Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-02-19

or self respect to enlist in tie army: as
though every one of his ARM of twenty
thousand hard working hard Shaving men
was not infinitely more at the mercy of
a single official than could ever hammer
i'll the army Of the United States. Nv
own people, by Jove! were 50 impressed
by what they had been reading for wears
in the papers of army life and army
officers that they We're perpetually urg-
ing me to quit the service and come in
and begin life over again at forty-five-
clerking or something.
by, only ten years before their
homes had been rescued from the mob.
after police and militia had been whipped
10 the winds, only by the prompt rush
of the regulars from the frontier. Oh,
they lionized the shoulder strapped
autocracy then. and for just about one
week ii wasn't fashionable for decent
paper to lalnpoon them. but the moment
the danger was over their gratitude fled
with their anxiety. | tell you. the pa
pers t&at are sold for two and three
cents IN our big cities have to pander to
the lrejudices of the masses to keep
alive. and there Is no surer way of tick
ling the palates OF the popullce than by
rldlculng or abusing the army officers,
and IN lending themselves to this the
editors OF course influence the Judgment
OF people of a much better class-the
great middle class, so to speak. of the
whole nation"
1T isn't at all so where come from"
interposed Hearn, promptly. "At home
all my kinsfolk are proud Of my being
in the army"
All! you're q southerner, Ir. Hearn,
and your people are all Americans. All
through the north, however, we have an
immense foreign population that has
fled from the Old World to escape mill
tary duty. They hate the very sight of
soldier, Three-fourths of the people
OF some OF our big cities are of foreign
birth or parentage. The papers seek
their patronage, and in trucking to
them they prejudice northern Ameri-
cans against their own friends and rela-
tives who have been idiots enough to
become their defenders 1t was bad
enough before the war, God knows, but
It's worse now. People wonder how it
was that 1t took the north, with 3,OOO,-
200 soldiers, so long to subdue the south
with less than a fourth that number.
Now see nothing to wonder at what
ever. The south has always respected
the profession of arms; the north has al
ways derided it. Lee, with go, 900
Americans at his back, and only 60, 600,
Knocked 10000 out of Grants over
whelming force between the Rapidan
and the James
Lees 10000 had the love of every
southern heart to sustain them. How
many of the north, think you, had no
personal interest in that struggle? How
many thousands of the north today
care nothing whatever for that flag
and the major pointed to the standard
floating over the garrison-''an only
ask to be let alone to make money their
own way? God knows, I'm as loyal a
Union man as ever lived, but l don't
like to think of the new generation that
has sprung up in this country; all SOL
diers in the south; all-what? in the
north?"
And old Kenyon, flushed, almost
GREATNESS, paused and mopped his brow
with silk handkerchief as red as his
face
There was silence a moment. Capt.
Lanes kindly features wore All expression
half grave, half quizzical. Hearn had
edged around nearer where Miss Mar
shall was sitting, and that young lady
had dropped her dainty embroidery in
her lap and was listening attentively
Something in the gravity Of her de-
Z
Now you, Miss Marshall, are accus-
toned to social circles in the north. Tell
me frankly, now, did you ever hear men
prominent in civil life express any other
opinion of the profession of an army off
Ger than that it was rather a useless,
dawdling and unworthy occupation?"
Sin peace times, presume You mean,
major"
"ln peace times, certainly; though the
necessity FORTS existence them is as great
You recollect what Washington said: In
time OF peace prepare for war.
81 confess that men who lead narrow
lives in business or professions and never
get beyond the groove are apt to saw
something Of what you suggest, major
But men who think and travel. especial
tIlCoC W IIO nav NlSlltu our IrOntler
come back with feelings of much admi-
ration for the army, officers and men"
''Then I'll rest my case with the men
who think and travel, " said Hearn laugh
ing brightly. "Come, you old cynic.
don't make me believe | have no friends
outside my profession, when it some
times seems as though l hardly had one
in it."
"Now, there you go, Hearn," inter
rupted Kenyon. That's just exactly
where you're wrong You would trust
to the few travelled and educated men;
but what are they among the mass of
voters, who know nothing Of the army
but what they read in the papers? Do
you ever see anything good of an army
officer in any paper until he's dead?
Never, unless it's something put in by
newspaper soldier and God save me
from more of themi What cOrlld yOur