The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1895-11-08
AFTER THE BATTLE.
DR.. Talinage Discourses on Just
Rewards.
The Maa Who Does His Whole Duty in an
Humble Capacity Secures an Equal Re-
ward with the Man Who Has
Greater Opportunities.

In his latest sermon at Washington
city, Rev T. De Witt Talmage took
for his subject: THE Disabled" the
text being from Samuel, XXX. "a: LAS
his part is that goeth down to the
battle, so shall his part be that tar rieth
by the stuff" DR.. Talmage said:
If you have never seen an army
change quarters, you have no idea of
the amount of baggage-twenty loads,
fifty loads, a hundred loads of bag
gage. David and his army were about
to start out on a doubie-quick march
for the recovery of their captured fam
lilies from the Amalelkites So thew
left by the brook Besor their blankets
their knapsacks, their baggage, and
their carriages. Who shall be
detailed to watch this stuff?
There are sick soldiers, and wound
ed soldiers, and aged soldiers, who
are not able TO go on swift military ex-
petitions, but who are able to do some
work, and so they are detailed to
watch the baggage. There is many a
soldier who is not strong enough to
march thirty miles in a dav 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 a torch to the baggage.
There are 200 of those crippled and
aged and wounded soldiers detailed to
watch the baggage. Some of them, l
suppose, had bandages across the
brow, and some of them walked on
crutches. They were not towards
shir6ing duty. They had fought in
many a fierce battle for their country
and their God. They are now part of
the time in the hospital. and part of
the time on garrison duty. They al
most 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 Amalez-
ties, having ravaged and ransacked
and robbed whole countries, are cele-
brating their success in a roaring
carousal. Some of them are dancing
on the lawn with wonderful gyration
of heel and toe, and some of them are
examining the spoils of victory. The
banquet has gone on until the ban
queters are maudlin and weak and
stupid and indecent and loathsomely
drunk. What a time it is now for
David and his men to swoop down
on them. So the English lost the bat
tie of Bannockburn, because the night
before they were in wassail and bibu-
lous celebration, while the Scotch
were in prayer
So the Syrians were overthrown in
their carousal by the Israelities So
ChedorlaOmer and his army were over
thrown in their carousal by Abraham
and his men. So, in our civil war.
more than once the battle was lost
because one of the generals was drunk.
Now is the time for David and his men
to swoop down upon these carousing
Amalekites. Some of the Amalekites
are hacked 20 pieces on the spot, some
of the,n are just able to go staggering
and n.ccoughing eff the field, some of
them era wi on camels and speed off in
the distance David and his men gath
er together the wardrobes, the jewels,
and put them on the backs of camels,
and into wagons, and they gather to-
gether the sheep and cattle that had
been stolen, and started back toward
the garrison. Yonder they come, yon-
der they come. The limping men of
the garrison come out and greet them
with wild huzza. The Bible says
David saluted them. That is, he asked
them how they were. How is your
broken arm?' How is your fractured
jaw" HAS the stiffened limb been
unlimbered?" Have you had another
chill?" Are you getting better?" He
saluted them.
But now came a very difficult thing,
the distribution of the spoils of vic
tory. Drive up those laden camels
new. Who shall have the spoils? Well,
some selfish soul suggests that these
treasures ought all to belong to those
who had been out in active service.
''We did all the fighting, while these
men stayed at home in the garrison,
and we ought to have all the treas
ureS" But David looked into the
worn faces OF these veterans who had
stayed in the garrison, and he looked
around and saw how Clearly every
thing had been kept, and he saw that
the baggage was all safe, and he knew
that these wounded and crippled
men would gladly enough have
been at the front if they had
been able, and the little general looks
up from under his helmet, and says:
"No, no, let US have fair play" and he
rushes up to one of these men, and he
says: Hold your hands together"
and the hands are held together, and
he fills them with silver. Aud he
rushes mp to another man who was sit
ting away back and had no idea of
getting any of the spoils, and throws
a Bsbylonish garment over him and
fills his hand with gold. And he
rushes up to another man who had lost
all his property in serving God and his
country years before. and he drives up
some of the cattle and some of the
sheep that they had brought back
from the Amelekites, and he gives two
or three of the cattle and three or four
of the sheep to this poor man, so he
shall always be fed and clothed.
He sees man so emaciated and worn
out and sick he needs stimulants, and
he gives him a little of the wine that
be brought from the Amalekite. Yon-
der is a man who has no appetite for
the rough rations of the army, and he
gives him a rare morsel from the
Amalekitish banquet, and the two
hundred crippled and MANNED and
aged soldiers who tarried on garrison
duty get Just as much of the spoils of
battle as any of the two hundred men
that went to the front LAS his part