Connecticut western news., 1898-05-19

must admit the perils. It is no trifiing thing for 100, 900 young men to be put outside of home restraints and sometimes into evil companionship. Many of the brave of the earth are not the good of the earth. To be in the same tent with those who have no regard for God or home, to hear their holy religion some- times slurred at, to be placed under in f1uences calculated to make one reckless, to have no Sabbath except such Sabbath as in most encampments amounts to no Sabbath at all, to go out from homes where all sanitary laws are observed into surroundings where questions of health are never discussed, to invade climes where pestilence holds possession, to make long marches under blistering skies, to stand on deck and in the fields under fire, at the mercy of shot and she'll, we must admit that those thus ex- posed need especial care, and to the omnipresent God we have right to commend them and will commend them. Postal communication may be interrupt ed, and letters started from camps or homes may not arrive at the right desti- nation, but, however far away our loved ones may be from us and however wide and deep the seas that separate us, we may hold communication with them via the throne of God.
 A shipwrecked sailor was found float ing on raft near the coast of Califor- nia. While ill hospital he told his expe- rience and said that he had compan- ion on the same raft for some time. While that companion was dying of thirst he said to him, George, where are you going?" and the dying sailor said, "I hope l am going to God. " "If you do," said the rescued sailor, twill you ask him to send some water?' After the death of his companion, the survivor said, the rain came in torrents and slak- ed bis thirst and kept him alive until he was taken to safety. The survivor al- ways thought it was in answer to the message he had sent to heaven asking for water. Thank God we may have di- rect and instantaneous communication with the Lord Almighty through Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, and in that faith we may secure the rescue of our imperiled kindred Is not that mighty alleviation?
 Until this conflict is ended let us be much in prayer for our beloved ooun- try. Do not let us depend upon the friendship of foreign nations. Our hope is in God. Out of every misfortune he has brought this nation to better mor- al and financial condition, and so let us pray that he will lift us out of this valley of trouble into higher noun tain of blessing.
 It is mystery that just as this ooun- try was recovering from long season of hard times so many of our industries should now be halted; that business men who thought they could see their way to pay their dobts and build up more prosperous enterprises and endow their homes with more advantages should have to halt and wait until the perfdious oppressor of Cuba shall be turned back. But individual and nation al life is always clothed with mysteries, and we may make ourselves miserable by stabbing ourselves with sharp inter- rogation points and plying the everlast- ing questions of "Why?" and "How?" and "What:" and "When?' While we must, of course, try to be intelligent on all public affairs, it is glorious thing to do our duty and then fully and con- fidently trust all in the hands of God, who has proved himself the friend of our country from the time when the Spanish government fitted out an expe- dition to discover it to this time when Spaniards would like to destroy 1t.
 Butchery Must Be Ended.
 Morning, noon and night let us com mend this beloved land to the care of gracious God. That he answers prayer is so certain that your religion is hallucination if he does not answer it. Pray that in reply to such supplication tho farmers boys may get home again in time to reap the harvest of next Ju- ly, that our business men may return in time to prepare for fall trade such as has never yet filled the stores and factories with customers, and that all the homes in this country now saddened by the departure of father or brother or son may months before the Thanksgiv- ing and Christmas holidays be full of joy at the arrival of those who will for the rest of their lives have stories to tell of double quick march, and narrow escapes, and charges up the parapets, and nights set on fire with bonn bard ment, and our flag hauled up to places from which other flags were hauled down.
 Now that we have started on the work let us make that Spanish govern ment get out of this hemisphere. We do not want her any more, with her in- justices and bar barism and stilettos of cruelty hanging around the shores of this free land. She must not breathe her foul breath on our winds; she must not again redden our seas with her butcheries. There bids fair to be scene on the deep as disastrous to the Spanish as that which whelmed their armada in 1888. Philip H. king of Spain, resolved on the conquest of Europe, and already in the compass of his dominions, besides Spain, were Naples and Sicily, and the Netherlands, and the East Indies, and the Canary and Molucca and Sunda and Philippine islands, and Mexico and Gu ba and some of the most splendid parts of America. All the nations of the earth except England were to her un- derlings, and the Spanish king resolved that even England must bow the knee. Although the destructive strength of modern battleships was then unknown, the Spanish armada started for the sub- jection of England with about 40 great ships with 2,600 guns, 4,000 cavalry horses and 32, ,000 men. The battleships were provisioned with 147, 900 casks of wine and six months provisions. The commanders and officers of these war vessels were dukes and marquises and noblemen. At Plymouth, England, on the 18th of July, the prominent officers of the navy were in bowling alley, bowling with great glee-Lord Howard, the high admiral; Sir Martin Frobish- CT, the daring explorer, and Sir Francis Drake, the first circumnavigator of the world-when word came to them that the Spanish armada was advancing