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evety t)ody that I knew about etiquette, and went in
with my 'heart thumping about one hundred and
twenty-five thumps a minute. Finally I got to the
table, and there I had my hardest fight. I did not
know what to do with all the things they had on the
table.
After dinner the good woman of the house, who
knew I was a green-horn, took me out to the green
house. That was worse than ever. I knew nothing
about flowers, so I said, “You think because I am
a college boy I know all about these flowers. I do
not. I know about sunflowers and cotton blossoms;
that is about all. I will tell you another thing, I
like to have starved to death at dinner because I
didn’t know how to eat what you had.” She seemed
to enjoy my frankness, and just took hold of me and
gave me the best time of my life. That is the way
for you to use your fine homes; that is the way for
you to use your position. Use it so as to make others
happy and good.
Stewardship of Money.
I wanted to say something about the stewardship
of money, but I can not, as time prevents; let me
say just this much about it, however: God holds us
responsible for every dime that comes through out
hands. It is in fact His money, not ours. We need
to know this. The South especially needs to know
it. We need to be waked up on the line of our
riches. For the longest we have talked our poverty
and pleaded our poverty. We ought to quit it. We
are not a poor people. We have got money enough
in the South to-day to do everything that the South
needs to have done. We can run all our colleges
and schools without a single dollar coming from the
outside if we only realized our wealth. Take it right
here in our church. I have recently gone over the
books of our church, and have been shocked at the
amount of money given by the individual members
of this church. You do not begin to know to-day
how much you could be doing. Why here we are
crying “poverty” when we are rich. We can do
anything we want to do for the cause of Christ.
Let us realize our wealth and give as God requires,
and we will find that we have plenty with which to
do our work, and what we do will bless us more.
The only money we really invest is that which we
invest in His name and make subject to His draft.
What of the Day.
O hands of mine,
What of the day?
. Hast any burdens borne
For aged forms and gray?
Hast lent thine aid
By act or deed
To weary ones so frail,
Who toil in want and need?
0 feet of mine,
Hast sought to-day
The weak and erring ones,
From paths of right astray?
Hast been where sin,
Disease and death
Cast o’er the young and old
Their baleful, blighting breath ?
0 tongue of mine,
With words of cheer
Hast soothed sad hearts, or chased
From sorrow’s eye the tear?
To one lost soul
Hast thou revealed
The way of Truth and Life,
Which Jesus’ blood has sealed?
0 soul of mine,
To God hast thou
For all His gifts to thee
Tn holy rev’renee bowed?
Thankful alike
■' For good or ill;
Content ’tis best, whate’er
The loving Father wills.
a- * —Lillian Finnell.
£he Golden Age for May 31, 1006.
CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM
Fighting Private Soldier —Lieutenant
and Active Chaplain.
In the summer of 1861, a young man was gradu
ated from the University of Georgia in the degree
of A. 8., who after his war life attained most mer
itoriously the further degrees of Master of Arts
and Doctor of Divinity. This was the soldier, lieu
tenant and chaplain, Dr. Jabez Mercer Brittain.
Immediately after graduation he enlisted as a pri
vate in an Oglethorpe county company, named the
Tom Cobb infantry, which was mustered into service
September 29, 1861, with Captain J. D. Matthews,
as captain. At this date young Brittain was elected
first sergeant, and on the resignation of one of the
lieutenants, he was promoted third lieutenant,
April 22, 1862, then second lieutenant, July 23,
1862, and finally promoted chaplain of the regi
ment, June 16, 1863. His company was designated
as Company E, 38th Georgia Regiment, Evans’ Bri
gade, Gordon’s Division in, Stonewall Jackson’s
Corps.
The regiment made great fame for good military
conduct and hard fighting in all the great battles
in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, surren
dering a fragment at Appomattox.
This sketch, for The Golden Age, written by one
who fought by his side in battle, and participated
in the religious scenes of the same brgade, is spec
ially designed to illustrate the chaplain’s worth in
the army. Lieutenant Brittain was summoned in
June, 1563, to the higher duties of the chaplaincy
after proving his soldiership in many battles, and
turned over his sword as a loan to Adjutant Mat
thews, who was wounded and captured in the bat
tle of Gettysburg, thus becoming deprived of the
sw T ord which has not been heard from since.
Chaplain Brittain tells an interesting story of
religious work in the army as follows:
“The spirit of true Christianity permeated our
army from the first. While some were thoughtless
and profane, there were large numbers of choice
Christian spirits, who bore the banner of Christ
consistently throughout the war, returning to their
homes to bear it bravely to the end of life. At
first religious services were prayer meetings fre
quently held and largely attended. As there were
many ministers in the command who were soldiers,
they were gladly heard by their comrades in arms.
But in the absence of ministers, there were officers
and soldiers who conducted these services. In the
beginning of the war, chaplains were not provided,
but this defect was soon remedied, and their duties
were defined.
“After the Battle of Gettysburg, when the army
encamped near Orange Court House, a most re
markable revival occurred, which, perhaps, had
never been equalled. Many thousands of soldiers
were deeply affected by these services and brought
savingly to Christ, or raised to a higher plane of
life. Brave men who had fought fearlessly on
many battle-fields, now surrendering to conviction,
were made soldiers of the Cross. The sanctuary of
our command was the shady grove, our pews some
times the rough-hewn logs, but oftener the natural
earth; our lights at night were Heaven’s chande
liers, aided here and there by flames from piles of
burning logs, yet sweet, indeed, were the songs, fer
vent the prayers, and amazingly earnest the preach
ing. After the meeting ended at night little groups
of men could be heard praying in the camps or in
the woods. Chaplains and others moved from group
to group to pray, exhort and counsel. These -were
times of such seriousness that frequently men would
cry aloud under conviction, and again the great
joy of conversion. Many told their experiences,
and united with the people of God, the minister
baptizing them, and forwarding the certificate to
the church at home. Thus the Gospel in the wil
derness amidst the strife of battle was made known
to men. Soldiers were received into fellowship
by a very simple method. As many members as it
Conducted By GENERAL CLEMENT A. EVANS
was possible to assemble, met together, heard the
experience of the soldiers, and it being satisfactory,
he was received, welcomed and baptized, and the
minister administered the ordinance of baptism.
Chaplain Brittain administered this ordinance in
the army for the first time in his ministry.
“In this revival many officers took active part.
At sunrise the first day, Gen. Gordon made an in
teresting address and afterwards attended the ser
vices often. Dr. Broadus, from South Carolina,
preached many impressive sermons. Dr. Cooper, of
Georgia, an eminent surgeon, was a magnificent
preacher. The chaplains were faithful hard work
ers everywhere, not only in the great revival, but
in camp and march and on battle-field. Occasionally
colporteurs and missionaries came to supply the
soldiers with Bibles, tracts and religious papers.
All in all, the soldiers were reached by Christian
efforts and spiritual influences permeated the South
ern armies.
“No soldiers ever had truer, braver Christian
officers. Lee, Jackson, Stuart, Gordon, Evans and
hundreds of others in all the armies of the Confed
eracy, knew how to commune with God as well as to
fight bravely on the field of battle. It was noticed
that these officers loved to join any body of men
whom they found engaged in a meeting for prayer,
and it is a fact to be now remembered with pleas
ure that, to wage a good clear, honorable warfare,
was the sacred intention of both the officers and
the men. True religion will foster the patriotic
and the humane spirit in all armies.”
The Confederate Burial Ground.
Here lies the dead, step soft and light,
’Tis consecrated ground.
No shaft of stone, but flowers bright
Bloom on each grassy mound.
Can sculptor’s hand carve monuments
More lasting than the flowers,
That peep out from the battlements
Os earth’s upheaving towers?
If sculptors cannot limn their fame
Nor flowery blooms prolong,
Some Epic Bard will weave their name
In fame’s immortal song.
That song will fill the halls of fame
With echoes from the field,
Where valor wrote each hero’s name
On Valor’s battle shield.
—Clarence Cullins.
Georgia’s Sacrifices in the Civil War,
The simple record of the sacrifices of the State of
Georgia will show resplendent by her war record.
She sent to the field over 100,000 soldiers, as much
as her voting population at the beginning of the
war. There is no means therefore of accurately es
timating the damage she suffered. Her aggregate
wealth. We estimate Georgia’s heroism and suffer
than in 1861, and her gain from 1865 would have
been fully fifteen millions, making her war loss
amount to the proportion of three-fourths of her
wealth. We estimate Georgia’s heroism and suffer
ing by comparing her losses with those of other
Southern States, as follows: Georgia, $481,000,000,
or over three-fourths of her wealth; South Carolina,
$326,000,000, or two-thirds; Mississippi, $355,000,-
000, or two-thirds; Virginia, $186,000,000, or two
sevenths; North Carolina, $160,000,000, or one-half;
Kentucky, $104,000,000, or one-fifth; Louisiana.
$185,000,000, or two-fifths; Tennessee, $69,000,000,
or one-fifth; Florida, $36,000,000, or one-half: Mis
souri gained $286,000,000. —From Avery’s History
of the State of Georgia, from 1856 to 1881,
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