The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-01
SERMON FOR THE SOLDIERS.
TALMAGE DIsCOURsEs ON THE ~
NUAL FLORAL TRIBUTE.

The Text Pound in One of the SONGS
of soIomou-Thc Churches of the
North and south Turned Into ARM
orfes Adorned with the Memories
OF Departed Braves-A Pretty IN
staace Of Confederate Chivalry in
the Thick of Battle.
washington. May sl.-What could be
more appropriate or stirrins than tnis
discourse by the Rev. Dr. Talmage at the
time Of year when the friends o. those
who wore the blue and the gray have dec
GRATED The mounds OF the fallent The text
was Solomon's Song 4. 4. THE tower Of
David buiided Tor an armory, whereon
there hang "a thousand buckleTs' AL
shields OF mighty men"
The church is here compared TO an ar
mory. the walls hung with trophies CT
dead heroes Walk an about this tower
of David. and see the deuted shields and
the twisted swords, and the rusted hell
NETS Of terrible battle. So at this season.
a month earlier at the south, month la
ter at the north, the American churches
are turned into armories adorned with
memories Of departed braves. Blossom
and bloom, O walls. with stories Of self
sacrifice. and patriotFm, and proves!
the United States of America, the graves
Of all the northern and southern dead aye
every year decorated. All acerbity ana
bitterness have gone out of the national
solemnity, and as the men and women Of
the south one month ago horalized the
cemeteries end graveyards, so yesterday
we. the men and women of the north, put
upon the tombs of our dead the kiss OF pa
triotic affection. Bravery always appreei-
ates bravery, though it night OF the other
side. and if a soldier of the federal army
had been a month ago at savannah, he
would not have been ashamed 10 march in
the floral professions 70 the cemetery Ana
if yesterday confederate soldier Wds
at Arlington, be was glad to put sprlg
of heart s-ease on the silent heart Of our
dead.
federates were driving back the tederalsl
who were In swift retreat, when federal
officer dropped wounded. one OF MS men
stopped at the risk OF his ne ana put hla
arms around the officer 20 carry MN from
the field. Fifty confederate muskets We're
aimed at the young man VINO was picking
up the officer. But the confederate cap
tain shouted. Hold! don't fire. That Eel
low Is too brave to shoot And as the red
eral officer held up by MS private solder
went limping slowly off the leld, the con-
federates gave three cheers for the brave
private; and just before the two disap-
peared behind barn, both the wounded
officer and the brave private lifted their
caps in gratitude to the confederate cap
tain.
the world? We stack arms the bayonet
of our northern gun facing this way, the
bayonet of the southern gun racing the
other way and as the gray OF the morn
ing melts into the blue of noon, so the typ
zeal gray and blue of old war times nave
blended at last, and they quote IN the IAN
guage of King James translation without
any revision: GLORY to God in the highest
and on earth, peace, good VIII 10 men;
Now what do We mean by this great OBJ
First. we mean instruction to one whole
genera ton. Substract 1865, when the war
ended, from 1896, and you win realize
what a vast number of people were born
since the war, or were so young as 70 nave
no vivid appreciation. NO one under Tor
ty-one years Of age has any adequate
memory OF the prolonged horror. 10 you
remember it2 "Wen' you say, 4 only
remember that mother swOoned away
while she was reading the newspaper, ana
that they brought my father home
wrapped in the flag, and that "A good many
people came in the house TO pray, and
mother faded away after that until again
there were many people IN the mousse ana
they told me she was dead
There are others who cannot remember
the roll of a drum the tramp of regi-
ment or a sigh OF a tear of that tornado
OF woe that swept the nation again ana
again until there was one dead IN each
house. Now it is the religious duty or
those who do remember it to tell those
who do not. My young friends, there We're
such partings at rail-car windows ana
steamboat WharVes, and at front doors OF
comfortable homes as l pray God you
may never witness Oh what time it
was, when fathers and mothers gave up
their sons never expecting to see them
again, and never did see them again untn
they came back mutilated, and crushed,
and dead!
Four years of blood -Four years of hos
tile experience. -Four years of ghastli-
ness. Four years OF graVe-digging. Four
years of funerals, collins, shrouds, hearses
dirges. Mourning! MOURNING! mourning. II
was hell let loose. What a time of waiting
for neWsl Morning paper and evening pa
per scrutinized for intelligence from the
boys at the 'front.'. FIRST announcement
that the battle must occur the next day.
Then the news Of the battles going on.
ON the following day still going on. Then
news of thirty thousand siain and of the
names Of the great generals who had tal-
len, but no news about the private sol
diers. Waiting for news! After many days
load of wounded going through the town
or city, but no news from our boy. Then
long list of wounded and a long list of
the dead, and a long list of the missing.
And among the last list, our boy.
When missing2 How missing2 Who saw
him last? Missing Missing! Was he in
the woods or by the stream2 How was he
hurt? Missing! Missingi What burning
prayers that he may yet be heard from.
In that awful waiting for news many
life perished. The strain Of anxiety was too
great That Wife's brain gave way that
first week after the battle. and ever and
anon she walks the floor of the asylum or
expected some one TO come along the path
and up the steps, as she soliloquizes,
Missing missingr'
What made matters worse all this might
have been avoided. There was no more
need of that war than at this moment
should plunge a dagger through your
heart. There were a few Christian philan-
thropists in those days, scofed at both
by north and south, who had the right Of
il. If they had been heard on both sides
we should have had no war and no slav-
cry. 1t was advised by those Christian
philanthropsts Let the North pay in
money for the slaves a property, and set
them free" The north said, we cannot
afford to pay" The south said. I'VE will
not sell the slaves anyhow" But the north
did pay in war expenses enough to pur-
chase the slaves, and the south was com
PEELED to give up slavery anyhow. Might
not the north better have paid the money
and saved the lives of five hundred thou
sand brave men, and might not the south
better have sold out slavery and saved her
five hundred thousand brave men?
swear you by the graves of your fathers
and brothers. and sons to a new hatred for
the champion curse of the universe
war! 0 Lord, God, with the hottest bolt
If n rtf4