Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1892-06-04

tears hallowed the garments which they |
sent to their boys in Southland! There
were not only the noble deeds of our
mothers, sisters and daughters at home!
Not less than about two thousand north |
ern women, throwing aside the holy sur
of home, and pressing south in
the enthusiasm Of an inspired duty, be-
came nurses in hospitals and camps. No
nobler work could be performed. Its
motive was the sympathetic love Of man.
kind. Among the famous of this equal
ly-deserving band of earthly angels. You
will all recognize the name of Mother
Bickerdyke, now and for years past. a
resident Of your neighboring county of
Russell. Many of the veterans of the
war owe the continuance of their lives to
the loving care of these martyr women.
This is vouched for by many of the men
who, while SO unfortunate as to be sick
or wounded, were overtaken by the good
fortune to be placed in their hands. I
hope that the agitation in favor of con-
gress voting handsome pensions to every
one of these nurses will bear fruit with
out longer delay. It is source of bitter
regret that any of the faithful band
should have died without realizing this
partial and tardy recognition OF their
services. The services of the women at
home, in the hospital and the camp re-
late. if such relationship we're not already
established, their SONS and daughters to
the old soldiers, and the services of the
old soldiers render their children the
guardians of loyalty that is unperish-
able. The Sons of Veterans, the
Daughters of Veterans, the ladies of the
Grand Army of the Republic, the Wo-
mans Relief Corps-these and other
kindred organizations, aided by such
other people as are loyal to the core be-
cause they cannot help it, insure the
victorious march of loyal sentimnet and
a corresponding retreat of the forces that
would resist it. AS going to show the
generous distribution of the seeds of
loyalty, even in quarters where DO nour-
ishment for them is apparent, 1 shall at
tempt here brief synopsis of one OF the
most pathetic stories it was ever my lot
to read. A Pennsylvania soldier, too
ignorant to read to advantage, returned
from the Union army. He married. Two
children, boy and girl, were the fruits
of the union. Then the mother died.
The father, in Indifferent health, fingered
awhile and followed his wife to the grave.
The two children moved to Kansas.
They were scarcely more cultivated than
their father was. They Jared but poorly.
The girl studied about her father having
been Union soldier. She resolved to
60 back to Pennsylvania to mark his
grave. She was without means. She
made the trip on foot. On reaching the
neighborhood. she repaired to the shop
of marble cutter and arranged for a
tombstone. In her crude way she gave
him to know that she wanted the inscrip-
ton to be: "My father was soldier
who did his duty" Unaware OF the
actual meaning of Decoration Day, our
heroine witnessed the observances at the
local cemetery. 1t happened that her
fathers grave was the one to be the Gen.
ter of attraction. There the assemblage
gathered; there the services were con-
Quoted; there the flowers were thickest.
The girl was amazed. The knowledge of
her trials became common property.
The band, now that the Decoration Day
observances were over for that year,
serenaded her at her humble lodgings,
and her troubles were at an end for at
least while. those patriotic people
who had witnessed the wonderful love-
the unaffected loyalty-of this child Of
nature saw that she returned to Kansas
by a process altogether easier than walk
ing.
VITAL REASONS FOR SUSTAINING THE
UNION.
The priceless value of human life con-
stitutes conclusive and enduring reason
for the preservation OF the Union.
Secondary reasons, but inferior to this
first great one only. are the loss of labor
and treasure involved in the effect at dis
union. The number of enlistments in
the Union army was 2,S59,132. OF these,
81 1862 were killed; 81, 773 died of wounds:
1887 died of disease and here 1 want
to emphasize the little-understood point
that the camp and the march moved
down far greater number Of men than
fell in battle-1S3,2S7 dying Of disease
against sc, l35 killed and fatally wounded;
199, 105 deserted. Add to these the BOG
men killed by accident, the 2 executed by
sentence, the 6,749 missing in action, the
154.57 honorably discharged for DIS
ability, the 1858 dishonorably discharg-
ed, the 2,423 dismissed, the 274 cashiered.
and the 22,2S1 resigned, and you find the
casualties in the great army Of the north
to have amounted to the appalling num-
hor If Q42 O83 men. An ANALYSIS of the