The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-05-17

dren or whether this part OF the bust;
ness of life was neglected merely be-
cause there seemed to be no ready cash
In it.
"When parents learn that children
are Of quite as much account as pigs
and lambs, and need Just as careful
looking after, the prospe cts for coming
generations will be infinitely better
than they are now."-N. Y. Ledger.
War as It Appears to an Eye witness
From Daily Local News, Philadelphia
EDITOR NEws.-The papers have
been giving eloquent accounts of the
visit If military men to the field Of the
battle of Gettysburg. Prominent
among the visitors were General o. O.
Howard and bis brother, General
Charles E. Howard. A third brother
was on that field of strife thirty wears
ago. He went as member Of the
Christian Commission years after.
ward became Secretary of the Amer.
lean Peace Society, and died not long
since In Italy, whittier he had gone to
participate in q conference on inter.
national arbitration and peace. The
testimony Of Rowland B. Howard ia
interesting and may be appropriately
adduced at this time. J. w. L.
WAR AS 1T APPEARS no AN EYE WIT.
I was at Gettysburg July IA, 1858.
with my brother General o. O. How.
ard, but not as soldier. It was NV
first and only battle field. I received
there not my first impressions, but by
far my deepest conviction as to the
real and essential character OF war.
The "pomp and circumstancen were
not wanting as we brokecamp at Lees
burg, Va, and marched to the sound
Of music and under waving banners
toward Pennsylvania. The report Of
the first gun following a distant flash
and the slow rising Of puff Of smoke
over the woods excited q thrill of paar
triotic emotion. Our reinforcements
hurrying beyond the town to repel at
tacks already begun, and Others
fastening to gain and hold important
positions on Cemetery Ridge, rousedmy
honest sympathy. But when the first
broken line Of limping, bleeding.
wounded" halted along the Balti.
more turnpike, and I attempted. al
most alone, the work of relief, I felt as
never before wars cruel sacrifice of
blood and limb and life. On the sec
ond:evening of the battle :the moon
rose as peaceful faced as ever and the
silent stars looked down unchanged on
,,,k,, al I~yk n, ~. -
the otherwise noiseless night resound-
ed with cries Of mortal agony from the
dying around me. said to niyself
20 God. the moon and the stars Thou
has made, but hot this miserable mur.
der and mangling of men p' It is not
like nature 1t Is anti natural; 1t Is of
the pit. On the third afternoon went
up, weary with hospital work, for a
few moments rest to the cupola of q
farmhouse. The thin line of blue
coated soldiers seemed to waver along
the summit of the ridge. inyolun.
tarily prayed for their safety, their sue
cess and for victory. Just then, above
the rattling Of musketry and the roar
of artillery there came 8 clap of thun-
der from rapidly rising cloud. For
q moment no other sound was heard.
1t was as II God were saying, II am
mightier than ye all !! Hear my voice.
Cease your mad and tumultuous strifep'
Here the question came to me as never
before, "Is this the work of God or of
Satan? Is there no other way of set
Ting human differences, establishing
and confirming human rights? Do
union, liberty and law lie along no
other road ?" Then, as the roar Of bat
tie was renewed, and volley succeeded
volley, 1t seemed to me that each bullet
was hungry for q life. Some lives,
dear to me personally, rose in their
noble manliness before me. I spoke
imagined farewells to the dying.
seemed TO look upon dead faces only
too familiar. ! heard In each discharge
the possible knell Of friend or brother?
Oh, wicked extravaganza and waste of
most precious things That young
man has, with vast expense of time
and toll, trained his bulIetpierced
brain for great intellectual stiainments.
The other has had such gracious spir-
itual experiences as to be divinely
marked as an exemplar and teacher Of
religion. Learning, skill, wisdom,
piety, and moral power were won by
him by wears of self denial and conse-
Grafton. Ability was thus acquired for
which the world has thousand aching
voids. Alas !! his body affords less an
obstacle to the passage of bullet than
that of a horse or even q senseless
stone. Surely here Is wicked waste.
What effect has all this had on such
as come away or slain, unwounded
Does not this work seem too like that
of wild beasts and bulldogs and blood
Separate the military man
himself from bis bloody deeds forget
for moment the cause of the war In
which he fights-what are the personal
motives, impulses and passions reused
into life and energy by fighting? A
Christian soldier once said to me con-
II cannot bear to 20 into
the presence of God so angry as I al
ways become in battle" Gen. Sher-
man wrote, "War Is cruelty. You can
not refine itw tits that and worse. It
lacks not only kindness and humanity,
it lacks mercy, righteousness, Justice
it Is q moral monster. However justi-
fable we may think its alleged cause,
however beneficial Its results, its facts
are hideously wicked. In q divinely
created and ordered universe there Is,
there must be, better way. 1t is our
duty to find it.
No matter how learned and pious
your Preacher may be, it devolves
nnon Won. bY divine command. To