Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1895-11-08

polL 10 THAT SOeJn uO"u W NhN
so shall his part be that tarrieth by the
stuff"
II you have never seen an arm!
change quarters, you have no idea OF
The amount Of baggage-twenty loads'
nifty loads, a hundred loads of baggage.
David and his army were about to start
on double-quick march for the recoV-
cry OF their captured families from the
Amalekites. So they left by the brook
BesOr their blankets, their knapsacks,
their baggage. and their carriages. Who
shall be detailed to watch this staif?
There are sick soldiers, and wounded
soldiers, and aged soldiers who are not
able to go on swift military eXpedi-
tions, but who are able to do some
work, and so they are detailed to watch
the baggage. There is many soldier
who is not strong enough to march
thirty miles in day and then plunge
into ten hours fight, who is able with
drawn sword lifted against his shoulder
to pace up and down as a sentinel to
keep off an enemy who might put the
torch to the baggage. There are two
and wounded soldiers detailed to watch
the baggage. Some of them, suppose,
had bandageS across the brow, and
some of them had their arm in sling,
and some Of them walked on crutches.
They were not towards Sinking duty.
They had fought in many fierce bat
tie for their country and their God.
.rf ~ fha m N
pital, and part of the time on garrison
duty. They almost cry because they
cannot go with the other troops to the
front While these sentinels watch the
baggage, the Lord watches the sentinels
There is quite a different scene being
enacted in the distance. The Amale-
kites, having ravaged and ransacked
and robbed whole countries, are cele-
brating their success in a roaring ca
rousal Some of them are dancing on
the lawn with wonderful gyration OF
heel and toe, and some of them are eX-
aiming the spoils of yictory-the fin
ger-rings and earrings, the necklaces,
the wristlets, the headbands, diamond
starred, and the Golfers with coronets,
aid carnelians, and pearls, and sap
phtres, and emeralds, and all the wealth
of Mate. and jewels, and decanters, and
the silver and the gold banked UP on
the earth in princely profusion, and the
embroideries, and the robes, and the
turbans. and the cloaks of an imperial
wardrobe. The banquet has gone on
until the banqueterS are maudlin and
reak and stupid and indecent and
handsomely drunk. What time it is
now for David and his men to sweep
IN them. So the English lost the bat
tie of Bannockburn, because the night
before they were in Wassail and bibu-
Ions celebration, while the Scotch were
:, nrayer. So the Syrians were over
thrown in their carousal by the Israel
tics So Cherdorlaomer and his army
we're oyerthrown in their carousal by
Abraham and his men. So, in our Civil
war more than once the battle was lost
bacause one of the generals was drunk.
Now il the time for David and his men
% svoop upon these carousing Amale-
Kites. Some of the Amalekites are
hacked to pieces on the spot, some OF
them are lust able to go staggering and
hiccoughing off the field, some of them
crawl ON camels and speed off in the
dietance. David and his men gather to-
oother the wardrobes, the jewels, and
MI them upon the back of camels, and
into wagons, and they gather together
the sheep and cattle that had been
stolen. and start back toward the gar
r;sor Wonder they come, yonder they
come The limping men of the garri-
con come out and greet them with wild
huzza The Bible says David saluted
them That is, he asked them how they
oil were "How is your broken arm?'
..How is your fractured jaw" "Ha;
the stiffened limb been unlimbered?'
"Have you had another chilli" Are
Won getting better?" He saluted them.
Rut now came very difficult thing
the distribution of the spoils of vic
tory Drive up those laden camels now
Who shall have the spoils? Well, some
selfish soul suggests that these treas
ures ought all to belong to those wht
had been out in active service. I'VE die
ALI the fighting while these men stayed
at home in the garrison, and we ough
to have all the treasures" But DaviC
looked into the worn faces of these vet
Grams who had stayed in the garrison
and he looked around and saw how
cleanly everything had been kept, ant
he saw that the baggage was all safe
and ne knew that these wounded ant
crippled men would gladly enough have
been at the front if they had been able
and the little general looks up from un
der his helmet and says: mo, no, lie
us have fair play" and he rushes up t
one of these men and he says, "Holt
your hands together" and the hands
are held together, and he fills then
with silver. And he rushes up to an
Eher man who was sitting away bacl
and had no idea OF getting any of the
spells, and throws Babylonish gar
ment over him and fills his hand witt
gold. And he rushes up to another mar
who had lost all his property in serving
God and his country years before, and
be drives up some of the cattle and