St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-11-04

the hOnOrS oil war, IOr tnc DOOleS Oh
those who dropped from the ratlines
into the sea or went down with all on
board under the stroke of a gunboat
there remained the shark and the whaie
and the endless tossing of the sea which
cannot rest. Once year, In the deco
ration of the graves, those who fell In
the land were remembered. But how
about the graves Of those who went
down at sea? Nothing but the arch
angels trumpet shall reach their iowiy
he'd. A few of them were gathered into
naval cemeteries of the land. and we
every year garland the sod that covers
them. But who will put flowers On the
fallen crew of the exploded Westfield
and Shawsheen and the sunken South
field and the Winfield Scott? Bullets
threatening in front, bombs threaten
ening from above, torpedoes threaten
ing from beneath, and the ocean, with
its reputation Of 6,0O0 years for SHIP
wreck, lying all around, am not right
in saying it required a special courage
for the navy in 1863 as it required sPe-
cial courage in 1898?
1t looks picturesque and beautiful to
see a war vessel going out through the
Narrows, sailors in new rig singing:
A life on the ocean wave.
home on the rolling deep.
the colors gracefully dipping to passing
ships, the decks Immediately clean and
the guns at quarantine firing parting
salute. But the poetry is oil gone out
of that ship as it comes out OF that
engagement, its decks red with human
blood, wheelhouse gone, the cabins
pile of shattered mirrors and destroyed
furniture, steering wheel broken,
smokestack crushed, a hundred pound
whitworth rifle shot having left its
mark from port to starboard, the
shrouds rent away, ladders splintered
and decks plowed up and smoke black
ened and scalded corpses lying among
those who are gasping their last gasp
far away from home and Kindred.
oh, men of the American navy re-
turned from Manila and Santiago and
Havana, as well as those who are sur
yiyors of the naval conflicts of 1868 and
1864, men of the western guk squad
ron, of the eastern gulf squadron, Of the
South Atlantic squadron, OF the North
Atlantic squadron, of the Mississippi
squadron, of the Pacific squadron, OF
the West India squadron and the Po-
tomac flotilla, hear our thanks! Take
the benediction of our churches. Ac-
cept the hospitalities of the nation. II
we had our way, we would get you not
only q pension, but a home and a
princely wardrobe and an equipage
and q banquet while you live and after
your departure q catafalque and a
mausoleum of-sculptured marble, with
a model of the ship in which you won
the day. 1t is considered a gallant
thing when in a naval fight the flagship
with its blue ensign goes ahead up
river or into bay, its admiral stand
ing in its shrouds watching and giving
orders. But I have to tell you, o vet
Grams of the American navy, if you are
as loyal to Christ as you were to the gov
ernment, there is flagship sailing
ahead of you of which Christ is the ad-
miral, and He watches from the shrouds,
and the heavens are the blue ensign,
and He leads you toward the harbor,
and all the broadsides of earth and hell
cannot damage you, and We whose gar
ments were once red with your own
blood shall have robe washed and
made white in the blood of. the Lamb.
Then strike eight bells! High noon in
Heaven!
While we are heartily greeting and
banqueting the sailor patriots just now
returned we must not forget the vet
erans of the navy now in marine hos
pitals or spending their old days in
their own or their children's home
steads. o ye veterans, ! charge you
bear up under the aches and weak
nesses that you still carry from the
wartimes. You are not as stalwart as
you would have been but for that nerv-
Gus strain and for that terrific ex-
posure. Let every ache and pain, in
stead of depressing, remind you OF
your fidelity. You have in nerve and
muscle and bone and dimmed eye
sight and difficult hearing and short
ness of breath many intimations that
you are gradually going down. 1t is
the service of many years ago that is
telling on you. Be of good cheer. We
owe you just as much as though your
ifeblood had gurgled through the Soup
pers of the ship in the Red river ex-
pedition or as though you had gone
down with the Melville of Hatteras.
Only keep your flag flying. as did the
illustrious Weehawken. Good cheer,
my boy! The memory of man is poor.
and all that talk about the country
never forgetting those who fought for
it is an untruth. 1t does forget. Wit
ness how the veterans sometimes had
to turn the hand organs on the street
to get their families living. Wit
ness how ruthlessly some of them were
turned out of office that some bloat Of
a politician might take their place.
Witness the fact that there is not a
man or woman now under As years of
age who has any full appreciation of
the four years. martyrdon Of 1861 to
1865, inclusive. But, while men may
forget, God never forgets. He remem-
bers the swinging hammock. He re-
members the forecastle. He remem-
bers the frozen ropes of that January
tempest. He remembers the amputa-
tion without sufficient ether. He re-
members the horrors of that deafening
night when forts from both sides
belched on you their fury and the heav>
ems glowed with ascending and descend
ing missiles of death and your ship
quaked under the recoil OF the 100
FOUNDER, while all the gunners, accord
ing to command, stood on tiptoe, with
mouth wide open, lest the concussion
shatter hearing or brain. He remem-
bers it all better than you remember 1t,
and in some shape reward will be given.
God is the best of all paymasters, and
for those who do their whole duty to
him and the world the pension awarded
is an everlasting heaven.
Sometimes of the coast of England
the royal family have inspected the
British navy, maneuvered before them
for that purpose. In the Baltic sea the
czar and czarina have reviewed fhp Rms