The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-06-18
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
~rxnAy,s DISCOURSE BIZ THH
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "War."


buckles. all shields of mighty men. Solo
mons Song w.. A.
The church Is here compared to an arm.
ory. the walls hung with trophies OF dead
heroes. Walk all about this lower OF David
and see the dented shields. and the twisted
swords and the rusted hemlets OF Terrible
battle. SO at this season. month Garner nc
the south. a month later 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 patriotism and prowess!
By unanimous decree of the people 81 the
United States Of America the graves oil oil
the northern and southern dead are every
wear decorated. All acerbity and bitterness
have gone out of the national solemnity, and
as the men AMI women OF the south one
month ago foralized the cemeteries and
graveyards 50 yesterday we, the men anu
women of the north, put upon the tombs oil
our dead the kiss OF patriotic anectlon'
Bravery always appreciates bravery, though
1t fight on the other side. and II u soldier OF
the Federal army had been a month ago at
Savannah he would not have been ashamed
TO march in the floral PROFESSIONS to the
cemetery. And II yesterday Confederate
soldier was ut Arlington be was glad to put
a sprig of heartsease on the silent heart oil
our dead.
In battle during our last warthe Confed-
crates were driving back the Federals. VINO
were in swift retreat, when Federal officer
dropped wounded. One of his men stopped
at the risk of his life and put his arms
around the officer to carry him from the
field. Fifty Confederate muskets were aimed
at the Young man who was picking up the
officer But the Confederate captain shout
ed. "Holdl Don't fire! That fellow ls too
brave to shoot" And rs the Federal officer,
held up by his private soldier, went limpin8
slowly off the field the Confederate soldiers
gave three cheers for the brave private, aud
Just before the two disappeared behind
barn both the wounded officer ana rho brave
private lifted their caps In gratitude to the
Confederate captain.
Shall the gospel be less generous than tho
world? We stack arms, the bayonet of our
northern gun facing this way. the bayonet
of the southern gun facing the other way,
and rs the gray of the morning melts into
the blue of noon, 50 the typical gray and
blue of old war times have blended at last,
and they quote in the language OF King
James's translation without any revision,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will TO men," Now, what do we
mean by this great observance?
First we mean instruction to one whole
generation. Substract 1865, whom the war
ended, from our 1896, and you will realize
what a vast number fpeople We're born since
the war, or were so young rs to have no
vivid appreciation. No one under forty-0ne
years Of age has any adequate memory of
that prolonged horror. Do you remember
it? "Well, - you say, "1 only remember that
mother swooned away while she was read
ing the newspaper, and that they brought
my father home wrapped in tho flag. and
that good many people came in tho house
to pray, and D'other faded away after that
house and they told me she was dead.
There are others who cannot remember
the roll OF u drum or the tramp Of q regi-
ment or q sigh or Il tear of that tornado of
Woe that swept the nation a}ain and again
until thore was one dead in each house. Now,
it is tho religious duty of those who do re-
member it to tell those who do not. My
young friends, there were such partings at
rail car windows aud steamboat wharls, and
at front doors of comfortable homes as
pray God you may never witness. Oh, what
a time it was when fathers and mothers gave
up their sons. never expecting to see thcm
again and never did see them again until
| they came back mutilated and crushed AMI
dead
-Four years of blood. Four years of hos
| tile experiences. Four years Of ghastliness.
| Four years OF gravediggng. -Four years of
| funerals, cofllus. shrouds, hearses, dirges.
| he'll let loose. What IL time of waiting for
| news! Morning paper and evening paper
| scrutinized for intelligence from the boys
| at he front. First, announcement that the
battle must occur the next day. Then the
| news of the battles going on. On the fol-
lowing day still going on. Then the news
| of 10000 slain. and of the names of the great
| generals who had fallen. but no news about
| the private soldiers. Waiting for news! Al
| 6nN-s load Of yvOnp1p1 r0ipC
through the town or city, but no news from
our boy. Then a long list Of wounded and
n long list of the dead, and long list of the
missing, and among the last list our boy.
| When missing? How missing2 Who saw
him last? Missing. missingl Was he in the
woods or by the stream? How was he hurt?
Missing, missing! What burning prayers
that he may yet be heard from! In that aw-
full waiting for news manga life persisted.
| 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 looks out of the win
| dow as though she expected some ono to
come along the path and up the steps as she
soliloquizes, "Missng, missing"
What made matters worse. all this might
| have been avoided. There was no more need
of that war than at this moment should
| plunge dagger through your heart There
u
days, scoffed at both by north and south,
| who had the right of it. II they had been
| heard on both sides, we should have had no
war and no slavery. 1t was advised by those
| Christian philanthropists, ''Let the north
| pay in money for the slaves as property and
| set them free" The north said. "We cannot
afford to pay" The south said, 1--WE will
| not sell tho slaves anyhow" But the north
did pay in war expenses enough to purchase
tho slaves, and the south was compelled to
give up slavery anyhow. Might not the
| north better have paid the money and saved
the lives of 500, 900 brave men, and might not
the south better have sold out slavery and
| saved her 500, 900 brave men? swear you
by the graves of your fathers and brothers
and sons to p new hatred for the champion
curse of the uuiyerse-warl
. Lord God with the hottest bolt of Thine
omnipotent indignation strike that monster
down forever and ever Imprison it in the
deepest dungeon of the eternal penitentiary,
Bolt it in with all the iron ever forged in
cannon or moulded into howitzers. Cleaye
it with all the sabers that over glittered in
battle and wiring its soul with all the pangs
which it ever caused. Let it feel all the con-
hagrations of the homesteads 1t ever de-
stroyed. Deeper down let 1t fall and in
flercer fame let 1t burn, till 1t has gathered
into its heart all the suffering of eternity as
we'll as time. In the name of the millions
of graves of its victims, | denounce it. The
nations need moro the spirit of treaty and
less of the spirit of war.
10 mo ybnc civ