and yet had not led the bride to the altar,
those who were yet in the first year of we'd
ded life, those who were so nervous that they
could not look upon an enemy but they fed
and could not look upon blood but they
TAINTED. The army was in three divisions:
the centre, and right and left wings The
weapons OF defence were: Helmet shield,
breastplate, buckler. The weapons of offence
were: Sword, spear, javelin, arrow, cata-
pult-which was merely a bow swung by
machinery shooting arrows at vast distances
great arrows, one arrow as large as several
men could lift-and ballista-which
was sling swung by machinery. hurting
great rocks and large pieces of lead 10 vast
The shields were mnde-of woven willow
work with three thicknesses Of hide and n
loop inside through which the arm of the
warrior might he thrust: and when these
soldiers were marching TO attack an enemy
on the level all these shields touched each
other, making a wall, moving, but impene-
trablei and then when they attacked a for
tress and tried 10 approach battlernent this
snield was Lifted over the head so as to resist
the falling missiles The breast-plate was
made OF two pieces Of leather. brass Gov
eTedi one piece falling over the breast
the other falling over the hack Mt
the side Of the warrior the two niece
fastened with buttons or clasps The bows
We're so stout and stiff and strong that war
rlors often challenged each other 10 bend one
ne Strings OF the bow were made from the
eine~s OF oxen. A case like an inverted pyra-
MD was fastened TO the back. that case con
tanning the arrows, so that when the warrior
wanted an arrow he would uut his arm over
bis shoulder and pull forth tie arrow for the
hght The ankle of the foot had an iron
When wall was to be assaulted q batter.
ingram was brought up. A battering-ram
was great beam swung on chains la eoui-
.iOftumf The batteriua-ram would be
brought close mp 10 the wall and then q great
number Of men would take hold OF this bearn
Pusnt back as far as they could ond then
~ 60, ana tho beam became a great swing
ing pendulum OF destruction. Twenty or
Iorty men would stand in n movable tower
on tne back Of an elephant the elephant
maze drunk with wine, aud then headed to-
ward the enemy, and what with the heavy
teet ana the swinging prOboscis and the
poisoned arrows shot from the movable
tower the destruction was appalling War
cnarlotS were in vogue and they were on two
"neels 20 they could easily turn. a sword
was fastened 20 the pole between the horses
20 when they went ahead toe sword thrust.
and when they turned around IL would NOW
uoWh Inc armies carried fa2s beautifully
embroidered. Tribe Of Judah carried FAC
embroidered With n lion Tribe az Hrutru
one embroidered with "a man. tribe of Dan.
embroidered with cberubim Che noise IL
tne most o. they moved on was overrhoIufuy
hnh mhat with the cIattcr 0f Shields aud the
rumphuH ~ wheels and fhe shout of fhn cn1-
LAM ana The Fociferation of the entire host
sle pro2iet says b. was like tho roaring of
&c teA beCatise the orte of war have been
hqNancinE all these years we arc not 20 cou-
ciudo That thoso armies n oition trrra were
40 rucrutrD. liable mob f.f Ga. ...rs... 10