The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1894-12-07

Memorable Siege.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Sunday began his
series Of round the world sermons
through the press, the first subject Sc
lected being Lucknow, India. The
text chosen was Deuteronomy Xxx, 10:
"When thou shalt bcsiege a city a
long time in making war against it
to take il, thou shalt not destroy the
trees thereof by forcing an AK against
them
The awfulest thing in war is besiege-
ment, for to the work of deadly weap-
ons il adds hunger and starvation and
plague. Besiegement 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 de-
stroy the trees thereof by forcing
an ak against them" But in my re-
cent journey round the world found
at Lucknow, India, the remains of
the most merciless Disagreement OF
the ages, and / proceed to tell you that
story for four great reasons-to show
you what a horrid thing war is and to
make you all advocates for peace, to
show you what genuine Christian char
acter is under bombardment, to put a
coronation on Christian courage, and
to show you how splendidly good peo-
pie die.
As our train glided into the dimly
lighted station / asked the guard, as
this Lucknow" and ne answered,
Lucknow" at the pronunciation of
which proper name strong emotions
rushed through body, mind and soul.
The word is a synonym of suffering,
Of cruelty, of heroism, of horror such
as is suggested by hardly any other
word, We have for 81 years been read
ing of the agonies there endured and
the daring deeds there witnessed. 1t
was my great desire to have some one
who had witnessed the scenes trans
acted in Lucknow in 1857 conduct us
over the place. We found just the
man. he was a young soldier at the
time the greatest mutiny of the ages
broke out, and he was put with others
inside the residency, which was
a cluster of buildings making a
fortress in which the representatives
of the English government lived and
which was to be the scene of an endur-
ance and bonn bardment the story of
which poetry and painting and history
and secular and sacred eloquence have
been trying to depict. Our escort not
only had 4 good memory of what had
happened, but had talent enough to re-
hearse the tragedy.
in the early part of 1857 all over In
dia the natives were ready to break out
in rebellion against all foreigners and
especially against the civil and mill
tary representatives, of the English
government.
A half dozen causes are mentioned
for the feeling of discomfort and insur-
rection that was evinced throughout
India. The most of these cases were
mere preteXts. Creased cartridges
were no doubt an exaspera-
ton. The grease ordered by the
English government to be used
on these cartridges were taken from
cows or pigs, and grease to the Hindoos
is unclean, and to bite these cartridges
at the loading of the guns would be an
offense to the Hindoo's religion. The
leaders of the Hindoos said that these
CREASED cartridges were only part of an
attempt by the English government to
make the natives give up their religion;
hence unbounded indignation was
aroused.
Another cause of the mutiny was
that another large province in India
had been annexed to the British en-
pire. and thousands of officials in the
employ of the king of that province
were thrown out of position, and they
were all ready for trouble-making.
Another cause was said to be the
bad government exercised by some
English officials in India.
The simple fact was that the natives
of Indian were a conquered race, and
the English were the conquerors. For
700 years the British scepter had been
waved over India, and the Indians
wanted to break that scepter. There
never had been any love or sympathy
between the natives of India and the
Europeans. There is none now.
Before the time of the great mutiny
the English government risked much
power in the hands of the natives. Too
many of them manned the forts Too
many of them were in governmental
employ. And now the time had come
LOT WllG INC natives udu
persuaded themselves that they could
send the English government flying,
and to accomplish it dagger and sword
and firearms and mutilation and
slaughter must do their worst
It was evident in Lucknow that the
natives were about to rise and put to
death all the Europeans they could lay
their hands on, and into the residency
the Christian population of Lucknow
FASTENED for defense from the tigers in
human form which were growing for
their victims. The occupants of the
residency, or fort, were-military and
non-cOm batants, men, women and
children-in number about 1,692.
suggest in one sentence some of the
chief woes to which they were sub
iected when ! say that these people
were in the residency five months with
out a single change of clothing; some
of the time the heat at 100 and 80 de-
Erees: 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
tho dying; smallpox, scurvy, chol- |
era, adding their work to that |
of shot and she'll: women brought |
up in all comfort and never hav-