Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1899-11-08

VICTORY OF UpIedI. nls eQulpnlSe re-
mains with him to the last, He
never loses his mentn! balance. This
feature, which Is strictly "A national
characteristic. has been demonstrated
on a hundred battletields and will, no
doubt, be demonstrated more largely
as the war for the upbuilding of the
dO~wntrodden and the destruction oil
the enemy progresses" And let all
witness today that none have dem
onstrated it more largely than the
boys OF the Montana regiment, who,
as n spectator said, charged upon
the enemy with a shout and n rush
that caused you to hold your breath.
We Americans despise n coward. An
old soldier, in applying for a pension
not long ago, enclosed an X-ray pho
tupraph Of his knee, showing the i'm
bedded bullet. and pointed with pride
to the fact that the path of the bullet
entered from the front. showing that
he had been facing the enemy. That
Is the attitude Of the true American
soldier, and that Is largely the reason
for our phenomenal successes of the
past.
A touching stOry'comes to us from
the campaign in Cuba. After the
battle Of Ell Caney nm army surgeon
found q poor fellow seated upon n
rock. almost distracted over the
thought Of his cowurdice. "What
seems to be the trouble, my man?"
inquired the doctor. "Oh, I'm ncow.
ard! I'm n coward" hp replied. II
didn't mean to be. | was with nv
company all right ms we were charg-
ing up the hill, and o, how !. longcd
To take part in that victory. W. were
right in the front, bat Just before we
reached the top | turned and ran. o.,
I'm a coward Pm acoward! I've
disgraced mycnuntry! I'm a coward!
What shall | do?" and the poor fell
low buried his face in his hands and
wept. The doctor drew nea to him
and examined him, and at once dis
covered the reason for his condition.
mo, my man." he said, you're not
a coward; you've been wounded.
You're one of the bravest Of them ALL"
And q smile of satisfaction came up
on his face as the doctor disclosed the
ioN thhNh ~ buI1tN u ~ tIIf tIlfllll lNtl
pierced him while he was in the thick
est Of the fight. His mind had been
temporarily deranged and he thought
that he had shown a cowardly spirit
and had run from the enemy. A
thought that brings a blush tn the
face Of every true American soldier.
Alexander the Great, IL is said, once
saw n man flying from the enemy
and shouted after him, what IL yonr
namc?" Alexander" u answered the
man. "Then ,rop that name ,rturn
and face the foe" said the great g,n-
eral. mo mar shall bear that name
and be n coward"
Shall it not be a tradition going
down through the posterity ri this
nation that no man shall ever bear
the name american" and be Il cow
ard?
3. There Is one other element which
] belieTe must enter into the charac-
ter OF a good soldier. and that II god
liness. IL there was any onc element
employed In the wars Of the Bible in
the constituency of a good soldier 1t
was this. The religious element was
always paramount. God Il the god
Of battles, and every good soldier
will recognize him as controlling the
destinies Of men and nations
Many ~ the most distinguished Of
ficers Of England and America have
been men Of pronounced religious con-
victions, who have eve kept sacred
ly their hours of private devotion
dlrinr Tim yntfnpnAnt mud .ltafrn.
tion OF the active campaign. The
motive prompting Us to the present
war was enough to make men Chris.
tian. III eve a war was Christian,
If ever a war was unselfish, this IL an
unselfish. Christian war" II ever a
nation was justified In expecting an
answer To her prayers for success In
war, this nation was. But If ever re-
ligion IN necessary for any man. it il
for the soldier. There are many
times in camp when he cannot help
feeling homesick and Respondent.
Then he n realize the value of n
friend. And there IL only IN true
friend and comforter and guide who
can always be al his side to comfort
and support him, and that Is the
"friend that sticketb closer than a
brother" The temptations of camp
life are very strong and subtle; many
n man will fall into their snarcs un-
less he has the strong principles OF
Christianity TO help him to resist
them. There are times when the
thought of danger sobers him and
brings him face To face with the ques-
ton Of eternity, and then 1t Is well to
be able To hope In him who hath said
he would give eternal life to those
who place their trust in him. All.
Yes, the bloody battle leaves the field
strewn with the dead and dying.
Who knows that he will ever have
the chance at such "A time to make
his peace with God. All, then IL the
time when the MAJ is tested. Then
Is the time when the comforts and
blessings of the Christian hope are
most precious To him. The Christian
IL the only man who can teach III
how To die. And | cannot but re-
peat with emphasis that goodness h
a very essential element in the char.
acter of a good soldier. A good sol.
der Of his country must therefore he
IN good soldier of Jesus Christ
And this leads us to consider
Nv. The last proposition deduced
from our text, namely, that the sol
der Of Jesus Christ should possess
the highest soldierly qualities. Many
persons seem in some way to have
often Just the opposite idea to this
in these days, and yet itrequlres only
very little observation to bring W. IL
the conclusion Of our text. The
Christian life il precisely analogous t.
that of the soldier. A life Of hardship
and often times severe suffering at