The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1894-11-30
SIEGE OF LUCKNOW.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE RELATES THRILL
ING DEEDS OF HERolSM.

That Awful Ordeal, the Eminent Divine
Recalls the Terrible Sepoy Rebellion
Great General and Devout Christian.
BROOKLYN, Nov. 25.-Rev. Dr. Tai
mage today began his series of round
the world sermons through the press,
the first subject selected being Luck
now, India The text chosen was Deu
teronomy Xxx, 10, "When thou shall
besiege city long time in making
war against it to take it, 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 weapons
1t adds hunger and starvation and
plague. Besiegement is sometimes nec-
bssary, 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 there
of 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 l proceed to tell you that
story for four great reasons--to show
you what horrid thing war is and to
make you all advocates for peace, to show
you what genuine Christian character
is under, bombardment, to put corona
tion on Christian courage, and to show
you how splendidly good people die
AS our train glided into the dimly
lighted station asked the guard, "Is
this Lucknow and he answered,
Lucknow, at the pronunciation of
which proper name strong emotions
rushed through body, mind and soul.
An Eyewitness.
The word is synonym of suffering.
of cruelty, of heroism, of horror such as
is suggested by hardly any other word.
We have for 35 years been reading Of
the agonies there endured and the dar-
ing deeds there witnessed. 1t was my
great desire to have some one who had
witnessed the scenes transacted in Luck
now 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
fortress in which the representatives OF
the English government lived and
which was to be the scene of an endur-
ance and commandment the story of
which poetry and painting and history
and secular and sacred eloquence have
been trying to depict. Our escort not
only had 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 gov
eminent
4 A half dozen causes are mentioned
for the feeling of discomfort and insur-
rection that was evidenced throughout
India The most of these causes were
mere pretexts. Creased cartridges were
no doubt an evaporation. The grease
ordered by the English government to be
used on these cartridges was 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 of India had
been annexed to the British empire,
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 India were a conquered race, and the
English were the conquerors. For 100
years the British scepter had been way
ed 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
for a wide outbreak The natives had
persuaded themselves that they could
send the English government flying,
and to accomplish it dagger and sword
and firearms and mutilation and slaugh-
ter must do their worst
Horrors of the Siege.
1t 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 resi-
dency, or fort, were-military and non
men, women and children
lin number about l, 500.
l suggest in one sentence some of the
,hief woes to which they were subjected
when / say that these people were in the
residency five months without a single
change of clothing; some of the time