The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1911-04-06
MARCHING
TO GLORY
BY F. A. mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

didn't know whether 1t was waking
from sleep or dreams or whether dur.
Ing an abnormal condition had looked
upon a vision Of that after death ne.
NOD which is almost universally be-
neved to be sealed from mortal eyes.
My theory as to this condition of
mine Is that, being abnormal, it pro-
duced abnormal pictures. We see no
colors. What We consider colors are
simply millions Of waves impinging on
the retina of the eye. Comparatively
slow moving waves produce red: rap
Idly moving waves produce violet; those
between the two produce intermediate
colors. Now. may not the retina when
turned awry be readjusted to receive
that which it is not intended to re-
ceive? In other words, may not what
am going to relate have really ex-
listed instead Of having been a dream
or vision produced by strained con-
ditions?
was in the thick Of the fight. Men
were shot down beside me, in front
OF me and behind me. The noise was
Hike thousand thunderstorms. There
were the deafening explosions of can
non, the rattle of musketry, the shrill
neighing Of horses, shouts, groans,
shrieks. Presently something struck
me and turned me half around. Nv
legs afforded no support; felt myself
sinking; the terrific sounds about me
grew faint-then oblivion.
Suddenly l was again conscious. l
sat up. supporting myself with an arm.
The fight had moved a short distance
beyond me. Men were hurrying to
the rear, and men were hurrying to
the front Two men were carrying
past me another on a stretcher. As
looked / saw something mistlike
forming above the one borne along.
There was nothing describable about
II, appealing, as 1t seemed to me, to a
sense Of which l had never before
been conscious. Like smoke wreath,
1t rose and slowly drifted away.
died while being carried by me- did
not know how l knew it, but / had no
doubt of it. Turning my eyes to the
front, where hundred yards from me
q thihned line of my comrades, from
whose ranks l had dropped, were re-
ceiving a sharp fine. 1 saw men fall
ing, some crawling away, while others
were limping rearward. On some who
fell Immediately the mistlike sub
stance had seen on the man who had
died while passing me appeared, rose
and drifted away. Had 1 not seen 1t
leave the body 1 should have taken 1t
for puff of smoke from the mouth Of
q gun.
Then / noticed that all these wraiths
were moving in the same direction,
gathering, clustering about common
centers, grouped in what seemed to be
one faint luminous cloud. From it
broke away a line like men marching
by platoon or company front, then an
other line and another till many such
lines at equal distances had moved
out from the whole, which gradually
grew less till a column of the dead
was marching on rising curve.
At first this curve led them away
from me, but the direction, ever chang
ing, presently caused them to pass
over my head, yet since they were con-
stantly rising they passed far above
me. 1t was a sight to see, these souls
Of dead soldiers passing from earth on
their way to spiritland. Ever turning
as they were, at last 1 realized that
they were passing to their long homes
In a gigantic spiral
L thought of those spiral nebulae,
developing universes, seen in the heav-
ems through telescopes and wondered
If this form, as it marks the beginning,
marks also the end of the infinite COM
bination of matter and soul.
At last the receding column became
q single line. growing thinner till it
formed barely percepible curve like
that of a comet
So rapt was / in this strange vi
sion that / was oblivious to all else.
Then i noticed that the battle was
ours. I dropped upon the ground
again, and gradually all things about
me vanished. / must have passed the
night unconscious on the battlefield.
When came to myself right above
me and within foot Of my face was
a blade of timothy, on the end Of
which a spider was crawling. watch
ed him running about on the cereal
for awhile, then noticed that it was
morning. Occasionally ! heard dis
tant shot. knew a picket fired it,
for with an army In the field picket
shots are always to be heard. Occa-
sionally a volley came over the fields
which / knew had been fred over some
soldiers grave. As I grew more con-
scious of my surroundings grew also
conscious Of pain in my side and
terrible stiffness through my whole
body. Then I heard voice say:
'HThis mans alive"
A soldier with a spade in his hand
stood over me. and an officer with a
sash about his waist, the color OF
which knew denoted a surgeon, came
and bent over me. He called his as
sistant, who put flask to my lips.
81 saw this fellow last evening""
said the latter, "and 1 was sure he
was dead"