Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-10-31

| to them; for whose turns his back to them
/ on that dav. be it that he is drawn back b,
the surges of the fight, 0r that he wishes tC
| fall back on another section or his own
/ line. on him will fall the wrath of God.
/ and hell will be his abode" And If the
! punishment for cowardice be thus severe.
| the reward of the faithful soldier is cor
respondingly magnificent His conduct
| will In nowiSe be forgotten He who
| fights for Gods religion. be he victorious
or should he perish, will receive a rich rec
Ompense." He who dies in battle, dies
abSolved of sin; OF the daY of Judgment
his wounds will gleam like purple. and
will be odorous as musk" DO not say
of those who have perished for God 5
religion that they are dead, but rather
speak of them as living"
Some of the prophets maxims make
direct reference to military service.
Learn to ride. to fight and to swim. is one
of them. And another tells US that Para
disc is to be found urder the shadow of the
sword. lmbued from childhood with such
sentiments, and trained both by tradition
and religion to be soldiers, it is not to be
wondered at if all those races, which are Of
Mokammedap origin or faith, which have
proved the toughest of antagonists, and
may be turned into almost ideal soldiers.
We have in India formerly, more recently
in the Soudan, had bitter experience of the
valor such education may produce, while
the Russians can bear testimony to the
pluck and endurance of the MOslem. The
history of their advance in Central Asia,
when they met thespure and unadulterated
spirit of the faith in It's pristine vigor,
adds another instance of the bravery and
disregard of death which characterize the
believers in the creed of Islam. The story
of the siege and capture of Geek Tepe Will
ever bear eloquent testimony to
THE MAGNIFICENT sELF-sACRIFCE
of the brave TurcOmans, and the mercileSS
massacre decreed by Skobeletf is a meas
ure of the trouble they have given their
conquerors. Men who drink nothing but
water. who are satisfied with frugal meal
Of grain once a day, who are by instinct
and tradition warriors, and who regard all
other callings with contempt form surely
the stuff of which armies should be made
When we further consider the enormous
moral force and lever supplied by their re-
ligiOuS tenetS and the utterance OF their
holy men, one may we'll regret that the cor
ruption or stupidity Of their commanders
is all that has ever come between victory
and those whom military leaders, from
Prince Eugene to Valentine Baker have
united in calling born soldiers If the
paradise Islam offers to its votaries be
sensual and intensely earthly, its attrac-
tions appeal all the more directly to the
imagination of the une lucated deuizens of
the camp, and if the colors they are paint
ed in be crude and glaring they are, after
all, what the lower order of humanity pre-
fer. The brass bands and music-hal
times of the Salvation army in our own
country are effective, in like manner,
drawing crowds after them that cannot b
reused to attend a simple service. The
purer aspiration of a colder creed, often
fail to impress cOarser natures, to whom
death in action appears to open an easier
path to paradise than a life Of humanity
and self sacrifice.