The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1895-01-10
LUCKNOW, INDIA.
The First Of Series of Round the
World Sermons by DR.. Talmage.

World Sermons by DR.. Talmage.
"a E--------- -~eRE
The Noted Divine Tells of the Horrible
Sepoy Rebellion, He Learned the
Story From Survivor of That
Memorable Siege. ~
Rev. DIR. 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 besiege city a
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 weap-
| ons it 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 l 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 a horrid thing war is and to
make you all advocates for peace, to
show you what genuine Christian char
acter is under bonn mbardment, 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 l 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.
The word is a synonym of suffering,
of cruelty, of neroism, of horror such
as is suggested by hardly any other
word, We have for 35 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 trara-
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 mbardment the story of
which poetry and painting and history
and secular and sacred eloquence have
been trying to depict. Our escort not
only had a 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.
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 We're taken from
cows or pigs, and grease to the Hindoos
is uIclean, 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 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 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. Toe
many of them manned the forts. Toe
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 mutilatien and
slaughter must do their worst.
1t was evident in Lucknow that the
natives were about to rise and put tc
death all the Europeans they could lay
their hands on, and into the residency
the Christian population 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-military anc
non-com batants, men, women and