The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-05-30

OF war. : would 10 God 10 such neces-
sity ever atosel Would that all differ.
ences could 10 amicably settled by
some recognized peacoful a%rbitrationl
But there Is little hope OF any such'pro.
vision, until the nations shall become
thoroughly imbued with the spirit OF
Clirist-of Him who Is the Prince OF
peace.
Christianity has not a. yot been able
to avert tho evils Of war, but It has OK.
ertod q powerful influence In mitigating
those evils. Not only are wars OF loss
frequent occurrence than in the days
when pagnnism ruled the world, butthe
horrors Of warfare have been immensely
diminished. Under tho Roman Empire
tho normal, condition was war; peace
was the exception. The, reverse Is now
happily the case The:motto Of the Ro-
man. as Of all pagan t%c6nquerors, was
Vac riets"-"Woe to the conquered"
Neither ago nor sex was spared, unless
1t wore to drag out a miserable lito In
the most degrading slavery. What
blood.curdling butcherics sore prac.
ticed V o by those who were rcputed
rs comparatively c%onsidcrate toward
their conquered foes. Alexander the
Great had two thousand OF the captured
Tyrians cruciHed, and all the rest either
butchered or sold into slavery. Crsar
ordered forty thousand OF tho inhabit-
ants OF a conquered city put to the
sword. Titus, aftor the fall OF Jerusa-
lem, carried of nincty.seven thousand
jews into captivity. :" OF these, two
thousand five hundred wero inundated
III honor OF his brother, ,Domitian, and
numbers Of others were sacrificed on the
fcast-day Of his father, Vespasian. Con-
quored kings and princes wercl led along
III Chains to grace tho conqueror's ,tri-
uinph, and afterward put to some igno.
minious death. Such sbarbsritioa at
least ..ta.rnI Si,,y,i ,-;
ARE uS"HrARp or IN oHarsriAS w~AEpAK;E.i
Towards prisoners Of dviar rs towards:
the captured sick and wounded; tho ir6-.
q%uirements OF our cofdtnon hnmamtv
are not forgotten. Thus in. many ways
has tho spirit Of christidhily 'mltigated
the horrors OF war; dnd'1am convinced
That our " war WINS perception to
this. christianizing influence. ''II o
Indeed you will search in vain for an
instance Of nobler magnanimity towards
q fallen and conquered foo than that
shown by General Grants at the surrcn:
der Of Appomattox--a ~maenanimity
heartily endorsed and brnvely sustained
by President Lincoln. No train OF dis
armed captives was required to gracethe
triumphant march OF the conqueror.
All that was asked OF men and leaders
was to lay down their arms and return
to the peaceful avoCations OF their
homes.
80 died the hatred OF our brother fcud:
The conflict DER. tho triumph WIS subdued.
nat victor King e'er spared thF conquered foe?
How much Of mercy did strong Prussia show
When Hrgutshed Paris at her feet lay prone?
The German trumpet rang above her moan,
The clink of Ehlan spurs her temples knew,
Her Arch Of Triumph SPAWNED their triumph,
John Boyle O'Rcilly, from whose
poem on America those lines are taken,
truthfnlly remarked, in IN address de-
livered before tho Grand Army ut Ever
cit, Mass, i've years ago: "While the
two flags were in tho air-the Stars and
Stripes and the Stars and Bars-while
the men in blue and the men in grew
faced each other, never was fight SO full
OF hatred and death since Cain slew his
brother with a brand. Because there
could be no compromise. 1t was death
or scparation-and separation was
DEATH" He continues: "IIow woeiul-
ly fitting are the words OF Shakespeare
War 'twixt You twain would be as il
the world should ~clcavo, and that slain
men should solder up the rift Only
the Angels Of God could steal the bit
terness from tho beaten. proud South.
Truly, 10 hands but the hands OF slain
men could solder up tho ritz, ;
And yet, my dear Christian friends,
has not tina: mighty chasm been long
ago bridged over, aud, miracle OF
American patriotism, the ?riyen heart
strings OF a nation again welded 30 firm
and strong TINT no future tension can
ever force them TO snap asunder?
North and South have clasped hands in
an undying friendship: Who can doubt
it? Men who led brave hosts to battle
against the nations life have'long since
been seated amongst the nations law
givcrs. Men, who once babe proud
defiance to the st~ar-spanglcd banner,
arc ready now TO shield that glorious
ensign from dishonor at the sacrifice OF
life itself. To your eternal glory, SOL
dierS OF the republic, do | proclaim it
from this sacred pulpit-,his nn-
parallcled miracle OF reconciliation il
mainly due to the patriotic spirit OF the
old soldiers themselves.
Some no doubt there are. who, for
selfish, partisan ends, would ian the
enbcrs OF hatred between North and
South; but YOU and your fcllow-soldiers
share not this spirit, so contemplate,
SO un-American.
YOU Sw0RET TO DO yOrR DUTY
OIL tho field OF battle, aud YOU did it.
in peace your highest, most sacred
duty is to cultivate feelings Of brotherlv
love toward all your fellow citizens, and
most nobly have you discharged this
solemn obligation. Even toward the
men OF the Southland, who met you on
the CORY plains Of war, you have shown
n generosity, aye, Il fratornal affection
unexampled in the worlds history. In
all the annals OF time, you will not
come across another instance whore
c%onquerors have honored the con.
| quercd's dead and decorated their
graves with flowers; yot moro than
once have your comrudes.in-arms been
known to lay wreaths OF tender aiIcc-
ton OIL the graves Of the Southern
slain.
Sadly, hut not upbrRIdIng.
The generous deed was lone,
In the storm Of the yeurS that arc aiding
No hInrrr blttlc WINS won.
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the Judgment Dny:
Under the blossoms the blue,
Cnder the garlGIuls the grey.
Therefore, | Gun see no reason why
the bitter unlmositipy of tho ,yor .pko,lj