The Penn's Grove record., 1896-06-05
REY. DR.. TaLQaGE:.
The Eminent Diyine's Sunday
Sermon.
subjects f'war.'

-.
TEXT: ''The tower of Davii builded for NJ
nrmory, whereon there hung n Thousand
buckles. all shields OF mighty men. Solo
mons Song IVA
The church ia here compared to an arm.
DRY, the walls hung with trophies OF dead
heroes. Walk all about this tower OF David
and see the dented shields. and the twisted
swords and the rusted hemlets Of terrible
battle. So at this season. u month earlier nj
the south, a month Inter at the north. the
American churches are turned into armorles
adorned with memories of departed braves
Blossom and bloom, O walls, with stor es oil
self sacrifice and patriotism and prowess!
By unanimous decree Of the people Of the
United States Of America the graves Of all
the northern and southern dead are every
year decorated. All acersity and bitterness
have zone out OF International solemntty, and
as the men AMI women of the south one
month ago foralizei the cemeteries and
grayeyards so yesterday we, the men and
women of the north, put upon the tomhs OF
dead the kiss Of patriotic affection.
Bravery always appreciates bravery. though
1t fight on the other side, AMI IL q soldier OF
the Federal army had beer q month ngo at
Savannah he would not lave been ashamed
to march In the lornl professions to the
cemetery. And II yesterday a Confederate
soldier was at Arlington he was CAD to put
a sprig Of heartsease On the silent heart OF
our dead.
In q battle during our last warthe Confei-
crates were driving back the Federals. who
were in swift retreat, when q Federal officer
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 firei That fellow is too
brave to shoot" And as the Federal officer,
held up by his private soldier, went limpine
slowly of the field the Confederate soldiers
gave three cheers for the brave private, aud
Just before the two disappeared behind a
barn both the wounded officer ani the brave
private lifted their caps In gratitude 10 the
Confederate captain.
Shall the gospel be less generous than the
world? We stack arms, the bayonet of our
northern gun facing this way, the bayonet
of thes southern gun facing the other way,
and as the gray OF tho morning melts into
the blue OF noon, so the typical gray and
blue OF old war times have blended Mt last,
and they quote in the language Of King
yames's translation without any revision,
"Glory to God In the highest, and on Garth
peace, good will to men," Now, what do we
mean by this great Observance
First, we mean instruction to one whole
generation. Substract 1865, when the war
ended, from our 1896, and you will realize
what a vast number Of people were born since
the war, or were so young rs to have no
vivid appreciation. No one under forty-one
years of age has any adequate memory of
that prolonged horror. Do you remember
IT. "Well," you say, sT only remember that
mother swooned away while she was read
ing the newspaper, and that they brought
my father home wrapped In the flag, and
that a good many people came 10 the house
until again there were many people in the
house and they told me she was dead"
There are others who cannot remember
the roll OF a drum or the tramp OF a regi-
ment or q sigh or a tear Of that tornado OF
woe that swept the nation a ,ain and again
until there was one dead in each house. Now,
1t is the religious duty OF those who do re-
member 1t TO tell those who do not. My
young friends, there were such paintings Mt
rail ear windows anil steamboat wharfs, aud
at front doors of comfortable homes as L
pray Goo you may never witness. Oh, what
a time 1t was when fathers and mothers gave
up their sons. never expecting to see them
again and never did see them again until
they came back mutilated and crushed and
deadi
-Four years OF blood. -Four years OF hos
~ NaPS EOaA JottB VI kufSliiuC1ds
-Four years OF grayediRsing. Four years of
funerals, e%offlns, shrouds, hearses, dirges.
Mourningi monrningl mourning! II was
hell let loose. What n time Of waiting for
newsl Morning paper and evening paper
scrutinized for Intelligence from the boys
al the front. First, announcement thai tha
battle must occur the next day. Then the
OF the battles going on. On the fol-
lowing day still going on. Then the news
OF 80, 900 slain. and Of the INT OF tho great
generals who had fallen. but no news about
the private soldier. Waiting for newsi AZ
ter many days a load OF wounded going
through the town or city. but no news from
our boy. Then a 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 missing? Who saw
him last2 Missing. missingl Was he in the
woods or by the stream? How was he hurta
Missing, missingi What burning prayers
that he may yet be heard fromi In that aw-
fui waiting for news manya life persisted.
The strain of anxiety was too great. That
wifes brain gave way that first week after
the battle, and ever and amor she walks the
Of the asylum or looks out of the win
dow as though she expected some one ia,
come along the path and up the steps us she
"Missing, missing!"
What made matters worse, oil this might
have been avoided. There wRs no more need
of that war than at this moment / should
plunge a dagger through your heart. There
were a few Christian philanthropists 4 those
days. scoffed at both by north and south,
who had the right Of 1t. II they had been
heard on both sides, we should have had no
and no slavery. It was advised b ythose
Christian ph!lnnthtopists, LET the north
paw In money for the slaves as property and
set them free" The north said, ave cannot
afford to pay" The south said, .swe Will
not sell the slaves anyhow" But the north
pay In war expenses enough to purchase
the slaves, and the south was compelled to
esat i bstt ssri AVE p paid the money! @.sal ana Ar say ses
the lives OF 500 900 brave men, and might not
he south better have sold out slavery aud
her SOC, 900 brave men? I swear you
by the graves Of your fathers and brothers
and sons to a new hatred for the champion
curse of the unfyerse-wari
o Lord God, with the hottest bolt OF Thine
indignation strike that monster
down forever y everi Imprison It In the
deepest dungeon OF the eternal penitentiary.
Bolt 1t in with all the iron ever forged In
cannon or moulded into howitzers. Oleave
II with all the sabers that ever giittered In
battle md wiring fits soul with all tho paugs
which 1t ever caused. Let 1t feel all the coa-
nagrations of the homesteads 1t ever de-
Deeper down let II fall and in
lefceF uHme let II ourh, I'LL II mas Bdthered
Into ITS heart all the suffering OF eternity Ms
we'll as time. In the name OF the millions
Of graves of Its victims, l denounce it. The
need more the spirit Of treaty and
of the spirit of war.
War Is more ghastiy now than once, not
only because OF the greater destruciiveness
Of its weaponry. because now 1t takes down
the best men, whereas once IL chiefly took
down the worst. Bruce, in l7t7, in his "In-
Of Military Law" said of the Eu-
ropean armies OF his day, "If all infamous
persons and such as have committed capital
rrlmes, h~eretics. atheists and all dastardly
men were weeded out Of the army,
L would soon DO reduced to n pretty moder-
ate NUMBER Fiogging and mean pay made
Them still more ignobie. Oficers were APP
to see that each soldier drank hts
ration of a pint Of spirits q day. There were
noble men in battle. but the moral character
Of the army was then ninety-fye per cent.
than the moral character OF an army
By so much Is war now the more /
because 1t destroys the picked
men of the nations.
Again, by this national ceremony We meal
10 honor courage. Many Of these departed /
were volunteer, not oonscripts, AMI
81 those who were drafted might hay.
a substit ute or got on on furloug,
or nave deserted. The fact thai they lie in
graves Is proof Of their bravery. Brave /
i the front, bravo at the ~cannon's mouth