The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-02-07
Barlow Man Agrees With shor-
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.

etHse Wv AAShA bAgbNy anu ulhhhLIuua
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 It brought myriads
Of signs and tears to mothers and
wives and children. The Spanish war,
and what has grown out Of It, 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. l
don't believe it. "Ohenses 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 other devilish thing. Every
days dispatches record something new
and horrible, and we are getting so
accustomed to 1t that 1t hardly dis
turbs or surprises us. 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 l remember hearing
one soldier bet another that he could
walk across the ridge and step on a
dead man at every step. He tried It
tor a hundred yards and won. Sol
diers 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.
Tades were left, and they were widely
scattered. The records were not kept
or were lost in the war. Out of 49,
600 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 50 per cent of all the
dead are unknown and sleep in I'M
marked and unrecOrded graves. And
this is war and as General Sherman
said, War is hell" There is enough
unwritten grief to fill an ocean, and
many a broken-hearted mother let con-
cealment like a worm in the bud feed
on her pallid cheek and turn her hair
gray before its time. And yet we keep
on fighting 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
perplexfty of the problem. Oh! the
shame of 1.-THE pity of It, It is the
same old unchristian story. Mans
1nhumanity to man makes countless
thousands mourn" But l didn't start
to write an elegy on the year that has
gone. It is pleasanter to wish all a
happy new year and hope for better
one. A superstitious 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 Fctlvity
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 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
wlllin' to go; but owe Bob Fertilizer
a dollar and half, and it bothers me
nightly" Never mind, john" said
Jack. 'Ill 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 Shelled
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 to the hardships and sufferings
caused by our civil war, and, just to
amuse and entertain her, my wife and
I rn1nfed hnu- we got hack TO Rome