Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-03-30
HELPING THE NEEDY.
Buford Posts Camp fire Last Even
ing---Rev. d. w. cues Address
The Programme.

veterans, was largely attended ana may
be put down as a complete success. The
building had been nicely decorated for
the occasion. The exercises embraced
music by the post drum corps, a tableau
with singing of the "Star Spangled Ban
ner," by Miss Ella Wilcox, number of
young ladies appearing in patriotic colors
and Miss Wilcox representing the God
dess of Liberty; recitation by Miss
Clara johnson; vocal selection by a
colored quartette, an amusing par>
ody on "The Grand Army Hog"
the singing of The Red, White and
Blue" by eighteen young ladies in appro-
pirate costumes, n burlesque song by Mr.
Daniel Bergen, of Moline, the singing OF
"Tenung Tonight on the Old Camp
Ground" with solo by Mr.. Arthur Cue, a
piano solo by Miss Susie Stoddard, a
recitation by Misses Clara Johnson, Mer-
tie Buck and Nellie Bencll, and song
"The Army Bean" by three little folks
The chief feature of the evening was the
address by Rev. G. w. Cue on ''Remin-
iseuces of the War"
Mr.. Cue said that the recollectons of
twenty-five years ago present themselves
before those assembled about the camp
fire in panoramic view What change
has taken place Then the atmosphere OF
war was everywhere; it was ia the heart,
depicted in the countenance and on the
tongue. Never on this continent was
such excitement known as there was
from 1861 to 1865 At half past four in
the morning, April 10, lS61,ln Charleston
harbor, the first gun of the civil war was
fired--fred at the American flag as it
waved over a garrison of seventy-nine
as brave and loyal band of men as ever
stood for any flag, Forty million of
people stood appalled,. For the first
time in its history was the American flag
ever pulled down on her own soil by hos
tile hands. No friend of their republic
ever believed for moment that such a
crisis could ever come. The American
flag, fired upon in one of her own harbors
and by her own subjects. Who dared
to do it? Was it really meant for hos
tile gum No foreign power would have
dared to fire that shot. There was only
one man in this nation who, dared to do
the deed and that man was Gen. p. 7.
Beauregard He still lives to perpetuate
his meanness, for he is now engaged in
swindling and robbing the people of the
Omitted States with the great Louisiana
lottery. Some thought that the excite
ment would soon die away and the attack
would amount to but little; at most it
would only be skirmish-'jast break
fast spelr'-but more thoughtful people
looked upon it as serious matter, the
end of which could not be seen from the
beginning. Southern sympathizers raised
the cry throughout the country, There
is no use; you cant put 1T down"
Southerners can fight; they are trained to
it from the cradle. One of them can
whip two or three northern men.
All through the war these sympathizers
did everything they could,and dared to-
do, to discourage our armies, annoy our
friends at home and keep up a constant
fire in the rear. Very few living today
could believe that there were thous>
ands all through our north who sympa-
thized with the rebels and were out of
sympathy with our armies in putting
down the rebellion. Inside of twenty four
hours from the firing of the first gun
million of the best men of America were
ready to 90 to the war, but the govern
ment was not ready to receive them. The
plotters of treason had robbed the norths
ern arsenals of all the ammunition of war.
The rebels were ready; we were prepared
for nothing; never dreamed of the treas
enable plots that southern men in the
senate of our country were inaugurating
From the time the tocsin of war was
sounded, that was the theme at all times
and in all places, in work shops and
stores, in school house and churches.
Il was veryyouug to bein the ministry,
said Mr.. Cue but thought it my duty to
preach a war sermon like other preachers
were doing. had school house APP
pomtment down in Fulton county, SO
went one morning and took for my text
Render to Caesar the things that are
Caesars, and to God the things that are
Gods As | warmed on the subject my
congregation warmed up; l had an old
class leader who used to slap his hands
and say amen while preached, and on
this occasion l heard his hands come to-
gether a few times as he sat behind me and |
thought he was getting happy, but
found at the close of the meeting that he
was getting awfuliy mad One woman
got so man she left the house and gave |
the door such slam that it nearly shook |
the logs out of the house, and | heard her
cxclaim, he has n mighty sight more to
say about Cesar than he has about God.
Well, that was true, because went there
to give them Caesar" was just ignorant
enough of the feelings of the people
there to spread it on pretty thick When
l was through my old class leader shook
his list under my nose. 1t scared me.
He was in the hatit of taking me home
with him to dinner after preaching, they
driving me to my next appointment, but
that day l went without my dinner, and
afoot and alone to my disappointment"
Mr. Cue then went on to
describe his final enlistment in
Company Ii, lOSth Illinois regiment,