Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-06-04

who rsked life and limb To carry back
the news from the front. Of what hus-
bands and fathers and brothers had
suffered under the tornadoes OF shot
and shell in the last battle We would
praise such men rs \. X Mcclure
Of the Philadelphia Press. with whom
| Lincoln was in closest contact, and
Joseph Medill of the Chicago Tribune.
and james Gordon Bennett of the New
York Herald. These men never were
able TO wear a Grand Army button.
They could tell no campfire stories ut
the Grand Army reunions. but they
| had their part in the great struggle.
But for their enterprise. their daring
and their patriotic devotion We should
never have had the records of valor
which are now our priceless possession.
Services of Charles A. Dana.
II is Il very grave question whether
| Abraham Lincoln could not better have
parted with almost any one of his
major generals than he couli have lost
| that genius of railroad organizing.
Thomas Alexander Scott II is very
grave question whether L. :. Grant
would not have been deposed from his
command and sent back home in dis
grace had il not been for Charles A.
| Dana. who. as the personal representa-
| tive of Lincoln. went To the front and
exposed and denounced the false scan
| dals which were being circulated about
| the silent warrior of the west. 1t
| is very grave question whether Sal
mon L. Chase could have ever success
| fully financiered the United States
bonds which paid the running expenses
| OF the war government, costing at that
| time millions upon millions of dollars
each month unless he had been backed
| up by Jay Cooke, the Philade' phia cap
| italist. who was To Lincoln what Rob-
ert Morris was to George Washington
in the Revolution. So today | impair
tally praise the patriotic soldier. the
patriotic railroad man. the patriotic
editor. the patriotic financier. the pa
| triOiic Mcclure ld Dana
and Scott and Jay Cooke, ~. we'll as
Grant and sherman and Sheridan and
Lee and Longstrcet and John Is. Cor
don.
In this Memorial day address we
| would not omit the need oi' recogni-
| ton due 10 the ministers of the home
churches as well as the chaplains who
labOred in the field hospital and by the
wounded and moaning men who had
the pallor of death upon their cheeks
the night after the battle. We would
praise men like Henry Ward Beecher
of BROOKLYN and Moses ID. Hoge of
Richmond and Dr. Palmer of New Or
leans. These men were never identi-
fed with any one particular regiment
or brigade. yet in their utterances of
| inspiration. in the divine comfort
which they carried To the bereft homes.
in their words of faith and love. which
through the printed page went TO the
boys in the camp. they became mighty
evangclists of light. mighty gospel
messengers for God and their native
land.
We have all read about the noble
services of Dwight l.. Moody to the
soldier boys AT the front. We know
| that many Il dying soldier boy was
able To answer Here to tie roll call
of heaven because some faithful chap
| that Fall in" on the other side of the
grave. We know that many and many
| Il dying message sent to the mother or
| the wife M home WAS penred by the
faithful chaplains who looked after
| the boys of their regiments aus a father
might care for the children about his
own firesidc. But what about that
gray haired old minister OF the village
church: Did he not serve any patriot
ic purpose:
JRcksOn's Advice to a Minister.
| We cannot today too much praise the
worS of the gospel minister during the
agonieS OF Americas four years of
carnage. One day a man applied I,
General Jackson for u position I'm his
army. What is your business:"
asked Jackson. Il am minister of
the gospel" was the reply. Then Jack
son. the Christian soldier. said: My
friend. | can give you no position as
| Eign as that which God has given TO
you. 90 back To your own church. In
the name of Jesus Christ. give comfort
to the widows whose husbands have
been shot: to the children whose
fathers. on account of this bloody war.
will never come back: TO the young
maislcnS who can never again see their
swecthcarts. Go back aud preach the
gospel of sacrifice to the Young men
who must be enlisted from your town.
60 back. In Gods name. go back"
Aye. the duty which Thomas J. Jack
son assigned TO the ministers OF Jesus
was grandIy and nobly fulfilled by
hundreds of cUnsecrated clergymen.
both In the north and the south. To-
day honor the memories Of the noble
men of God who at home were true
and firm To their Lord and heir people
during the awful conflict.
| But have still another long list of
| unpraised heroisms. would not
praise the boy In blue or the boy In
| gray for what he did in 1861 and 1856,
more than would praise him for wha
he did after peace had been pro-
claimed. II was spectacle that as
| touiSl,pd the world 81 Snpctncl. unDrecp-