Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-06-10
REr. DR.. TaLuGGE.
The Eminent Divine's Sunday
Sermon.

The Eminent Divine's Sunday
Sermon.
Subject. ssWar.'
TEXT: 'The tower Of Davii builded for nm
armory, whereon there hung q thOusanT
buckles. all shields OF mighty men. Solo,
mons Song w.. 4.
The church Ia here compared to an ARM
ory, the walls hung with trophies OF dead
heroes. Walk all Abouf this tower OF David
and see the dented shrl Is, and the twisted
swords and the rusted hemlets Of terrible
battle. So at this season. a month earlier AT
the south, a month later at the north. the
American churches arc turned Into armories
adorned with memories OF departed braves.
Blossom and bloom. O walls, with stores Of
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 acerbity and bitterness
have gone out OF the national solemnity, and
as tho men AMI women OF the south one
month ago foralized the cemeteries and
graveyards 30 yesterday we, the men and
women Of the north, put upon the tombs Of
our dead the kiss Of patriotic affection.
Bravery always appreciates bravery, though
It fight on the other side. AMI II a soldier OF
the Federal army had been a month ngo ut
Savannah he would not have been ashamed
to march in the floral professions to the
cemetery. And II yesterday Confederate
soldier was at Arlington he was glad to put
a sprig OF heartsease on the silent heart OF
our dead
In a battle during our last warthe Confed-
crates were driving back the Federals. who
were In swift retreat, when Federal officer
dropped wounded. One OF hts men stopped
a Il - l. ~
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, "Hold! Don't flrel That fellow Is too
brave to shoot" And as the Federal officer,
slowly OF the held the Confederate soldiers
gave three cheers for the brave private, and
Just before the two disappeared behind a
barn both the wounded officer AMI tho brave
private lifted their caps in gratitude to the
Confederate captain.
world? 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 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 1866, when the war
ended, from our 1896, and you will realize
| what 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
it? s'well," you say, az 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 good many people came in the house
| to pray, and mother 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
the roll of drum or the tramp of n regi-
ment or a sigh or a tear of that tornado of
| woe that swept the nation a,atn and again
| until there was one dead in each house. Now,
1t is the religious duty of those who do re-
member it to tel those who do not. My
young friends, there were such partinSs AT
rail car windows IN steamboat wharfs. and
at front doors of comfortable homes as
| pray God yOu may never witness. Oh, what
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
dead!
Four years OF blood. Four years of hos
tile experiences. -Four years of ghastliness.
| Four years OF grave iigging. Four years OF
funerals, cof1ns, shrouds, hearses, dirges.
Mourningl mourning! mourning! 1t was
hell let loose. What time of waiting for
newsl Morning paper and evening paper
scrutinized for intelligence from the boys
Mt 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 50, 900 slain. and Of the names OF tho great
generals who had fallen. but no news about
the private soldiers. Waiting for news! Al
ter many days O load OF wounded going
through the town or city, but no news from
our boy. Then long list OF wounded AMI
long list OF the dead, and a long list of the
missing, and among the last list our boy.
When missinR7 How missing2 Who saw
him last? Missing. missingl Was he in the
woods or by the stream2 How was he hurti
Missing, missinGl What burning prayers
that he may yet be heard from! In that aw-
full waiting for news manyR life perished.
The strain Of anxiety was too great. That
wifes 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 one ia
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
|
were few Christian philanthropists in thost
days, scoffed at both by north and south
who had the right Of II. II they had beeI
heard on both sides, We should have had nj
war and no slavery. 1t was advised by thos'
Christian philanthrOpists, "Let the nortl
set them free" The north said. "We canno
afford to pay" The south said, 1--WE viii
not sell the slaves anyhow" But the nortl
did pay In war expenses enough to Purchas
the slaves, and the south was compelled &
give up slavery anyhow. Might not tn
the lives OF SOC, ,00I brave men, and might no
the south better have sold out slavery an,
saved her SOC, 900 brave men? swear yOl
by the graves of your fathers and brother
and sons TO a new hatred for the champion
curse of the universe-war!
Lord God, with the hottest bolt of Thin
omnipotent indignation strike that monst o
| down forever and ever! lmprison 1t In tn
deepest dungeon Of the eternal penitentiary
Bolt It In with all the iron ever forged II
cannon or moulded into howitzers. Cleav
II with all the sabers that ever glittered Il
battle and wiring its soul with all the pang
} which 1t ever caused. Let 1t feel all the cor
| dacrations OF the homesteads 1t ever de
stroyed. Deeper down let 1t fall and 4
fiercer flame let 1t burn, till 1t has gathere
into its heart all the suffering OF eternity a
well as time. In the name OF the million
OF graves Of its victims, 1 denounce it. Tn
nations need more the spirit Of treaty an
less of the spirit Of war.
War is more ghastly now than once, nc
only because Of the greater destructivenes
Of its weaponry. because now 1t takes dow
} the best men, whereas once 1t chiefly too
down the worst. Bruce, in 1717, In his "lr
stitutiens OF Military Law" said Of the Eu
ropean armies of his day, "If all infamor
persons and such as have committed caplti
cr,mes, heretics. atheists and all dastard
1 dad, f<,ff rp.
II would soon be reduced to a pretty mode
ate number" Fiogging and mean pay mad
them still more ignobie. Officers were a.
pointed to see that each soldier drank h
ration of a pint ofspirits day. There We
noble men in battle. but the moral charact
Of the army was then ninety-fve per cen
lower than the moral character Of an arn
| to-day. BY SO much is war now the mo