The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-06-05
NATIONAL CEREMONY.
DR.. Talmage Discourses on Decora-
ton Day aud Its Lessons
BY the Memorial Service We Undertake to
Honor Courage-The World Wants
More of 1t in Every Walk
of Life

Sunday following Decoration day
Rev. L. Dewitt Talmage preached a
sermon at Washington appropriate to
the occasion. The text was from SOL
onions Song, iv. 1.-The tower of Da-
vid builded for an armory, whereon
there hang a thousand bucklers, all
shields of mighty men," Following is
the sermon:
The church is here compared to an
armory, the walls hung with trophies
of dead heroes. Walk all about this
tower of David and see the denied
shields and the twisted swords, and
the helmets of terrible battle. So at
this season, month earlier at the
south, month later at the north, the
American churches are turned into ar
mories adorned with memories of de-
parted braves Blossom and bloom, o
walls, with stories of self-sacri6ce, and
patriotism, and prowess!
By unanimous decree of the people
OF the United States of America, the
graves of all the northern and south
ern dead are every year decorated. All
acerbity and bitterness have gone out
of the national solemnity, and as the
men and women of the south one
month ago horslized the cemeteries
and graveyards, so yesterday we, the
men and women of the north, put upon
the tombs of our dead the kiss of patri-
otto affection Bravery always appre-
ciates bravery. though it fight on the
other side; and if soldier in the fed
eral army had been a month ago at Sa-
vannah, he would not have been
ashamed to march in the floral process
sions to the cemetery. And if yester-
day a confederate soldier was at Ar
lington, he was glad to put sprig of
heart's-ease on the silent heart of our
dead.
In battle during our last war, the
confederates were driving back the
federals, who were in swift retreat,
when federal officer dropped, wound
ed. 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 con-
federate captain shouted, Hold! don't
fire! That fellow is too brave to shoot"
And as the federal officer, held up by
his private soldier, went limping slowly
off the field, the confederates gave
three cheers for the brave private; and
just before the two disappeared behind
barn, both the wounded officer and
the brave private lifted their caps in
gratitude to 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 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 translation without any
revision: GLORY to God in the high
est, 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. Subtract 1865, when
the war ended from our 1896, and you
pie were born since the war, or were
so young as to have no vivid apprecia-
ton. No one under Al years of age
has any adequate memory of that pro-
ionged horror. Do you remember it?
There are others here who cannot
remember the roll of a drum or the
tramp of regiment, or a sigh or
tear of that tornado of woe that swept
the nation again and again until there
was one dead in each house. Now it is
the religious duty of those who do re-
member it to tell those who do not.
Ny young friends, there were such
partings at rail-car windows and
steam boat wharves, 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
them again until they came back
mutilated. and crushed, and dead!
Four years of blood. Four years of
hostile experiences Four years of
ghastliness Four years of grave-dig-
cling. Four years OF funerals, coffins,
shrouds, hearses, dirges. Mourning!
mourning! mourning! 1t was hell let
loose. What a time of waiting for
newsi Morning papers and evening
papers scrutinized for intelligence
from the boys at the front First, an
nouncement that the battle must occur
the next day. Then the news of the
battles going on. On the following
day still going on. Then news of 3d.
600 slain, and of the names of the great
generals who had fallen, but no news
about the private soldiers. Waiting
for news! After many days load of
wounded going through the town or
CITY, but no news of our boy. Then
long list of wounded and long list of
the dead, and long list of the miss
ing. And among that last list, our
boy.
When missing? How missing? Who
saw him last? Missing! Missing! Was
he in the woods or by the stream?
How was he hurt? Missing! Missing!
What burning prayers that he may
vet be heard from. In that awful watt
inor for news many life perished.