Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1896-06-10

Il
n new hatred for-the champion curse
of the universe-war, o Lord, God,
| with the hottest bolt of thine omnipo-
tent indignation, strike the monster
down forever and ever. Imprison il in
the deepest dungeon of the eternal
| penitentiary. Bolt il in with all the
| iron ever forged in cannon or nodded
| into h,witZers. 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 con-
| iaRrations of the homesteads il ever
| destroyed. Deeper down let it tt,li,
| and in fiercer flame let IL burn till il
has gathered into its heart all the suf-
| fering of eternity as well as time. In
| the name of the millions of graves of
its victims l denounce it. The nations
need more the spirit of treaty and less
of the spirit of war.
War is more CHASTITY now than once,
not only because of the greater de-
structiveness of its weaponry, but be-
cause now IL takes down the best men
whereas once il chiefly took down the
worst. Bruce in 1717, in his "Institu-
tions of Military Law" said of the Eu-
ropean armies of his day: "If all in
famous persons ard such as have com
mitted capital crime, heretics, atheists
and all dastardly feminine men, were
weeded out of the army it would soon
be reduced to pretty moderate num-
ber' Flogging and mean pay made
them still more ignoble. Officers
were appointed TO see that each
soldier drank his ration of a pint of
"A
in battle, but the moral character of
the army then was 95 per cent. lower
than the moral character of an army
to-day. by so much is war now the
more detestable because it destroys the
picked men of the nations
Again, by this national ceremony we
mean to honor courage. Many OF these
departed soldiers were volunteers. not
conscripts, and many of those who
were drafted might have provided a
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 can
mons mouth, brave on lonely picket
duty, brave in cavalry charge, brave
before the surgeon, brave in the dying
message to the home circle. We YES
terday put garland 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
fail back, The great obstacle to the
church's advancement is the inanitv.
the vacuity, the soft prettiness, the
mandy pambyism of professed Chris
tians- Great on n parade, towards in
battle. Afraid of getting their plumes
rufhed, they carry parasol over their
helmet They go into battle not with
warriors gauntlet but with kid gloves.
not clutching the sword-hilt too tight
lest the glove split at the back.
In ali our reformatory and Christian
work the great want is more backbone.
more mettle, more daring. more
prowess. We would in all our churches
like to trade off n hundred do-nothings
for one do-everything. 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
servation 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 or would feel
starting out tomorrow morning with
nine chances ont of ten against our re-
turning alive, for the intelligent SOL
der sees not only battle ahead, hut ma
larial sickness and exhaustion. Had
these men chosen they could have spent
the 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 drum and fife. not be-
cause they were better music than the
voices of the domestic circle. South
Mountain and Murfreesboro and the
swamps of the Chickahominy were not
Fairgrounds
These heroes risked and lost all for
others. There is no higher sublimity
than that To keep three-quarters for
ourselves and give one-quarter to 9TH
ers Is generous. To divide even with
others is generous. To keep nothing
for ourselves and give all for others is
magnanimity Christ-like. Put girdle
around your body and then measure
the girdle and see If you are so or 60
inches round. And is that the circle of
your sympathies-the size of yourself2
Or, to measure you around your heart.
would 1T take a girdle large enough to
encircle the land and encircle the
world? You want to know what we
dry theologians mean when ,ve talk of
vioarious suffering. Look at the SOL
diers' graves and find out. Vicariousl
Pangs for others, wounds for Others
inconsistencies for others, blood for 9th
ers, sepulcher for others
Those who visited the national GENE.
teries AT Arlington Heights and al
Richmond and Gettysburg saw one in
scription on soldiers tombs oftener re-
peated than any other-Unknowr
When, about 81 years ago, / was called
to deliver the grafton at Arlington
Heights, Washington, I was not so
much impressed with the minute guns
that shook the earth, or with the at
tendance Of president and cabinet and
foreign ministers and generals Of the
army and commodores OF the navy. as
with the pathetic and overwhelming
sugRestiveness Of that epitaph on so
many graves az my feet. Unknown, Tn
known. IL seems 20 me that the time
must come when the government Of
the United States shall take Oft that
epitaph They arc no more unknown,