Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-06-06
sectionaiIsm To he Forgotten.

BROOKLYN, N. Y, June Rev. DIR.
Talmage delivered Memorial sermon
yesterday, from the subject, 'Twc
garlands for northern and. southern
graves" The text chosen was from
Isaiah 43: 9: ~ will say TO the north,
give up, to the south, keep not back"
Just what nv text meant by the north
and south, l cannot say, but in the
United States the two words are SO
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 rival
ries and disturbing ambitions and in
felicities and silver bills ana Worlds
fair controversies, there have been be-
tween them no batteries unlimbered, no
entertainments dug, no long lines of
sepulchral mounds thrown up. 1t 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 pronounced without any intonation
OF 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 have been gather
ing for four years tempest which
thirty years ago burst into fury that
shook this planet as ii 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 peo-
pie have moved south and vast multi
tude of southern people have moved
north and there have been intermar-
riages by the ten thousand, and north
ern colonies have married the daugh-
ters Of southern captains, and Texas
rangers have united for life with the
daughters of New York abolitionists
and their children arc half northern
and half southern and altogether patri-
otto.
But north and south are words that
need to be brought into still closer har-
monization. l thought that now when
we are half way between presidential
elections and sectional animcsities are
at the lowest ebb and now just after a
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 q month
ago strewing flowers on southern
graves and the other, yesterday, strew-
ing flowers on northern graves, it
might be appropriate and useful for me
to preach u sermon which would twist
two garlands, one for the northern dead
and the other for the southern dead.
and have the two interlocked in q 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 preiudices and the south keep not |
back its confidence. 81 will say to the |
north, give up, and to the south, keep
not back"
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 is nothing more soothing to
wound than cool bandage, aud these
two garlands are cool from the night
dew. What morning that was on the
banks Of the Hudson and the Savannah
when the son was TO start for the war.
What fatherly and moiherly council!
What tears. What heart breaks!
What charges 10 write home often.
What little keepsakes put away in the
knapsack or the bundles that was to be
exchanged for the knapsack! The
crowd around the depot or the steam
boat landing shouted, but father and
mother and sister cried. And how lone
ly the house seemed after they went
home and what an awfully vacant chair
there was at tbeJChristmas and Thanks
giving table. And after the battle.
what waiting for news! What sus-
pense till the long lists OF the killed and
were made out.
All along the Penobscot and the Con-
necticut and the st. Lawrence and the
Ohio and the Oregon and the James
and the Albemarle and the Alabama
and the Mississippi and the Sacramento ,
here was lamentation and mourning and /
yreat woe, Rachel weeping for her chill ,
lren and refusing TO be comforted be- ,
,ause they we're not.
detain from the top OF the tomb /
hese two garlands that am twisting !
or little while that / may with them /
oothe the brow Of the living. OveRthe !
allen the people said: Poor fellow. /
What a pity that he should have been :
truck downs We did not, however,
'iten enough say: ''Poor father! Poor 1
mother! Poor wife! Poor child" and 3
o say it now. Have you realized tina: a
" that wholesale massacre hundreds of a
thousands Of young people at the north n
nd the south have never had any (
nance? We who are fathers stand a
ofmoov, mr. ohfldrpn md tho world | =