The Brookhaven leader., 1890-06-12

rob stores and give garroter's hug,
and prowl about the wharves at mid
night and rattle the dice in gambling
bells, and go armed with pistol or dirk,
will refrain from disturbance Of the pub
lie peace just in proportion as they re-
alize that the militia OF a city, instead
of being an awkward squad, and in dan
ger Of shooting each other by mistake,
or losing their own life by looking down
into the gun barrel to see il it Is loaded,
or getting the ramrod fast in their boot
| leg, are prompt as the sunrise, keen as
the north wind, potent as thunderbolt,
and accurate and regular, and discip'
lined in their movements as the plan
etary system. Well done, then, l say
to Legislatures, and Governors, and
mayors, and all officials who decide
upon larger armories and better places
for drill and more generous equip
ment for the militia. The sooner
the sword can safely go back to the
scabbard to stay there, the better; but
until the hilt clangs against the case in
that final Judgment, let the sword be
kept free from rust; sharp all along the
edge, and its point like a needle, and
the handle polished, not only by tho
chemois of the regimental servant, but
by the hand of brave and patriotic off,
GERS, always ready to do their full duty.
Such swords are not bathed in impetu-
osity, or bathed in cruelty, or bathed in
oppression, or bathed in outrage, but
bathed in Heaven.
Side by side the two movements must
go. Complete armament until all agree
to disarmament. At the same COM
mand of "Halt!' all nations hating
At the same command Of Ground
arms!" all muskets humping AT the
same command of Break ranks!" all
armies disbanding. That may be nearer
than you think. The standing army is
the nightmare of nations. England
wants to get rid of it, Germany is being
eaten up by it. Russia is almost taxed
to death with it. Suppose that the mill
ions of men belonging to the standing
armies of the world and in absolute
idleness, for the most part of their lives,
should become producers, instead OF
consumers. Would not the worlds
properties improve, and the worlds
morals be better? Or have you tho
heathenish idea that war is neces-
sary to kill off the surplus populations
of the earth, and that without 1t the
world would be so crowded there would
soon be no reserved seats, and even the
standing room would be exhausted?
All! / think we can trust to the pneu-
monias, and the consumptions, and the
fevers, and the Russian grippes to kill
the people fast enough. Beside that,
when the world gets too full God will
blow up the whole concern and start an
other world and better one. Beside
that, war kills the people who can least
be spared. 1t takes the pink of the ma
tions. Those whom we could easily
spare to go to the front are in the
penitentiary, and their duties detain
them in that limited sphere. No;
it is the philosophical and the
valorous who 60 out to die. Mostly
are they young men. If they were aged
and had only five or ten years at most
to live, the sacrifice would not be so
great. But it is those who have forty
or fifty years to live who step into the
Jaws of battle. In our war Colonel
Ellsworth fell while yet mere lad.
Renowned Mcpherson was only thirty
five. Magnificent Reynolds was only
forty-three. Hundreds of thousands fell
between twenty and thirty years of
age. l looked into the faces of the
French and German troops as they
went out to fight at Sedan, and they
were of the most part armies of splen-
did boys. So in all ages war has pre-
ferred to sacrifice the young. Alexan-
der the Great died at thirty-two. When
war Stays the young it not only takes
down that which they are, but that
which they might have been.
So we are glad at the Isaiahic proph-
ecy, that the time is coming when ma
ton shall not lift up sword against ma
ton. Indeed, both swords shall go back
into the scabbard-the sword sbathed in
Heaven and the sword bathed in hell.
In a war in Spain soldier went on a
skirmishing expedition, and, secluded
in a bush, he had the opportunity Of
shooting soldier of the other army,
who had strolled away from his tent.
He took aim and dropped him. Running
up to the fallen man he took his KNAPP
sack for spoil, and letter dropped out
of it, and it turned out to be letter
signed by his own father; in other
words, he had shot his brother. If the
brotherhood of man be true doctrine,
then he who shoots another man always
shoots his own brother. What a horror
is war and cruelties were we'll illustrat-
cd when the Tartars, after sweeping
through Russia and Poland, displayed
with pride nine great sacks filled with
the right ears of the fallen, and when a
correspondent of tho London Times,
writing of the wounded after the bat
tie of Sedan, said: Every moan that
the human voice can utter rose
from that heap of agony, and the
cries of Water! For the love of
God, water! A doctor! A doctor! never
ceased" After war has wrought such
cruelties, how glad we will be to have
the old monster himself die. Let his
dying couch be spread in some disman-
tied fortress, through which the stormy
wind howls. Give him for a pillow
battered shield, and let his bed be hard
with the rusted bayonets of the slain.
Cover him with the coarest blanket that
picket ever wore, and let his only cup be
the bleached bone Of one of his war
charg ers, and the last taper by his bed
side expire as the midnight blast signs
into his ear: ''The candle of the wicked
shall be put out"