The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-07-15
FARMvILLE, VA, FRIDAY, JULY Is, 1904.

at that time upon the muSl piihStig
salary then offered In the city Of New
York In order 10 teach his people 10
love reunited country and TO have
faith in God he accepted humble
position as the president Of one Of VIZ
glnlas bankrupt schools. Rather than
live for mercenary gain he quietly ana
vet nOhly and unselhshly went TO I'VE
among the shattered walls Of Wash
ington college In Lexington. He lived
there until the close Of his life. Some
people may tell you that the greatest
service the American soldier did for
his country was when he suffered up
on the field of battle l tell you that
the greatest service the Confederate
army and the Federal army ever dld
FOR their native land was when they
dissolved and when their Christian sol
diers became the earnest, consecrated
advocates of Christian peace. so To-
day / praise no less highly than the
soldier who went out In 1861 to fight
hts country's battles the soldier IN
1866 returning 10 civil life and striv'
ing in home and factory and store to
heal the wounds of the nation ana re-
unite It's people IN the bonds OF Chris
iian love.
Some time ago | stood on the top of
the Washington monument and looked
of upon the battlehelds Of America ana
dreamed my dreams / saw hundreds
Of thousands of human bones bleaching
In the sunlight. gnawed Of the yulture
and the wolf. / heard the mufiied
drums beating the tattoo al sunset As
the artillery wagons rumbled away TO
the rear. and star twinkled TO star.
heard sentinel by the glare OF the
campfire call 10 sentinel: "Alfs well.
AIS well along the PotOmac!
There 20 the booming Of the can
non and the sharp commands Of the
officers STEADY boys; steady stead" "
There IS the ping Of the bullet and the
diving soldier clutches M his heart as
ho moans My babies o God, my poor
babies and then drops dead. There
comes the blood curdling Confederate
cry. III iii. III. III. HI" There is
the long line of set faces behind the
pllttcrlng bayoncts The heavens red
den and glow. The flames leap and
hiss and dance and make merry over
tba burning homes. The falling beams
go crash. crash. crash, The rivers are
dcep with lowing blood the grave
trenches are filled with million dead.
As I turn and look upon the great
white dome Of the capitol the old ma
iional flag flaps aud waves. Its stars
Glitter ike the eyes Of the mothers
waiting for their boys who never came
back. and Ike the eyes Of the maidens
who after awhile as old women, read
and rcread the torn and the yellow let
ters which their heroes Just before the
fotal battle wrote about the bridal
homes which were destined never 10
be built And as I look upon the old
aao again the white stripes look Ike
the white bandages which were put
about the shattered arms. The long
deem streaks Of red prove that It's folds
had once been dipped into pools OF
human blood Then the great white
dome of the legislative hall. glistening
I'm the sunlight. looks as though 1t were
bullt ont of the broken tOmbstones
of Arlington Heights and Gettysburg
and the wilderness.
Then. MS look up and down the
great Pennsylvania avenue, l seem to
see the united armies of the boys IN
blue and OF the boys IN gray marching,
marching. marching. l see the lines
melt away. Following with my eye
one soldier. / see him take his dis
charge. and ne starts for home. /
cannot tell whether this discharged
soldier IS now heading for the Michi-
gan hills or for the Georgia planta-
tions. In his civilian dress he has no
distinctive insignia telling me whether
ne fought under Grant or under Lee
I Then I see this soldier coming up 70
the farm gate and being welcomed
home by hls dear ones Now his wife
nearly fnints away for JOY. Then In
the evening hour l see him gather the
little children about him. He opens
the old book: be reads chapter; the
family kneel in prayer; then the lights
ore put mt. and know the war is for
ever ended.
The Christian soldier Of conflict has
become the Christian citizen Of patri-
otto peace So on this Memorial day.
with its sad and happy associations,
while we prnise the soldier boy Of 1861
let Ms also honor the Christian veteran
Of the time Of peace Let u.s. with the
memory Of what he has done in both
conflicts 20 forth TO one last great bat
lie. Let us take the Bible in hand ana
capture this round world for Christ.