The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1902-01-30
Barlow Man Agrees With shsr-
man That "War Is HI"
OUR RACKET WITH SPAIN A DISGRACE
Brings Misery and Ruin to Thousands
Of American Homes--Arp Re.
gales Visitor With His Own
Wartime Experiences.

was the most bloody and disastrous
OF any in my recollection. Over 49,
600 OF our soldiers died in the Philip
pines-most Of them in hospital, That's
OF little consequence, Of course, to the
government, but 1t brought myriads
of signs and tears to mothers and
wives and children. The Spanish war
and what has grown out Of 1t, has eter'
nally disgraced the annals Of the ma
tons history. And 1t keeps on and
will keep on, no doubt, bringing mis-.
cry and ruin in Its train. Some preach
ers say 1t is the work Of the Lord.
don't believe it. "Offenses must needs
come, but woe unto them by whom
they come" Besides all this, the year
was full Of disasters on land and sea.
Explosions in mines, railroad wrecks,
boilers bursting, fire, floods, murders,
suicides, husbands killing wives and
children, lovers killing sweethearts,
and every ether deyilish thing. Every
days dispatches record something new
and horrible, and we are getting so
accustomed to 1t that 1t hardly dis.
turbs or surprises u.s. We, too, are
getting hardened to blood and bloody
deeds. This unconcern always follows
In the wake Of war. After the battle
of Malvern hill remember hearing
one soldier bet another that he could
walk across the ridge and step on
dead man at every step, He tried 1t
Tor hundred yards and won. Sol.
dlers who had been kind and gentle
at home became hardened to the sight
Of blood and death. After the war was
over many a good mother watched and
waited for her boy to come home, but
he never came, and she died still won.
dering how he was killed and where
he was buried. But few Of his com.
rades were left, and they were widely
scattered. The records we're not kept
or were lost in the war Out of 49,
900 buried at Vicksburg less than g..
600 have names upon their graves; so
1t is at Salisbury and Fredericksburg
and all the others, OF the federals
and confederates 80 per cent of all the
dead are unknown and sleep in un.
marked and unrec0rded graves. And
this is war and as General Sherman
said, War is hell" There is enough
unwrtten grief to fill an ocean, and
many broken.hearted mother let con.
eealment like worm in the bud feed
on her pallid cheek and turn her hair
gray before Its time And yet we keep
on lighting and calling for more troops
not for defense or liberty, but for
conquest. 1t is a war Of aggression
upon a people who never did us harm
and beg to be let alone. The eight mil
lion negroes here at home give us
great concern, but the government
wants ten million more to add to the
perplexity OF the problem. Oh! the
shame of 1.-THE pity of it. 1t is the
same old unchristian story, MANS
inhumanity to man makes countless
thousands mourn" But didn't start
to write an elegy on the year that has
gone. 1t is pleasanter to wish all
happy new year and hope for a better
one, A superstltious friend says that
It will be better because 1902 is divisi-
Bile, but 1901 was not The times
seem prosperous and new industries
are continually being planted all over
the south. War always brings tctivity
In Its train. More iron and steel for
ships and men Of war, more, cannon
and guns for the army, more clothing
and food for the soldiers But I have
more regard for the humble, contented
people than for all the pomp and cir
cumstance of war. | have more re.
gard for an uneducated honest man
than for an educated rich one, who
made his money by questionable
schemes. My good old friend John
Jenkins is dead. He hauled wood for
me many years and gave an honest
cord. On his last bed he sent for his
brother Jack, and whispered, Jack,
I'm gwine to die, they say, and I'm
willin' to go; but I owe Bob Fertilizer
dollar and half, and 1t bothers me
nightly" Never mind, john" said
Jack, "I'll pay Bob that money when
90 to town for the coffin. Now, just
turn over and die as easy as you can"
And he did. He was a Hard Sheled
Baptist.
The other night we had a good lady
visitor from the north, and when she
said something about this horrid old
Philippine war, the conversation drift
ed 70 the hardships and suifeAngs
caused by our civil war and iuefNto