The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-27
NEWS OF GENERAL CITY
REV. MR. Bosw4LL SPEAKS Tt
 SoLDlENA

{ z Two Dozen Mormon Elders Will Visit
 Selma and, Deliver Sermons. !,
 Public Schools to Close
 This Week. s.
 - .f~. sse.. .t9s
 J .rt Advertiser Bureau,
 ~E selma, Nay 26 ,
 All of the military. companies. of Selma turned out yesterday In body and at- tended services at the Christian Church. Rev. Ira w. BoswelL the spastor, ex- tended them an invitation some weeks ago. The threescompanies formed ats their respective armories, dressed in full uni-' form and then met at a designated spot and marched in a body to the church. under command of Captain V. B. Atkins, of the Dragons. The center rows of seats of the church were reserved for the soldiers and every seat was filled.
 The church had. been beautifully decorated for the occasion. Wires had been stretched from one side of the building to the other over the pulpit and many flags were suspended therefrom. Tn letters a foot and half long above the flags were the words welcome Soldiers" suspended on invisible wires. These let ters were in red, white and blue and were very prettily executed. Back of the pulpit on the wall was shield with the words Selma ,Guards'- printed on 1t. while to the right and left of the pulpit were similar shields with Dallas Light Dragons" and "Pettus Field Battery" on them. Fs 41& 'a.e aa The choir consisted entirely of male voices. led by Ed Apperson with the csr- net and it was inspiring to see the large congregation rise to their feet as the services were opened with 1t My Coun- try 'Tis of Thee" Y
 MT. Boswell's subject was The Good Soldier" He had been unwell for several days past and labored under good many disadvantages in delivering his ser mon. It had been prepared with a good deal of care. and what he said made, a fine impression on his hearers. He opened his remarks by saying that he considered 1t a great privilege to. spcak to the soldiers of Selma. He had always had an admiration for soldiers. The hrst request he ever made for. Christmas present was for sword and a gun and he had not had the gun, an. hour before he got captured by the enemy and was given a good thrashing for shooting one of his brothers Ever since then he had had a feeling of love in his heart for the military. He was captain of q military company in Columbus, Miss, at fifteen. and he. and his enthusiastic compatriots drilled up and down the strets so per- sistently that the Mayor finally came to | him and requested him to confine his operations to the suburbs, where there was more room for the difiicult manoeuv- CTS through which he carried his well trained command. As soon as he was old enough he joined the Columbus Light Artillery. afterwards the Queen City Guards and then the Natchez Guards,in fact he had always been a member of some military command until he had en- listed as a Soldier of the Cross under the banner of Jesus Christ and had gone forth to preach the gospel It was a pleasure therefore, for him to, speak to soldier boys When he was a mere boy one of his ambitions had been to deliver | an oration over the Confederate dead. Since he had grown to manhood he had had that pleasure and had also ofhciated in a similar capacity at a G. A. R. Camp. and had also delivered speech in Ken lucky in a cemetery where only one Con. federate soldier lay sleeping.
 He then went on to say that he did not know that there was another flag on earth as beautiful as our own In the whole history of the world there never had been soldiers who surpassed in valor the soldiery of the South. He paid the soldiers of Mississippi, his native State, and those of Alabama, his adopted State
 a glowing tribute of praise. He thought that the time had come for the South to claim as much glory for the hsg ss those living north of Mason and Dixon's line. When he gazes on that flag he Is remind ed of the fact that it was not made what 1t is without the heroism of the South, for the rlood of our own section has been poured out for it. Even when the war between the States was at its height there was no enmity in the hearts of the Southern people against that flag. Hc alluded to the fact that the flag was carried through Mexico and planted on the walls of the capital of that country almost exclusively by Southern men
 When the war with Spain broke out the boys who wore the gray stood shoulder to shoulder under that flag In repeiling common foe. They marched up the bloody heights of Fl Caney eide by side, they fell together. suffered and watered the same sod with their lifes blood
 Patriotism. he said. did not consist alone in carrying the flag and placing |, on the walls of the enemy. But those who did the planning, raised the money gathered the supplies. etc. were entitled to their share of the praise. He thought | it a patriotic duty to criticise wrong, as much so as to lift your hat to l the nag. lHe nag iS TiSHt oiiy "hSh ehs cause Is right. We should see to 1t that the flag covers no wrong. no inhumanity. Whether that flag waves over the home of the rich or the cottage of the poor. let us see to 1t that It's stars are not dm- med Let 1t represent honesty. bravery. and above all truth. and let us see that 1t oppressed no one. MT. Boswell said that he had invited the soldiers of Selma to speak to them about an army greater I | would like. to be able to say that every uniform before him covered a soldier of the Cross of Jesus Christ. He had rather i be a Soldier of the Cross and die un- known than to be the greatest military captain who ever lived and die out of Christ .. The man who enlisted in an army must | be moved by motives of patriotism. He I