The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-03-19

LHHhSHItA sEzAz4zzJZIB tif wa I'D m
REV. TALMAGE. bounded admira-
ton, or on some public day, clothed in
our grandfathers soldierly accouter-
ments. we felt as brave as Garibaldi, or
Miltiades. We are wiser now, for we
make vast distinction between the
poetry and the prose of war. The roll
of drums and the call of bugles, and
the champing of steeds fOaming and
paving for the battle: 100. 900 musketS
glittering among the dancing plumes;
God save the King" waving up from
clariOnets and trumpets and rung back
from deep defiles or the arches of a
PROSTATE city; distant capitals of king
doms Illuminated at the tidings; gen.
erals returning home under flaming
arches and showering amaranths and
the shout of empires; that is poetry.
Chilled and half-blanketed. lying
on the wet earth; feet sore
with the march and bleeding at the
slightest touch; hunger pulling on
every fiber of flesh or attempting to
satisfy itself with a scanty and spoiled
ration; thirst licking up the dew or
drinking out of filthy or trampled pool;
thoughts of home and kindred far
away while just on the eve of a deadly
strife, where death may leap on him
from any one of 100 bayonets;
the closing in of two armies, now
changed to 100. 900 maniacs; the ground
slippery with blood and shattered
flesh; fallen ones writhing under the
hoofs of unbridled chargers maddened
with pain; the dreadfulness of night
comes down when the strife is over;
the struggle of the wounded ones
crawling out over the corpses; the
long, feverish agony of the crowded
barrack and hospital, from whose mat
treSses the fragments of men send up
their groans, the only music of car
mage and butchery; desolate homes
from which fathers and husbands and
brothers and sons went off; with
out giving any dying message
or sending kiss to the dear
ones at home, tumbled into the
soldiers grave trench, and houses in
which few weeks before unbroken
family circles rejoiced. now plunged
in the great sorrows of widowhood and
orphanage; that is prose.
But there is now on the earth king
dom which has set itself up for con-
fiicts without number. In its march it
tramples no grain fields, it sacks no
cities, it impoverishes no treasures, it
fills no hospitals, it bereaves no fami-
lies. The courage and victory of Sol
ferino and Magenta without carnage.
The kingdom of Christ against the
kingdom of Satan. That is the strife
now raging. We will offer no armis-
tees; we will make no treaty. Until all
the revolted nations of the earth shall
submit again to King Emanuel, In the
name of God we will set up our ban
nerS."
Every army has its ensigns. Long
before the time when David wrote the
text they were in use. The hosts of
Israel displayed them. The tribe of
Benjamin carried a flag with the in
scription of a wolf. The tribe of Dan
representation of cherubim. Judah a
lion wrought into the groundwork of
white, purple, crimson and blue. Such
flags from their folds shook fire into
the hearts of such numbers as were in
the field when Abijah fought against
Jehoram, and there were 1,200, 900 sol
diers, and more than 500, 900 were left
dead on the field. These ensigns gave
heroism to such numbers as were as
sembled when Asa fought against
Zerah, and there were 1,5SO, 900 troops
in the battle. The Athenians carried
an inscription of the owl, which was
their emblem of wisdom. The flags of
modern nations are familiar to you all,
and many of them so inappropriate for
the character of the nations they rep
resent it would be impOlitic to enumer-
ate them. These ensigns are streamers
borne on the point of a lance and on
the top of wooden shafts. They are
carried in the front and rear of armies.
They unroll from the maintop-gallant-
masthead of an admirals flagship to
distinguish it among other ships of the
same squadron. They are the objects
of national pride. The loss of them on
the field is ignominious.
The three banners of the Lords hosts
are the banner of proclamation, the
banner of recruit and the banner of
victory. When a nation feels its rights
infringed or its honor insulted; when
its citizens have in foreign climes been
and no indemnity has been
offered to the inhabitant of the repub-
lie or kingdom, proclamation of war
is uttered. On the top of batteries
and arsenals and custom houses and
revenue offices flags are Immediately
swung out All who look upon them
realize that uncomprOmising war is
declared. Thus it is that the church
of Jesus Christ, jealous for the honor
of its sovereign, and determined to get
back those who have been carried of
captive into the bondage of Satan, and
intent upon the destruction of those
mighty wrongs which have so long
cursed the earth, and bent upon the