The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-07-15

Ter Illustrated ilhl lu luf l4At Va SN+4iN'
A. Garfield He was one of the most
brilliant volunteer soldiers OF the war.
From the presidential chair Of Hiram
college IN 1861 he stepped into the mil
ltary camp and donned a soldiers uni
form Within two years De wore the
shoulder straps OF major general.
Yet Abraham Lincoln placed his hand
upon the brilliant chief OF ROsecrans
stan and said Garfield, l need you
more IN congress than / do In the field
Resign your soldiers commission ana
as n congressman come and help me.
Thus today ] not only honor the sol
dier, but also the Legislator / honor
James 4. Garfield the general. also
honor james A. Garfield the Ohio con
grcssman. In both positions be did
valuable and heroic service.
Let me illustrate what l mean by
praising the boy who stayed at home
20 work the farm. Some time ago !
was attending soldiers reunion. II
was a most impressive spectacle. that
assembly Of aged men. Yes. the
ranks of the old soldiers are thinning
very rapidly. We shall not have them
with us long But. though these yeter-
ans were very old when they began TO
tell their campfire stories. as their mar
rative proceeded they seemed 90 be
come boys again Among the stories
told was one / shall never forget Ibid
you have any brothers in the army =
asked an aged soldier Yes one,
was the answer. There were three
bows OF us. We all wanted 20 20. but
father and mother We're getting DID,
and some one had 90 stay at home ana
look after the old folks and our youn-
yer sisters. So one night we hnd "a fam
ily convocation After the family talk
we three sons and mother and futher
decided that two of MS boys could 20
10 the war. but that one should stay NJ
home and work the farm. Who were
10 goY Who was 20 stay at homer
We ali wanted 10 20 and fight and so
we decided 20 draw lots. Mother held
the book and put I'm the three slips OF
paper with one marked stay at home
We drew John and myself went to
the front. Harry stayed at home
Did your brother regret that he had
20 stayY "Oh. yes. But some one had
10 stay. and so he simply swallowed
his disappointment Yes. we two boys
could never have gone 10 the front but
for Harry's faithfulness 20 the Old
/ folks" Was he not just as patriotic
as the two who went forth 20 battlef
/ Let us. then. place a flower over MS
grave as well as upon the graves Of
those who went 10 the war. Let US
realize that the stay az homes some
times evinced greater moral courage
made more heroic self sacrifice and en-
dured greater disappoIntmcnts than
the ones who went 10 the front
We would praise the newspaper ed
itors. who nodded public opinion so
that the right men were elected TO con
press. and the newspaper reporters
who risked life and limb 70 carry back
the news from the front OF what nus
bands and fathers and brothers had
suffered under the tornadoes Of shot
and shell i'm the last battle We would
praise such men as a. Is. Mcclure
Of the Philadelphia Press. with whom
Lincoln was in closest contact. ana
Joscph Mednl Of the Chicago Tribune
and lanes Gordon Bennett of the New
York Herald. These men never were
able 10 wear Grand Army button.
They could tell no campfire stories ar
the Grand Army reunions but they
had their part in the great struggle.
Rut for their enterprise. their daring
and their patriotic devotion we should
never have had the records OF yalor
which are now our priceless possession.
Ii is very grave question whether
| Abraham Lincoln could not better have
parted with almost any one OF his
major generals than he could have lost
! that genius Of railroad organizing.
| Thomas Alexander Scott II is q very
grave question whether u. 5. Grant
would not have been deposed from his
command and sent back home in dis
! grace had il not been Tor Charles a.
/ Dana. who. as the personal representa-
five OF Lincoln. went 10 the front and
exposed and denounced the false scan
dals which were being circulated about
/ the silent warrior of the west II
is very grave question whether Sal
mon +. Chase could have ever success
fully fnanciered the United States
bonds which paid the running expenses
| OF the war government. costing at tha'
time millions upon millions Of dollars
each month. unless he had been backed
mn bv jay Cooke. the Philadelphia cap
italist who was 10 Lincoln what Rob.
ert Morris was 10 George Washington
IN the Revolution So today ! impair
tiallv praise the patriotic soldier, the
patriotlc railroad man, the patriotic
editor. the patriotic financier the pa
triotic ntractor-McClure and Dams
and Scott and Jay Cooke, ms well nd
Grant and sherman and Sheridan and
Lee and Longstreet and John i. Cor
don.
In this Memorial day address we
would not omit the need Of recogni-
ton due 10 the ministers Of the home
churches as well as the chaplains who
lnbored 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 ike Henry Ward Beecher
Of Brooklyn and Moses D. Hoge OF
Richmond and Dr. Palmer Of New or
leans. These men were never identl.
fed with any one particular regiment
or brigade. yet IN their utterances Oh
| inspiration, IN the divine comiori
which they carried to the bereft homes
in their words Of faith and love, which