The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1914-06-04

they were nUt only Interested iiStel
ers, but that they were anxious
know their part in the new mov'
ment of the Kingdom of God. Ate
all we are of the same common ella
and have the same common needs
For this reason | am glad that 20
are here, meeting too for the frs
time in your history, in a Quake
Westinghouse. AS pastor | welcom
you, and in speaking thus ] but eS
press the sentiment of the church.
You of course know the historical
attitude of the Friends toward wal
which, may / say, we have not abat
ed, and which put us in very pecu
liar and embarrassing position at thu
outbreak of the civil conflict. Hater'
of slavery, lovers of the Union, loya
to a man both North and South, anC
yet disappearing of the abitriment o.
the sword, we were in most trying
situation. At that moment Whittier
our Quaker poet, spoke for the
Friend in the lines entitled, "A Word
for the Hour" which so well portrays
the. Friendly attitude that / want to
read some lines from il here. II
bears date of First Month 16, 1861:
THE armament breaks up. In black
eclipse,
Light after light goes out. One evil
star.
Luridly glaring through the smoke OF
war,
AS in the dream of the Apocalypse,
Drags others down. Let us not
weakly weep
Nor rashly threaten. Give us grace
to keep
Our faith and patience; wherefore
should we leap -.s. d..
On one hand into fratricidal fight,
Or on the other yield eternal right?
confound?
what fear We? Safe on freedoms
vantage ground, ,a,.......
Our feet are planted let us there
remain -. u
In unreyengeful calm, no means un-
tried ~ .a.-
Which truth can sanction. no just
claim denied,
The sad spectators of suicide!
''They break the links of Union; shall
we light
The fires of hell to weld anew the
chain g. ..s. 81
On the red anvil where each blow is
pain? .s.,..-
Draw we not even now freer breath
As from our shoulders fall load OF
death
as that the Tuscan's vic
tim bore
When keen with life to dead hor-
ror bound?
Why take we up the aecursed thing
again?
pity, forgive, but urge them back
Who, drunk with passion, faunt dis
unions rag,
With its vile reptile blazon. Let us
press
The golden cluster on our brave old
flag,
In closer union, and, If numbering less
shall shine the stars which
still remain"
But while the Quaker deprecated
eVoking of The fires OF hell for the
of the Union, believing
that the Southern COnfederacy would
hang itself if let alone, still he made
no small contribution TO the cause
for which you men so brayely and
suffered.
In the first place Abraham Lincoln
was of Quaker ancestry, and II Is be-
IieVed by those who have a right to
Judge that il was the drop of Quaker
blood" in his veins that balanced his
nature and made him so eminently
the man for the hour This reveals
itself in the pacific tones of his in
augural address, and in his strenuous
efforts at Cancellation afterwards, and
then his generous forgiveness at the
close of the war.
Ii should also be said that the
Friends stood by the party of union
TO a man, and the election of Lincoln
was in no small degree due TO the
Quaker vote, especially in Pennsyl-
yania. This fact has been preserved
to US in some lines of Whittier's,
written for republican jubilation at
Mass, and While not re-
fiecting the usual dignity of Whit
tiers verse trust that 1t may not be
thought out of place for me to read
two verses al this time.
mot vainly We waited and counted
the hours;
The buds of our hopes have burst
into flowers.
No room for misgiving, no lOop-hole
of doubt; s
We've heard from the Keystone! The
Quakers are out
GIVE the flag to the winds! Set the
hills all afiame!
Make way for the. man with the pa.
triarch's name!
Away with misgiying, away with all
doubt n
For Lincoln goes in when the Quak-
ers come OUT"
Moreover, our Quaker poet won
lasting fame for the LOYALTY with