Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-11-10


fallen crew of the exploded WesttieId
and Shawshcen 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 5000 years for ship
wreck, lying all around, am not right
in saying it required a special courage
for the navy in 1868 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,
A 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 all 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, 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 Amt lean navy re-
turned from Manila ard Santiago and
Havana, as well as those who are sur
yiyors of the naval conflicts of 1868 and
1864, men of the western gulf 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 70
tomac flotRla, hear our thanks! Take
the benediction of our churches. Ac-
cept the Inequalities of the nation. Ii
we had our way, we would get you not
only a pension, but a home and a
| princely wardrobe and an equlpage
and a banquet while you live and after
your departure a catafalque ana 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 naval fight the flagship
with its blue ensign goes ahead up
a river or into a bay, its admiral stand
ing in its shrouds watching and giving
orders. But ! 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 a flagship sailing
ahead of YOU CT which Christ is the adj
miral, and He watches from the shrouds
and the heavens are he blue ensign
and lie leads you toward the harbor
and all the broadsides Of earth and hei
cannot damage you, and ye whose gar
ments were once red with your OWL
blood shall have a robe washed anc
made white in the blood of the Lamb
Then strike eight bells! High noon il
Heaven,
While we are heartily greeting ant
banqueting the sailor patriots just nov
returned we must not forget the vet
Grams of the navy now in marine hos
pitfalls or spending their old days il
their own or their chiidren's home
steads. O We veterans, | charge YOU
bear up under the aches and weak
nesses that you still carry from TIT
wartimes. You are not as stalwart a
YOU would have been but for that merry
GUS strain and for that terrific eX
posure. Let every ache and pain, in
stead of depressing, remind you o
your fidelity. You have in nerve ant
muscle and bone and dimmed eye
sight and difficult hearing and short
ness of breath many limitations the
you are gradually going down. 1t
the service of many years ago that ]
telling on you. BE of good cheer. W
owe you Just as much as though you
lifeblood had gurgled through the scuE
pers of the ship in the Red river eN
petition or as though you had gon
down with the Melville off llattera'
: Only keep your flag flying, as did tn
illustrious Weehawken. Good chez
: my boy! The memory of man is poo
t and all that talk about the countr
D never forgetting those who fought 10
, it is an untruth. 1t does forget, WI
ness how the veterans sometimes ha
9 TO turn the hand organs on the stree
/ to get their families a living. Wi
j, ness how ruthlessly some of them wer
0 turned out of Office that some bloat
Y a politician might take their plac
S Witness the fact at there is not
!, man or woman now under 40 years
t age who has any full appreciation
b the four years martyrdom of 1861
G 1865, inclusive. But, while men ma
forget, God never forgets.. lie remen
+ bers the swinging hammock. lie +
: members the lorecastle. He remer
n bers the frozen ropes Of that Janual
0 tempest lie remembers the hmput
r ton without sufficient ether. lie +
|, members the horrors Of that daafenir
i night when forts from both sid
4 belched on you their fury and the hea
c ems glowcd with ascending and descen
l. ing missiles of death and your sh
O quaked under the recoil Of the ]
l. FOUNDER, while all the gunners, accor
>, ing TO command, stood on tiptoe, wi
= mouth wide open, lest the concussit
l. shatter hearing or brain. lie remeI
s. bers it all better than you remember
and in some shape reward will be give
d God is the best of all paymasters, al
It for those who do their whole duty
It him and the world the pension award
e is an everlasting heaven.
il Sometimes off the coast Of EnglaI
S the royal family have inspected t
It British navy, Unanswered before the
d for that purpose. In the Baltic sea t
d ear and czarina have reviewed the III
If sian navy. TO bring before the Anne
IS can people the debt they owe to t
n navy go out with you on the Allan
1t ocean, where there is plenty of roo
lie and in Imagination review the war shi