The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-06

speaker. Whether dealing in facts or fancies. histories or fables. still he seems irresistible. Even . few moments ago I saw this assembly driven to its tiptoes. and almost breathless, as he utte0ed his war whoop-the god of battles. Let us
 pause a moment and inquire. what is this mysterious power that my friend exerts in this exhibition of tho god of battlesT At the very mention of the god of battles the hair creeps on the scalp as 1t might be supposed to do with some community of women and children sud | denly beholding in their midst some gigantic chief. with slaring eyes. brist- ling hair and uplifted tomahawk Why | do we stand appalled, at this god of | battles?' Our God is the God Jehovah. the God Christ, the God the Holy Ghost. He is not the god of battles. He is the God of peace. Peace on earth and good will to men. Then who is this God of battles?' Is it the Mars of Olympus. with his furious sister. Belonna, gloating
 over the battle field of Troy, rioting, re-
 joicing in the carnival of blood. Who,
 then. is this god of battles? l tell you
 my friends rising on his tiptoes. and giving his hand majestic sweep as he stood moment grandly commanding in his attitude. T tell you my friends, this
 god of battles is an impostor god. Here MT. Yancey sprung to his feet and ex- claimed. what do you mean by that?"
 T mean" said MT. Hillard, that your
 god of battles is the devil of hell, wear
 ing here the livery of Heaven And l
 repeat that this god of battles is an i'm
 postor god."
 At this new revelation the crowd seemed to go absolutely wild. A long shout went up that shook all the surroundings and the assembly hesved itself into an upris- ing mass of living enthusiasm. with way ing hats and deafening cheers mixed with
 cries "Hurrsh for Harry Hillard!' When the tumult had subsided MT. Hill Hard said; This monster used to be
 content to assume the shape of roaming
 lion roaming about the earth seeking
 whom he might devour, but now he has
 grown to be God! l know him from the taint of birthstone that he leaves upon the air. He comes with flames in
 his nostrils and torches in his track. He
 is the same false god that shouted at the
 heels of Alexander: the same false god that fired the fanaticism of Mohammed and gloried in the triumph of the Moslem
 banner; the same false god that stood
 by Tamerlane and gloated over the cree
 ton of that great pyramid of human
 skulls; the same false god that hred
 Napoleon Bonaparte to light his cigar at the fires of Moscow and pave the Rus sian highways with the bleaching bones
 of the grand armies of the French people.
 I want none of your god of battles Turning to Mir. Yancey. Mr. Hil- Hard continued. "I do not presume to criticise the rhetoric or to dictate the
 taste of my distinguished friend Tn the
 manner of his speech or the selection of
 his epithets. We all know and recognize
 the power of his entertainments. They sometimes assume the charms of necro-
 nancy, the spells of the magician. These three words, the god of battles from his
 lips seem the utterance of inspiration.
 There has been nothing like it since
 Cicero uttered his kindred phrase, pro dii immortales.' If the Roman orator had any advantage over my friend, it was
 because of the plurality of his gods: hav-
 ing more than one. he necessarily had
 more dry bones to shake up. The opera tion took a little more time for the per- formance and the spell of the incantation was more potently prolonged. It is to be hoped that our friend will not conclude to duplicate his deity.
 "I am inclined to think, my friends. that you will require of those who seek to instruct you on great questions little more logic and little less tragedy, You
 will not allow a public speaker at will to drop knotty question unanswered and to cover it up by sonhe startling shifting of the scenery of the stage. Now. in or der that the goddess of reason may take
 the place of the god of battles I use the liberty of advising my friend, in fatherly way. to take home with him to-
 night the dry bones of this staIwart deity
 and put them in a box. get a hammer and a few ten-penny nails and fasten the
 box up! Let the nails be long and well
 hammered in, for it will take a strong
 box to keep the devil safe prisoner"
 Here there were great roars of laughter.
 while Mir. Hiliard continued: After my
 friend has performed this pious, duty.
 let him turn to the God of Jehovah,
 Christ the Holy Ghost--that beautiful triune Deity, the God of Peace-our God, your God. his God, Let him address his devotions to that God. and on the mor- row he will come fresh to the discussion | of the great questions at issue a serener | a wiser, and a mider man.
 I When MT. Hllisrd made his bow and was retiring. while the cheering was venting itself in the widest demonstra- | tions, Mr. Yancey, who was sitting on | the rostrum. arose, and extending his hand to the speaker, said in the most amiable way Well, Hilliard. you have got me this time. congratulate you" And the two champions disappeared
 from the crowd to crack jokes and make ready for the next conflict
 This splendid and eloquent sally of MT. Hillard will be read with deep interest by his admirers everywhere. l do not
 know that it has been printed in the
 newspapers before, but if it has it does
 not matter: it will bear repetition and will be none the less interesting
 Who are the leading orators of the | present day and who are to be the IIil- | Hard and Yancey of the future? They will come. and perhaps the political
 awakening and purifcation that is near | at hand will demand oratory and elo- l quence on the hustings and with the de-
 mand they will spring mp and the welkin | will ring again with old-time eloquence
 and oratory. and the statesmanshp and | greatness of old will be revived in our 1 public men. Hasten the day,