The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-06-03
TWO GARLANDS.
Ono for the Northern Dead, and One
for the Southern Dead.
A Decoration Day Sermon by Rev. T. Do
Witt Taimago-He Makes an Elo-
quent Plea for Harmony Between
the Sections-A Novel and
Unprecedented Service.

nacle the Sunday succeeding Decoration
day. 1t was unique service, as in diff
1erent parts of the audience were many
of those who belonged to both Federal
Rpd Confederate armies, the subject
Nhving been previously announced,
Hamely: 1.-TWO Garlands for Northern
and Southern Graves" Over the pulpit
we're two wreaths Of beautiful flowers
and they were linked together 30 that
they were an object lesson of the sub
3ect presented. Text, Isaiah xiii, 6:
VI will say to the North, give up, and
70 the South, keep not back" Mr.. Tai
mage spoke as follows:
just what my text meant by the
North and South, cannot say, but in
the United States the two words are 80
point blank in their meaning that no
one can doubt. They mean more than
East and West, for although between
those two last there have been rivalries
and disturbing ambitions and infelici-
ties and silver bills and worlds fair
controversies there haves been between
them no batteries unlimbered, no en-
trenchments dug, no long lines Of
sepnlchral mounds thrown up. It has
never been Massachusetts, Fourteenth
regiment against Wisconsin Zouaves; 1t
has never been Virginia artillery against
Mississippi rifles. East and West are
distinct words and sometimes may mean
diversity of interest, but there is no
blood on them. They can be pro-
nounced without any intonation or
wailing and death groan. But the
North and the South are words that
have been surcharged with tragedies.
They are words which suggest that for
forty years the clouds had been gather
ing for q four years tempest which
thirty years ago burst in fury that
shook this planet as it has never been
shaken since it swung out at the first
world-building. | thank God that the
words have lost some of the intensity
which they possessed three decades
ago; that vast multitude Of northern
PEOPLE have moved south and vast
multitude of southern people have
moved north and there have been inter-
marriages by the ten thousand and
qbrthern colonels have married the
daughters Of southern captains, and
Texas rangers have united for life with
fhe daughters of New York abolition
ists and their children are half north
ert and half southern and altogether
patriotic. But North and South are
words that peed to be brought into still
closer harmonization. thought that
now when we are half way between
presidential elections and sectional
apimosities are at the lowest ebb, and
now just after presidential journey,
when our chief magistrate, who was
chiefly elected by the north, has been
cordially received at the south, and
now, Just after two memorial days, one
OF them month ago strewing flowers
on southern graves and the other yes
terday strewing flowers on northern
graves, It might be appropriate and
useful for me to preach sermon which
would twi-t two garlands, one for the
northern dead and the other for the
southern dead, and have the two inter-
locked in chain Of flowers that shall
bind forever the two sections into one;
and who knows but that this may be
the day when the prophecy OF the text,
made in regard TO the ancients, may be
fulfilled in regard to this country and
the north give up its prejudices and the
south keep not back its confidence. 81
will say to the North, give up, and to
the South, keep not back" s
But before put these garlands on the
graves, mean to put them this morning
little while on the brows of the living
men and women Of the north and south
who lost husbands and sons and
brothers during the civil strife. There
smoothing more soothing to a wound than
cool bandage, and these two garlands
are cool from the night dew. What a
morning that was on the banks Of the
Hudson and the Savannah when the son
was TO start for the war! What fatheriy
and motherly counsell What tearsl
WSat heart t-breaksl What charges TO
write home oftenl What little keep
sakes put away In the knapsack, or the
bundle that was TO be exchanged for
the lmapsack! The crowd around the
depot or the steamboat landing shouted,
but father and mother and sister cried.
And how lonely the house seemed after
they went home, and what an awfully
vacant chair there was at the Christmas
and Thanksgiving tablet And after the
battle what waiting for newsr What
suspense until the long lists Of the killed
and wounded yere made out! ALI along
the Penobscot and the Connecticut and
the ST. Lawrence and the Ohio and the
Oregon and the james and the Abe
marie and the Alabama and the Missis-
gppi and the Sacramento there were
lameptation and mourning and great
woe. Rachel weeped for her children
and refusing TO be comforted because
they were not. The world has forgot
ten 1t but father and mother have not
forgotten It. They may be now In the
eighties and nineties, but II Is fresh
wound and will always remain. Com
ing down the steep OF years the hands
that would have steadied those totter-
ing steps have been twenty-eight years
folded into the last sleep. The child
lessness, the widowhood, the orphan
age, who has measuring-line long
enough TO tell the height Of II, tho
depth Of It, the infnity Of it2 What a
mountain. what an Alps, what Hima-
laya Of piled-up agony Of bereavement
IN the simple statement that three hun
dred thousand men Of the north were
slain and Ave hundred thousand men Of
the south were slain, and hundreds OF