The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-06-12
And among the Inst

How was he hurt? Missing! missingl
what burning prayers that he may yet
be heard from. In that awful waiting
for news many a life persisted. The
strain OF anxietry was too great The
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 window as though she ex-
pected someone 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
no more need of that war than at this
moment l should plunge dagger
through your heart. There were few
Christian philanthropists in those days,
scoffed by both north and south, who
had the right of it. If they had been
heard on both sides we should have
had no war and no slavery. It was adj
vised by those Christian philanthro-
pists: LET the north pay in money for
the slaves as property, and set them
Free" The north said: "We can not
afford to pay" The south said: "We
will not sell the slaves anyhow" But
the north did pay in war expenses
enough to purchase the 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 10000 brave men, and might
not the south better have sold out
slavery and saved her 100000 brave
men? 1 swear you by the graves of
your fathers and brothers and sons to
a new hatred for-the champion curse
of the universe-war! o Lord, God,
with the hottest bolt of Thine omnipo-
tent 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 nodded
into howitzers. Cleave it with all the
sabers that ever glittered in battle,
and wiring its soul with all the pangs
which it ever caused. Let it feel all
the CONGREGATIONS of the homesteads
it ever destroyed. Deeper down let it
fall, and in fiercer fame let it burn,
till it has gathered into its heart all
the suffering of eternity as well as
time. In the name of the millions of
graves of it's victims, 1 denounce it.
The nations need more the spirit of
treaty and less Of the spirit of war.
Again, by this national cerem ony we
mean to honor courage. Many of
these departed soldiers were volun-
teers, not conscripts, and many of
those who were drafted might have
provided substitute or got off on
furlough or have deserted. The fact
that they lie in their graves is proof OF
their bravery. Brave at the front,
brave at the lannon's mouth, brave on
lonely picket duty, brave in cavalry
charge, brave before the surgeon,
brave in the dying message to the
home circle. We yesterday put gar
land on the brow of courage. The
world wants more of it..
The Church of God is in woeful need
of men who can stand under fire. The
lion of worldly derision roars and the
sheep tremble. In great reformatory
movements at the first shot how many
fall back! The great obstacle to the
church's advancement is the inanity,
the vacuity, the soft prettiness, the
Mandy .pambyism of protested Chris
tians. Great on parade, towards in
battle. Afraid of getting their plumes
rufaed. they carry parasol over their
helmet They go into battle not with
warriors gauntlet but with kid gloves,
nor clutching the sword-hilt too tight
lest the glove split at the back.
In all our reformatory and Christian
work the great want is more back
bone, more mettle, more daring, more
prowess. We would in all our churches
like to trade off hundred do-nothings
for one do-something. "Quit your
selves like men, be strong"
Thy saints in all this glorious war
Shall conquer, though they die;
They see the triumph from afar,
And seize it with their eye.
Again, we mean by this national OBJ
seryance to honor self-sacrifice for 9TH
ers. To all these departed men, home
and kindred were as dear as our home
and kindred are to us. Do you know
how they felt? Just as you and l would
feel starting out tomorrow morning
with nine chances out of ten against
our returning alive; for the intelligent
soldier sees not only battle ahead, but
malarial sickness and exhaustion. Had
these men chosen, they could have
spent last night in their homes, and
to-day have been seated where you
are. They chose the camp, not because
they liked it better than their own
house, and followed the fife and drum,
not because they were better music
than the voices of the domestic circle.
South Mountain and MuIfreesboro,
and the swamps of Chickahominy were
not play grounds