Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 February 1889 — Lamentations of an Old Soldler. [ARTICLE]

Lamentations of an Old Soldler.

Mr Comrades, Farewell; Good Bye! We mast give ap oar memorials ol war, and its immoral effects. We must cease having Memorial Sermons preached on Memorial Day, by old army chaplains, who show to the people the effects ol war, and show a distinction among the people, which separates ns old comrades from our individual branches ol religion, and affeots the interests ol the ministers ol Christian religion of the present day. Our usefulness is at an end as soldiers, and we can mourn tor our comrades on the six days ol the week, when out by ourselves at our vocations ol life, amt not make it public by meeting together on the Lord's day, it interferes with religions services. There is now a later generation ready to take civilized Christian teachings, which is not found ia war as among soldiers. And these tokens we haye and exhibit before our children are tokens gained as a merit for bravery. Those blue clothes we wear, are worn by men who sit around, much o{ their time in idleness, being led and clothed |by the labor of citizens and paid wages from the funds of taxation of the people. They are men, generally without homes or families, and men who mostly spend our time of amusements in the liquor reforest, and as civilization mu3t move ou, we mast do away with every token of war and habit of a soldier. We were Soldiers only in time of a nation's danger. We did not enlist to learn a soldier’s life, we served our country's requirements, and returned home as citizens after accomplishing what was required of ns by our country —to help save the Union, and wipe out the worst curse among civilzed nations, Slavery in America. But while doing that, we broke down an aristocratic monopoly in the South, and built up a terrible curse aud monopoly, a system of legal liquor and rum power all over our land, or at least such seems to gather strength under our influence. Our Reunions and National Encampments, are of much benefit to the rum power and helps to build up the common saloon. Forty years ago, the common saloon was a den of iniquity only patronized by the common and low classes of men, kept in log huts or interior houses, with the liquors in a barrel or keg, with a plug in an auger hole, instead of a faucet as is found today) and a gourd to drink from instead of a wine glass, and a slab with holes bored with an auger, and pins for legs, these formed the saloon furniture as seats for loafers. Now, see the saloons honored and patronized by wealthy men and women of our higher classes; many saloon furnished more costly and beautifully thau our common churches. It is said that our county officers, and state officers, our senators and representatives, and their sons, many of them, patronize saloons, spend long evenings in saloons, playing cards or billiards, and telling stories that they would sc ,rn their wives or daughters for listening to. Now comrades. I Write this as a reply to some of our Christian ministers, who gave us notice jbhrough The Rensselaer Republican, last year, just after Memorial Day, that hereafter <on Memorial day all members of churches would be expected to meet at their respective s churches, which would, of course, destroy our Memorial Union Sermon, if not totally destroy our interest, in meeting each other, and cherishing our love and respect for our dead comrades, and but a few flowers will be carried graves of our dead comrades in a few years. Now I have tried to show you a minister’s opinion of a soldier as near as I can judge, and hope if I have wrongly judged or hurt the feelings of any one, they will pardon me, as I do not wish to wrong any one. lam not so independent about it as one of the ministers was when I talked with him, and requested him to send a delegate to meet a representative we soldiers might send "to correct our misunderstanding. He said “No it is no use. Yon just put off your memorial sermon until in the afternoon of the Sabbath, then it will not interfere with our forenoon service, and God’s work or cause.” Now what caused our memorial sermon to bo preached on the Sabbath and what kind of a man delivers the seimon, it it is not caused in the inter ests of Christianity, by God’s people, for God and bis people? Why should church members qver have taken part with soldiers decorating? Boys, where do we find ourselves? Would any sober, sensible, Union soldier ever object to the Southern Confederate soldier baving one day iq each year set apart j to honor their dead comrades, who | stood up with them in war, even to destroy our nation? I say No! Let them j honor their loved comrades, who fought as they had been taught. And we should sincerely wish that the evils of intemperance may be done away with, without having to disband i the G. A. R. and forget our dead comrades, and hideous iifes and drums and bogles, and old battle flags, and never mention war, for fear of teaching our children to honor a soldier, and desire to go to war. Could we forget our dead in silence, our comrades who shared death for the liberty our fore fathers fought for, that this nation now reaps the benefit of? Shall we forget each other and never more have a Reunion or Memorial Union Sermon? I say No! No!! Give me liberty as God gave it to us, and let us worship God only, is the prayer of An Old Soldier.