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10 THE GRAY AND THE BLUE IN PRAYER AND SONG • By General Clement A. Evans I earnestly invite the assistance of the surviving chaplains and soldiers of both armies to furnish The Golden Age with incidents and other informa tion through which the people of our country may learn that the religious life of the men who offered up themselves in battle was not neglected. The subject, by its very nature, is exhaustible. Within a year the story can be told. Soldiers who were witnesses are passing away. I beg that this call for assistance may be heeded in the spirit in which it is given. Clement A. Evans. Requiescional. "While musing in the gloaming like one entranced in dream, The Sunset throned in crimson, and robed in golden gleam; When memories were making my heart strings softly Play; There came to me a Soldier in full Confederate gray. His form was truly martial, his manner Southern bred; And white as snow when drifting, his hair dropt o’er his head; He set my whole soul thrilling as thus he spoke to me—■ “I soldiered with your father; we fought with Robert Lee.” “0 tell me something,” I cried, and clasped his hand, ‘ ‘ 0 tell me of the glory of dear old Dixie Land ! ’ ’ — “I’ll tell,” he said, “the story of Appomatox field, When Southern hope, despairing, drooped on its bloodied shield. “From Petersburg and Richmond, —both burning, both in woe, Six days we fought retreating, outnumbered by the foe, Till Appomatox reaching; worn, wasted by the fray, We slept that night determined to fight again next day. “And when the morn was breaking; the sky a gray ish flake, — Lee’s men in arms were waking, the desperate charge to make, Each man a Southern hero with glory in his eye, None dreaming of surrender, and each resolved to die. “Forward! The lines are moving; the battle has begun, The bugles softly sounding; now fires the signal gun; 0, see the star-cross banner! It waves o’er that brave band! Look! Look! For they are charging! Hurrah for Dixie Land! “Lour father, child, was with us; we drove dear Dixie’s foe, Nor knew we had surrendered, till orders told us so. Sad, sad indeed, the message that bade us cease to fight,—■ But, after all, I reckon the Lord and Lee were right. ’ ’ The soldier moved off slowly with tear mist in his eyes, I saw him upward gazing toward the Sunset skies, And then I mused: “They’re going! soon, soon, we’ll no more see The * en of glorious mem’ry who fought with Robert Lee!” The Golden Age for April 26, 1906. Georgia Relief Association in 1864 1864 was the darkest year of the war in Georgia, a large portion of the State was overrun by the vast armies of the enemy. Our sick and wounded soldiers increased in numbers daily, our resources grew less every day. Rev. C. R. Jewett at Griffin was the leader of the Relief brigade. We collect ed what supplies we could and carried them to the front. The fighting was daily and deadly all the way from Dalton. Our last work "was done at Bates, distributing hospital between East Point and Atlanta. The city was then almost completely beleaguered. The heart of the city was deserted as a grave yard. I was at the carshed a little while one evening not a soul astir. The enemy was shelling then. The picket fighting was heavy and many of the wounded were brought in every day. On the 28th of July, a bloody battle was fought; the deadly firing of the musketry was about 3 p. m., and lasted nearly an hour. All who know of a battle with small arms, when close together, know what awful results follow such a fierce conflict. As soon as the battle ceased we were with the men. Os a mess of seven every one was bleeding from wounds. Lieutenant-General A. P. Stewart, corps com mander, was struck in the forehead by a ball, not serious, but disabled. Major-General Lowring was pierced in the chest with a ball. I bound up Gen eral Stewart’s head and gave them coffee next morning. We were on the battle field till late in the night, and close to the enemy’s fire lights. The cries of the poor, helpless ones as they begged the artillery men to not drive their horses and wheels over them. One regiment was so cut to pieces a second lieu tenant in a company was lieutenant-colonel, all the officers between them were killed. Two days after we left with the wounded; got to Jonesboro, heard the road had been cut at Lovejoy’s. Soon after Atlanta fell and Sherman’s army marched through the State to the sea. —Dr. Cotter, in Wesleyan Christian Advocate. The Patriotic South. The South is well satisfied with the sound pa triotism of its old ideas, with the purity of its sen timent, with the general course of its record, and with its heroes living and dead. It is also as well satisfied with the Union, the Constitution, the flag, the army and navy, and with the present power and glory of our country. The attempt to reconcile the South is a waste of philanthropy. It reconciled it self nearly forty years ago with very little help, and now hails all reconciliation, let it come as it will. The Southern people of these United States are quickly and warmly responsive to generous consid eration. They appreciate the national demonstra tion of regard for General Wheeler. Their hearts responded warmly when their old captured flags were restored to the States. They are deeply affect ed by the purpose of the government to care for the Confederate soldiers’ graves. They appreciate the giving of facilities for completing the rosters of Confederate armies. They welcome heartily the present investigation of the needs of their rivers and harbors; they have manifested with enthusias tic Southern cordiality their delight at the visits of the Presidents of their country; they expect in creasing sympathy of their countrymen for them in dealing with their peculiar local problems, and they participate in every demonstration that can secure by strong fraternal pressure that solidarity of the people of the United States which will leave no line or plane of cleavage anywhere. The South recognizes its share of responsibility for the good government of the Union. It was never so much in earnest in effort as now to have “a perfect Union, to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, pro- vide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for our selves and our posterity.” The 'South would have the entire land to be all South from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, all North from the Gulf to the Lakes, and all the States and territories to be one rich realm of liberty, fraternity and equal prosper ity from ocean to ocean.. C. A. E. Let Us Be Free From the Rum Curse. One fond mother’s son is worth more than all the gold coined in all the saloons in the world. Yet men insist that for blood money these infernal liquor mills shall grind up our precious children, and break hearts, and wreck our homes. Now, the country cannot be saved by the saloon or dispensaries, any more than can a home or an individual. And he who would for gold or political preferment, set up, or give his influence toward, the establishment of a dram shop, is a menace to public good, and a wrecker of human happiness. Now, the Anti-Saloon League stands for home, and so for the State. There is nothing on earth that can bring such shame and sorrow and degrada tion to a people, as the legalized liquor traffic. Almost every murder springs from the saloon. Here, indeed, it gets its hot blood and its poison. The gambler, the highway robber, the house-breaker, the bomb-thrower and all the world’s vile criminals are all better equipped for their infernal business on account of the accursed dram shop. We cannot dodge the issue; we cannot compro mise; we cannot avoid the fight. The battle is on, the war has begun, and, gentlemen, we must take sides. What will the ministry do? Can we con fidently rely upon you men of God? I pray you give us your cordial grasp of the hand, put your great hearts down by the side of ours, and let us feel the warm, sympathetic throb of a brother’s love. Let God’s foes oppose. His friends cannot afford to stand in the way of the kingdom. Let the min isters of Christ give out no uncertain sounds. They ought to cry aloud and spare not. They ought to unsheathe the sword and strike for God, and home and native land. The women of Georgia are on their knees cry ing for help. Will we disappoint them? Will we vote for the hearthstone or the rum throne, the boy or the bar? Let us answer the calls of these broken, pleading, helpless women. Let us take the boys and girls on our hearts and march to the polls and vote “NO.” There is much fine gubernatorial timber in Georgia, and doubtless the six candidates aspiring to the high and honora ble place of governor, are all clean and capable, but before high Heaven, to-day there is no plank in the gentlemen’s platforms so strong, so abso lutely needed in the moral uplift of this great com monwealth of ours as the plank which declares un compromising, unqualified, and eternal warfare to the liquor curse in Georgia. Is there not such a man before the people? Is he not in the State? Then for the sake of a clean, economical government—for civic righteousness, and peace, let us elect that man, and cover the State with glory. How about a dry legislature? The churches can solve that problem. And until Christian men rise up and take a hand in the political affairs of this re public, we may expect to witness bloody crimes, see the tears and rags of orphans, hear the sobs and wails of women, and live under an outraged and debauched government. We want to press the fight in every county. We want to organize from the mountains to the sea board. It is our hope and dream now to send “dry” men to the legislature, but to enter into this happy realization the churches of Georgia must authorize us, make it possible for us to go before the peo ple. One of our greatest needs just now is men and money. Give us these and with the smiles of our loving Heavenly Father, we will wrest this gov ernment from the hands of the liquor dealer. J, C. Solomon,