The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-06-19
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE NOTED DTvINRs SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.
Subjects "war."


heroes. Walk al about this tower OF David
and see the dentel shields. and the twisted
swords and the rusted hemlots Of terrible
battle. 30 90 this season. a month earlier Ht
the south, a month later az the north. the
American churches ara turned into armOrles
adorned with memories Of departed braves.
Blossom and bloom, o walls, with stories Of
Eelt sacrifice and patriotism ana provost
~ unanimous decree Of the people Of tho
United States Of America the graves Of all
the northern and southern dead are every
year decorated. All acerbity and bitterness
have gone ont Of the national s9lemnlty, and
az the men an1 women OF the south one
month AGO Horalizod the cemeteries and
grayeyards 90 yesterday We, tho men and
women OF The north, put upon the tombs Of
our dead the kiss Of patriotic affection.
Bravery always appreciates bravery. though
II hght on the other side, and 10 n soldier OF
the Federal army had been a month ago al
Savannah he would not have been ashamed
TO march In the floral PROFESSIONS to the
cemetery. And IT yesterday q Confederate
soldier was a. Arlington be was glad TO put
a sprig Of hcartease on the silent heart OF
our dead.
In battle during our last warthe Confed-
crates were driving back the Federals, who
were IN swift retreat, when a Federal officer
dropped wounded. One OF hts men stopped
at the risk Of his life and put his arms
around the officer 10 carry him from tho
field. Fifty Confederate muslets were aimed
az the young man who was picking up the
officer. But the Confederate captain shout
cd "Holdl Don't nre Thut fellow Is too
brave TO shoot" And rs the Federal officer.
held up by bis private soldier, went limpiug
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 ana the brave
private lifted their caps IN gratitude to the
Confederate captain.
Shall the gospel be less generous than the
worldf We stack arms, the bayonet OF our
northern gun facing this way, the bayonet
Of the southern gun facing the other way,
and as the gray Of the morning melts into
the blue OF noon, so TIE 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 10 We
mean by this great observance?
First, we mean instruction 70 one whole
generation. Substraet 1865, when the war
ended, from our 1895, and you will realize
whats vast number ofpeople were born since
the war, or we're so young rs to have no
vivid appreciation. No one under fOrty-one
that prolonged horror. Do you remember
IT. 'Well, you say, 81 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 IN the house
20 pray, and neither faded away after that
until again there were many people in the
house and they told me she was dead"
There are others who cannot remember
"a nj 30 4 ,o .En
ment or a sigh or tear Of that tornado of
woe that swept the nation again and again
until there was one dead 10 each house. Now,
II is the religious duty of those who do re-
member il TO tell those who do not. Ny
young friends, there were such partings at
rail car windows and steamboat wharfs, aud
at front doors Of comfortable homes as I
pray God you may never witness. Oh what
a time it 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 nutilated and crushed and
deadl
-Four years Of blood. Four years Of hos
tile experiences. Four years Of ghastiiness.
| Four years Of grayedigging. Four years Of
| funerals, collins, shrouds, hearses, dirges.
| Mourning! mourningl mourning! Il was
| hell let loose. What a time Of waiting for
news! Morning paper and evening paper
| 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 fol-
| lowing day still going on. Then the news
| Of So 900 slain, and Of the names OF the great
| generals who had fallen, but no news about
| the private soldiers. Waiting for news! At
| ter many days q load of wounded going
| through the town or city, but no news from
| our boy. Then long list of wounded and
| 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 last? Missing, missingl Was he in the
| woods or by the stream? How was he hurtf
| Missing, missing! What burning prayers
| that he may yet be heard from In that aw-
fu! waiting for news many 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 cut Of the win
| dow as though she expected some one to
come along the path and up the steps as she
| soliloquizes. "Missing, missing!"
What made matters worse, all this might
| have been avoided. There was 20 more meet
Of that war than at this moment should
| plunge a dagger through your heart Iher'
were few Christian phianthropists Ia thos'
DAYS, scofTed at both by north and south
. |
heard on both sides, we should have had NJ
war and no slavery. 1t was advised ythost
Christian phianthropists, LET the nortl
pay in money for the slaves as property ant
Set them free" The north said, eve canno
afford to pay" The south said, "We will
not sell the slaves anyhow But the nortl
did pay in war expenses enough to purehas
the slaves, and the south was compelled t
give up slavery anyhow. Might not tn
north better have paid the money and save
the lives Of 500, 900 brave men, and might nc
the south better have sold out slavery an
saved her 100000 brave men? Iswear 20
by the graves Of your fathers and brother
and sons to q new hatred for the champio
curse of the uniyerse-warl
o Lord God, with The hottest bolt OF Thin
omnipotent indignation strike that monste
down forever and ever Imprlson it In tn
deepest dungeon Of the eternal penitentiar,
Bolt it in with all the iron ever forged
cannon or moulded into howitzers. Cleal
it with all the sabers that ever glittered
battle and wiring its soul with all the pans
which it ever caused. Let it feel all the col
hagrations Of the homesteads 1t ever d
stroyed. Deeper down let 1t fall and
r.