The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-06-11
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
: "HOMESlDE OF WARTlMES,' in 12 Letters :
"Tmes Of Fearful Fobodings Post and Bad News Letter No.
Written by Virgil for The Brandon News.
1Ill w llIlII lIiE

goes down at Montgomery, Ala, to
find a grave among strangers, and for
these 40 years not a member Of our
family have been permitted to look
upon his grave.
Oh, how | remember my fathers
grief, as we would work on the farm,
he would rest in the shades of the old
trees, and. like David, mourn for his
son, while my poor hardworked and
troubled mother poured out her burn
ing tears over her cookpots, wash tub,
and cotton cards. But now these sad
and aching hearts are sleeping with
him beneath the sod, and have gone
to where the wicked cease from troub-
ling and the weary are ever at rest. -
We felt in those days the burden of
the prophets heart, when he cried out
in his distress for his people, ooh
that my head were waters, and mine
eyes a fountain Of tears, that I might
weep day and night for the slain of
the daughter of my people," Jer. 81.
is there no balm in Gilead? is there
no physician there why then is not
the health of the daughter of my peo-
pie received?' No, there seemed to
be no balm," no hope, no relief,
except death snapped the golden chain
which bound them to all that was
sacred and dear. Today the heart sick
mothers and wives would be waiting
and watching, and tomorrow the day
star Of hope would set to rise no more
on earth. Another mail, the battle
of Charlottesville, May 2 and 8, 1868,
between 80, 900 federals and 40, COO con-
federates, $1,000 ''yanks' lost, and
our boys cut down by the hundreds
which put darkness in as many south
ern homes. Today, thousands of
patient listening friends to be tomor-
low as many mourning bruised hearts
Agai.' the two mighty armies met
on July /, 1868 and the battle of Get
tysburg was fought, lasting three
days, and was the greatest battle of the
war, $4,000 precious southern boys
went down to soldiers grave,
wounded, and missing. Oh, think
of 80, 900 of the bloom and manhood
of our sunny south gone down in
one terrible struggle, the streams OF
blood, and fountains of waters in
this confidence form a mighty sea of
trouble; death rolled over our land
like swollen river and swept in its
onward course every hope fof letter
day.
Yes, my young friends, it is i'm
possible for you to form any proper
conception Of those dreadful times of
calamity, sorrow and confusion; and
not only the battles I have named,
but this work of death and ruin was
continued till at least 750, 900 soldiers
offered their lives upon the altar of
death to appease the perverted pas
sions Of the human heart; all their
trouble came from lack of that spirit
of love and forbearance taught by
Jesus Christ. Our people sought
Gods blessings at the mouth of
prayer, but sought relief in political
difficulties at the mouth of the thun-
de1ing cannon. They preached the
power of the sword of the spirit, -
to conquer the world to Christ, but
used the ''shot and shell,'' steel and
lead, to settle party differences, and
whereas our government might have
settled their disagreement un the
mountain top of brotherly love and
christian courtesy, they waded
through rivers Of fraternal blood, and
ruins of ancestral glory, resulting in
the downfall of our black ssDagon''
with his head and hands so completely
broken | am fearful he will never
help us much in restoring the ark of
peace and prosperity to our common
wealth, for when the United States
government put the sable veil of the
13, IA and Is amendments OH his face,
he was blinded to envy instead of
usefulness, for not being able to
govern himself, he can never be
trusted to govern others, think the
government committed great blum
der in giving him citizenship in his
untutored infancy.
The cruel war filled our land with
widows and orphan children, and to a
great degree we ceased to smile over
the cradle, and wept over the tomb.
The musical laugh. of gleeful voices
were turned into tile cries of hunger
and lonely service. Then think of
blighted opportunities, thousands of
bright boys and girls lost the "accep-
ted time' for Improvement; gap
of four years ruined many youths SO
far as finished education is con-
cerned this scribe included. It is
said that four things come not back !: