The Yale expositor., 1898-06-03


alone at the close of the contest exceed
ed the army of any nation in Europe
on a peace establishment with the eX-
ception of France, Germany and Russia.
Go with me in fancy to one or these
battle-felds. We hear the screen or
shell, the zip of the Minnie, the roar OF
cannon and the volleys of musketry;
mingled with these come the shouts,
the cries that rend the air, the stern
commands to the living and the groans
of the dying. Note that charging
column as it advances fearlessly into
the maelstrom of death and as the
ranks 90 down see how the living close
up on Old Glory, while along those
lines advancing never falls single
standard, but all that remains OF a
thousand heroes raise 1t shouting
"Rally round the flag"
Turn from that scene of carnage
"Where men fight on the earth ana
demons in the upper all" and, standing
by that dying soldier, let us endeaYor TO
think out his life history. He was
young man of promise, bright, intellect
ual and happy He had his hopes and
aspirations for the future. TO
him life is as precious as it is to you
and to me. He doubtless has brothers,
sisters, father, friends or he may have
been the ONLY comfort of an aged
mothers declining years, yet he needed
not these things. but nObly rallied at
his country's call and is now dying that
the nation may live. From his lips
there comes no murmur of complaint
over his lot to fall, but only regret that
he can do no more for his country:
Loving his land above his life his mind
wanders to the mother in the home so
far away and in feeble accents he muir
murS:
am dying mother, dying,
Here's the death damp on my brow;
Thus give my life for country
In fulhllment of nv vow,
But go without lamenting,
Feeling as IL draweth nigh,
For the glory of our country
1t is sweet and grand TO dc
lam diving. mother dying,
swiftly Gibbs life's flowing tide,
But the stars upon our banner
Shine i'm glory and I'm pride,
For we bore the flag in triumph
DER the field of slippery red,
Where alone the battle surgeS
Were the requiem OF the dcdd.
lam diving. mother, dying,
| All my hopes in lie have He'd,
| Mangled forms are all around me,
| Some of MS will soon he dead
But our hearts are yet unyledlnE,
| sui death terrOrs we delN
| Though upon our country 5 altar
| Duty calls for us 10 dle'
am dying. mother. dying.
| Far away from home ANA lTendS,
| But cOmmingled with the anguish,
| Brightly still the vision blends
Pictures of a ransomed country,
| When our states redeemed as one,
| Shall become the grandeSt nation
| Underneath the rising sun.
fam diving, mother, dying,
| Soon life'S troubles viii be DER,
| And regretting lack OF power
| To defend the flag once more,
| can go in faith believing
| That my comrades battle-cry
| Shall for country say when needed
| We are ready too 10 die.
That, my friends. was the spirit of
the Union soldier in the march, the
bivouac and the battle. Placing coun-
try first and self second, he was ready
to die that the Nation might live; and
this spirit breathed out into action
alone made it possible for Republic
of 100000 of people, strong in the at
fections of all its citizens, TO declare to-
dav that we are in fact a nation OF
freemen. who dread no master, fear no
king and kneel to none but God.
No one can fail to admire the I'M
shakable firmness. infleXible adherence
to belief and heroic constancy OF the
countless host of martyrs who first 10y
one sect and then by another have
been sacrificed for the sake Of their re-
ligious opinions. Yet, each OF these
had i'm his last moments an all-pOwerful
and unfailing support. The transition
from this world to the next, though
hard. was the price of eternal happiness
to himself and the transient suffering
was necessary to escape from the ms
cries of earth to the pleasures OF heaven
To the martyr there was friend or
whom he could rely in his supreme mo-
ment Of trial. an invisible hand which
he expected to guide and sustain hin
i'm the terrors through which he wa:
called TO pass. For these heroes OF
ours there was no such consolation
The love of country for which they sur
, rendered life could give them no sup
port. They must meet the king o.
= terrors alone, and yet four hundred
thousand of these boys in blue wen
Z down to a martyrs grave to preserve
| the grandest government ever Dequeatl
r ed by God to man as legacy for yol
: and for me and for all the ages of TIT
S future. They died for the welfare, no
E of themselves, but of Others. The.
D went down to baptism of blood an(
t death that we might 60 up to a highe
!: plane of living. They by self-immola
f ton rebuilt the temple Of our nation
1 atty and we abide therein. Their bloo
e was the price of a nations ransom an
h their death in the prime of young man
f hood was the glorious reveille of free
: dom to a race in bondage.
S While on such occasions we rarel
d decorate a sailors grave, yet we shoul
l. not forget the magnificent achieve
r ments of that splendid army of Amer
IS can tars. Though it had been the boaS
# of proud Albion that "Brttania rule
r the waves" yet from the days of PaI
IS Jones onward never has a British shi
n met an American on equal terms, bl
It at the close of the contest the Englisl
e men either flew the stars and stripes
e had disappeared beneath the wave
i England encountered and conquere
n over and over again the fleets of otht
i nations. but when she met one OF OF
IS fleets on Lake Champlain every one