The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-12-12
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
TIE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: ssSiege of Lucknow"

Subject: ssSiege of Lucknow"
TEXT: "When thou shalt hesiege city a
long time In making war against 1t to take
1t. thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by
forcing m Ak against them. m."-Deuterono-
my Xxx, 10.
for 20 the work of deadly weapons 1t adds
hunger and starvation and plague. Besiege-
ment is sometimes necessary, but my text
commands mercy even In that. The fruit
trees must be spared because they afford
food for man. 'Thou shalt not destroy the
trees thereof by forcing an ak against
them" But IN my recent journey round the
world found at Lucknow. India the remains
of the most merciless besiegement Of the
ages, and proceed to tell you that story for
four great reasons-to show you what hor
id thing.war is and to make you all advo-
Gates for peace, to show you what genuine
Christian character is under bombardment,
to put coronation on Christian courage,
and to show you how splendldly good people
die.
AS our train glided into the dimly lighted
station I asked the guard, sis this Luck
now?" and he answered, "Lucknow," at the
pronunciation of which proper name strong
emotions rushed through body, mind and
soul.
The word is q synonym of suffering, OF
cruelty, OF heroisin, OF horror such as is sug-
gested by hardly any other word. We have
Tor thirty-five years been reading OF the
agonies there endured and the daring deeds
there witnessed. It was my great desire to
have some one who had witnessed the
scenes transacted in Lucknow In 1857 con-
duct Us over the place. We found Just the
the greatest mutiny of the ages broke out,
and he was put with others inside the
residency, which was cluster OF buildings
making fortress In which the representa-
tives OF the English Govercment lived and
which was to be the scene OF an endurance
and a bombardment the story of which
poetry and painting and history and seculer
and sacred eloquence have been trying to de-
pict. Our escort not only had good
memory Of what had happened, but had
talent enough to rehearse the tragedy.
In the early part OF 1857 all over India the
natives were ready to break out In rebellion
against all foreigners and especially against
the civil and military representatives Of the
English Government.
A half dozen causes are mentioned for the
feeling of discomfort and insurrection that
was evinced throughout India. The most
of these causes were mere pretexts. Creased
cartridges were no doubt an evaporation.
The grease ordered by the English Govern
ment to be used on these cartridges was
taken from COWS or pigs, and grease to the
Hindoos is unclean, and to bite these car
tridges at the loading of the guns would be
an offense to the Hindoo religion. The
leaders of the Hindoos said that these
creased cartridges was only part of an at
tempt by the English Government to make
the natives give up their religion hence, un-
bounded indignation was aroused.
Another cause OF the mutiny was that an
other large province OF India had been an
ne1ed to the British empire, and thousands
OF officials in the employ OF rhe King OF that
they were all ready for trouble making.
Another cause was said to be the bad gov
ernment exercised by some English officials
In India.
The simple fact was that the natives OF In
dia were q conquered race, and the English
were the conquerors. For 100 years the
British scepter had been waved over India,
and the Indians wanted to break that scep-
ter. There never had been any love or SYM
pathy between the natives OF India and the
Europeans. There is none now.
Before the time Of the great mutiny the
English Government rlsked much power in
the hands Of the natives. Too many Of them
manned the forts. Too many Of them were
in the Governmental employ. And now the
time had come for a wide outbreak. The
natives had persuaded themselves that they
could send the English Government flying,
firearms and mutilation and slaughter must
do their worst. .
1t was evident In Lucknow that the ma
tives were about to rise and put to death all
the Europeans they could lay their hands
on, and into the residency the Christian pop
ulation of Lucknow hastened for defense
from the tigers in human form which were
growing for their victims. The occupants
OF the residency, or fort, were-militnry and
men, women and children
in number about 1892.
suggest In one sentence some OF the
chief woes to which they were subjected
when say that these people were in the
residency five months without single
change of clothing some OF the time the
heat at 120 and 130 degrees the place black
with flies and all a-squirm with vermin
firing OF the enemy upon them ceasing
neither day nor night the hospital crowded
with the dying; smallpox, scurvy, cholera,
adding their work to that OF shot and shell;
women brought up In all comfort and never
having known want, crowded and sacri-
feed in q cellar where nine children
were born less and less food no water ex-
cept that which was brought from q we'll
under the enemy,s fire, 80 that the water OBJ
tanned was at the price Of blood the stencil
of the dead horses added to the efluvIa OF
corpses, and all waiting for the moment
when the army OF $4,000 shrleking Hindoo
devils should break In upon the garrison Of
the residency, now reduced by wounds and
sickness and death to 976 men, women and
children.
"Call me early" Isaid, "to-morrow morn
Ing, and let Us BIZ at the residency bsforethe
sun becomes too hot" At 2 o'clock In the
morning weleft our hotel in Lucknow, and
''Please take US along the road by which
and Outram came to the relief Of
The residency." That was the way We went.
There was q solemn stiffness as we ap-
preached the gate Of the residency. Bat
tered and torn fs the masonry OF the en-
trance Signature OF shot and punctuation
of cannon ball all up and down and every
where.
"Here to the left," said our escort, "are
The remains OF q building the first floor Of
which In other days had been used as ban
quoting hall, but then was used as a hos
pitai. At this part the amputations took
place, and all such patients died. The heat
Was SO great and the food so insufficient
hat the poor fellows could not recover
rom the loss otblood. They all died. Ampu-
.ations were performed without chloroform.
All the anaesthetics were exhausted. A
fracture that in other climates and un-
der other circumstances would have come TO
easy convalescence here proved fatal. Yon-
der was DR.. Fayrer's house, who was sur
seon OF the place and is now Queen Victor
as doctor. This upper room was the off,
,ers' room, and there Sir Henry Lawrence,
our dear commander, was wounded. While
~ sat there q shell struck the room, and
some one suggested that he had better
cave the room. but he smiled and said.
never strikes twice In the