The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1898-05-27

Rev. t. Dewitt Talmage, in the fol
lowing sermon, deals with conditions
as presented by the existing state OF
war. The text is:
Though war should rise against me. in thi'
would be conhdenL-Psalms xvii, B.
The ring of battle-axes, and the
clash of shields, and the tramp OF
armies, are heard all up nno down the
Old Testament; and yOu lind godly
soldiers like Moses, and Joshua, and
Caleb, and Gideon, and scoundrelly
soldiers like Sennacherib, and Shall
maneser, and Nebuchadnezzar. The
high priest would stand at the head
OF the army and say: Hear,
Israel, We approach this day unto
battle against your enemies, let not
| your hearts faint, fear not, and do
not tremble, neither be We terrified be-
cause of them!' And then the officers
would give command to the troops,
saying: "What man is there that hath
built a new house and hath not dedi-
Gated it? Let him go and return to
his house, least he die in the battle
and another man dedicate it. And
what man is he that hath planted a
| vineyard and hath not eaten of it? Let
him also go and return into his house.
lest he die in the battle and another
man eat of it. And what man is
there that hath betrothed a wife
and hath not taken her? Let him
/ go and return unto his house,
| lest he die in the battle and another
| man take her" Great armies marched
| and fought. In the time of Moses and
Joshua all the men were soldiers.
When Israel came out of Egypt they
were 100000 fighting men. Abijah
commanded 400, 900. Jeroboam com
manded SOC, 900 men, of whom SOC, 900
were slain in one battle. Some of
these wars God approved, for they were
for the rescue of oppressed nations, and
some of them lie denounced, but in all
cases it was n judgment upon both vic
tors and vanquished. David knew just
what war was when he wrote in the
text: Though war should rise against
me, in this will be confident"
David is encouraging himself in
stormy times, and before approaching
battle administers to himself the con-
solatOry. So to-day my theme is the
"Alleviations of War" War is or
gained atrocity. 1t is the science of
assassination. 1t is the convocation of
all horrors. 1t is butchery wholesale
1t is murder glorified. 1t is death on a
throne of human skeletons 1t is the
coffin in ascendency. 1t is diabolism at
| a game of skulls. But war is here, and
it is time now to preach on Its allevia-
tions.
First, l had an alienation in the fact
that it has consolidated the north and
the south after long-continued strained
relations. 1t is 80 years since our civil
war closed, and the violences are all
gone and the seventies have been
hushed. But ever and anon, in ora
ton, in sermon, in newspaper edito-
rial. in magazine article, on political
stump, and in congressional hall, the
old sectional difference has lifted it's
head; and for the first time within my
memory, or the memory of anyone who
hears or reads these words, the north
ana the south are one. By mar
velous providence the family that led
in opposition to our government
30 years ago is represented at
the front in this present war.
Nothing else could have done the work
of unifcation SO suddenly or so COM
pletely as this conflict. At Tampa, at
Chattanooga, at Richmond, and in
many other places, the regiments are
forming, and it will be side by side,
Massachusetts and Alabama, New York
and Georgia, Illinois and Louisiana,
Maine and South Carolina. Northern
and southern men will together I'M
Timber the guns and rush upon the for
tifcatiOn and charge upon the enemy
and shout the triumph. The voices of
military officers who were under Sid
ney Johnson and Joseph Hooker will
give the command ON the same side.
The old sectional grudges forever dead.
The name of Grant on the northern
side and of Lee on the southern side
viii be exchanged for the names of
Grant and Lee on the same side. The
veterans in nOrthern and southern
homes and asylums are stretching their
rheumatic limbs to sec whether they
can again keep step in march, and are
testing their cyesight to find whether
they can again look along the gun bar
rel to successfully take aim and fire.
The old war cry of ''On to Richmond!'
and '-On to Washington" has become
the war cry of ION to Havana!" ION
to Porto Rico!n ION to the Philippine
islands, The two old rusty swords
that in other days clashed at Murfrees-
boro and South Mountain and Atlanta
are now lifted to strike down Hispanic
denominations
Another alienation of the war is the
fact that it is the most unselfish war
Of hn ni-l
rights of our wronged citizens will be
indicated, that is not the chief idea of
this war 1t is the rescue of hundreds
of thousands of people from starvation
and multiform maltreatment. A friend
who went out under the flag of the Red
Cross two years ago to aSsuage suffer
ing in Armenia, and who has been on
the same mission, under the same flag,
IN Cuba, SAYS that the sufferings in
Armenia were a comedy and a farce
compared with the greater sufferings
of Cuba. At least 100000 graves are
calling 10 us to come on and remember
by what process their occupants died.
1t is the twentieth century crying out
to the nineteenth: DO you mean to
pass down to US the curse with which
you have been blasted? Or will you
let me begin under new auspices and
turn the island of desoIation into an is
land Edenlc?1
1t is war inspired by mercy, which
is an attribute in man initiative of the
same attribute of God. In no other
age of the world could such a war have
been waged. The gospel of kindness
needed to be recognized throuo hout
Christendom in order TO make such
war possible. The chief reason why
most OF the European nations are not