UNDER
THREE
FLAGS
0. W. PEPPE1
SANTA CRUZ
Gilt ol
EVERETT B. ANDERSON
SANTA CRUZ
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275
GEORGE W. PEPPER.
UNDER THREE FLAGS;
OR,
THE STORY OF MY LIFE
AS
PREACHER, CAPTAIN IN XHE ARMY, CHAPLAIN, CONSUL,
WITH
SPEECHES AND INTERVIEWS.
THE REVEREND GEORGE W. PEPPER,
/ i//
AUTHOR OF " SHERMAN'S CAMPAIGNS IN GEORGIA AND THE CAROLINAS.
CINCINNATI :
PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR BY CURTS & JENNINGS.
1899.
Tf o
DEDICATION.
TO GENERAL' JOHN BEATTY,
(Hitting ;atringa Bank,
(Eolumbua,
A born financier, industrious, careful ;
as a soldier in battle he was reliable, brave, and skillful ;
as a Congressman he won an honored name
for his loyalty to his friends and his fearless defense of
great principles ;
ever prompt and noble in his action as a refined
and scholarly gentleman ;
of soul sincere and in honor clear,
I DEDICATE THESE RECOLLECTIONS.
CLEVELAND, OHIO, JANUARY, 1899.
Preface.
T^HAT was a beautiful simile of Bacon's, in which he
* compared a book to a ship. If the inventon of a
ship, which carries riches and commerce from one part
of the world to another, and consociates the most remote
regions, is thought so noble, how much more should be
the book admired, which, like the ship, sails over vast
oceans of time and brings distant ages into contact as the
ship the most remote regions ! A fine critic observes that
the test of a genuine book is its love of humanity. It
must be addressed to all the powers and faculties of man-
kind. If it is addressed to the intellect, it must make men
think; if it is addressed to the heart, it must unlock the
fountains of sincere emotion ; if it is addressed to the imag-
ination, it must wrap the soul in visions of ideal loveliness
and excellence.
The author of this volume pretends to none of the
qualifications of authorship thus described; but he does
claim to have given in the words of distinguished men
their opinions and estimates upon a variety of subjects,
and to give his own reminiscences in words plain and
truthful. He has not colored his phrases with eloquent
and pompous language, believing that a noble cause is
grander than a kingly throne, and sincerity the true
scepter of success.
5
6 PREFACE.
He acknowledges his obligations to the current litera-
ture of the times which embraced his early life. He takes
pleasure in recording his gratitude to the Dublin Nation,
the splendid republican journal. It was to Ireland what
the Marseillaise was to France its creed and its inspira-
tion. Some of its most brilliant writers became prime
ministers in Australia and generals in the American War
for the Union. If we have helped any one to a higher
and nobler life, we have our reward, as refreshing as the
fountains to captive Israel in the desert.
GEORGE W. PEPPER,
1021 EAST MADISON AVENUE, )
, OHIO. J
Contents.
CHAPTER I. PAGE.
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH, 13
CHAPTER II.
FAMOUS ORATORS HEARD IN COLLEGE DAYS PUBLIC APPEAR-
ANCE IN THE CAUSE OF TEMPERANCE, 37
CHAPTER III.
AN IRISH FAMINE DAYS IN BELFAST QUEEN VICTORIA'S
VISITS, 53
CHAPTER IV.
MARRIAGE FIRST YEARS IN AMERICA ENTERING THE MIN-
ISTRY EXPERIENCE AS A CIRCUIT RIDER, 66
CHAPTER V.
FROM PULPIT TO CAMP CHAPLAIN AND CAPTAIN ROUGH
SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE, 83
CHAPTER VI.
RETURN TO WORK IN THE MINISTRY RECONSTRUCTION IN THE
SOUTH PASTORAL APPOINTMENTS FREDERICK DOUG-
LASS'S REMINISCENCES, 114
CHAPTER VII.
VOYAGE ABROAD IRELAND AND ITALY VISITED, 130
CHAPTER VIII.
PASTORAL RELATIONS RESUMED APPOINTMENT AS CONSUL TO
MILAN, 137
7
8 CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IX. PAGE.
INCIDENTS OF CONSULAR LIFE DISTINGUISHED VISITORS, . . . 150
CHAPTER X.
DOMESTIC SORROWS A PERSONAL CHAPTER, 173
CHAPTER XI.
TRAVELS IN THE ORIENT FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE HOLY
LAND, 181
CHAPTER XII.
OTHER COUNTRIES AND CITIES VISITED LONDON PARIS, . . . 203
CHAPTER XIII.
A VISIT TO THE PASSION PLAY AT OBERAMMERGAU IN 1890, . .223
CHAPTER XIV.
CAMPAIGN EXPERIENCES MEN KNOWN IN POLITICAL LIFE AND
OTHER BYWAYS, 233
CHAPTER XV.
METHODIST CAMP-MEETINGS IN THE PAST, 279
CHAPTER XVI.
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF 1896, 285
CHAPTER XVII.
MY COLLEAGUES IN THE MINISTRY, 294
CHAPTER XVIII.
STRAY LEAVES FROM CIVIL WAR PERIOD SECRETARY STANTON, 305
CHAPTER XIX.
MEN WHO TOOK PART IN THE IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT
JOHNSON, -510
CONTENTS. 9
CHAPTER XX. PAGE.
GENERAI, ROBERT E. LEE AT THE CLOSE OF THE REBELLION, . 322
CHAPTER XXI.
SALMON P. CHASE'S OPINIONS OF MEN AND EVENTS, 335
CHAPTER XXII.
INTERVIEWS WITH EMINENT MEN WENDELL PHILLIPS SOME
CHARACTERISTIC VIEWS, 343
CHAPTER XXIII.
SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH JAMES G. ELAINE, 354
CHAPTER XXIV.
MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS FOUR TYPICAL ORATORS: CHARLES
SUMNER, BISHOP SIMPSON, FATHER AGOSTINO, WILLIAM
JENNINGS BRYAN, 363
CHAPTER XXV.
MR. GLADSTONE AS AN ORATOR, STATESMAN, PHILANTHROPIST,
CHRISTIAN, 385
CHAPTER XXVI.
IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT JOHN BRIGHT, CHARLES
STEWART PARNELL, JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, AND OTHERS, 392
10 CONTENTS.
APPENDIX.
PAGE.
THE NATIONAL CAUSE ITS SANCTITY AND GRANDEUR, .... 414
DEAD ON THE FIELD OF. HONOR, 428
THE TRUE GRANDEUR OF A NATION, 439
CAUSES FOR THANKSGIVING, 465
RESPONSE TO THE TOAST, GEORGE WASHINGTON AND ABRAHAM
LINCOLN, 479
REMINISCENCES OF GENERAL SHERMAN, 494
IRELAND'S MARTYR, 518
CARDINAL MANNING AND OTHER CELEBRITIES, 530
A FEW LETTERS REGARDING MY WORK ON THE WAR, EN-
TITLED " SHERMAN'S MARCH To THE SEA," 536
LETTERS FROM MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF
THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN OF 1896, 539
Illustrations.
GEORGE w. PEPPER, frontispiece.
PAGE.
ROYAL ACADEMICAL INSTITUTION, BELFAST, 37
QUEEN'S COLLEGE, BELFAST, . 66
GENERAL NELSON A. MILES, . ." 112
SAVONAROLA, 132
CATHEDRAL AT MILAN, ... 142
HEAD OF CHRIST, BY I/EONARDO DA VINCI, 144
METHODIST CHURCH BUILDING, AT ROME, 146
DRIVE BETWEEN MILAN AND MONZA, . 161
ROYAL VILLA AT MILAN, 168
OFFICER OF THE ITALIAN SHARPSHOOTERS, 170
AN ORIENTAL WOMAN, EGYPT, 184
THE HOLY SEPULCHER, JERUSALEM, 190
FOUNTAIN OF SWEET WATERS, ASIA, 201
TOMB OF NAPOLEON, AT THE INVALIDES, 212
OBERAMMERGAU, 225
JOSEPH MEYER, AS CHRIST, 228
JAMES G. BLAINE, 354
WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE, 385
CHARLES STEWART PARNELL, 395
READY TO DESCEND INTO THE MINE 442
CONCLUDING ILLUSTRATION.
I
UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Chapter I.
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH.
I AM aware that the task I have undertaken is one of
moment and delicacy. I am about to speak of the
leading incidents of a life that looks back over sixty years
to the spot that sheltered me in infancy, to the schools
and scenes that witnessed my entrance upon public life,
as well as to the last thirty years, in which I have been
associated with the debates, the agitations, the war for
the Union, and in many of the struggles for the eman-
cipation of the slaves, and the unity and perpetuity of
this Republic.
I was born in Ballinagarrick, parish of -Tullylish, near
Gilford, County Down, Ireland. To the best of my
knowledge, the date of my birth was July n, 1833. My
parents, well-to-do people, ranked high, and were much
respected. My father, Nicholas Pepper, was a man of
sturdy constitution, of good education, and a stanch
Protestant, of the Episcopal Church. He was Master
of the Orange Lodge, which met in his house and in
his father's house for over fifty years. One of my boyish
amusements was, with the approval of my father, the
gathering of orange-lilies, and building an orange arch
opposite the house, to annoy and vex devout Catholics
upon their way to church. Frequently the good priest
would ride through, and, hat in hand, cheer for King
13
14 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
William. This pleased the Orange boys greatly, and the
priest and my father became warm and enthusiastic
friends. My recollections of my father are very vague;
but I remember that his death was greatly lamented.
Laffan, a writer in a Boston paper, some years ago,
gave the history of the Peppers in Ireland. They are of
Norman stock, and can be traced back to the invasion
by John De Alton. In the ranks of Richard de Claire,
or Clare, Earl of Pembroke, nicknamed Strongbow, were
representatives of the Pippards, or Peppards, of Devon-
shire, England. Camden and, in our own time, Dean
Butler credit a William Peppard, or Peppers, with the
erection of the original castle of Trim, in County Meath.
It was rebuilt in the thirteenth century. Sir Richard Colt
Hoare, in his "Tour in Ireland," describes the decaying
structure as the only edifice in the country worthy the
name of castle. From an historical point of view, it is
one of the most important buildings in Ireland: several
of the Anglo-Irish Parliaments met there. During the
intestine wars of the seventeenth century it was repeat-
edly the scene of important actions. It was dismantled
soon after the year 1640, and it has ever since remained
in a state of progressive decay.
These Pippards, or Peppers, were somewhat famous
in Anglo-Irish annals as founders of castles, monasteries,
etc., in and about Ardee, County Louth, Ralph de Pippard
obtaining a grant soon after the invasion. Afterwards
he surrendered the manor to Edward I. The Pippards,
descendants of Roger, were for a long time lords of
Ardee. They participated in the famous Irish insurrec-
tion of 1641, for which they incurred the penalty of the
forfeiture of their estates. When James II granted, in
1689, a charter to Drogheda, Ignatius Pepper was mayor,
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 15
and two of his name were aldermen and three were bur-
gesses of the city.
George Pepper, one of the earliest editors of the Bos-
ton Pilot, who commenced, but did not live to finish, a
"History of Ireland," was a native of the County Louth.
While stripping himself of his own clothing to cover a
friendless countryman, he contracted a cokl that resulted
in fever, and died in the prime of life.
My mother was married twice, and after her second
marriage, to a Mr. Hargrove, I was placed at a seminary
in Money More, County Derry. Here I studied the clas-
sics, and was prepared for college. It was necessary to
walk three miles every morning through a most beautiful
grove. British scenery affords but few parallels to this
part of Ireland. Before me was the splendid castle and
domain of Lord Conyngham, and all around lay the cul-
tivated estates of the Drapers. I shall never forget the
thrilling recollections with which my heart was filled in
daily making this trip to the seminary. One of my fel-
low-students was a boy named Quinn, who afterwards
became a distinguished clergyman of the Roman Cath-
olic Church. Years afterward, when I was lecturing in
Paterson, New Jersey, the chairman was Dr. Quinn. I
told him of my former youthful friend. "Yes," said he,
"that was my youngest brother." Near Money More
was Tubbermore, at that time the scene of Dr. Alexander
Carson's preaching. He had left the Presbyterian
Church, a rich congregation, and taken charge of a small
Baptist Church. Drs. Barnett, Hewitt, and Mr. Morgan
were preaching at that time at Money More.
The scenes that surrounded the place of my birth
were very beautiful. I am proud of the spot, with its
verdure springing from strand to mountain-top.
1 6 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Through magnificent forests, along delightful woods, and
over gentle hills, I used to walk to the old schoolhouse.
O, beautiful was the sky above me, sweet Isle, and fair
thy emerald bosom ! The country boasted of many an-
cient castles and delightful landscapes, and here were
gathered all the beauties which nature delights to spread
over every relic of the past ivy and lichen, and wall-
flowers of lovely colors. They are bedecked, .too, with
"clumps of woodbine, taking the soft wind upon their
summer thrones."
There are few villages in Ireland so lovely, and cer-
tainly none in the County of Down so attractive, as Gil-
ford, Ballinagarrick, and Moyallen. The latter has all
the elements of the picturesque about it and within it.
Situated in a charming valley, watered by a small river,
while scattered about through it are the most charming
homes, decorated by choice flowering plants, which show,
by their luxuriance of growth, that the little settlement is
sheltered from all the winds that blow, the remembrance
of so sweet a place comes over my soul like the whisper
of a loving friend, and suggests to the devout soul soft
pictures of the Eternal Home we pray for when all the tu-
mults and storms of this life are passed away.
It has been beautifully written that the recollections
of early scenes come to the exile like an enchantment;
that sunbeams break through the traditions and inter-
vening years. And here, where I have fixed my home;
here, where my future has taken root ; here, where many
of my sorrows have been made bright as the darkest wave
swells into luster whilst the moon looks out upon it;
here, where a republican Government has offered me
the privileges and emoluments of citizenship, even here
I can not but help think of the paths my childhood's
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 17
footsteps traveled in Ireland. Even here, amid the roar
of the Niagara downfall of a thousand lakes and rivers,
and the calm, cold sublimities of the Rockies; even here,
with all these scenes crowding around me, the mem-
ories of those quiet mornings of my childhood and youth
lure my fancy backward through the flight of years.
Those memories are to me life, light, music. Without
them, my life were dull, despondent, and voiceless ! With
them, even the wilderness becomes a garden, and the
solitude a chorus of glad voices.
There are the Mourne Mountains, those giants over-
looking Rostrevor, the delightful bathing resort, the ap-
proach to which, from Newry, lies like a verdant carpet.
Not far away is Carlingford Bay, over whose surface ships
proudly glide, with all sails set to woo the bashful breeze.
Upon those mountains nature erects her temples; the
breeze, with gentle wing, fans the face ; the silence is im-
pressive; no sounds reach the ear save the rush of the
bay and the hoarse croak of the raven. And, then, what
scenes the eye drinks in the billowy hills, the green,
wooded slopes, the cloud-shadow stealing over the hills!
Here, amid these solemn mountains, God speaks! His
hand piled them up. He it was who covered them with
grass. He it. is who flings over all this sublime scene
the robe of light, and has made all beautiful in His time !
Grand as the south of Ireland is, the grandeur of
Donegal surpasses it. One passes successively from
splendor to splendor, from beauty to beauty. There is
a divine loveliness that bathes every spot of that en-
chanted region. Near my birthplace was the river Bann,
a sheet of water that flowed through a long and pleasant
valley, with the deep shadows of the overarching trees
falling upon it. I have always loved water ; it adds, to
1 8 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
the vitality of scenery. Without it, the most beautiful
pictures in nature are languid and weak; with it, the less
finished works of the Divine Artist, those which seem to
us to want a more radiant sky, a greener soil, or flowers
of a richer bloom, and trees of a statelier growth, even
these unfinished works, as we presume to call them,
blessed with this purifying element, possess a charm be-
yond description. I might speak of the rare old build-
ings which line this river; but
" Fare ye well, dear Highland mountains,
Valleys green, and flowing fountains;
Where the silver Bann is gliding,
Thither lies our way."
A most charming sheet of water is Lough Neagh.
It is thirty miles from the sea, and has a natural fall of
fifty fee*t for its surplus water. There is a legend that
this famous lake covers a submerged city, and that the
fishermen, endowed with vision more or less imaginative,
can see "the round towers of other days in the wave be-
neath them shining." There is now a movement started
to keep this delightful sheet of water within its natural
bounds. Before the era of railroads there was traffic be-
tween Lough Neagh and the sea, and therefore reason
for locks and checks to its natural flow. But now that
there are two railways, there can be no reason that many
thousands of acres should be withdrawn from cultivation,
in order that a few tons of groceries may be carried by
water. Home rule might accomplish much good by
drawing the attention of capitalists to this mine of wealth,
to be obtained by a system of irrigation.
My mother's name was Rachel Thornburg. She was
the daughter of a farmer and manufacturer. Her father
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 19
was a Presbyterian in religion, a Liberal in politics, and
a cultivated gentleman. His sons were not unknown.
One of them in particular, who went to England, became
an eminent business and professional man. My mother
had all the educational advantages of the time, and was
a woman of wide reading, of refined manners, and of
patriotic impulses. It was her great ambition to make
me a scholar, and for this purpose she early placed in
my hands good books, and sent me to school to the best
teachers. My earliest schoolmaster was a Mr. Stewart,
a Presbyterian minister, renowned all over the country
for his erudition. I was afterwards sent to Money More,
a charming town in the County of Derry, and studied the
classics Greek and Latin under Mr. Harkness, a very
accomplished and well-read man. Here I spent three
years, until I was prepared for college.
My mother was desirous that I should make a career
as a speaker, and hence every opportunity of hearing
the famous orators and Ireland had many of them
then was seized, so that I might have the best models.
She was also very patriotic, as the following incident will
show: I was on my way to school one morning, when I
saw an Irish jaunting-car, containing four distinguished-
looking gentlemen, strangers. "See here, boy, where is
Shane Hill?" one of them called out to me. This hill
was known all over the north of Ireland as a place of re-
sort for all the discontented and rebelliously-disposed
farmers, \vho complained of high rents. I replied, "Go to
Nicky Pepper's Cross-roads, and then take the left hand
road." I had scarcely finished when the one who had
spoken before, shouted, "And who is Nicky Pepper?"
In my youthful ignorance I had thought my father was
known to all the world. They picked me up, making a
20 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
captive of me, and when we reached my home, they
stopped and let me off. I told my mother the circum-
stance, and she exclaimed, with delight: "They are the
Young Irelanders, going to the Hill. There is a great
meeting there to-day, and we must go !"
The gentlemen were entertained with a luncheon.
They afterwards proved to be men who became famous
in Irish and American politics Thomas Francis
Meagher, Mitchell, Doheny, and Richard O'Gorman. It
has been many years now since I listened to John
Mitchell, on Shane Hill, plead for the overthrow of the
Caliban abomination, that foulest blot on European civil-
ization, the heartless landlord aristocracy of Ireland; but
the memory of it is clear before me to-day. The audi-
ence, Protestants and Catholics, were touched by the
orator's arguments, as though smitten by the rod of an
enchanter. The famines came; thousands and tens of
thousands perished on a soil soft and rich as a mother's
smile. Mitchell's soul was devoured with wrath at the
sight of a nation dying, with plenty in the land, and he
fearlessly preached that the life of a poor man was as
precious as that of a lord ; that it was better for the Irish
farmer to fall, musket in hand, defending his wife and
babes, than to die by famine; that the only gospel which
the heavens and earth preached was, land for the land-
less and food for the starving. He invoked the God of
the oppressed, summoned the people to arms, and in a
few weeks the brave men, whom the hunger fiend had
not carried off, clasped their virgin swords, like virgin
brides, to their hearts. O'Connell's famous maxim, that
"No liberty was worth the shedding of a drop of blood,"
was flung to the winds by this new brotherhood of Young
Irelanders.
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 21
Being the only son, and my father dying when I was
very young, my education and all the preparation for my
future devolved upon my mother. She devoted herself to
the cultivation of my mind, and to giving direction to
my literary tastes. She resolved, although the sacrifice
would be great I being her only child that I should
have the full benefit of a college education.
My mother was a great admirer of the United States.
During the famine year, we were visiting in Belfast, when
an American ship I believe it was the Macedonia filled
with provisions for the starving, dropped its anchor in the
harbor. It was a rare and beautiful sight to see that old
war-ship, freighted with Indian meal for the suffering.
My mother was deeply moved, and, taking my hand, she
raised it towards heaven, and made me register a vow
to God that, if any calamity should ever overtake the
generous American people, I would never forget the
Stars and Stripes, which that day I beheld for the first
time. Though years have passed since that thrilling hour,
I can feel at this moment the warm tears of a revered
woman falling upon my head. Yes, like all Irish women
of honor and of principle, she was a republican, and the
names of Washington and Jackson were always on her
lips, like a litany.
Whatever of Irish and American sympathies I have,
I owe to her. The United States was, in her estimation,
the ideal Government, and its flag the symbol of freedom,
of independence, of glory. I love to think of my mother,
of her goodness of heart, of her gentleness of disposition,
of her magnanimity, and of her tender and assiduous at-
tentions to the poor. The last time I ever saw her alive,
I was on my way to college.
As the hour drew near when I was to leave the haunts
22 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
of my childhood, what a sorrowful hour it was ! What a
struggle agitated the good heart of my dear mother, be-
tween her grief at the parting and her hopes for my
future ! Though over fifty years have passed, it seems but
yesterday, so swiftly does memory recall our early days.
She accompanied me a part of the way, and when the time
came for us to separate, she embraced me fervently,
saying: "Be a good boy, be a good student, be a good
Christian; and if we never meet again on earth, we shall
meet in heaven." I see her as she stood upon the hill,
waving a farewell adieu to me with a white handkerchief.
It was a farewell, indeed; for when I returned, in less
than a month, there was no one on the hill ; but, instead,
a little group of people waiting about the gate. My
mother was dead!
"My mother, when 1 learned that thou wert dead
Say, wert thou conscious of the tears I shed?
Hovered thy spirit o'er thy sorrowing son,
Wretched even then life's journey just begun?"
" Where thou art gone,
Adieus and farewells are a sound unknown.
May I but meet thee on that peaceful shore,
The parting word shall pass my lips no more."
We laid her away to sleep in the beauty of eternal
peace in the Ballinagarrick Presbyterian Cemetery. May
the grass be ever green upon the sod that covers the re-
mains of the best of mothers!
North Ireland has never been credited with the bold
and picturesque scenery of the south, yet it has many
classic and historic spots. In wild and romantic Donegal,
where they say "the people eat the potatoes, skins and
all," is the old castle of Raphoe, where Richard Mont-
gomery drew the milk which gave him nerve to fight the
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOLTH. 23
battle of Quebec. Derry possesses attractions which have
few parallels. There, lying at one's feet, is the river
Foyle, and all around the walls so grandly defended by
the gallant Walker against the coward James. The coun-
trymen of Walker should build him a monument, and
carve thereon the proud sentence: In vita, ad castra; in
morte, ad astra. ("In life, fighting; in death, immortal.")
The memorable siege of the Prentice boys is one of
the bravest things in history. "I envy not," says John-
son, "those whose patriotis^m does not burn when stand-
ing on the plains of Marathon, and whose soul does not
grow warm when wandering round the ruins of lona."
All through these extreme northern counties are scenes
to be witnessed, such as neither the rugged splendors
of the Tyrol nor the sterile sublimities of the Scottish
Highlands have surpassed. Here is Tyrone, where, an
old ballad used to say, "an honest man never was known."
This is the country where Hugh O'Neil, the splendid
Earl of Tyrone, battled valiantly, though unavailingly,
against the brilliant armies of Elizabeth; where General
James Shields first saw the light, and whose blood after-
wards was poured out in the war for the Union. In the
neighboring section of the county are the majestic col-
umns and porticoes of the Giant's Causeway on the coast
of Antrim, against which the waves of the Atlantic break
in vain. Within sound of these thundering waves, Dr.
Adam Clarke, the renowned Methodist commentator, and
McClure, the explorer and discoverer of the Northwest
Passage, were born.
The three brothers, George, Henry, and John Law-
rence, were natives of this part of Ireland. These were
the conquerors of India, adding the costliest jewel to the
British crown. It is told among the old residents that
24 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
when Henry was taking his farewell of his beloved
mother, she gave him this sound advice as to marriage:
"I know you do not like advice, so I will not give you
much; but, pray, recollect two things do not marry a
woman who had not a good mother, and do not be too
ready to speak your mind. It was the rock on which
your father wrecked his prospects." He acted on his
mother's advice, and married the beautiful and accom-
plished Honora Marshall, and she to him was
" Constant as the Northern star,
Of whose true, fixed and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament."
Dungannon, that historic and patriotic town, is in
Tyrone. The Stewarts Alexander T. and George H.
distinguished for their American enterprise and philan-
thropies, were natives of County Down; and so also was
Lord Dufferin. It is said that when George H. Stewart
arrived in New York, he had only his overcoat, which he
sold to a fellow-passenger for money to take him to Phila-
delphia. He made money rapidly, and he gave with a
generosity that was boundless. When he died and was
buried, forty ministers whom he had educated were his
pall-bearers, and more than that number of missionaries,
whom he had sent to foreign fields, would have been
present if possible. Andrew Jackson, and the ancestors
of William McKinley, the President of the United States,
came from this part of Ireland.
Religiously, America is under lasting obligations to
three Irishmen who were born and reared in this neigh-
borhood : Robert Strawbridge, the first preacher of Amer-
ican Methodism; Francis McKennie, the founder of
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 25
American Presbyterianism ; and Alexander Campbell, the
organizer of the Disciple Church.
The patriotic Irishman takes pride in remembering
the historical relations between Ireland and the United
States. In this northern part of Ireland there are a thou-
sand evidences which demonstrate the enthusiastic sym-
pathy of Ulstermen with the Americans. This was the
mother-home of the most famous of the Jacksons, the
Starks; and the Pennsylvania Legion, which rendered
such distinguished service, in the Colonies, were mostly
from this region. An entire ship, filled with republican
Irishmen, en route to Washington's help, was arrested
in Belfast Lough. Sparks, in his "Life and Letters of
Washington," gives the whole correspondence between
that illustrious man and the Yankee Clubs of Ulster.
There was scarcely a town where there was not one of
these clubs. Here is an extract from an address of one
of them to Washington :
"At an early period of the contest in which you are so
gloriously engaged, our sentiments were those of the
Americans, our warmest wishes are on the side of free-
dom. Upon this happy Revolution, we have embraced
the first opportunity to convince you of our unfeigned
esteem. Your exertions have not only vindicated the
freedom of your own country, but also have shed their
benign influence on this distressed kingdom of Ireland.
To you, sir, in the course of a gracious Providence which,
in a conspicuous manner, has protected your person and
presided in your councils, do we acknowledge ourselves
indebted for our late happy deliverance from as baneful
a system of policy as ever disgraced the rights of man-
kind. With the sincerest pleasure, therefore, we mention
our congratulations on an event which has crowned
America with sovereignty and independence."
26 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
This was sent from Stewartstown, County of Tyrone,
June 7, 1789. I give one or two sentences from Wash-
ington's reply:
"It is with unfeigned satisfaction I accept your con-
gratulations on the late happy and glorious Revolution.
The generous indignation against the foes of the rights of
mankind with which you are animated, and the exalted
sentiments of liberty which you entertain, are too conso-
nant to the feelings and principles of the citizens of the
United States not to attract their veneration and esteem,
did not the affectionate and anxious concern with which
you regarded their struggle for freedom and independ-
ence entitle you to their most particular acknowledg-
ments. If in the course of our successful contest any
good consequences have resulted to the oppressed king-
dom of Ireland, it will afford a, new source of happiness
to all who respect the interests of humanity.
"GEORGE WASHINGTON.
"Mt. Vernon, in Virginia, Jan. 20,
The share which Ireland had in liberating the Colonies
from the sway of England, and in the establishment of
the United States, is a matter of history. The names of
General Sullivan; the O'Briens, who fired the first shot
at Machias, in Maine; of Commodore Barry; Charles
Thompson, the secretary of the first Congress, and who
read the Declaration of Independence before the assem-
bled thousands in Philadelphia; the statement of Lord
Chatham in his great speech; and the exclamation of
Lord Mountjoy in the House of Commons, as he pointed
his index finger at Lord North, "You have lost America
by the Irish!"
The people of Cork raised, by private subscription,
money to purchase clothes for the shoeless and coatless
Revolutionary soldiers at Valley Forge. My young years
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 27
were spent among these Yankee sympathizers. My uncle,
John Pepper, and all my mother's relatives strong Pres-
byterians were republicans, and belonged to the United
Irishmen. The district in which I was born and reared
included the famous rendezvous for the discontented, for
every protest against the injustice of landlordism, and for
anti-anythingism ; the name of the resort for the rebellious
was Shane Hill. It was here that the notorious Tommy
Downshire men assembled. This was a kind of Prot-
estant Molly Maguireism. They were bold and desperate
fellows, who had no regard for English legislation. They
used the torch or the bullet against those who might dis-
obey their mandates. Here is a specimen of one of their
proclamations :
TOMMY DOWNSHIRE.
"BRETHREN, Oppression calls me once more among
you. Having heard of the dreadful high rates imposed
upon you, I warn you not to pay more than ten pence
on the pound. Any man giving more, I will order him
to be burned to the ground. Let them go to the land-
lords for the rest. Be firm and true, and I will mend what
the landlords are doing when I come.
"Yours truly, friend and brother, TOMMY.
"Dated at Shane Hill, October, 184?"
The combination of which Tommy was chief had been
at work for years in that locality; at one time resisting
high rents, and at another insisting upon higher wages.
They always succeeded, for their claims were just. This
is a specimen of their rough songs :
" It was on a summer morning
Bright Phoebus was adorning,
I heard the bugle horn
Just by the break of day.
28 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
And I asked what made so much smoke and fire,
And they told me it was Tommy Downshire.
So with them I did go and fight that day, boys !
Since there is so much blood to be shed,
Let every man fight for his bread !
We are Tommy Downshire from the Shane Hill,
And always fight our way, boys ! "
They did not stop at proclamations. When the Eng-
lish Government was shipping grain and potatoes away
from Ireland, Tommy Downshire men met at Shane Hill,
and marched in thousands, singing this song, to Knock
Bridge, on the River Bawn, and destroyed all the boats.
The most numerous and the most enthusiastic of the
Yankee Clubs, previously referred to, was established in
the old Ulster town of Dungannon, where no less a Con-
vention than delegates representing one hundred thou-
sand of the Irish Volunteers met in 1782, in an old church,
to debate the fortunes of a nation. It is in this very town
that independence is to be declared and won! These
delegates represented the will of the people that su-
preme and unconquerable will, which, when aroused, is
above the will of kings, stronger than the might of armies,
keener than the subtleties of law ; the fountain of political
authority, the basis of social organization, the high ar-
biter of revolutionary change. That well-ordered and
courageous organization had driven Lord North from
the Cabinet ; it had caught the sacred contagion of Ameri-
can liberty, which had shuffled off a baleful tyranny, had
smitten down great armies, and scattered vast fleets. It
had stormed the administration of Charles James Fox.
The debate is opened but hark! what is that cry I
hear? It is the cheer that greets the entrance of Henry
Grattan. On him a thousand eyes and hopes are fixed.
Harry Flood, the noble and pure, and Hussey Burgh, the
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 29
brilliant Burgh, are with him. In person he is tall, erect,
and thin; in mien and gesture he is calm and command-
ing. He rises, and pronounces the most splendid oration
ever delivered. Listen to this one sentence: "I have no
ambition unless it be to break your chains and to con-
template your glory ! I will never be satisfied so long as
the meanest citizen in Ireland has a link of the British
chain clanking among his rags. He may be naked, he
shall not be in iron ! And I do see the time is at hand,
the spirit has gone forth, the declaration of right is
planted; and though great men should fall off, yet the
cause shall live; and though the patriotic speaker should
die, yet the immortal fire shall outlast the humble organ
who conveys it; and the breath of liberty, like the word
of the holy man, will not die with the prophet, but will
survive him." The orator had gathered his energies,
which a heavy illness had impaired, to the greatest effort
of his life. The victory was won, and Ireland's prosperity
continued to excite envy and admiration. It lasted eigh-
teen years, and it was during this brief period that all the
splendid public buildings of Dublin were built. One man
in every five was engaged in manufactures. The nobles
spent two million dollars annually in Dublin. Alas! In
1800 the legislative independence of Ireland was extin-
guished. Then her woes began. It was to this bright
spot in Irish history that Washington referred in his letter
to the Yankee Clubs. What Independence Hall was to
the Americans, the old church in Dungannon was to the
Irish people.
The religious movement of John Wesley had early
attracted converts in Ireland, and especially in Ulster,
and many flourishing societies were formed during Wes-
ley's visits. The life of this illustrious man was divided
30 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
between study, preaching, and the organization of soci-
eties. He has told the world, in his incomparable Jour-
nals, of his frequent visits and of his cordial reception by
the Irish people. In grandeur of purpose, in a lofty and
evangelic consecration, and in success, he stands first
among the renowned revivalists. Yet this great man,
with his matchless genius, author of a hundred volumes
upon all subjects, with his encyclical cultivation, did not
hesitate to preach in barns, in private houses, at cross-
roads, and under the shade of great trees. Hither he
came, and preached in my great-great-uncle's field, where
a class was formed, and where it continued to meet for
three generations. There is one big tree, yet standing,
beneath whose shade he preached annually, and where his
followers meet every year. I have preached beneath the
selfsame tree within a few years. The correspondent of
the New York Witness was present, and gave a vivid
account of this field service, referring to the sermon I
preached in accordance with the time-honored custom.
In my uncle's house I have frequently heard venerable
men and saintly women speak of the father of Methodism.
They dwelt with rapture upon his words of counsel, that
cleared their souls from doubt ; words of mercy, that saved
them from despair ; words of comfort, that served as balm
to their wounded hearts. They would relate incidents of
his travels, and speak of his impressive delivery. Here
are a few of the stories I listened to in my childhood :
Wesley was one day overtaken by robbers, who took from
him his gold watch. He asked them to remain to the
services, and they would certainly repent some day. He
preached a sermon from the words, "The blood of Jesus
Christ cleanseth from all sin." An indescribable fear
came over the thieves. They returned the watch, bowed
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 31
upon their knees, and were converted. He was preaching
in a schoolhouse on a very hot day, and one of his hearers
dropped to sleep, and snored so loud that he destroyed
the solemnity of the worship. The preacher paused in the
flow of his oratory, and cried out, "Fire! Fire!" The
sleeper jumped to his feet, forgetting where he was, and
asked, "Where? where?" w r hen Wesley calmly replied,
"In hell, to burn people who sleep under the preaching of
the gospel."
When Whitefield died there had been some estrange-
ment between the two holy men a friend of Wesley's
said, "You will never see Whitefield in heaven." "No,"
was Wesley's reply, "I never expect to see him. He will
be so near the throne, and I will be so far off, that I never
expect to see him."
In the north of Ireland there are various ways of
speaking the English language. Every county has its
peculiar, characteristics. In the center of Ulster, there
are the clear tones of Dublin! In the extreme counties
of Derry and Donegal vibrate the earnest gutturals of
Connaught. Here are two specimens of these peculiarities
of speech, of theology, and art. A minister, who was per-
haps not too careful, was induced to sign the teetotal
pledge. His health appeared to suffer, and his doctor
ordered him to take a glass of punch daily. "O, I dare
not. Peggy, my old housekeeper, would tell the whole
parish." "When do you shave?" the doctor asked. "In
the morning," was the answer. "Then," said the doctor,
"shave at night, before going to bed." The minister
seemed to improve. The doctor said to Peggy, "I am
glad your master is better." "Indeed, sir, he is better;
but his brain is affected. Something is wrong with his
mind." "How?" "Why, doctor, he used to shave at
32 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
night, before going to bed; but now he shaves in the
morning; he shaves before dinner; he shaves before sup-
per; he gets up at night and shaves; he shaves all the
time!"
A young minister, who read his sermon an abomi-
nation in Ulster had preached. An elder was asked
what he thought of the sermon. "Well, he will have to
preach two hours longer to give the de'il (devil) a cold
swat, with that kind of preaching."
Let us take a description of Mister Alaac McCraub, a
Presbyterian farmer and fierce theologian, and the type
of a class of men to be found, no doubt, in other parts of
the country as well as Donegal. Riding out of Letter-
kenny on his way up the glen, the writer and his friend
encounter Mr. McCraub on the way, and the following
conversation ensues :
McCraub loquitur "Well, sir, what way are ye the
day?"
This is the common form of salutation the quid agis
of Glen S willy conventionalism; then, looking hard and
rather fiercely at me, astride as I was on a strong little
hack, he drew near to my friend, and said in a low voice :
"But who is thon boy on the wee pownie?"
This term thon is demonstrative; probably composed
of a union of the two words, that yonder. On being satis-
fied as to my respectability, he became familar, conde-
scendingly walking by the rein of our horses faisant
chemin, as the French say.
"But where did I see you going last Sunday, and on
horseback, too, Mr. McCraub?" said my friend. "I
thought your people were strict Sabbath-keepers, and did
not forget the Fourth Commandment?"
"So we are so we are, sir," said Alaac, becoming
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 33
greatly confused for a moment ; but, quickly recovering,
he drew himself up, and added :
"I was just going a mile or twa to the lower brae
not more than aboot a Sabbath-day's journey, you see
to visit my stock, lest there should be an ox or an ass
fallen into a pit. Ye ken, gentlemen, the Scripthur allows
us to pull it out."
On delivering this piece of triumphant self-justifica-
tion, Alaac grimly smiled, and becoming more talkative
than before, entertained us .with the account of a young
preacher who had been holding forth the previous Sab-
bath in the meeting-house, and concerning whose being
"all right" (they gutturalize the r most vigorously in the
word), Alaac had his ponderings.
"Did you like the sermon?" asked our friend.
"As a seermun, I answer, no, sir. It was only a wee
bit of gospel doctrine a sagmint in the great ceercle of
Chreestianity. It was na' what we ca' feeding. Man is
an inquisiteeve animal, sir; and I should have liked a
skemp of doctrine on the Five Points. Na seermun is a
seermun at a' that has not the Five Points in its head, tail,
text, body, soul, and backbone. I mislike thon preacher.
He 's just come from Raphoe, on tryal like, and is a varra
young man, and has na experience for the elder hearers.
I 'm doubting if he 's oorthodox, and if he has not a
touch of the harracy of the Armenians in him, which is
all as one, to my mind, as Papishy itself."
Alaac delivered this last sentence with singular acri-
mony for so good a man. *
"You are a great theologian," said my friend, "quite
a divine, Mr. McCraub."
"Just a wee, sir not overmuch. I have read a leetle
on the soobject whiles, and wrangled it over wi' the neigh-
3
34 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
bors in the lang winter nights. I hold the Five Great
Points all reight, and I will always purtest, as long as I
have a tongue in my teeth, against Papishy, Armennian-
ism, Methodyism, and all other filthy harracies and hat-
teradoxies, to my life's end."
We now pushed on, wishing our polemical friend fare-
well, Alaac shouting after us that he would call on my
friend "for the fourth valume of Dr. John Ouwen's
[Owen's] work on the Haybrews a grand writer, and all
reight on the Five Points/'
A young gentleman, "fresh from college, and prepar-
ing for the ministry," thus describes to our author the
aforesaid Alaac McCraub, as he met him the preceding
Sunday on his way to the meeting-house :
"His hat was like the 'Prometheus Bound' of ^Eschy-
lus, not having enjoyed a nap for many years; and his
best blue coat, only donned on Sabbaths, like the blessed
sun, never seemed to wear out ; a long steel chain dangled
from his fob, supporting a pinchbeck seal, the size of a
pear. Stiffly and sturdily he strode along, ten yards in
advance of his womankind, his wife, Creusa-like, and his
pretty modest daughter, following behind; his nose, a
genuine aduncus, fiercely cocked at the horizon; his feet
turned out in a perpetual perpetration of the fifth position,
his cold, keen eye keeking and glinting on all sides, as if
searching for a mistake with somebody ; the very calves of
his wiry legs looking sharp and martial; and the whole
figure and gait of the man evidencing the most prepos-
terous self-satisfaction; so that," continued the young
man, "you might have applied to him Ben Jonson's in-
flated description of Sejanus, who
' At each step feels his advanced head
Knock out a star in heaven. ' "
MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 35
The Rev. Joseph M was rather a pompous clergy-
man, who thought more of himself than anybody else did.
It was his custom to preach special sermons, on a set
subject, every Sunday evening during the winter season,
which he termed, with no small show of pride, "My
weekly series." One day, meeting with an old tailor
named Tommy Anderson, a member of his congrega-
tion, whom the Rev. Joseph observed to be a regular
worshiper at church during the course of "my weekly
series," but at no other time, his reverence thought he
would sound Tommy as to the reason of his peculiar
attendance.
"Well, Tommy," began his reverence, "how is it that
you are not more regular in your attendance at church?
It is only when I preach 'my weekly series' that I observe
you there. Do you [here a self-satisfied smile illumined
the countenance of Joseph] think so highly of my series
that you are afraid of mixing up the thread of my subject
by listening to other sermons?"
"Aye, that 's it, your reverence," replied Tommy,
touching his forelock. "Jist it, or nearly it. Ye see, I
at times go to the Chapel o' Aise, whaur I hear a guid
soun' sarmon, an hay aye somethin' tay think aboot.
Then, whiles I go tay the Cathedral, whaur I like tay
hear the bishop, wha's sarmons taks ye awa' up intae the
cloods, then lays ye doon again beside a rinnin' strame on
a summer's day ; an' again whirls ye awa' amang the bon-
nie yalla coarn in the hervest, whaur yer like tay hear
the bizz o' the scythe at wark, an' see the men an' wemmin
in the feels gatherin' in the stooks, same as ye wur lukin'
at them ; then he lats ye hear the blythe song o' the lark
as it flees tayword the sky in the mornin', and the whirr o'
the corncrake as it skims ower the stibbles or amang the
36 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
coarn in the gloamin' ; he brings ye tay think ye can see
the wee white flakes o' snaw fallin' in the weary winter
time, when a' is dark aroon ; an' then, as he Stan's in yon
poopit, wi' his gran' anld gray heed turned upward, an'
points awa' ower the heads o' his congregation, if ye fol-
low that finger ye will see there awa' on a dreich an' lonely
snaw-clad waste, sae plain dis he mak it, ye will see some
poor bit chap shiverin' an' shakin' as he plods alang tae
his journey's en', whaur his kin'ly auld feyther is waitin'
an' wearyin' for him tay come tay ^et the guid things he
has ready for him. But the semplicity, so tay spake," and
Tommy looked in the face of his reverence, "O, yer sar-
mins is gran' ; there 's nae depth nor argyment in them,
nor nae food for reflection ; they 're gran' for the quality,
an' they 're aye the wan thing."
Chapter II.
FAMOUS ORATORS HEARD IN COLLEGE DAYS-
PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN THE CAUSE OF
TEMPERANCE.
IT was in 1851 that I became a student in the college
of Belfast, better known as the Royal Academical In-
stitution, where many of the most distinguished and fa-
mous Irish judges, lawyers, and preachers were educated.
I was overjoyed when, for the first time, I saw the north-
ern Athens, the Manchester of Ireland Belfast. The
morning of my arrival was one of the fairest of mornings.
There was a soft brightness in the sky, a delicious scent
upon the meadow-lands, and the bleach greens, which
cover the country for miles as you approach the city, were
sweet and fragrant. There was the old patriotic Cave
Hill, sacred to the memories of Tone and Russell and the
United Irishmen of 1798; the spacious streets every-
thing was charming. The country from Lurgan, through
Lisburn and thence to Belfast, was beautiful. There is
a vast difference between Belfast and Dublin. The former
is all business; while Dublin, like Venice in her faded
garments of beauty, has fallen asleep in the shadow of
her domes and columns, and dimly dreams of the days of
her revels, her old Parliament, the days when she sat, not
as a begging mendicant, but as a queen among the civic-
crowned sisterhood of Europe.
It has been well said by a Scotch writer that Belfast
is so like Scotland that the Scotchman can scarcely
realize that he has left the banks of the Clyde. He has
left a canny race, thrifty and industrious, with thriving
37
38 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
manufactories and tall chimneys, in the midst of lovely
scenery, behind, and having run across the sea, finds him-
self in a somewhat warmer climate, amid more pleasing
scenery, and surrounded with the same thrifty people, the
same short and decisive speech, the same tall smoke-
stacks, and half a dozen large, prosperous, newly-built
towns, with their gorgeous outlying villas, and looking
as if they, too, had stepped over to visit their Irish neigh-
bors. Belfast, Lisburn, Antrim, Lurgan, Banbridge, Gil-
ford, are now busy centers of commercial life, engaging
men, women, and children in a race for wealth and
progress.
Belfast at that time was rich in the number and variety
of her gifted pulpit and forensic orators, and it was my
privilege to hear the finest and most cultivated preachers
of the day. I had always an admiration for good speak-
ing, and, when a child, my mother fostered this passion
by taking me long distances to hear famous speakers.
"The powers of. eloquence can charm the soul,
Inspire the virtuous, and the bad control ;
Can raise the passions, and the rage can still,
And mold a mob to one man's will."
i
Dr. Henry Cooke was the great preacher of the Pres-
byterians. In point of earnestness and powerful elo-
quence, he was superior to all others. Daniel McAfee
was at this time the idol of the Methodists, and was noted
for his originality and fearlessness. Isaac Nelson was
a strong man and a patriot. When bigotry smashed the
windows of his houses, he never repaired them, prefer-
ring to leave them as monuments of Orange intolerance.
John Scott Porter, a Unitarian, possessed a clear and
beautiful style. If Cooke was the Demosthenes of Irish
eloquence, Scott Porter was the Cicero. Drs. Edgar and
FAMOUS ORATORS. 39
Morgan, William Johnston, and Hugh Hanna were all
attractive orators.
"Tommy Toye," the Presbyterian minister of York
Street, was widely known for his eccentricities. He was
a Southern man, and spoke with a most charming brogue.
He was known all over the city for his devotional habits,
for his pungent sermons, and for his quaint and humorous
sayings. In one of his sermons he said: "My brethren,
your piety is very pretty, it is beautiful to look at ; but it
is as cold and as wanting in fragrance as the artificial
flowers in Hardy's window in High Street." Another
time he illustrated his sermon with this incident: "My
wife and I were going through Bridge Street the other
day, and we saw a very pretty handkerchief in Kyle's
shop-window. Jane said, 'It is a very pretty handker-
chief, Tom.' 'It is/ said I; 'we will go in and buy it.'
'You are a fool/ said Jane; 'because it is silk weft and
cotton warp.' Brethren, there is a great deal of cotton
warp in your Christianity!" He called one day to see
one of his parishioners, and found her reading "Robinson
Crusoe." "You are going to hell," said the preacher,
"I '11 make you a subject of special prayer.'' "O no, Mr.
Toye; you will not do that; you will not take away my
character!" exclaimed the woman, bursting into tears.
"I '11 make you the subject of special prayer," repeated
Mr. Toye. "O, what is this that has come over me!
You will ruin me ! I 'm the mother of six children, and
the like of this never came across me afore." Finding
he could not quiet her, Mr. Toye left, and soon after her
husband came, and finding her wringing her hands in un-
controllable grief, asked the cause. "O, Mr. Toye will
ruin me ! He is going to take away my character ! He
says he will make me the subject of special prayer!"
40 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
"Well," said the husband, striking the table with his fist,
"if he does that, I '11 indict him."
I remember hearing in my youth the following story
of a Church of England clergyman : The rector was an
aristocrat, and very haughty in his manners. One Sun-
day he referred to himself in a lordly way, telling of the
great men in his family. The poorer members were
offended. The curate, who was democratic and simple
in his life, was very indignant, and vented his indigna-
tion in words heard by many of the congregation : "Such
flunkeyism is intolerable, but I will administer an anti-
dote next Sunday! Like Herod's worms, the rector's
pride is eating him up." The following Sunday the curate
carried out his threat. He took for his text the third
chapter of Luke, part of the twenty-third, and the whole
of the verses between that and the thirty-ninth, in which
he found the following words : "Joseph, which was the son
of Heli," and ending with "which was the son of Enos,
which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam,
which was the son of God." Every one is familiar with
the peculiar and strange effect produced by the repetition
of a single phrase, such as "Which was the son of." The
people were bewildered, and the rector looked confounded.
He thought the curate had gone mad; but there was
method in his madness. He ingeniously evolved from
these sixteen verses a discourse that might have served
as an essay on the French motto, Liberty, Equality, Fra-
ternity. "Here," said he, "we have a genealogical tree,
not traced by the flattery of sycophants, but by the evan-
gelist, whose inspiration enabled him to mount from
branch to branch a genealogy beginning with God, and
ending with a poor Galilean Carpenter. Here is a les-
son and a rebuke for the pride of descent. The poorest
FAMOUS ORATORS. 41
carpenter in the poorest village in Ireland can trace his
line through the same unbroken succession; and the
proudest peer can do no more, unless, in his presumption,
he should be disposed to ignore his divine origin. But
it would be of no use. By whatever branch, they arrive
at the same root. Here," he continued, looking at the
rector, "here we all meet on equal terms. Disown them
as we like in other degrees, here we are brought face to
face with, and can not refuse to acknowledge, our poor
relations."
There were many other distinguished divines and
political orators. Hugh McNeil, of Liverpool, made an-
nual visits to his native city, preaching in St. Ann's
Church, where he shed the light and beauty of his imag-
inative eloquence upon his own land and that of his adop-
tion. As a reader he had no equal. There frequently,
also, was heard the fearless and brilliant Thomas Maguire,
a Catholic priest, who was, without exception, the best
debater his Church ever produced in Ireland.
There I heard Chalmers, Guthrie, and D'Aubigne,
the historian of the Reformation. There was Whiteside,
afterwards Lord Chancellor of England. I honored his
great qualities of mind, and was delighted by his eloquent
speeches, poured forth in language of thrilling beauty
and strength. He was among the brightest of the peer-
less list of Irish orators who have illumined the British
Senate.
Chalmers, despite his monotonous and hesitating
action, his husky voice, and slavery to a manuscript, when
fairly aroused, could touch with a wizard's skill the Pres-
byterian heart, and set its pulsations beating with a higher
and firmer throb. He never raised his eyes from the
paper; but his intensity of feeling, the grandeur of his
42 UNDER THREE FLAGS,
thoughts, swept everything before him. How his splen-
did mind kindled the fires as he described the progress
and triumphs of his beloved Free Church ! Guthrie, an-
other Scotch minister, was the very opposite of Chalmers
in style and delivery. His sermons were pictorial, his
manners entirely free, his bold spirit was not curbed and
bound down by servile adherence to a written composi-
tion. The discourse was crowded with passages of bril-
liant and impressive beauty.
During the time I was at college, there were three
men visited Belfast whose burning words found a ready
entrance into the hearts and stirred the sympathies of
tens of thousands of the British public. These men were
Gavazzi, John B. Gough, and Kossuth. The swarthy
Italian, the American, and the eloquent Hungarian
swayed the masses at will. The first shook to its foun-
dations Ultramontanism; the second smote on the head
the Goliath of intemperance; while the third conducted
the lightning of public indignation to the heart of Con-
tinental despotism. Pio Nono had but little affection
for the first ; the second was at a discount with the saloons ;
and the Austrian emperor hated the third. Mr Gough,
in one of his Glasgow lectures, had spoken disparagingly
of the Maine Law. I replied to him, supporting my refu-
tations of his utterances by quotations from eminent men
in Maine and all over the United States.
Among the bright host of men who had shed luster
upon their day and contributed to the march and progress
of Ireland, no name shines brighter than Father Mathew,
who was then engaged in the noble struggle against in-
temperance. I was a boy when Father Mathew came
to Banbridge. Though he was then fifty years old, he
was the picture of health, straight and erect as a man
FAMOUS ORATORS. 43
of twenty-five. His hair was black as the raven's wing;
his nose, Roman; his mouth, well chiseled. In his soft
though animated blue eyes there was a sweet, intelligent,
and benign expression. His dress was plain and scru-
pulously neat. Father Mathew was a speaker endowed
with that fervid eloquence which reaches the heart. He
raised a rampart of statistics in relation to the effects of
intemperance upon the nation, and then illustrated it
with his convincing and practical appeals. He 'gave a
powerful and graphic exposition of the effects of drunken-
ness upon the home, upon the wife, upon the children.
His tour through Ulster was triumphal. At his approach,
the habitual toper became sober and pledged to absti-
nence; the saloon-keepers relinquished their traffic. Hav-
ing conquered intemperance in Ireland, five million hav-
ing taken the teetotal pledge from his hands, like another
Alexander, he was not satisfied, but came to the United
States in search of new conquests. Had there been some
law to help these people to keep their pledge, the good
would have been incalculable. Father Mathew, in a let-
ter published in this volume, refers to this.
I was destined for the bar. Ireland had at that time
the most distinguished lawyers in the three kingdoms.
The bar possessed, in fact, all the learning and all the
scholarship arid all the eloquence of the country. I passed
honorably through my examinations at college, and was
soon elected a member of the debating society. I was
called upon for addresses, and early discovered a passion
for oratory. I was not hampered by the lack of money;
for my father had left me a freehold estate and other lands,
which yielded a handsome income, and, added to this,
a kind uncle was most generous in his gifts. I was there-
fore not disturbed or bewildered in my studies by those
44 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
fears which often haunt the midnight vigils of students.
My sole ambition was to acquire an honorable livelihood
and a worthy fame by pleading the wrongs of the poor,
by vindicating the injured, by redressing the injustices
of society. I felt in so doing I would be walking in the
footsteps of the eminent philanthropists of the time.
To prepare myself for the profession chosen, I de-
voured every book that came within my grasp, studied
every department of knowledge, and, in feeble imitation
of Lord Bacon, took all learning within my province.
To acquire a graceful attitude in declamation, I took
lessons from James Sheridan Knowles, the professor of
elocution, known throughout the world as the author
of the "Hunchback" and "Virginius." He was a de-
lightful old man at that time, and students came from
all parts of the empire to study under him. In his old
age, he renounced all the honors and emoluments of his
profession, and became a humble Baptist minister in
England.
To have even a surface knowledge of metaphysics,
I read over the Scotch and German writers. Jonathan
Edwards was also a favorite with me. As public speak-
ing was to be my profession, I committed whole pages
of Demosthenes and Cicero, among the ancients, and
Pitt, Fox, Webster, Grattan, and Curran, among the
moderns. My habit, after memorizing a part of an ora-
tion, was to declaim it in my room, much to the amuse-
ment of my landlady and her family. Having never had
an opportunity, up to this time, of trying my oratorical
ability before a promiscuous audience, I longed for such
an occasion. I became a member of the Rechabite Order,
which was rigidly temperance. It had its origin among
a sect of the ancient Jews. They drank no wine, and
FAMOUS ORATORS. 45
possessed neither vineyard nor field, but, like the Arabs,
dwelt in tents. I saw them in my travels in Palestine
a few years ago. They believe and obey the law of Moses,
by tradition; for they do not possess the written law.
John Scott, a venerable linen merchant, was the president,
and Alexander Riddle the secretary of the Rechabite
Order in Belfast. The president invited me to deliver
the address at one of the installation ceremonies, and I
gladly accepted, saying to myself, "Now, here is the op-
portunity to become famous." I spent weeks in the
preparation of the address. My first part was an exor-
dium, beginning: "This is a brilliant and beautiful scene,
Here are assembled, under the white banner of temper-
ance, brave men and fair women of Belfast !" With much
self-elation I repeated these sentences several times,
and then finally concluded they were too common. After
several more efforts, I resolved that the exordium should
commence : "An angel, in his flight over the globe, could
not behold a more beautiful and benevolent organiza-
tion than this which to-night meets within this splendid
temple an organization in sympathy with that Divine
Character who walked over earth with the grandeur of
God, and whose whole life is condensed in the brief sen-
tence, 'He went about doing good.' No higher honor
could be conferred upon me, and no prouder emotion
could swell my heart than," etc. The eventful hour came.
The house was full, and the galleries were crowded with
Belfast beauties, whose bright eyes rendered me very
uncomfortable, as their sparkling glances turned in my
direction. When the chairman introduced me, I was
greeted with an ovation. I trembled like a leaf. The
first sentence was all that I could recall, and when I came
to the words "No higher honor," I repeated them several
46 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
times "No higher honor" everthing else was for-
gotten, and I felt the cold chills running down my back. If
the earth had only opened and swallowed me up, it would
have been a blessed relief. To add to my embarrassment,
several voices cried out, "Hear! hear!" But there was
nothing to hear.
The papers announced next day that "the young
orator, George W. Pepper, who, from nervous exhaus-
tion, was unable to finish what promised to be a grand ad-
dress last night, is, we are happy to say, recovering, and
it is to be hoped that many years of usefulness are before
him."
I was very much in the same position as the speaker
so aptly described by Lord Derby: "He gets up, without
the least notion of what he is going to say; he speaks,
without the least notion of what he is saying; and he sits
down, without the least notion of what he has said. Lan-
guage had command of him, and not he of language."
It was in Belfast that I united with the Wesleyan
Methodist Church, under the ministrations of the Rev.
Thomas Ballarcl and John Oliver, two excellent preach-
ers. The Maine Law was becoming a subject of popular
discussion, and I wrote to Neal Dow for an abstract of
the law. I then sent a series of letters to the Belfast news-
papers, in which the prohibition of the liquor-traffic was
defended and demanded for Ireland. The letters pro-
voked much controversy. The editor of the Northern
Whig, in an editorial, pronounced it absurd, and called
it the "morality of the stick." The excitement grew.
The first meeting was to be held in Manchester. I went
as a delegate, being then only nineteen years old, and
the youngest delegate there. It was a great meeting
FAMOUS ORATORS. 47
great in numbers, great in enthusiasm, and great in de-
termination.
I met there many of the most celebrated of the English
reformers and philathropists. Among them was James
Silk Buckingham, a member of Parliament, a world-re-
nowned traveler, and a true gentleman.
There, also, was the scholarly and gifted writer upon
philosophy and ethics, Dr. Lees. This was my first intro-
duction to the English people. Their hospitality, their
refreshing candor, and their love of all that was best for
the interests of humanity, impressed me most favorably.
Buckingham's speech was the most effective. His style
was clear and thoughtful, his delivery pleasing, and the
modulation of his voice was well trained and agreeable.
Dr. Heywood, a clergyman of the city, acquitted himself
well, and showed a thorough knowledge of the subject.
Dr. Lee's speech was logical, and was distinguished by
the peculiar 'terseness of his language, and the strong
tone of common sense which was its leading character-
istic. Dr. Jabez Burns delivered a happy address.
Upon my return, after consulting with prominent
clergymen and others who were well known to be favor-
ably disposed, I appealed, through the press, for a public
meeting to be held in the interests of this new organiza-
tion, the United Kingdom Alliance. There was much
opposition. Some of the old temperance workers were
timid and fearful of any new movement, especially as it
came from the United States. However, after much de-
lay, a meeting was arranged. I corresponded with sev-
eral prominent philanthropists, asking them to be pres-
ent. The meeting took place in Music Hall, the largest
building in the city. The audience embraced nearly all
48 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
the pious and wealthy people of Belfast. It was a grand
display of the Bench, the Bar, the Church. Young and
Old Ireland, Catholics and Protestants, shook hands, and
looked hopeful for the prosperity of Ireland. The large
room was tastefully decorated with banners, bearing in-
scriptions applicable to the occasion. The speeches were
marked with great fervor, energy, and eloquence. The
most convincing speech was made by Dr. Lees. There
was scarcely an interruption, except when some cutting
sarcasm was uttered, with a seemingly careless but watch-
ful comment upon the newspapers of Belfast which were
sneering at the meeting, or some beautiful apostrophe
to the memory of Ireland's illustrious dead or her living
leaders. Then peals of spontaneous applause would greet
the utterance. Years after, Dr. Lees was my guest at
Wellington, Ohio, when he lectured in my church, and
when old memories were revived.
There w r ere present from Dublin two of its citizens,
James Haughton and Richard Allen, who were listened
to with great and evident satisfaction. Among those
who aided me in the organization of this great meeting
were John R. Neal, a Unitarian gentleman, and Gordon
Thompson, a Wesleyan magistrate. Belfast was the first
city in Ireland to celebrate the formation of the Alliance.
In a short time others followed. The following letter,
which Father Mathew had written to me, was read :
"CoRK, January 14, 1854.
"MY DEAR YOUNG FRIEND, The question of prohi-
bition of the sale of ardent spirits, and the many other
intoxicating drinks which are to be found in our country,
is not new to me. The principle of prohibition seems to
be the only safe and certain remedy for the evils of intem-
perance. This opinion has been strengthened by the hard
FAMOUS ORATORS. 49
labor of more than twenty years in the temperance cause.
I rejoice in the welcome intelligence of the formation of a
Maine Law Alliance, which I trust will be the means,
under God, of destroying the fruitful source of so much
crime. Allow me to thank you for your earnest and in-
defatigable labors in this present movement.
"Yours very truly, THEOBALD MATHEW."
The next year a controversy sprang up between the
Belfast News-Letter and the Rev. Jonathan Simpson,
moderator of the Presbyterian Church, as to the one
who recommended for Ireland the Maine Law. Dr.
Simpson claimed that he had been in the United States,
and that after his return he gave his experiences of the
workings of the law. This was sharply controverted by
the News-Letter, and it called for the evidences. It boldly
charged that he was a plagiarist; that he never wrote,
never spoke a word upon the subject until after I had
written for a whole year, and until after the Belfast meet-
ing. It is of no importance ; but let all classes go on with
their work, and they will achieve what no statutes of the
Legislature, no scheme of reform in the hands of poli-
ticians, could ever achieve. Let Ireland become temper-
ate, then she will be truly
" Great, glorious, and free :
First flower of the earth,
And first ' gem of the sea.' "
I remember the annual visits of the Ranters, a seces-
sion from the Wesleyans, to my neighborhood, when I
was a mere boy. Their first preachers were Hugh Bourne
and William Clowes, Wesleyan local preachers. Being
denied permission to preach in the church, they resorted
to the fields, where they soon attracted immense crowds.
Societies were organized, and in a few years the Prim-
itives became most powerful factors in the religious world.
4
50 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
They extended their operations to Ireland, and preached
on Shane Hill, near Portadown, where I heard them.
They were plain, blunt-spoken men, and they preached
the gospel with apostolic fervor. The burden of their
sermons and songs was the three R's Redemption, Re-
pentance, and Regeneration. They were not learned
in the schools preparation for the ministry was to them
a sinful waste of time. They cared nothing for the purple
and fine linen, nor the flowing robes, nor the lawn sleeves.
They knew it was not the learning nor external attrac-
tions which converted the three thousand on the Day
of Pentecost; which made Felix tremble, and Agrippa
almost persuaded to be a Christian. Never, in all my
experience, have I met with more impressive examples
of pure and undefiled religion. In their class-meetings
and love-feasts, one would frequently hear such words
as these: "I would not exchange for ten thousand worlds
my hopes of immortality." And I see an old cripple,
bent down with age and suffering, rising to his feet, and
adding his testimony, "I can glorify God in my greatest
suffering; for my love of him triumphs over all my trials."
As to the preaching, it resembled very much that of the
Salvation Army of to-day. It must be remembered that
these rough-and-ready evangelists were miners, black-
smiths, farmers, and mechanics of all grades. Occasion-
ally a man of energetic and powerful eloquence would
make his appearance. There was one of this class who
made a widespread impression upon all who heard him.
His style may be judged from a paragraph like this: "I
pause on my wing in the gathering gloom of my subject !
The Thunderer himself has commissioned us ! We be-
long to another world than this ! We are the loud trum-
FAMOUS ORATORS. 51
peters of heaven, the heralds of God! Let the solemn
seal of our high commision burn into our souls and bod-
ies, until we shall fully bear the brand of the Lord, and
preach the tremendous preaching that is destined to shake
the universe." The world of woe trembles at the sound
of such a faithful preacher's voice: "Go, ye ministers;
or, as has been well said, ye brethren of the heart of Jesus,
the men of the bleeding mysteries ! Go, wet your lips
where love flows red from the Mount of Passion ! Go,
read your texts by the light of the angry fires of Sinai,
and study and preach your sermons in that loud spirit-
voice, so that hell may curse, heaven applaud, and earth
wail at your vehement outcries. Go, preach to loving ones
who shall soon be naked spirits in a blessed world, where
no tower nor tree shall shelter the uncovered soul from
the angry wrath of God !"
Their singing added much to the interest and excite-
ment of their meetings. I think frequently of one of their
hymns. I could repeat two verses ; but Mrs. Mary Doak,
a friend of my youth fifty years ago, has been recently
to see me, and, with her rare and accurate memory, has
been able to supply all the missing verses for me; not
only of this, but of other songs we used to hear in our
childhood days. The Ranters' hymn is crude, but
pointed :
" Come, saints and sinners, hear me tell
The wonders of Emmanuel,
Who saved me from a burning hell,
And brought my soul with him to dwell,
And gave me heavenly union.
My old companions, fare you well,
I will not go with you to hell ;
With Jesus Christ I mean to dwell,
And be in the heavenly union.
UNDER THREE FLAGS.
When Jesus saw me from on high,
He looked on me with pitying eye ;
And said to me as He passed by,
With God you have no union.
When I began to weep and cry,
I looked this way and that to fly;
I strode salvation swiitly.by,
But still I had no union.
But when I hated all my sin,
My dear Redeemer took me in,
And with His blood He washed me clean
And O what seasons have I seen,
E'er since I felt this union !
O come, backsliders, come away,
And learn to watch as well as pray ;
And if you meet one by the way,
You '11 still find something good to say,
About this heavenly union."
Chapter III.
AN IRISH FAMINE DAYS IN BELFAST QUEEN
VICTORIA'S VISITS.
A FAMINE is one of the most pitiful of spectacles.
To see thousands and tens of thousands pleading for
the necessaries of life ; to see children leading their par-
ents into the street to die of starvation; to see mothers
kneel on the wet ground, and holding their children up
to Heaven, beg for help ; to hear the cries of the bereaved
families, as one after another succumb to their suffer-
ings, these arexwhat one sees and hears when one is in
a famine-stricken land. The great poet of Italy has de-
picted the miseries of famine in the finest of all modern
poems. He takes his count, Ugolini, the noble man who
is the subject of his history, and plants him in a dungeon.
The keys are taken away, and he is left to perish with
hunger. Alone would be nothing; but the poet plants
around Ugolini the figures of his five children. One
infant is already dead, another is dying, a third is call-
ing frantically upon him for food, and another, with a
yet more agonizing appeal, says nothing, but fixes his
dying eyes upon the father, who sits in the midst of all,
a pillar of sorrow. The English artist has fixed the
scene by his pencil, and the "Ugolini" of Reynolds, one
of the most sublime productions of art, is a terrible tes-
timony to the miseries of famine. Multiply this one case
by five hundred thousand, and you will have some faint
idea of the Irish famine of 1847. Think of fifty thousand
Irish women closing their lips forever, buried without
53
54 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
coffins, buried without shrouds! Did I say closed their
lips forever? No, indeed! they have opened up yonder,
white and fresh and beautiful with the life of God, and
they have brought against their oppressors the sacred
accusation, "When we were hungry, ye fed us not !"
"Unquestionably," said the London Times, "several
hundreds of thousands perished prematurely by famine,
by slow hunger, by nakedness. Health, wealth, strength,
and life itself, have fled from these ill-fated shores."
There is a current story among the Irish that Sir
Arthur Chichester, Queen Elizabeth's Secretary of State
for Ireland, once wrote to Her Majesty, "There is no
remedy for the destruction of the Irish but famine," and
the history of Ireland attests the treatment Ireland has
received. Hear what Dr. Talmage says on the subject:
"Famine in 1727, and many hundreds died! Famine in
1747, and forty thousand died! Famine in 1756, and
two-thirds of the population died! Famine in 1846 and
1847, a famine so awful that it sent to eternity and Amer-
ica over three millions!" What makes these famines
more deplorable is, that they were surrounded by beauti-
ful scenery. Hunger is more pitiful when crouching at
the feet of such hills and reflected in the mirrors of such
lakes. An island, over two hundred miles long, rhom-
boid in shape, its rocks showing more divine skill than
any other rocks; forty thousand columns in the Giant's
Causeway, some of them large enough upon which to
play the grand march of the last judgment; an island
indented with ninety harbors, among them beautiful Gal-
way; her coast illuminated at night by sixty-two light-
houses, think of the horrors of famine, set about with
such loveliness, a Gorgon among such scenes of enchant-
ment !
AN IRISH FAMINE. 55
I remember one famine well, that of 1847. I sa w
the peasants, writhing in death-throes and other horrors
that I have never forgotten ; the stalwart peasantry, sunk
unto the earth, where they fought like tigers for the
nettles and the withered cabbage-stalks; and even little
children, too, fighting for the nettles; childhood strug-
gling with childhood to exist a little longer in a living
death.
At the end of every day in the schools, a detail was
made by the teachers for boys to report at the places
where the American provisions were stored, and each
boy was to carry a portion to the , sufferers. In many
instances, where the family had been well-to-do, the corn
and meal were left outside the door, so as not to offend
their pride. I was frequently engaged in this blessed
work, trundling the provisions to their destination on
a wheelbarrow. It was a heavenly sight to see the road
lined with this boy army of philanthropists. Who knows
but that in the great day the Divine Judge will say,
"Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these my
disciples, ye did it unto me?" In all the vicissitudes of
life to which I may be exposed I will not be disconso-
late when I remember these benevolent labors for God's
poor.
Though starving, many of these poor people cher-
ished a pride that would not let them openly accept pub-
lic charity. They would wait until the shades of night
had fallen, and then steal around, in a stealthy, shame-
faced way, to the places where the distributions were
made, to get enough to keep them from starving the
next day. O, it was pitiful ! These people, who had been
thrifty and careful all their lives, to be obliged to slip
out at night and beg for a little charity !
56 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
A few years before, the population was nine millions,
the people were healthy, and the whole land full of rosy-
cheeked children. No pestilence ever rages over the
Emerald Isle, and yet the nine millions have been re-
duced to four millions. Here is a true story of one of
the fever-sheds, or dead-houses, which, in the famine
years, were so numerous in Ireland : One morning there
came, in its turn, a small cart, drawn by a donkey, to
the steps of the shed. The starved occupant, as he was
carried in, made a slight movement. The doctor inquired
his name, and he answered, "It is John Maloney." And
soon he was recognized, and exclamations burst from
the lips of the inmates, "Och, now, and is n't the world
quare, and that is Mr. Maloney asthore machree ! May
the blessed Virgin soften the pillow for your head !" And
there were his two brothers, with the tears falling like
rain down their faces. One old man muttered slowly,
"It is only a short distance from there to there," making
two motions with his trembling fingers : "first at the
hospital, and then at the dead-house." John Maloney
had been a respectable, thrifty young farmer, but he died
of starvation in the dead-house. The fault was none of
his own. Thousands of others gave up the spark of life
in these dead-houses, victims of hunger and want.
If this terrible famine had its horrors, it also had some
compensations. It demonstrated the brotherhood of
mankind. The Sultan of Turkey contributed one thou-
sand dollars, and the benevolent people of England gave
large sums; but it was reserved for this one greatest
country to excel all others. Cargoes were loaded and
sent to the starving. Captain Clark, of the war-ship
Victor, appeared in Dublin with his Indian meal. This
was my first glimpse of the American flag, floating over
AN IRISH FAMINE. 57
the charitable gifts of the generous-hearted people. I
had followed the track of the glorious flag. I knew
every river that it had crossed, every mountain and val-
ley that it had captured from the Red-coats. I saw it
at Trenton and Brandywine ; and when it was triumphant
at Yorktown, my heart thanked God for the final victory.
" Hail brightest banner that floats on the gale !
Flag of great Washington, hail !
Kingdoms and thrones in thy glory grow pale.
Thou shalt live on, and thy people shall own
Loyalty 's sweet where the throne is the throne."
John Levering, a benevolent gentleman near Freder-
icktown, Ohio, sent over a sack of meal, and on it he
put a letter, requesting that if any Irishman got it he
would send him a few lines. It reached a poor man's
home, and he wrote a letter of thanks. Mr. Levering
sent him money to emigrate, which he did, and after-
wards the man sent for his whole family.
The Hutchinson singers touched all American hearts
by the singing of songs on this subject. I remember
never to have read a more touching poem, one that
stirred my sympathy more, than the one on the last
request of a dying Irish boy, dying from hunger, for
"just three grains of corn." The mother found them in
his ragged jacket, and gave them to him. It was the
last morsel of food the wretched family possessed. They
were all dying of starvation. The poem was composed
by an American lady, Mrs. Judge Edmunds, of Brooklyn.
She had read of the dying Irish boy's request, and being
deeply touched by it, composed the poem. The Hutchin-
son family sang this at all their concerts, and touched
all hearts. I have heard old citizens say that after hear-
ing the first verse they broke down, and knew no more
58 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
until they went home and packed their barrels full of
food to send to Ireland.
" Give me three grains of corn, mother,
Only three grains of corn ;
It will keep the little life I have
Until the coming of the morn.
I am dying of hunger and cold', mother,
Dying of hunger and cold ;
And half the agony of such a death,
My lips have never told.
There is many a brave heart here, mother,
Dying of want and cold,
While only across the Channel, mother,
Are many that roll in gold.
There are rich and proud men there, mother,
With wondrous wealth to view ;
And the wealth they fling their dogs to-night,
Would give me life, and you."
What a tide of events has rolled through those years \
I am not an old man, yet my recollection almost fails to
gather in the thousands of incidents which have hap-
pened under my eye, and passed into the pages of his-
tory.
I remember well that 2d of August, 1849, which wit-
nessed the advent of England's Queen to Belfast the
sovereign of a continent, a thousand lakes, ten thousand
rivers, and ten thousand islands; the Queen of five hun-
dred thousand warriors, of a hundred thousand sailors,
of one hundred and twenty millions of human beings ; the
supreme ruler of a country more wealthy than the old
Assyrian Empire, more extensive than the old Empire
of Persia, more dreaded than the Carthaginian Empire
in the height of its power. Victoria came to receive the
homage of her loyal subjects, the loud huzzahs of a suffer-
QUEEN VICTORIA'S VISITS. 59
ing people. Every available spot was crowded, and bon-
fires lighted up the hills. As she departed she waved a
white handkerchief in recognition of the welcome she re-
ceived. A local poet burst into the most enthusiastic
poetry, as a couple of verses of his poem show :
" O come, Lady Queen, to our Isle of the Ocean,
The greenest, the fairest, the gayest on earth ;
We welcome thy coming with heartfelt emotion,
Thy presence will gladden our home and our hearth !
We love, we revere thee,
In homage draw near thee,
With a ' Cead mile falte,' we give thee good cheer.
Victoria, we hail thee ;
Our harps shall regale thee ;
The harp is the music for royalty's ear.
Our shamrock is softer by far than the heather,
When sparkles the dew on its emerald breast ;
It will yield to thy tread like the down of the feather,
No Queen of the Isles has its triple-leaf prest !
O come and entwine it,
With the thistle combine it,
And mingle its green with the blush of the rose :
From thy bosom forever
No rude hand shall sever
This bright pledge of Union and Erin's repose !"
The Queen made her first visit while I was a stu-
dent in the Royal Belfast Academy. Her anticipated
arrival was eagerly awaited by thousands of the loyalists
of Ulster. At length she arrived. Before her stretched
enthusiastic thousands. The streets were carpeted with
scarlet cloth; the roofs of the private houses, the public
edifices, and the steeples of the churches, were decorated
with brilliant flags and gay streamers, floating in every
direction. Every foot of ground was packed ; around her
was a fashionable assemblage of rank and beauty and
wealth. The streets swarmed with excited and shouting
60 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
multitudes, craning their necks and straining their eyes
to get a glimpse of majesty. The harbor was crowded
with vessels, and its waters, sparkling in the sun, com-
pleted a beautiful and animated picture. I remember
the deafening cheers which rent the sky, coming from
half a million throats, as the Queen passed the college.
But there were some who did not bow the knee, who
thought of the chains still riveted upon the limbs of the
Irish victims of famine, and curses deep and heavy raged
in their bosoms. An incident, indicative of the feeling of
some of the students, was the appearance of a black flag
just as the Queen rode past the college. The Duke of
Wellington accompanied her, and I saw his robust figure,
his hooked nose, and his keen eye. His smiles seemed
to be assumed they gave a suggestion of affectation.
There were many gifted men connected with the lead-
ing reforms in Church and State then in Belfast. Mr.
James Alexander Henderson, editor and proprietor of
the News-Letter, a conservative journal, was courteous,
intelligent, and sympathetic, bold and courageous, in
the declaration of his sentiments. Thomas Toye, the
minister of York Street the clergyman previously re-
ferred to, who united theology with philanthropy, and
whose oddities were the talk and wonder of the people
one of his may eccentricities was that of preachng half
an hour, and then going out for a smoke, after which he
would quietly return to the pulpit and finish his sermon.
He was temperate in language, occasionally brusque in
his manners, and upright in heart. Dr. James Morgan,
the pastor of Fisherwick Presbyterian Church, was a
man without guile, w r hose Christian character was un-
impeachable. John Rea, the lawyer, a man of talent and
energy, who boldly and eloquently defended the prin-
QUEEN VICTORIAS VISITS. 6 1
ciples of the Young Ireland ers, his father and sisters
belonged to the same Church. There was the Rev. William
O'Hanlon, a Congregational minister, who had visited
the homes, or rather the hovels, of the poor, and gave, in
a series of letters in the Northern Whig, an appalling de-
scription of the bitter, grinding, and increasing poverty
of the working classes.
There were annual visits, then, to the Wesleyan
churches by the most famous preachers of England.
Robert Newton was always Attractive. There was so much
of impressive energy in his thought, and such remark-
able beauty and felicity in the words he employed, that
no audience could fail to hang upon his eloquent sen-
tences with delight. The churches were crowded, there
not being even standing room. It was worth the crush
to hear him read the hymn commencing with the line,
"Would Jesus have the sinner die?" Yes, indeed, it was
worth the journey of a thousand miles to hear Charles
Wesley speak as this prince of preachers read his stirring
hymns.
Referring again to the Rev. Mr. O'Hanlon's graphic
pictures of Irish destitution, here is one of his strong
statements: "O, we may be told 'poverty shall never
cease out of the land!' True, most true! But the
poverty we most complain of is very likely to make the
land cease. The poverty we complain of is rapidly
bringing millions to the conviction that revolution would
be to them a blessed change. The poverty we refer to
is quickly paganizing large classes of the community.
It is a poverty which can not be left to neglect, to mere
relief, to the poor laws, or to political economy, with
safety. It is a poverty for which no prosperity, no his-
toric renown, no amount of national greatness, no extent
62 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
of external territorial development, can compensate. It is
a poverty which is making the people savage, is bring-
ing the monarchy into contempt, is destroying hope,
is promoting turbulence, and is fomenting a spirit of re-
bellion."
" Unkind, already, and estranged in part,
The wolf begins to share their wandering heart."
In the list of my acquaintances in Belfast, I can not
omit to mention the names of Charles Johnstone, the son
of a Wesleyan minister, and Waring Kennedy, the son
of an officer in the Irish constabulary. Charles John-
stone came to the United States, entered into commer-
cial life, and subsequently died as a brave soldier in the
Union army. He was of a kind and generous nature,
liberal to a fault. Waring Kennedy went to Canada,
where he won respect and honor as a successful merchant,
and is at this time mayor of Toronto. The three of us
were local preachers in the same Church, Old Donegal
Square. We often compared notes, and experimented
in private houses, and received, in a friendly manner, the
criticisms of each other. Kennedy was conservative in
politics, and preferred, naturally, the Canadian home.
J6hnstone and I were republicans, and gravitated to
the more congenial atmosphere of the United States.
Having given up the law, I was now contemplating
entering the ministry, and sought for a suitable theolog-
ical seminary. I was directed to Glasgow, where the
Rev. James Morrison, a very learned Doctor of Divinity,
was president of a theological college under the super-
vision of the Evangelical Union, a Presbyterian-Armin-
ian body. Dr. Morrison had preached in Belfast, and
was universally hailed as a second Wesley. Although
QUEEN VICTORIA'S VISITS. 63
he was popular as a writer, he was not a man of the
people. His sphere was with the learned, whom alone,
he knew, could understand his dissertations and appre-
ciate his great learning. As a theologian, he was a giant,
and his book upon the ninth chapter of Romans will
remain an imperishable monument of his controversy
with Calvinism. When in Glasgow, I was a guest in
his house, studying Hebrew, Moral Philosophy, and the
art of sermonizing. It was under his training that my
views upon baptism underwent a change, and I was fully
confirmed in my earlier impressions.
Dr. Morrison was adored by the students. In per-
son he was of middle height, strongly built, and of grace-
ful appearance. His features were finely chiseled, but
what commanded immediate attention was the immense
power concentrated in his eyes. I have never before
or since seen eyes so piercing. They read through a
man's heart and soul. His personal activity was wonder-
ful, and proved his frame to be made of steel.
I had every opportunity of forming a correct opin-
ion of Scotchmen, and much that I saw and heard re-
flected honor upon the Scottish character. Their thrift,
their downright frankness, their bluff but hearty man-
ners, their deep religious sincerity, and their reverence
for the Sabbath; their patriotism, bringing up memories
of the banks and braes which the genius of Scott and
Burns have made immortal, deeply impressed me. It
was my privilege to hear the famous Scotch preachers,
political and forensic orators.
The Queen made a second visit to Ireland before
I left, and this time it was to visit the Dublin Exhibition.
The air was full of the praises of royalty. Every man
and woman that was met upon the streets was talking
64 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
about Her Royal Majesty's reception. There was an-
other Queen arrived in Ireland about the same time,
The first was the crowned Queen of a mighty empire,
a woman rich in all the world's wealth, girt by a gor-
geous state, with an ancient crown dazzling upon her
brow. She was brought to the Green Isle in a royal
yacht, over the royal waves, across the royal Channel.
Her royal soul was prayed for daily by sixteen thousand
royally paid parsons, and she was royally received in
that part of Her Royal Majesty's dominions, the royal
province of Ireland. She was accompanied by her royal
consort, and by all the royal children and all the royal
cousins. She was cheered and told in royal Irish blarney
that one vision of her resplendent royalty would cure the
ills of centuries. For three days the royal party visited
the royal Exhibition, until the royal limbs and the royal
eyes ached, and then they slept in the royal bed-rooms
in the royal palaces.
The other Queen was the daughter of America, with
no imperial title, with no riches save those of the graces
of her good heart and the exalted genius of her splendid
intellect. She, too, was received with welcomes which
blazed up to the firmament. There was no sycophancy,
no cringing, no pretentiousness. But there was a gen-
uine enthusiasm. There was no doubting the truth and
intensity of the hearty reception. Victoria, decked with
the diadem of sovereignty, was followed by her slaves, her
lackeys, and her wretched dupes. The second was Harriet
Beecher Stowe, the wife of an American professor, the
daughter of a famous preacher, the sister of a distin-
guished brother whose glorious voice was ever lifted
up in the cause of humanity. What an illustrious family !
The Queen of England's family never gave a distin-
QUEEN VICTORIA'S VISITS. 65
guished name to history, never wrote a book worth read-
ing, never built a soldier's monument. What a differ-
ence between the receptions of these two Queens! For
the one, the sullen contempt of the oppressed; for the
other, cheers and benedictions, when she visited the Irish
cities and traveled throughout the beautiful Isle, with no
passport but the symbolic ring of Americanism.
One of the incidents which marked the Queen's visit
was her slapping one of her boys in the face. The young
prince paid no attention to .the cheering thousands. Her
Majesty was annoyed; she remonstrated with Alfred, and
finally gave him a slap on the face. It was done in a
moment, and the vast multitude cheered.
The Belfast press was ably edited. I have spoken of
the Newsletter; but the Northern Whig, the organ of the
Liberals, numbered many gifted writers. Lawrence God-
kin, now of the New York Post, commenced his journal-
istic career upon this paper. So did Bruce, the author of
"Classic Portraits." Dr. McKnight wrote the leaders for
the Banner, of Ulster. Poor, gifted, ever-to-be-lamented,
generous Dennis Holland was its most brilliant editor.
Then he was tall and handsome. The last time I saw him
he was a shattered wreck in New York. It is the old
story ! The blackest of eyes had lost their luster. "I am
going back to old Belfast. There a man is expected to get
drunk only in the daytime; but in New York people are
drunk both day and night."
5
Chapter IV.
MARRIAGE FIRST YEARS IN AMERICA ENTER-
ING THE MINISTRY EXPERIENCE AS A
CIRCUIT RIDER.
PREVIOUS to my theological studies and to my in-
terest in the temperance cause, occurred the most
important event in my life. This was my marriage to the
peerless woman who, for nearly forty years, cheered
and comforted me through every ill and disappointment,
and aided and encouraged me in every high aim and am-
bition. Christine Lindsay, the daughter of Mr. Samuel
Lindsay, a reputable farmer in the neighborhood of my
childhood's home, became my wife in the Episcopal
Church of Tullylish, the ceremony being performed by
the Rev. Mr. Stewart, curate of the parish. My wife,
a descendant of the famous Scottish clan of Lindsay,
called, on account of the hue of their hair, "Light Lind-
says/' possessed a warm heart and a rare personal beauty
that remained through life, undimmed by time and sor-
row. Her parents were attached and devoted members
of the Established Church.
I was but eighteen years of age at the time of
my marriage, and my wife was sixteen. I remember
going to Banbridge to get the license and the ring.
It was a lovely day, and the scenery up the Bann
was beautiful, and in harmony with my feelings. We
settled in the old homestead that had sheltered gener-
ations of my forefathers before me. After remaining
here a year or two, we moved to Belfast, where I con-
tinued my college studies, and was engaged a part of the
66
MARRIAGE FIRST YEARS IN AMERICA. 67
day in the wholesale dry-goods establishment of Robert
Lindsay. In this city our two eldest children were born,
George Wesley and Samuel Arthur. George was very
sick, and it was thought that he could not recover, and
we sent for the Rev. Mr. Knox, a Methodist preacher,
to baptize him. It was a very impressive baptism. We
were young, and this was our first-born, hovering on the
borders of eternity. The minister prayed with heartfelt
fervor that the child might be spared, and, as his name
was Wesley, that he might live to imitate that great and
good man's holy and useful life. And he has lived to be-
come, an honorable and upright man.
In all my efforts to acquire knowledge and become
useful, my wife was a constant aid. Her presence was
ever an inspiration. When I left for Manchester to' attend
the great Temperance Convention, it was with difficulty
that I could tear myself away; for then a journey to Eng-
land, across the Irish Sea, was a serious undertaking.
My wife sent for her brother John, now a retired officer
at Wrexham, Wales, to come and remain with her; and
here, too, her sister Esther, now living in South Africa,
often came to visit us. During our residence in Belfast,
my wife made many friends. She was an active member
of the Donegal Square Wesleyan Church. What changes
the years have wrought ! Some of those dear and loved
ones have passed away; some yet remain in the old land
and in the new. And she, too, the kind mother, the loving
and beloved wife, the tender-hearted woman, has left me
for the world beyond.
" The thoughts of other days are rushing o'er me ;
The loved, the lost, the distant and the dead
Are with me, and I mingle with them
Till my sense fails, and my raised heart is wrapt
In secret suspension of mortality."
68 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
I resolved to make my home in the United States, and
become a full-fledged American citizen. From my earli-
est years this great country had attracted my attention
and admiration. The story of its discovery, the struggles
and triumphs of its pilgrims, the success and progress of
the Revolutionary War, and the marvelous growth of
the Republic, had captivated my imagination and won
the affections of my heart. So one bright morning, in
October, 1854, putting my long-cherished desire into
operation, I started upon a sailing-vessel, the Orient, for
the New World. It took much longer then to cross the
Atlantic than now, and after the usual sea-sickness and
other hardships attendant on a long sea voyage, I reached
New York. I can never forget the emotions that filled
my heart as, standing on the free soil of America, three
thousand miles from my native isle, the Atlantic rolled
its eternal flood afar. There I was, a stranger, not know-
ing a human being. It was Saturday, and the next day
I went to church, and heard an excellent sermon. One
of my letters of introduction took me to Pittsfield, Massa-
chusetts. There I became acquainted with the Rev. Mr.
Parvin, an Episcopal clergyman, one of the purest and
most lofty-souled men I ever met. He afterwards per-
ished in a steamboat disaster upon the Ohio River, dur-
ing the war, on his return home from distributing sanitary
stores. He took a warm interest in me, and recom-
mended me to go to Kenyon College, Ohio. After spend-
ing a short time in Albany, I followed his advice. I came
to Ohio, partly by steamboat and partly by rail. Cleve-
land was just beginning to put on civic airs. I had much
trouble with my money, as every State passed through
had a different currency, and a stranger experienced pro-
voking difficulties.
FIRST YEARS IN AMERICA. 69
I arrived at Gambler, and proceeded immediately to
the house of the president, Loren Andrews, who was one
of nature's noblemen, and who afterwards served with
distinction as colonel in the army. I was introduced by
him to Dr. Smith, a son-in-law T of the celebrated Dr.
Woods, of Andover, Massachusetts. It was my inten-
tion to enter the theological seminary, Bexley Hall, and
study for the Episcopal ministry. Dr. Smith, after exam-
ining me in Latin and Greek, pronounced me competent,
and I was entered as a student. Dr. Smith and Dr. Wing
were my professors in Theology. They were gentlemen
of the old school, urbane, kind, well-read, and able in-
structors. I studied Hebrew under Professor Trimble, a
graduate of Trinity College, Dublin. He was a gifted
scholar, and gave me much assistance. The college at
that time was crowded probably there were four hun-
dred students. Most of the young men were from the
South, and strongly prejudiced in favor of their peculiar
institutions. I introduced a resolution before one of the
societies that the New York Independent should be added
to the reading-room. To my surprise a score of fiery
Southerners jumped up, and demanded my immediate ex-
pulsion. "He is an Abolitionist ! Out with him !" they
shouted. President Andrews quieted them by telling
them I was a stranger, ignorant of the customs of the
United States.
During my attendance at Kenyon, one of the pro-
fessors, who had charge of a country Church, once asked
me to accompany him when he went to deliver his weekly
sermon. I cheerfully complied. Starting in a hurry, he
rushed to his sermon drawer, and hastily snatched the
first manuscript. The next morning he opened it in the
pulpit. Judge of his surprise and consternation when he
70 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
discovered it was a funeral sermon for a child, from the
touching words of David : "While the child was yet alive,
I prayed ; now that he is dead, wherefore shoul I fret and
weep?" The learned professor was in a dreadful dilemma.
He was a slave to his manuscript, and could not extem-
porize. However, he went on and did his best, with the
perspiration rolling down his face. When he concluded
with w r ords of consolation to the parents, people all over
the house were inquiring, "Whose child is dead?" They
finally came to the conclusion that it was Squire Brown's,
as it had had the measles for a long time. I confess I
laughed throughout the discourse. The professor him-
self was so chagrined that he never returned to the charge,
and the last I heard of him he had burned all his sermons,
and was a good extempore speaker.
It was at this college I became acquainted with the
distinguished Bishop Mcllvaine, a man profound in learn-
ing, saintly in his life, and renowned for his evangelical
views. I had as my fellow-students young men who sub-
sequently became effective and distinguished ministers of
the gospel. I think of Moses Hamilton; Charles Fearns,
who was killed at the battle of Knoxville; Currie, promi-
nent in Baltimore ; Noakes and Bowers, the two Fultons,
Hople}', Chittenden, Roberts, Strong.
It was while I was still at Gambier, one year after my
own arrival in America, that my wife and two young sons
joined me. She had remained behind to sign the docu-
ments relative to the sale of some property, which I could
not do before I left Ireland, being then under age.
In fact, it was not until I was twenty-one that I
could send her power of attorney to enable her to
do this.
ENTERING THE MINISTRY. 7 1
ENTERING THE MINISTRY EXPERIENCES AS A CIRCUIT
RIDER.
I remained at Gambier a year; but finding that the
Methodist Episcopal Church offered a more immediate
field of usefulness, I applied for admission into the North
Ohio Conference. As a preliminary it was necessary to
be recommended by a Quarterly Conference, which was
done, at Amity. There was considerable opposition. The
Know-Nothing movement was sweeping over the country
like a tornado. One official member denounced me as
a foreigner, perhaps a Jesuit, and said it would be the
ruin of the Nation to admit me. The Rev. T. H. Wilson
was the presiding elder, and he was a good friend of mine.
But the speech which secured my recommendation was
that of the Rev. Mr. Harmount. He was on his feet in a
minute, and I can recall seeing the large veins in his
rugged face swelling with indignation, and his voice
trembling with excitement, as he denounced, in scathing
language, the attempt to prevent my recommendation.
However, there was another difficulty. A Rev. Mr. Pil-
cher, of Mt. Vernon, who was high up in the Know-Noth-
ing order, had made his boasts that no Irishman should
be allowed to preach in that Conference. He was a can-
didate for the General Conference, and anxious for votes.
Rev. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Harmount interviewed him, and
promised, if he did not oppose me, to cast their votes for
him. He agreed to this. Conference met that year, 1855,
at Sandusky, Bishop Ames presiding. The Rev. William
Arthur, an Irishman of great pulpit power, and author of
"The Tongue of Fire/' preached. His sermon produced
an immediate effect, the Conference adjourning in honor
of the event. When my name was proposed, the Rev.
72 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Joseph Wolf rose up and seconded the motion in a speech
of singular force, saying, in closing, "There is no danger,
and Brother Pepper will become a second Arthur." All
over the house there were responses, that sounded like the
"murmuring of many waters," "Admit him ! admit him !"
It was my first experience of a Methodist Conference.
The members seemed to be earnest, devoted, and consci-
entious men.
I was appointed to East Union Circuit. At one of
the appointments was a Know-Nothing Lodge, and they
declared war against my appointment. One of them, a
local preacher, even went so far as to say "he would meet
me with a shotgun." Danger being apprehended, the
presiding elder thought it necessary to accompany me.
When nearing the dangerous section, the elder got out
of the buggy, and went forward to an orchard, and prayed
that the threatened cloud might pass away. The prayer
was answered. He afterwards filled his pockets with
apples, which struck me as a strange proceeding for a
minister of the gospel to do without the consent of the
owner. He satisfied my misgivings, however, by saying:
"It is all right. In this free country you can take all the
apples you want."
I never can understand why it is that such political
prejudices should be cherished against those who by acci-
dent were not born in the United States. The noble-
hearted patriots who pledged their fortunes, risked their
lives and all that was dear to them upon earth, not merely
for Americans, but for all; the foreign soldiers, brave
as Caesar, who fought side by side with Washington, with
Gates, with Greene, with Sumter, Marion, and Morgan,
endured hardships that this country might be an asylum
for the oppressed! These foreigners fought upon all
EXPERIENCES AS A CIRCUIT RIDER. 73
Revolutionary fields. Go to the plains of the Carolinas,
to the battle-grounds of Bridgewater and Fort Erie, not
to speak of our recent war, there you will find that the
blood of foreigners was freely poured out in defense of
the American flag and American institutions.
In the first year of my ministry there were many
things which I had to learn; but the Church endured
kindly my lack of experience. I lived at a place called
Mohawk, in Coshocton County, where the society was
largely composed of Iris.h Methodists from Donegal.
There were the Moores, the Thompsons, the Givens, who
were devoted Christians and pronounced Republicans.
The Methams were English, one of whom, Pren Metham,
Ipecame a soldier, and was my colonel, and of whom I will
speak further as I proceed in my narrative. At East
Union there was an old gentleman, Nelson Edwards,
whose words of counsel gave me much help. And there
were the Marquands, a family of French Methodists.
Many a pleasant evening I have spent in their delightful
home. The local preacher who had threatened dire
things became a good friend ; indeed, he initiated me into
the Know-Nothing order one Sunday afternoon. I had
lectured upon America the evening before in his church,
and he was so delighted that the next day, when he was
going with me to an appointment, he asked if I would
like to become a Know-Nothing. I responded, "Yes, if
there is nothing in the order contrary to true American-
ism." He immediately proposed certain questions, and
administered an oath of fidelity to the Republic, which I
most cordially took. He then gave me the signs and
passwords of the order. A few days afterwards I was
at a to wn^ where there was a county meeting of the mem-
bers to nominate candidates for offices. I attended, walk-
74 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
ing up and down the hall giving the signs at a rapid rate.
There was great consternation. Here was a young Irish-
man, not much over a year from the old sod, not even a
citizen, and yet he was a Know-NothingJ I saw the pre-
dicament, and, apprehensive of danger, beat a hasty re-
treat. But for weeks and months it was the subject of
much conjecture. They had never seen me at any of
their Lodges, and they could not understand how I had
got in.
The local preacher was a character. He could neither
read nor write, but he was most fervent in prayer and
powerful in exhortation. He used to hold the hymn-book
wrong side up, and give out, "Come, Holy Spirit." Once,
when he was preaching, he said that Moses was three
days in the whale's belly; whereupon another brother ex-
claimed, "No, it was Jonah." But the preacher instantly
repeated his declaration, adding, "I will bet you a quarter
it was Moses !" He prayed so earnestly at a meeting one
Saturday night that the saying went about, "He is a
Bishop Simpson in prayer." The house was crowded
next day, and when I repeated what had been said to the
preacher, he replied, "I had better leave while my colors
are flying."
I have often thought it strange that the Methodist
Church should lend any help to prescriptive organiza-
tions, for she has suffered considerably from prejudices
herself. The very year I came to this country there were
lecturers passing all through the land denouncing the
Methodist Episcopal Church as the foe of the Republic;
that its bishops were great iron wheels ; that its presiding
elders were wheels next in size; and that the preachers
were lesser wheels, between which the Government was
to be crushed. A Baptist minister, the Rev. Mr. Graves,
EXPERIENCES AS A CIRCUIT RIDER. 75
published a book, called "The Great Iron Wheel," in
which the people were warned against the Methodists.
To this a trenchant reply was published by the famous
Parson Brownlow, entitled "The Great Iron Wheel Ex-
amined, and a Few of its False Spokes Extracted." The
excitement ran high, and the bitterness against Meth-
odism became almost as intense and widespread as after-
wards it was against the Roman Catholics.
The experiences in some of the class-meetings and
love-feasts upon these circuits were odd enough. I re-
member one brother, in relating his experience, said he
had his fault. I asked the class-leader what was the man's
fault, and he replied: "He is the greatest liar in the
county; you can not believe a word that he says."
My next field of labor was at Roscoe, where I found
a zealous and kind-hearted people. There were eight ap-
pointments, and I was expected to preach two or three
times every Sunday. I had for my colleague the Rev.
William Spafford, a preacher of singular power, an excel-
lent reader, and, for those times, very liberal. At one
place he injured his usefulness by declining to pray for
an old man who was asleep, saying that "the sleep would
do the aged man more good than his prayer." The
Comptons, the Ratilleys, the Pews, the Chalfants, the
Smiths, and the Dickersons were prominent in Church
work.
There was living in this circuit an old Virginia family
by the name of Bell, ardent Methodists. Two of them
became preachers, Benjamin and Thomas. Benjamin had
a good voice, was a revivalist, and every year reported
large accessions to his Church. His son is a leading mer-
chant in Fort Wayne. I was afterwards appointed to
New Comerstown, a large circuit. It was here that I
76 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
formed a life-long friendship for Mr. L. C. Davis. He
was not a member of any Church, but was a valued citi-
zen. So was George Dent, a man of benevolence and
patriotic impulses.
Keene, Coshocton County, my fourth appointment,
was a quiet and intelligent town. It was founded by
Yankees from New Hampshire. There were a large num-
ber of Irish the Boyds, the Moores, the Elliotts, the
Finleys, the Hays, the Johnstones. David Markley and
George Norman were leading Methodists. Here I built
a new church. It was dedicated in a sermon by the Rev.
Dr. Kingsley, editor of the Western Christian Advocate.
The text was, "The Spirit and the Bride say, Come." The
people were pleased, but somewhat surprised at the sim-
plicity of the sermon, preached by so eminent a scholar.
He afterwards became a bishop in the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, and was universally esteemed for his sin-
cerity.
My first serious difficulty commenced here. I
preached the Thanksgiving sermon at Keene, and in con-
trasting the privileges of the United States with England,
gave offense to some of the Irish members who had more
admiration for England than America. A member called
upon me in the afternoon, and angrily denounced me for
daring to criticise the British Government "the best
Government in the world," he said. He apologized the
next day, saying in his youth he had suffered an injury
to his head, which at times made his temper get beyond
his control. He explained to me how the accident oc-
curred: He, with a number of other young men, went to
an Irish wake, and, in a spirit of mischief, attached a rope
to the neck of the corpse. When the house was full, and
at a fitting moment of solemnity, they pulled the rope, so
/
EXPERIENCES AS A CIRCUIT RIDER. 77
that the body gradually rose to a sitting position-. Every
one was filled with terror, and a regular panic ensued.
When it was discovered who had perpetrated this miser-
able joke, they were pursued and soundly thrashed, while
my irate Irish Methodist received a fractured skull, which
he ever afterwards gave as a plausible excuse for his fierce
ebullitions of temper. He was a generous man withal,
and we afterwards became lasting friends.
I had a strong supporter in a young medical student,
William Carroll. He always took my part in disputed
questions. He afterwards rose to distinction as an army
surgeon, and became a successful practitioner in Phila-
delphia.
I was next assigned to Chesterville, Morrow County,
one of the best circuits in the Conference. It had many
appointments. I lived at Bloomfield, a New England
settlement, where the people were kind and friendly.
There were the Clarks, the Sears, the Jacksons, the Mar-
vins, the Throckmortons, the Lyons, the Conways, the
Reinharts, who were prominent in the Church. Chester-
ville was known all over the adjoining counties for its
fine seminary. James Connolly, an Irish boy, lived here
with his parents. He became a major in the army, and
was offered an important position by President Arthur.
He served several terms as a member of Congress from
Illinois. The Clarks, Roswells, and Sheldons were promi-
nent Methodists, and a son of the former, Rev. Wesley
Clark, became famous as a preacher. His widow lives in
Cleveland, with her son-in-law, Mr. Irwin, enjoying a tran-
quil old age, beloved by all. The Dunns, the Allisons,
the McVays, the Shurrs, the Kings, the Chases, the Kin-
sels, the Selbys, the Ketchums, the McMahons, all lived
in this place, and took a great interest in the young Irish
78 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
preacher. An incident, which grew out of my residence
in Chesterville, was told by Dr. Betts, an Episcopal
clergyman at St. Louis, before an Irish audience. I had
lectured in the Mercantile Library Hall, and Dr. Betts
was upon the platform. The crowd called him to the
front, when, after a few preliminary remarks, he told the
following story: "Some years ago a young Irishman
canae to the United States, entered the Methodist Con-
ference, and was sent to a circuit, where he became popu-
lar. When, according to the laws of the Church, it be-
came necessary for him to move, the young ladies of the
parish made for him a beautiful quilt, as a memento of his
residence among them. One young lady took particular
pains with her 'block,' and placed her name upon it. She
became so much in love with the Irish character that she
resolved to find an Irish husband. The young Irish
preacher already had a wife and family, and she must
therefore look elsewhere. In the course of time her fam-
ily came West, and settled in a town where there was an-
other young Irishman, rector of a Church. The result
was the young woman became my wife !"
I inquired into the circumstance, and found that the
lady was a Miss Ketchum. The quilt is^still in my family.
When I was on Chesterville Circuit an amusing inci-
dent occurred, which showed the humor and thrift of the
old Irish peddler. The circuit embraced twenty miles,
and I was known to every family in the region. Two
Irish peddlers soon found out that the preacher was from
Ireland, and they resolved to make the most of it. They
went about showing their goods, and mentioning, inci-
dentally, that it was five years since they had seen "dear
Cousin George." On this supposed relationship they sold
many tablecloths. At every house at which they stopped
EXPERIENCES AS A CIRCUIT RIDER. 79
they expressed such a desire to see "Cousin George," that
they could not remain long, and as soon as they had made
a sale, they hastily departed. At several places they ex-
hibited a very attractive table-cover, but did not wish to
sell it, as it was for their "Cousin George !" Such stories,
of course, at once created a desire in the hearts of the
good Methodist women to buy just that very table-cloth,
and, with murmuring protests, the peddlers would at last
yield to their entreaties. Another table-cloth, that was
exhibited with great caution and reserve, was one that
"had been made for the Queen's table, but was just two
inches too short!" A number of these, that had been
manufactured "for the Queen's table," were disposed of
in Chesterville Circuit. These Irish cousins failed to call
upon me ; but the alleged relationship was quite profitable
to them.
Rev. John A. Berry was my senior in years, but was
my true and good friend. I was upon this circuit three
different times. My colleagues were Mattison and Mof-
fat, both of them successful in their respective fields. The
former was an instructive preacher, the latter was a sweet
singer. Berry's forte was in revivals.
It was during my pastorate on this circuit that the
Prince of Wales visited the neighboring town of Dela-
ware. I lived not far from the college-town. The people
everywhere were wild with joy at the prospect of seeing
this young scion of royalty. To such an excess of fool-
ishness did this enthusiasm reach that a worrfan, a preach-
er's wife, rushed in front of the prince and kissed him,
and then almost expired in self-admiration. I shocked
some of my members by telling them I would rather see
a soldier of the Revolutionary War than all the princes
of the royal kingdom.
80 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Rev. Frank W. Gunsaulus, the famous preacher of
Chicago, was among my young hearers. His mother and
father were active Methodists.
Senator John Sherman was commencing his political
career as a candidate for Congress at this time. It was
an eventful period in the history of the country. John
Sherman represented the younq- Republican party. He
was then, as he has ever since been, the most orthodox
in his principles. His history has become a part of the
country. While many of the legislative flowers have
withered in the bud, he has reached a serene old age, re-
spected by the entire Nation. In one of my charges he
dined with a widow lady, who requested him to say grace.
He pleasantly declined, saying, "My wife always does
that."
Another gentleman who has held a seat in Congress,
and who afterward won distinguished honor in the army,
and subsequently became a successful banker in Colum-
bus, was General John Beatty. When I first heard him
speak, he stood at the corner of a street, upon a barrel,
and delivered a telling address, appealing to the people
for votes. He was elected, and in Congress proved him-
self to be a fearless advocate of his party and most faith-
ful to his friends.
I had said something in my book of "Sherman's Cam-
paigns" reflecting upon General Belknap, who was Sec-
retary of War. When the army was reorganized, Bel-
knap had not forgotten the criticism, and ordered me to
be left out. General Beatty, at the hour of midnight, saw
the Secretary, and I was retained.
When I entered the ministry I was very young, and I
thought that my ordination parchment qualified me for
the performance of any civil or religious functions. In
EXPERIENCES AS A CIRCUIT RIDER. 8 1
1856 I lived in the town of Roscoe, Coshocton County,
Ohio. I had scarcely settled down to my pastorate when
I was called upon to celebrate my first marriage cere-
mony. I did not hesitate a moment, but married the
couple, and they went away happy. A few days later
I met Judge Barnes, of the Probate Court, when I was re-
turning the certificate. He asked if I had obtained a
license from the court authorizing me to perform mar-
riages. 1 told him that was not necessary, as I was an
ordained minister. u This.is not enough. You must have
a license from the court, and you are now liable to a fine
of $500." To say I was frightened does not express my
feelings. "What had I better do?" The judge replied,
"Come over, and I will give you a license, and then you
must go and marry that couple again." The next day
I rode to the farm-house where the young farmer, with
his men, was harvesting. I explained the situation to his
wife, who was preparing dinner, and, as soon as the young
man came in, to him. He laughed immoderately, saying,
"I am perfectly satisfied as it is." I was not, however, as
that $500 fine loomed up before me. So the couple came
out into the hall, and I married them again.
The Church members of those early days of my min-
istry tell many jokes about my awkwardness in handling
a horse. But the most of them are merely the outcome
of a vivid imagination. For the truth of two, however, I
will frankly vouch. When I arrived in this country I had
never yet sat upon the back of a horse. Soon after my
appointment to my first circuit, it was necessary for me
to go a number of miles to visit a sick parishioner. A
neighbor kindly loaned me a horse, and aided me to
mount. All went well xintil I discovered that I had passed
the house. Then I endeavored to turn around; but un-
6
82 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
fortunately did not know enough to stop pressing on the
rein at the proper time, and the horse kept turning around
and around until I was dizzy and frightened. Probably
in my fright I loosened my hold on the rein ; for suddenly
the horse started down the road at a rapid pace, and never
stopped until in front of his owner's door.
When I had become a little more accustomed to this
mode of traveling about the country, I was one day re-
turning to Mt. Vernon from a country church, where I
had been preaching. It was my custom in coming to a
small stream to pass under instead of over the bridge, in
order to water my horse. On this occasion I had been
reading ; but being cramped with the long ride, I put the
book in my pocket, and raised my arms to stretch myself.
The bridge being low, I grasped one of the rafters. At
this instant the horse, who had slaked his thirst, feeling
the movement of my body, concluded it was an indication
to move on, which he did. My surprise was great when
I found myself suspended above two feet of water. The
horse had stopped a short distance away, turned around,
and was gazing at me with mild-eyed wonder. I was
obliged to drop into the water and wade to my horse.
Chapter V.
FROM PULPIT TO CAMP CHAPLAIN AND CAP-
TAINROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE.
THERE is a fascination about soldiering, all that por-
tion of the world knows that ever donned a uniform,
buckled on a sword, or marched to patriotic music,
whether the grand strains of "Hail Columbia" or any of
the soul-inspiring airs w r hich ring again to the echoes of
war amongst the nations of the earth.
The work of volunteering in this country in 1861 was
no holiday work, and the result of no fanciful sentiment.
We of the North had not been accustomed to military
maneuvering, and when it came it needed a stern per-
sonal spirit; not out of any unwillingness of the people
to drill, to train, and to enroll themselves, but simply
because they had been reared in peaceful pursuits. What
a contrast between that war and the Spanish- American !
Then, the North was divided ; the millionaire Mugwumps
and Copperheads of New York were indifferent, if not
openly hostile. Now, all classes are united. It was not
long after the firing upon Fort Sumter that in every
free State of the North there was a soldier, and the
States marshaled their citizens with the sublime deter-
mination to win.
In the latter part of 1861 I was pastor of the Meth-
odist Church at Keene, Coshocton County, Ohio. I
had preached war sermons and delivered war speeches,
helping to recruit regiments from the beginning of the
contest. One Sunday in particular I preached from the
83
84 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
text, "Out of the south cometh the whirlwind," and as
I told the incident of the first time I saw the flag in Ire-
land, when it floated over an old war-ship filled with pro-
visions for the starving people, the enthusiasm was over-
whelming. An old member, Joseph N. Wood, after the
sermon, rose up and immediately suggested that now
was the time and place to put that pledge into operation.
I answered that I had no paper and no pencil. "Never
mind," said Brother Wood, "take your hymn-book, and
here is my pencil." In a few moments, sixty had re-
sponded. In the afternoon I preached the same sermon
at another appointment, and several more were enrolled.
By the next day a hundred had signed their names,
The organization of a regiment was one of the most
important events of the Civil War, and among the earliest
to respond to the call of the President was the Eightieth
Ohio. It was recruited in the counties of Carroll, Tus-
carawas, and Coshocton, and also one company from
Columbiana. It was a stalwart body of men, receiving
applause and commendation from its various command-
ers. Many of its members, who went out in high spirits,
never returned. The historian of Ohio in the Civil War
gives the following list and dates of its battles and cam-
paigns, but it is far from being complete:
Corinth, Miss., Siege of, April 30 to May 30, 1862.
Farmington, Miss., May 9, 1862.
luka, Miss., . , September 19-20, 1862.
Corinth, Miss., October 4, 1862.
Raymond, Miss.; May 12, 1863.
Jackson, Miss., May 14, 1863.
Vicksburg, Miss., Siege of May 1 8 to July 4, 1863.
Mission Ridge, Tenn., November 25, 1863.
Salkahatchie, S. C., February 3-9, 1865.
Bentonville, N. C., March 19-21, 1865.
Sherman's march to the sea.
FROM PULPIT TO CAMP CHAPLAIN AND CAPTAIN. 85
No mention is made here of the battles of Adair,
Resaca, and Big Shanty, in all of which the Eightieth
participated.
The officers of the regiment when mustered into
service were as follows :
Colonel, Ephraim R. Eckley.
Lieutenant-Colonel, Matthias H. Bartilson.
Major, Richard Lan'hing.
Surgeon, Ezekiel P. Buell.
Assistant Surgeon Samuel Lee.
Assistant Surgeon, ....-.. Charles W. Buvinger.
Quartermaster, Clark H. Robinson.
Adjutant, Thomas W. Collier.
COMPANY" OFFICERS.
COMPANY A.
Captain, Isaac Ullman.
First Lieutenant, . . Sylvester Wallace.
Second Lieutenant, Frederick Buell.
COMPANY B.
Captain, Charles H. Mathews.
First Lieutenant Oliver C. Powelson.
Second Lieutenant, George F. Robinson.
COMPANY C.
Captain, John J. Robinson, Sr.
First Lieutenant, Daniel Korns.
Second Lieutenant, Christian Deis.
COMPANY D.
Captain, David Skeeles.
First Lieutenant, Michael C. West.
Second Lieutenant, James M. Scott.
Afterwards, Robert Hill, James McBain, Freeman Davis, James Mc-
Laughlin, and Sylvester West, now a prosperous merchant of Cleve-
land, were, I believe, in this company as officers.
COMPANY E.
Captain, Emerson Goodrich.
First Lieutenant, Daniel G. Hildt.
Second Lieutenant, . John T. Bedwell.
John Orme, Henry W. Kirby, James M. Cochran, George B. Wilson,
Christian Deis, and Ebenezer McFall were afterwards appointed or
promoted officers.
86 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
COMPANY F.
Captain, Pren. Metham.
First Lieutenant, Wm. Wagstaff.
Second Lieutenant, . Thomas W. Collier.
Peter Hack, James Carnes, Francis H. Farmer, Samuel H. Clark,
Wesley J. Welling, were subsequently appointed or promoted officers.
COMPANY G.
Captain, William Marshall.
First Lieutenant, James E. Graham.
Second Lieutenant, John D. Ross.
Milton B. Cutler, John W. Simmons, John Isenogle, and others,
afterwards were appointed or promoted officers.
COMPANY H.
Captain, George W. Pepper.
First Lieutenant, John Kinney.
Second Lieutenant, Jacob W. Doyle.
Of this Company, Wm. H. Anderson, Nicholas R. Tidball, Henry C.
Robinson, Sylvester M. Baldwin, Ezra D. Swan, and Charles D. Mc-
Clure, because of death or resignation, were promoted.
COMPANY I.
Captain, Joseph M. Anderson.
First Lieutenant, William P. Hay.
Second Lieutenant, Charles D. Espy.
William P. Hay, George Maw, Zaven Lanning, were afterwards
promoted.
COMPANY K.
Captain, John H. Gardner.
First Lieutenant, David Korns.
Second Lieutenant, James E. Graham.
Thomas C. Morris and Cyrus W. Borton were Captains in this
Company, as well as Francis M. Ross and Jesse H. Cateral.
Of my own company I give all the names :
ROSTER OF COMPANY H, BOTH REGIMENT, O. V., U. S. A.
Captain, George W. Pepper.
First Lieutenant, . John Kinney.
Second Lieutenant, J. W. Doyle.
First Sergeant, N. R. Tidball.
Second Sergeant, S. M. Baldwin.
FROM PULPIT TO CAMP CHAPLAIN AND CAPTAIN. 87
Third Sergeant, .
Fourth Sergeant, .
Fifth Sergeant, .
First Corporal, . .
Second Corporal,
Third Corporal, .
Fourth Corporal, .
Fifth Corporal, .
Sixth Corporal, .
Seventh Corporal,
Eighth Corporal, .
MUSICIANS.
Fifer, . .
Drummer,
H. W. Brelsford.
Robert Dickey.
F. A. Norman.
A. Teas.
J. H. P. Dimmock.
E. D. Swan.
Wm. H. Anderson.
. J. T. Crawford.
. J. B. Wilson.
\ P. Moore.
, A. Spellman.
P. S. Campbell.
, J. A. McClure.
Bailey, J.
Bell, H.
Bechtol, J.
Boyd, G. B.
Brown, R. E.
Baker, Perry,
Baker, R. L.
Clark, J. D.
Cook, T. J.
Cross, J. B.
Cross, EH.
Cross, H. P.
Chub, John.
Carnahan, W. J.
Cullison, F.
Davis, J. P.
Dayton, J.
Donley, James.
Decker, H. H.
Derr, J.
Dobson, Thomas.
Duffee, James.
Derr, W.
Ellis, S. H.
Ellis, J. F.
Failing, M.
Finlay, J. J.
PRIVATES.
Geren, S. P.
Goodhue, G. W.
House, J. E.
Hull, R. E.
Huff, G.' W.
Hout, W. H. R.
Hoyle, J.
Infield, Perry.
Infield, Phanas.
Infield, Chas.
Johnson, W. A.
Kinney, L.
Lint, C.
Lochart, F.
Laughead, M.
Lawrence, W.
McKee, W.
Mills, J.
Masten, J.
Marks, J.
Madden, S. B.
Madden, W.
Morrow, E. W.
Mulford, S.
Mulford, D.
Murrill, J. F.
Magness, H.
Miller, G. W.
Oglen, John.
Ogle, Jacob.
Oakleaf, J.
Poland, B.
Robinson, W. H.
Richards, W. H. H.
Ross, J.
Ricketts, A. C.
Rutherford, A.
Ridenbach, D.
Shaerii, H.
Syphert, W. A.
Stewart, W. F.
Stewart, J.
Sickels, D. P.
Steele, A.
Vankirk,J..
Wilson, T.
Warner, W.
Willis, W.
Willis, R. W.
Williams, J. R.
Watson, J.
Zook,J. B.'
88 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Adjutant Collier was never absent in victorious
marches and battles. Deep and wise, stealthy and with-
out ostentation, he was the admiration of the whole regi-
ment. Like the fabled knights of old, he seemed to be
subject to some enchantment which carried him through
all danger safely.
The Eightieth went out into the field with E. R.
Eckley, it returned with Pren Methan as its colonel
a pure, gallant, chivalrous man. In the neutral days,
when politicians balanced for and against slavery, Met-
ham was a bold and uncompromising Abolitionist. He
became a soldier, not only to save the Union, but also
to emancipate the slave. He was the /'self-sacrificing
chevalier of an oppressed race." He was of English
origin. His whole breed was British to the core; but
he had no sympathy with English hatred of the North.
When a lad he used to set audiences on fire with his
recitation of Robert Emmet's immortal vindication.
He grew strong and patriotic on such food. Colonel
Metham did not know what fear was. His personal gal-
lantry at Vicksburg was hailed with most enthusiastic
cheers by his regiment. His memorable soldierly abil-
ities have endeared him to all his officers and men. The
war being over, he retired to his large farm in Coshoc-
ton County, Ohio, where he spends his closing years in
peace, in good will toward men, and in the entertainment
of his hosts of friends. He never sought office, but would
travel a thousand miles to benefit a poor veteran. The
American Civil War knew no braver man generous,
hearty, and true in all the relations of life, was and is
my comrade and colonel/ Pren Metham.
As soon as I had raised my company, I telegraphed
the news to Governor Dennison. In an hour the reply
FROM PULPIT TO CAMP CHAPLAIN AND CAPTAIN. 89
came back: "God bless you! Report with your men at
Camp Meigs, and I will send your commission as captain."
I did as commanded; but being ignorant of military tac-
tics, I wished to decline the honor conferred upon me
by making me captain. This was not permitted; the
men insisting that I should remain at least a year, and
promising that some one would take charge of the drill-
ing. A competent man was soon found in Sergeant
N. Tidball, of Coshocton. The company was organized.
The first lieutenant was John Kinney; the second, J. W.
Doyle.
My command was Company H of the Eightieth Ohio
Volunteers. W. R. Eckley, of Carrollton, was the col-
onel, D. Lanning was the major, and M. H. Bartilson
the lieutenant-colonel. Eckley remained with us four
years, and resigned when he was elected to Congress.
He was a good lawyer, a kind-hearted man, and popular.
Bartilson was also a member of the bar, a thrilling
speaker, a thorough disciplinarian, and a brave soldier.
He was wounded at Corinth, from the effects of which
he never recovered. David Lanning was a gallant sol-
dier, and much beloved by the soldiers. He was killed
at the battle of Corinth while leading a charge against
the Rebels.
The morning we left our camp was a lovely one. The
sky was cloudless, the air bracing, and the streets of New
Philadelphia were crowded, with all the citizens cheering
and waving their handkerchiefs. Fathers, mothers, wives,
lovers, and children were among them, weeping as they
bade farewell to some, alas ! whom they would never see
again. Among the groups was my own little family,
waving me a farewell that might be forever. The next
town reached on our journey was Coshocton, where three
90 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
or four companies were recruited. Here, also, were im-
mense crowds. Every house displayed flags and other
emblems of loyalty. The enthusiasm was unbounded.
As there are thorns among roses, thistles among the
green, and vipers among the lower creations, so there
were Copperheads here, who silently breathed out their
venom. One of these was heard to say, as I marched
at the head of my company, "There is that preacher
Pepper! I would like to shoot him!"
Arriving at the camp, the men were assigned to their
quarters; and when Sunday came, I preached from the
text, "Paul reasoned upon righteousness, temperance,
and judgment." During the sermon I had four inter-
ested listeners -James Campbell, his brother, and their
wives. They came from the same part of Ireland that
I did, and had known me as a child. At the conclusion
of the discourse, one of the wives rushed up, loosened
my collar, and examined my neck for a scar left by a
severe scalding I had received in childhood. As soon
as she saw the scar, she shouted, much to the surprise
of the crowd, "Yes, Jimmy, it is George Pepper ! Come I
come!" The Campbells are a noble family. After the
war I spent many a happy evening with them, talking
over old times. There I made the acquaintance of Simp-
son Harmount, a War Democrat, and a whole-souled man.
I was his guest frequently afterward, and he showed me
many personal kindnesses. I also met Judge Patrick,
a patriotic man, a good citizen, and an indefatigable
editor, as well as entertaining conversationalist. He was
the father-in-law of Joseph Meclill, the famous newspaper
man.
After remaining a day or two at Cincinnati, the regi-
ment moved south, stopping at Nashville, where I called
ROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE. 91
upon Mrs. Polk, the widow of the President. She was
a strong Union, woman. I complimented her appear-
ance for one so old, and she answered me, "I am but
a shadow of my former self." "Yes," I replied, "but a
beautiful shadow," whereupon she laughed most pleas-
antly. Then we took our departure for Mississippi, paus-
ing for awhile at Paducah. The battle of Shiloh had
just been fought, and the soldiers were moving forward.
What a scene Cairo presented ! There were regiments
there from every Western State soldiers everywhere.
Cairo was the dirtiest place I ever saw.
The regiment was now ordered to Corinth, Missis-
sippi. The first battle was that of Farmington. The
engagement was short and sharp. One of the officers of
the regiment was retreating at the first volley of the
enemy. I asked him, as he passed me, where he was
going. "I am going home, Captain. It is too much of a
risk for a man with a large family." He resigned, but
afterward re-entered, and did good service in the field.
The battle of Inka soon followed. General W. S.
Rosecrans was everywhere, cheering and encouraging
the troops. It was a superb spectacle to see the bronzed
and warrior figure leading the army with the words,
"Come on, boys ! We '11 I-uker them to-day !" General
Price was in command of the enemy. The Eightieth
Ohio behaved admirably in this fight, marching right up
to the muzzle of the guns.
The siege of Corinth succeeded, with its long days
and weeks of waiting, and the deafening sounds of its
heavy cannon. General Price was in command of the
Rebels. Pope was our general. There has been much
criticism of the general's management of this siege. The
battle afterwards was desperate and full of thrilling in-
92 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
cidents. Some of the Eightieth fell here Bartilson, Lan-
ning, Robinson; and many were wounded.
I had in my company an odd individual, who fancied
that he would surely be killed in battle. The fact was,
he was a most arrant coward, and was always in the hos-
pital. Before one of the battles in Mississippi he wrote
to his wife: "Dear wife, there is to be a dreadful battle
to-morrow. I will be killed. This is the last letter you
will ever receive from your loving husband. Bring up
the children to honor their patriotic father, who died
for the Union. Farewell! farewell!" Then he added
a postscript, showing that the ruling passion was strong
in death : "Do n't forget to sell the wool to the highest
bidder." My friend is still living, and the last I heard
from him he was trying to get a pension. There were
few such cowards in the regiment. The Eightieth en-
gaged in all the principal battles in Mississippi, culmi-
nating in the capture of Vicksburg, which electrified the
Nation, and especially the ardent Union men and women./'
Never was there a more noble feat of arms than the cap-
ture of this city, and in that capture the dear old regi-
ment was foremost. The position of the Confederates
was most formidable. General Pemberton had forty
thousand to defend his position. They lost great num-
bers, and the conduct of our army was equal to anything
it had ever done. After Vicksburg came Mission Ridge,
where for three days the Confederates fought desper-
ately bayoneted at their guns rather than surrender.
The Blue Coats marched right into the forts, and planted
their flags, at the same time killing all they came across.
When the Confederate general saw our soldiers on the
top of the ridge, under the terrible fire of his artillery,
he threw up his hat, and cried out, "It is not with men
ROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE, 93
I have to contend, but with demons !" General Wiley
lost a leg. He rendered valuable service in this most
brilliant victory. He still lives, honored and beloved
by his fellow-citizens, in Wooster, Ohio.
After a furlough, on account of ill-health, I rejoined
the regiment at Huntsville, Alabama, as chaplain. This
office had been kept vacant for me during my illness, in
the hope that I might return. Before starting, I received
a courteous invitation from Governor Tod to join his
party at Gettysburg, where President Lincoln was to
deliver an address. I have always regretted my decli-
nation of this kind invitation. I went direct to Huntsville,
one of the most delightful spots in the South. On Sun-
day I went with a lieutenant to hear the celebrated Dr.
Ross, who ranked high as a pulpit orator. His sermon
was the very highest vindication of the Southern cause
that I had ever heard. In my volume, "Personal Recol-
lections of Sherman's Campaigns in Georgia and the
Carolinas," I have given a full outline of this remarkable
effort. The lieutenant who accompanied me was a mem-
ber of the Eightieth, and he was always doing something
ridiculous and laughable. As we were passing a large
mansion, some ladies were just entering, on their return
from church. Bob, as he was familiarly called in the regi-
ment, noticing them, suddenly stopped. "There are my
father's old friends," he said. "They were delegates to
the Presbyterian General Assembly, at Steubenville. Let
us ring the bell, and make ourselves known." I remon-
strated, but he was decided ; so in we went. The lieu-
tenant greeted the ladies courteously, told them who he
was, and referred to his religious training; praised Dr.
Ross's sermon, and then introduced me as his chaplain.
With true Southern hospitality, we were invited to dine.
94 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
We sat down to a sumptuous repast, when Bob said,
"Chaplain, now ask a blessing!"
The great battle up to this time was fought at Kene-
saw, where there is one of the most magnificent views
ever seen anywhere. A valley on all sides in billowy sur-
prises, rolling higher and higher, on whose crests are
the white lines of the homes of Atlanta. Southward,
the blue dome rises, lifts its head above, and overlooks
the eminences of the country it is Stone Mountain, that
rises like a huge loaf, and twenty miles south of the crest
where Atlanta rests in her beauty. Eastward is the lovely
village of Marietta, gleaming out of luxuriant foliage
like an emerald in a cluster of diamonds. Of the battle
of Kenesaw the Confederate General French said, "We
sat there hours, looking down upon seventy thousand
troops arrayed in the strife of battle." It was a pageant
on a grand scale. One of our colonels who was captured
described it as "the most severe ordeal that my nervous
system has ever undergone." We were within two hun-
dred yards of the Rebel works, and not a shot was fired.
Another hundred yards, and still no explosion ! I now
began to feel a little strange. Another hundred yards,
and still no sign of life ! Another hundred yards, and we
were certainly within range of musketry; but there was
no sign of life in the intrenchments. Now, over me be-
gan to come a great feeling of dread. I would have
turned and fled, but for fear of disgrace, which was
stronger than the horror of death. I knew what was .com-
ing when we were within twenty yards of the intrench-
ments. From all along the line protruded scores and hun-
dreds of muskets. I knew that every holder of a musket
was picking out his man. This continued but for a few
moments, when above all the sounds, distinct and clear,
ROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE. 95
I heard the command given, "Now, men, fire!" In-
stantly, from along the entire line, there seemed, like a
lightning flash, to burst forth a sheet of flame. I was
struck, and fell senseless; but when I recovered, and
turned to look, there were just seven men in my regiment
standing."
The assault upon Atlanta lasted for several days.
General Johnston had been supplanted by General Hood,
who was a daring and reckless leader. On the morning
of the 22d of July a most violent cannonade raged for
hours. The enemy fought with desperation. The women
and children were hiding in holes dug in the earth, while
our shells fell in showers around them. General McPher-
son's death cast a temporary gloom over the troops; but
when fiery John A. Logan took command, despondency
was changed to victory, and our brave boys began to
storm the lines in every direction. They were received
by a shower of balls. The Confederates fought like mad-
men, but the struggle was of short duration. Finally
the whole city was surrendered, by Major Calhoun, after
a sharp correspondence between Generals Sherman and
Hood. The City Council agreed to unconditional sur-
render. Then the joyful telegram from General Sher-
man to Abraham Lincoln was sent : "Atlanta is ours, and
fairly won!" This telegram set the country wild with
rejoicing. It was a most critical and momentous victory.
Gold had gone up to 300, the earth burned like an oven,
France and England had arranged to interfere in favor
of the South, a Northern Convention had declared the
war a failure; but the capture of Atlanta changed all
these plans. To the air of "John Brown's soul is march-
ing," the troops took up their advance to points further
South nobody knew where, except General Sherman.
96 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
The army was separated into two divisions, commanded
by Generals Slocum and Howard. The country was
pleasant. We traversed splendid hills and valleys, soon
to be laid waste, and bearing all the marks of war a
most eloquent plea for the Peace Society. We soon
reached Howell Cobb's plantation. The soldiers knew
him to be a daring and courageous leader of the Con-
federates, and they desired to burn his elegant mansion.
They asked General Sherman for permission. He re-
fused, but said, "I believe if I were in command, I would
take a nap !" General Ostarhouse took the hint, and
putting his blanket over his head, said, "I goes to sleep
for fifteen minutes." He woke up; the fire had not yet
done its work. "I sleeps ten minutes more."
At length Fort McAllister was reached, the key of
Savannah. Although it was December, the weather was
warm and calm as a summer's day at home. The order
was given to attack the fort. It was a most exciting and
splendid sight ; for we could see every movement. At
every discharge of the guns there was the exclamation,
"There goes another!" General Sherman was watching
the result. Soon hurrahs were heard, and the fort was
ours. General Sherman sent this dispatch to President
Lincoln: "I beg to present you a Christmas gift, the
city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns and
twenty thousand bales of cotton." President Lincoln
sent back the reply: "Many thanks for your Christmas
gift. When you were about leaving, I was anxious; now,
that the undertaking has been a success, the honor is all
your own."
Savannah is the Queen City of the South. The streets,
with their waving, sparkling foliage; the magnificent
squares, which are the lungs of city life ; the Gothic aisles
ROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE. 97
and spacious avenues of Bona Ventura, are worth a visit
to see; the old cemetery, where the streams of life have
ceased to flow, and where General Oglethorpe and the
pioneers of Georgia sleep in peace; the Pulaski monu-
ment, reared upon the very spot where the patriotic Pole
fell fighting for American independence; the Orphanage
of Whitefield, a blessed fountain of charity ; the superbly-
poised and beautifully-dressed women; .the proverbial
Southern hospitality, extended even to Yankees! I was
fortunate in meeting a namesake, Thomas Pepper, whose
princely home was thrown open to myself and friends
by the generous owner and charming family. Every-
thing, from cellar to garret, was at our command. This
namesake was from Tipperary, and all his actions
showed it :
" Tall was his form, his heart was warm,
His spirit light as any fairy ;
His face as wrathful as the storm
1 Which shakes the hills of Tipperary."
These recollections have not faded away under a less
sunny sky, but, refreshed and fed by the currents of a
heart which is not yet hardened; shall bloom, like flowers
around the monument reared within the hidden regions
of my sympathies, to the memory of Jasper and the city
for which he died.
Broad River separated us from Columbia. How was
it to be crossed in the face of a withering fire? The
pontoniers soon solved that problem. The soldiers rep-
resented all professions the engineer, the carpenter, the
miner, the architect, and the bridge-builder were all there.
The Yankee soldier was a most practical man. He real-
ized more than Kipling ever dreamed of when he de-
scribed "Her Majesty's jolly soldier and sailor too." Our
7
98 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
soldiers were the most adaptable of men. They could tear
up railroads at night, and relay the rails in the morning;
they could burn bridges, and rebuild them; they could
carry muskets, and command armies. A British critic
was surprised to find a private soldier reading in the At-
lantic Monthly a scientific article which he had written
in the trenches. There were brains in our bayonets. The
sun shone with a dazzling brilliancy upon the houses of
the doomed city. Its bright beams revealed all objects
plainly: the river, a shining flood, rolling on majestically;
the broad and beautiful street, shaded by magnificent old
trees, tall and splendid. Columbia sparkled brightly
in the sunlight. The pontoons being laid, we were soon
over, the sun shining out with additional brilliancy, flood-
ing with its sunlight the waving foliage and the green
fields of the surrounding landscape. As we marched
up the street, an old colored woman, more than eighty
years of age, with tears streaming down her furrowed
cheeks, exclaimed, "Thank God, our saviors have come
at last !"
We had just left Goldsboro, en route to Raleigh, and
were in the very disagreeable business of laying cordu-
roy bridges across a miserable swamp, when a rider was
seen in the dim distance waving a flag. General Logan
turned, and said to me, "What does that mean?" The
tired soldiers soon caught a glimpse of the man, and then
eager eyes turned in his direction. The thousands of
troops heaved like the ocean under the throb of a storm.
The rider came nearer a voice was heard, and every
soldier placed his hands behind his ears to catch the
distant words, which fell like music upon our ears like
blessed music "Lee and his whole army have surren-
dered to General Grant!" Cheers greeted the news
ROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE. 99
cheers such as the foreign monarch never heard; cheers
that shook the plains ; cheers such as the heavens seldom
hear. The army was formed into a hollow square, and
the chaplain gave out the doxology, "Praise God, from
whom all blessings flow!" O, how they did sing it! I
have heard camp-meetings sing, when thousands made
the welkin ring; I have heard scores of Englismen sing
"God save the Queen !" I have heard Grand Army re-
unions keep time to the air, "John Brown's soul is march-
ing on," but none were ever so sweet, so grand, so
overwhelming, as the doxology sung by the soldiers that
day in the swamps of North Carolina. The boys hugged
and kissed each other. The words, "Lee and his whole
army have surrendered," were as a fountain of sweet
waters in the desert. The soldier thought of home, of
wife, of babies, of the bright handsome faces of his boys
and girls, of the beloved parents whom he had not seen
for years. There were others in that joyous crowd whose
thoughts were sad when they remembered vacant chairs
and loved ones they would never see again.
" Poor girl, her name he dared not speak ;
But something on the soldier's cheek
Wiped out the stain of powder."
And there were those at home whose thoughts, too,
were sad.
" And Irish Norah's eyes were dim
For a soldier dead and gory ;
And English Mary wept for him
Who sang of Annie Laurie."
Of this event I will quote Judge Ricks's recollections:
"General Cox had received a sealed letter, and noticing
the genial face brighten, I knew that the letter from Gen-
eral Sherman contained good news. Before he read it
100 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
to the troops, he ordered all hats to be taken off, and
the throats to be cleared for three rousing cheers. My
horse became frightened, and before I could gather my
bridle reins, the thought flashed upon me that that would
be glorious news to announce to the whole army. The
twenty-fifth army corps had heard the shouting I cried
out : k Lee and his whole army have surrendered ! Make
way for the bearer of the glorious news !' Onward I
pressed my way through the surging ranks. I can not
describe the effect some fainted, some shouted them-
selves hoarse. General Casement, as I came within hail-
ing distance, cried out, 'Ricks, what is it? for God's sake
what is it?' 'Lee has surrendered!' Quick as a flash,
he clapped his hands together, and, with a wild yell,
turned a complete somersault on the road, and hurried
to his command with the tidings. In one of the regi-
ments, as I was sweeping through the ranks, a soldier
cried, 'What is it?' 'Lee has surrendered!' Clear and
loud, above all the voices, was his reply, 'Great God, you
are the man I have been looking for for the last four
years !' ' What a world of meaning there was in that
prompt answer! The whole Nation was looking for it.
Every word ran through our hearts like a balsam. No
poet that has woven around that war the finest web of
words that imagination ever wedded to patriotic music,
could describe the emotions of the soldiers upon that
memorable day. After a few hours of rejoicing, the word
was given to advance with speed, and in a day or two
we were in the historic city of Raleigh. General Kil-
patrick was the first to enter. He exultingly waved the
Stars and Stripes. The soldiers crowded to the Capitol,
where there was a plentiful supply of liquors. I entered,
with Joseph McCullough, the famous war correspondent,
ROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE. IOI
and Colonel Sowers, of Cleveland, a soldier for whom a
shower of bullets had no terrors. He served with honor
through the entire war, gallantly leading his men wher-
ever danger called. In reference to this entrance to Ra-
leigh, Colonel Sowers is very fond of telling of a chaplain
from Ohio who would not touch a drop of liquor when
every other soldier was drinking in honor of the victor.
He generally finishes the story with the words, "And he
was a chaplain at that !"
At Greensboro, speaking of General Sherman's
March, the Confederate chief, General Johnston, said he
"made up his mind that there had been no such an army
since the days of Julius Caesar." Yes, it was the great-
est march in all history ; nothing like it has ever occurred.
All the soldiers were happy. General Johnston met Gen-
eral Sherman at Durham, fifteen miles from Raleigh, on
a beutiful April day, when the atmosphere was filled with
the perfume of flowers. Our cup of joy was running
over. I preached on the campus of the Capitol to an
audience of Confederate and Federal soldiers. Many gen-
erals of both armies were present. It was a glorious day.
The text was: "Glory to God in the highest. Peace on
earth and good will toward men." Sympathy was ex-
pressed for the heroic and wounded hearts of the Con-
federates, and the victorious were admonished to be mod-
erate in their jubilation, and to remember Southerners as
unsurpassed in valor. But alas ! the transition from happi-
ness and cheers was brief' for a cloud had fallen upon the
brilliant scene Lincoln was dead ! It is due to the people
of Raleigh to say that they shared with us in our wild
grief. The leading citizens appeared on the streets with
emblems of mourning. Our generals gave positive orders
that there should be no violence. It was pitiable to see
102 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
the colored people. Their day was turned into darkened
night ; their sorrow was heart-rending. "They have killed
good Massa Lincoln ; but God be libing yet, God be libing
yet! They can't kill Him!"
The march of General Sherman's army closed with
the grand review at. Washington. It was a sight well
worthy of that illustrious army. The day was beautiful ;
the Army of the Potomac had been reviewed the day be-
fore; the atmosphere was pleasant; the sun shone in un-
clouded splendor; the inscription was everywhere seen,
"The only national debt the Nation can never pay is that
one which we owe our soldiers." All the avenues were
crowded; the great generals, Cabinet officers, and gov-
ernors were seated together; the diplomatic corps was
near them. I had a splendid seat, and could see the
sublime movements. The display was the most magnifi-
cent in modern times. At the head rode General Sher-
man, with his staff; he was greeted with cheers such a
shout was never heard. Every one welcomed the heroes.
The universal opinion was, that there never was such an
army. A wounded soldier handed a bouquet to General
Sherman. "Give it to General Howard," he said. The
last grand scene was closed. Every American who saw
it felt his pulses quicken. He will never see such another
military display. Not merely two hundred thousand men ;
but what soldiers! Who would not rather see the three
hundred of Thermopylae than the millions of Xerxes?
It is not because two hundred thousand are in uniform,
but because they are heroes. The grand pageant was
something more than material miles of gleaming bayo-
nets, and the long rolling thunder of parks of artillery,
which make a Republic. National pride finds a deeper
and loftier satisfaction in the belief that this great array
ROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE. 103
is the herald of a new era an era of peace ; that it is that
which gives to the spectacle its moral and sublime sig-
nificance, beyond all Greek and Roman fame.
I could fill many pages with memorable stories of the
soldiers' wit and humor in this famous compaign, but I
have only space for a few.
There was a chaplain who was always invited, and
who never failed to accompany officers in their tours of
observation. One day this chaplain was going the grand
rounds of the camps. In .the course of his travels he saw
a soldier who had placed his musket in a horizontal po-
sition, while his lips were applied to the barrel. "Stop!
stop ! For heaven's sake do n't shoot yourself !" shouted
the chaplain. The soldier laid down the musket quietly.
The officer walked up to the man, and smelled some-
thing stronger than water. "What were you going to do
with that musket? Did you mean to kill yourself?" asked
the chaplain. "No," said the soldier, "it was cleaning the
musket I was, and I put the least taste of whisky into
the barrel to get the powder out of it, your honor." "I
thought the musket was loaded," said the chaplain.
"No," said the officer, "it was the man who was loaded."
When General Howard was marching through with
us, General Whittlesey, who was formerly a clergyman,
but now was General Howard's adjutant-general, was with
him. One day, General Howard drove into a farmyard,
from which General Whittlesey was leaving. A woman
and her daughter were standing outside the door. "My
good woman, will you kindly give me a drink of water?"
"No, get out of my yard ! A lot of more impident Yan-
kees I never seed !" "But I have done nothing." "That
sojer insulted me," pointing to General Whittlesey. "He
axed me for a drink of water, and when I done give it to
104 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
him, he sassed me." "But but that is General Whittle-
sey, of my staff I am sure not a rude man." "Maw,"
said the girl, pulling Tier mother's dress, "I reckon he
moughten have meant anything misbeholden." "Hush!
Do n't I know low-down, blackguard talk when I hear
it? He axed me what was the State of my nativity?"
One of the stragglers came up to a rich and imposing
Southern residence. The lady was standing in the door,
and saluted him with the greeting, "Do you know, sir,
that you are in the presence of the Southern chivalry?"
"Yes, madame, and do n't you know I am one of the
shovelry of the North?"
The fighting of the gallant 8oth Regiment was no
mere holiday work, but real, hard, desperate war. Fre-
quently the contending armies would encamp in reach of
each other, and the red dawn of morning shone on a
redder field. The battles of the regiment in Mississippi
alone were a succession of victories. Vicksburg, where
they fought forty days, and where they verily embraced
death, was one of the most triumphant. Although at-
tacked by superior numbers, they, with their characteristic
enthusiasm, parried the enemy, until the banner of the
Stars and Stripes floated proudly in the breeze, and the
whole country hailed the surrender of the city with ex-
clamations of joy. But their greatest glory was at Mis-
sion Ridge, where they fought so desperately and bravely
that in only a few hours one hundred and fifty of their
men had fallen. Among them was my first lieutenant,
John Kinney, a Rebel bullet having pierced his noble
heart. His son also was killed. The battle of Mission
Ridge will be forever a bright spot in the escutcheon of
the Nation. After taking part in several other engage-
ments, the regiment followed Sherman, with a romantic
ROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE. 105
chivalry, in his March to the Sea. It did not participate
in the battle of the 22d of July, before Atlanta's grim
walls. Nevertheless, it was not idle. It helped to win the
victory of Altoona Pass, when the brave, patient Corse
was the victor. After the battle of Bentonville, the last
of the war, this regiment, with others, forced the Con-
federates to fly across the Neuse River. It witnessed the
surrender of Johnston, and then marched to Washington,
where it was reviewed with all the honors of war.
A word as to a few of -the officers, whom I knew per-
sonally, may be of interest to their friends.
The colonel of the regiment, E. R. Eckley, of Carroll,
was a lawyer. He had come from the farm, studied law,
opened an office in Carroll, and soon became famous as a
verdict getter. He sat for six years in the halls of Con-
gress, where he rendered valuable service to his country.
Such a man was worthy to be colonel of such a regiment.
Bartilson, the lieutenant-colonel, was a good fighter.
He died covered with wounds received at the battle of
Corinth.
Lanning, the major, was ever foremost, and was killed
in the battle of Corinth while gallantly leading his men.
Major David Skeeles was a Christian gentleman, and
proved that the highest courage was not incompatible
with a manly Christian character. He used to repeat the
words of Montgomery to his beautiful wife as he left for
Quebec, "You shall never be ashamed of your Mont-
gomery !" This was an inspiration to the gallant Skeeles.
Major Thomas C. Morris was of Quaker descent. His
soldiership, steadiness in battle, and coolness in danger,
were always conspicuous in these thrilling times. Frank
Farmer, H. M. Kirby, I. M. Ross, William Hay, George
Maw, and McCall, privates, rose from the ranks and
106 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
became noted for their happy daring and indomitable
firmness.
Captain Cochran was a knightly soldier of freedom
and righteousness, calm, and yet, in danger, how prompt
and fearless!
Major Mathews, never boastful, but no soldier showed
a more supreme contempt for death, proudly facing the
rain of bullets, and bequeathing lasting memories of his
ability and capacity.
Captain O. B. Powelson, brave, gallant, and chival-
rous. His wounds bear noble testimony to his patriotism,
his valor, and his manhood.
Captain David Korns always delighted the boys, after
a day's march, with stories of adventure. He was gifted,
generous, and brave as a lion to fight; but showing the
courtesy of a woman to the weak and suffering. Captain
Korns was a grand specimen of a gallant and sterling
American.
James M. Scott was a good soldier, and a genial and
good-hearted man.
George F. Robinson never failed to make a gallant
fight. He always showed himself to be a man of broad
views, enlightened politics, and large toleration.
Captain William Marshall was the best student of mili-
tary tactics in the regiment. He was intelligent, critical,.
and a soldier brave to a fault.
Captain Deis, a solid and unostentatious boy, always
picked out his man, and then went for him. The tougher
the battle, the more merciless the fire; there Chris Deis
loved to be, and there he was in his glory.
Captain Daniel J. Hildt was a fine specimen of a sol-
dier, and his career was glorious. He was the very pink
and flower of a dashing cavalier.
ROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE. 107
Captain James Carnes was a character ! He had been
a soldier in the Mexican War, and came into the regiment
stamped with the seal of success. A generous, jolly, cour-
ageous fellow was Carnes.
Young Robinson, who was killed at Corinth, was a
real soldier. Everything associated with his memory is
hailed with a loving reverence. The quartermaster,
Clark Robinson, was also an admirable man. The poorest
soldier complaining of his rations never failed to find a
champion in him.
Dr. Buell was a model surgeon, intelligent, bold, and
capable. Though quiet and unostentatious in his actions,
his treatment was scientific and skillful. Dr. Lee was
wise, prompt, and sympathetic. Dr. Buvinger had a
mind to analyze and a hand to execute the most difficult
cases. Dr. Tope was equally efficient and successful.
I have spoken elsewhere of Colonel Metham; but a
word here will be in order. The whole regiment speaks
with great pleasure of his fearlessness, of his heroism, of
his absolute disregard of death. The regiment was fortu-
nate in its division and brigade commanders. General
Raum, the division commander, possessed iron hardihood
of body, a quick and sure vision, a well-stored mind, and
a courageous heart. He was, as a commander, unsur-
passed. He possessed that rare faculty of coming to
prompt and sure conclusions in the presence of great
emergencies. He is an able lawyer there is.no quackery
in his arguments. He has been in Congress, and was at
one time Commissioner of Pensions. General Raum is
a graceful speaker, and in private life a pleasant and com-
panionable gentleman.
Honorable mention might be made of the companion
regiments of the Both Ohio; namely the 56th Illinois,
108 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Colonel Hall, and the I7th Iowa, Colonels Weaver,
Archer, and Roper..
Captain Isaac Ulman, of Company A, was every inch
a soldier and a gentleman. When the opportunity oc-
curred, he fought with courage and gallantry. James
McBain, sober as a judge, cool and collected, but, when
danger was nigh, brave as Caesar. I regret that I have
not a list of the heroic enlisted men such men as Charles
G. McClure, Joseph Finley, Thomas J. Cook, A. C. Rick-
etts. Though no star or eagle decorated their shoulders,
they fought with a bravery worthy of the best traditions
of American heroism.
The Soth Ohio was mustered in between January i
and October 21, 1862, in Columbus and Cincinnati, and
was mustered out at Little Rock, Arkansas, August 13,
1865. I organized my company, and reported with it at
Camp Meigs, Ohio, November 15, 1861. I was appointed
captain of this company January 7, 1862. I resigned, on
account of ill-health, in June of the same year, and on
December 3, 1863, was appointed chaplain of the regi-
ment. I remained with it for three years, or until it was
mustered out in 1865.
I append here the letter requesting my appointment
as chaplain of the 8oth Ohio Volunteer Infantry :
PETITION OF MEMBERS OF THE EIGHTIETH O. V. I. FOR
MY APPOINTMENT AS CHAPLAIN OF THAT REGIMENT.
"HEADQUARTERS EIGHTIETH O. V. I., \
DIXON STATION, ALA., Oct. 27, 1863. /
"HON. DAVID TOD, GOVERNOR OF OHIO:
"Sir, We, the undersigned, commissioned officers of
the 8oth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, respectfully ask that
you commission Rev. George W. Pepper chaplain of the
regiment. Reverend Pepper was elected captain of Com-
ROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE. 1 09
pany H, 8oth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, at the time of its
organization, and served in that capacity with distinction
to himself and great credit to the cause, until, from ill-
health, he was compelled to resign. By appointing him
chaplain of this regiment, you will but reward merit and
gratify all concerned.
FRANCIS H. FARMER, Capt. Co. D.
JAMES CARNES, Capt. Co. B.
H. M. KIRBY, ist Lieut. Co. E.
THOMAS C. MORRIS, Capt. Co. K.
OLIVER C. POWELSON, ist. Lieut. Co. A.
JOHN KINNEY, Capt. Co. H.
J. M. Ross, ist Lieut. Co. K.
WM. HAY, ist Lieut. Co. .
GEORGE F. ROBINSON, ist Lieut. Co. C.
GEORGE MAW, .
"Approved : PREN. METHAM, Lieut. Col. Soth O. V. I."
"HEADQUARTERS EIGHTIETH O. V. 1
GOLDSBORO, N. C., April 7, 1865
"REV. GEORGE w. PEPPER:
"Dear Sir, I can not take leave of my old regiment
without bearing willing testimony to your Christian char-
acter as a minister, to your devotion to the work of your
profession as a chaplain, to your courage and patriotism
as a soldier of the United States. I have seen you on the
march, in camp, and on the tented field, and have never
seen anything in your conduct inconsistent with your
profession of Christianity. Our intercourse in the dis-
charge of our mutual duties has been cordial and har-
monious, and my grief in parting from you and my noble
regiment is poignant.
"PREN. METHAM, Col. of the Soth Ohio."
GENERAL NELSON A. MILES.
"WHY wait until great men are under the sod to
render honor to their virtues and attainments?" wrote
the Italian, Bovio ; and "Why, indeed," I repeat to myself,
110 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
"should words of praise and appreciation be held back
until the ears that should hear them are closed forever to
mortal sound? Why not speak them to ears vibrating
with life, that they may know the world honors, and ap-
preciates, and loves them for their services to mankind?
It is for this reason, this beautiful idea of honoring the
living, that I have spoken openly of men who are living
to-day. It is for this reason that I speak of a soldier
whose gallant conduct was signalized on every battle-
field of Virginia, General Nelson A. Miles, General
of the Army. He was my colonel in the regular army
nearly thirty years ago, when I learned to honor the
sturdy strength and nobility of his character; and I have
watched his rising career with interest all these years.
He belongs to that class of men who are made for an
era ; original in thought and courageous in the expression
of it; a hater of mere conventionalities, and superior to
the meaner cupidities that influence lesser minds
He is courageous, but not reckless in the execution of
his plans. Courage and recklessness are two very differ-
ent things; for the one is the virtue of the wise man, the
other the vice of the fool. Accordingly, when a wise man
or a fool encounters the same risk, there is a disparity be-
tween the stakes which they severally bring to the cost.
The one hazards an immense train of consequences, duly
weighed and estimated much cost, much pain, and many
obstacles, calmly contemplated and felt in anticipation;
the other, only some baseless conjectures, some idle
dreamings of what may possibly happen. It was there-
fore a sober truth, though only meant for a jest, when,
after a battle, a soldier claimed credit for more heroism
than his comrades, because, while they professed indiffer-
ence to danger, he had himself been horribly frightened,
ROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE. Ill
and yet had not run away. It may be honestly said of
Miles that, although possessed of the most brilliant mili-
tary talents, he never rushed into battle with reckless
haste, but with all his plans of action prepared ; and it was
for this reason that, as a soldier and fighter and winner of
battles, he obtained great successes, and was everywhere
distinguished by some daring action. His bravery pro-
cured him the approval of his superior officers, and se-
cured promotion after promotion. His intense tenacity
of purpose was certainly heroic. In that quality he may
compare favorably with the most famous soldiers of an-
tiquity. The battle-fields of Virginia were the true thea-
ters of his glory, because it was there he displayed his
best quality most advantageously. But it is not only as
a soldier that General Miles excelled, for he was equally
successful in the administration of civil affairs in the re-
construction of the South. His judgment was correct,
and he always exercised a tender magnanimity to the con-
quered, calling, in chanty, that angel whose presence will
pass by even camps, to supplement the laws. In his bat-
tles with the Indians he united skill with experience, and
asserted before the world the supremacy of American mili-
tary genius by conquering these fierce and formidable
tribes. It is only necessary to mention such facts to ad-
minister a fitting rebuke to those foreign writers who
attempt to ignore the claims of America to a military
reputation unsurpassed by any other country in the world.
At the close of the Rebellion, General Miles was in-
trusted with the difficult and delicate management of
Fortress Monroe, where many of the Confederate pris-
oners were confined, among them being Jefferson Davis
and John Mitchell ; and he proved himself equally capable
in civil affairs as in the field. I once heard John Mitchell,
112 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
a most pronounced Rebel and a determined abuser of the
Yankees, say that "Miles is the most decent Yankee I
ever knew." Miles has told me that he had friendly feel-
ings for the Irishman, because he was once a comrade of
General Meagher in the Irish revolution. But such was
Mitchell's unconquered and unconquerable nature that he
would receive no favor from the Federal Government.
His voice was still for war against the hated Yankees.
I was present at General Miles's marriage to one of
Ohio's most accomplished daughters, Miss Sherman. It
was a brilliant wedding. Generals Sherman and Sheridan,
and other distinguished men, were present.
General Miles has been ambitious (I speak of him
when I knew him twenty years ago) to be an orator.
Then he was remarkably shy, and I have seen him blush
to the roots of his hair like a school-girl. As a speaker,
he thinks carefully and earnestly, and when he speaks it
is natural and without any use of rhetorical flowers. His
Decoration-day address at Boston a year ago ranks with
the best efforts of the kind. The secrets of his distinc-
tion are to be found in his self-control, in his constant
study, in his tenacity, and in his love of labor. He has
much of the bulldog and the mastiff in his nature. For-
tune is not his mistress, but rather his servant; when he
commands, she obeys. In Raleigh, where his regiment
was stationed for three years, and where I was chaplain
of the same regiment, I had many opportunities of becom-
ing acquainted with General Miles, and I can indorse,
from what I saw of him in private and social life, that he
was at home what he was in public life respected as a
man, reverenced as a host, and loved as a friend.
General Miles's name will descend the deepening
stream of history as one of the most gallant, successful,
GENERAL NELSON A. MILES.
ROUGH SKETCHES OF ARMY LIFE. 113
and kind-hearted chiefs of the Civil War. He need not
care by what pen his life may be written. Through the
hard-fought fields of Virginia and Pennsylvania, in the
trying services of reconstruction, amidst the engagements
with the fierce tribes of the West, no record of oppression,
of injustice, of inhumanity to those whom he commanded,
or to those whom he vanquished, will sully one page of
the biography of as brave, as generous, as chivalrous a
soldier as ever led American troops to victory. The
wedded life of the General has been blissful and happy.
He is blessed with a wife who is not only gifted with high
intelligence and numberless graces, but her whole time
and affections are devoted to the comfort and happiness
of her distinguished husband, in whose achievements she
takes the greatest pride. Her soul, her good heart, her
attractions, are to him as eyes and hands. She is the
communicating spirit between her husband and his hosts
of friends. She anticipates his every want. If General
Miles is fortunate in his own military genius, he is more
fortunate in the genius of his wife, who makes his home
a dream of domestic happiness.
Chapter VI.
RETURN TO WORK IN THE MINISTRY RECON-
STRUCTION IN THE SOUTH PASTORAL
APPOINTMENTS FREDERICK DOUG-
LASS'S REMINISCENCES.
T RE-ENTERED the North Ohio Conference, or rather
1 I was assigned to the old work of preaching, on my
return from the war; I had never been out of the Con-
ference. After filling several pulpits upon circuits, I was
appointed to Wellington, which now had become a sta-
tion. It was my first field among the Yankees of the
Western Reserve. Bishop Simpson appointed me to this
place, and when I expressed my surprise that so important
an appointment should be given to me, he said that a
patriotic speech which I had made a few years before at
the Conference session held there, had endeared me to
the people, and they requested it.
It was a good year. There was a great revival; but
the old church was in bad condition, the rain pouring in
through the ceiling. At the close of the meetings, I
preached a sermon from the text, "Is it right for you to
dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste?"
The appeal brought forth a subscription of fifteen thou-
sand dollars not a bad beginning for one day's work.
Wellington was a flourishing little town, the head-
quarters of the cheese industry. Many of its prominent
citizens were members or attendants of my Church. The
Houghtons were a numerous and honored family. So
were the Horrs, the Walcotts, the Langs, the Woolleys,
114
RETURN TO WORK IN THE MINISTRY. 115
the Richards, the Dicksons, the Howks, the Laundons,
the Stroups, and S. S. Warner, whose popularity made
him State treasurer three times in succession. Colonel
M. T. Herrick, the Cleveland banker, also came from
Wellington. He was but a boy in those days, a very
bright boy especially in arithmetical studies and was
known as the "calculating boy."
The Congregational Church was quite strong in Well-
ington, and numbered in its membership many of the
leading citizens. Mr. II,ane, a returned missionary, was
the respected pastor. The Disciples had a strong follow-
ing also in the little city. James A. Garfield, afterwards
President of the United States, had recently dedicated
their handsome new church, and frequently preached
there.
Near Wellington is Penfield, a typical New England
village. I was appointed pastor here, and was warmly
welcomed by these sons of New England. I never met a
more intelligent, a more benevolent, a more religious
class of people. A revival of great proportions followed.
There were two hundred additions made to the Church
there was scarcely a family that was not reached. My
family was residing in Wellington, and I usually returned
home every night after the services. I remember, one
day, a venerable Disciple preacher greeted me with the
salutation: "Well, Brother Pepper, I presume you feel
like Alexander when he wept for other worlds to con-
quer." As a result of this revival nine new classes were
formed. I think often of the good people of Penfield
the Starrs, the Nortons, the Smiths, the Hayses.
Huntington, another partly New England commu-
nity, was attached to the Penfield work. Here resided a
retired Congregational minister, Father Clarke, beloved
Il6 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
by all. His good wife, many a night after I was ex-
hausted with my labors, would entertain me with a sub-
stantial second supper. I remember the Haskins, the
Spragues. Not long ago I was lecturing at Lorain, when
the principal of the schools, with a warm shake of the
hand, recalled the pleasant incident that he was converted
at the Hunting-ton revival. It was Professor Ward, of
Lorain.
It was while I was still preaching in this section of the
country that I was appointed chaplain in the regular
army. There were one hundred candidates; but General
John A. Logan's strong influence and Secretary Stanton's
remembrance of my having raised a company for the war
upon Sunday, quickly decided the contest in my favor.
The regiment was the 4Oth Infantry. Nelson A. Miles,
now the ranking general of the army, was colonel. The
regiment was stationed in Raleigh, North Carolina. My
duties were light, and Colonel Miles proved himself to be
a good friend.
The old hatreds and prejudices were fresh in the minds
of the people. One Sunday, when I went to Church with
my wife, I was assigned to a seat by the usher. In a few
minutes a woman came and unceremoniously ordered us
out. The rector, Dr. Mason, afterwards apologized. He
was a Union man throughout the war, and was a cour-
teous gentleman.
After some time I was made assistant superintendent
of the Freedmen's Bureau, which compelled me to visit
every county in the State, speaking and instructing the
colored people in the organization of schools. General
O. O. Howard's instructions were, that for every hun-
dred dollars the colored people raised, the Bureau would
advance another hundred. It was a dangerous experi-
RECONSTRUCTION IN THE SOUTH. ll'J
ment. At Salisbury, while I was speaking and stating the
proposition of the Government, a burly ex-Rebel became
so enraged that he bounded on the platform with a huge
knife, aiming to plunge it into my throat. One of the
vice-presidents, a colored man, seized the fellow, and
hurled him from the platform.
I delivered an address the next evening at Charlotte
with more safety. And thus I passed from county to
county, sometimes riding five or fifty miles in a rickety
old wagon, driven always by a colored man, frequently
passing groups of ex-Confederate soldiers. I was heartily
glad when the labor was over, and I returned to the shel-
ter of the soldiers at Raleigh.
I participated in the reconstruction of the State, re-
porting the proceedings for the Cincinnati Commercial, the
New York Times, and the New York Tribune. I became
acquainted with a member of the Legislature, who after-
wards became famous as one of the heroes of the "Fool's
Errand," and who was murdered by the Ku-Klux. I knew
Judge Albion W. Tourgee, who was then living at Greens-
boro, where he had many opportunities to gather the
materials for his book, which is literally true. Mr.
Stevens, the murdered man, the member of the Legis-
lature decoyed from his home, with the kisses of his wife
and children fresh upon his lips, was taken to the court-
house, under the plea of urgent business, and there cruelly
murdered. Not one of the infamous scoundrels who per-
petrated this crime was punished. The blood of Stevens
rests upon their consciences, and it will remain forever.
When Mr. Holden was elected governor of the State, he
asked me to become editor of the Raleigh Standard, the
State's Republican organ, which position I accepted.
I delivered the oration upon the Fourth of July before
Jl8 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
a large audience. This was the first Union meeting,
since the war, in any Southern State. The sentiments of
good will which pervaded the address touched the South-
ern heart, and especially the kind references to General
Robert E. Lee were gratefully appreciated. Many of the
Southern papers copied copious extracts, and expressed
admiration for the Federal chaplain who, when the North-
ern press was breathing out denunciation and demanding
the execution of the leaders and the confiscation of
Southern land, had the courage and the magnanimity to
say that no thorns should be planted where the olive had
taken root. This oration is published in this volume, and
although at the time it was severely criticised, the spirit
which it breathed of mercy to the conquered has become
the sentiment of the whole Nation.
While in Raleigh I met Chief- Justice Chase, Presi-
dent Andrew Johnson, Secretary Seward, and John W.
Forney, of Washington, then editor of the Philadelphia
Press. The President came to Raleigh to participate in
the services of the dedication of a monument to his father,
a humble man, who lost his life in rescuing a fellow-
laborer from drowning. I conversed with him, and found
him simple and occasionally brusque in his manners, but
always the true specimen of a patriotic American. He
was full of indignation at England, and, referring to the
Fenian invasion of Canada, said, in words not very relig-
ious, but very fierce : ". . . I gave them five days, after
I heard of their contemplated movement, and if they had
had a leader worth anything, they might have marched
on and captured Toronto."
En route to Chapel Hill, Commencement-day at the
university, Mr. Seward got out of his carriage and walked
a mile. He was very communicative, speaking of the
RESIGNATION PRESENTED. 119
war and the reconstruction of the South. He was in
thorough accord with General W. T. Sherman, and
praised him for his liberal terms to General Joseph E.
Johnston, when he received the surrender of the Con-
federate general's army. I made reference to the assassi-
nation of Lincoln and his own narrow escape from death.
"Yes, that wound hurts me yet. What madmen and
fools those unfortunate wretches were to murder the good,
gentle, and kind-hearted Lincoln ! Why, I have seen
him rush away and hide, himself when his signature was
asked for an execution of a soldier, or for any heavy pun-
ishment upon the Rebels in arms, or upon their Northern
sympathizers. Yes, Chaplain, the good Lincoln shall al-
ways remain the chief glory of our country, distinguished
by benevolence of the highest order, and his treatment of
this unpatriotic people rose to a lofty magnanimity which
has never been approached."
I remained in this State until the regiment was or-
dered to Arizona. My family were living in Ohio, and,
although the temptations to remain in the regular army
were many a life position and a two-thirds salary for
life after being retired I determined to resign. Remon-
strances came from many, one from Bishop Janes, saying
that, as the Methodists had only a few chaplains in the
army, I ought to remain. So also thought Bishop Simp-
son; but I could not endure the monotony of army life.
I wanted to be more active, and longed for the great work
of preaching. I presented my resignation. General Sher-
man, who was never extravagant in his praise of army
chaplains, begged me to remain, to wait a few years, and
I could be retired; that my services to the Government
demanded recognition. But my mind was made up, and I
insisted upon an absolute resignation. The general was
120 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
then acting Secretary of War, and he gave me a year's
leave; not a leave of absence proper, but an order to re-
turn home, and remain there upon waiting orders. This
gave me full pay. I was, notwithstanding all my pro-
tests, appointed chaplain of the loth Cavalry; but this,
too, I declined. I was allowed a full year's salary.
I was next appointed to Wooster, in 1870, one of the
largest Churches in the Conference. It was a difficult
Church, and required patience and practical knowledge.
The old members were very conservative, and opposed
to any innovations. They believed a two years' pastorate
was long enough. There were many able men at the
Wooster bar at this time, who frequently dropped into the
church, and whose presence stimulated the preacher to
study and activity. I often met John McSweeney, a law-
yer of wide reputation, and whose bar triumphs are known
throughout the length and breadth of the land. To secure
his services in any case was a sure evidence of winning
the case. As to his oratorical ability, he was compared
to such men as John Van Buren, Thomas Corwin, and
others. Wendell Phillips once said to me that he had
heard the best speakers in Boston, and for art, logic, and
effective appeals to a jury, McSweeney, whom he had
heard in Ohio, was their equal, and \vas surpassed by
none of them. His mantle fell upon his gifted son. There
were, also, Dowell, Jeffries, McClure, the Givens two
brothers who entered the army, and won renown as brave
soldiers. Critchfield was regarded as McSweeney's rival,
and if verdicts of juries are a proof of a lawyer's ability,
then he was among the most successful. Judge Martin
Welker was also a resident of. Wooster. He was a valued
and respected member of Congress. I might also refer
to Eshelman, the able editor; the Mullins, the Carrs, the
FREDERICK DOUGLASS'S REMINISCENCES. 121
Kaukes, Judge Parsons, the Firestones, Pricks, Bissels,
and Smysers.
This reference to my Wooster friends would be in-
complete did it not refer with gratitude to the kindness
shown us throughout our residence there by the estimable
and accomplished family of Mr. J. B. Powers.
While I was here I renewed the old acquaint-
anceship of other years with my friend, D. Q. Liggett.
He was a successful business man, a liberal benefactor to
every good cause. He afterwards built a new church,
largely t his own expense. B. Barrett was another of
the same Church, who was also a good citizen, an enter-
prising business man, and an honor to the community.
Dr. M. K. Hard was for years a prominent physician, and
also a preacher of the gospel, filling many pulpits with
rare ability. Dr. Gann came there after my first pastorate,
and united with the new Church. It was not long until,
by constant application in his profession, he rose to be
among the first physicians in the city. He it was who
ministered to Mr. McSweeney in his last illness, and he
tells an anecdote that illustrates the lawyer's knowledge
of Methodist hymns. He used to tell me he grew fat
upon ten of these hymns. Dr. Gann was visiting him,
and, as there were many sick, he said, "My conscience
reproaches me, Mr. McSweeney, for visiting you so
often." The dying man quickly responded, "Let not con-
science bid you linger."
It was while I was pastor of the Wooster Methodist
Episcopal Church that the colored orator, Frederick
Douglass, lectured upon San Domingo. For an evening
he was my guest, and of the many incidents which he told
me of his history, I recall this thrilling one. He said:
"Mr. Pepper, you lecture upon Ireland. I have read the
122 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
lecture entitled, 'Ireland Liberty Springs from her Mar-
tyrs' Blood.' In it you speak of my reception in Cork
and Dublin, and in Belfast; but here is something that
has never been published. When I was a slave, sixteen
years of age, I had never seen a ship, and I told my mis-
tress that I would like to go to Baltimore and see one.
She gave me permission, and I walked the sixteen miles,
and went down to the harbor, where I saw the object that
had always excited my curiosity. Two Irishmen were
unloading heavy timbers, and I helped them. When I
was leaving, one of them said to me, 'Are you a slave, sir?'
'Yes,' I replied. The other whispered to me, 'Why do
you not run away? God never made a man to be a slave/
Every step I walked that night I could hear the words:
'Why do you not run away? God never made a man to
be a slave.' I dreamed them during the night. You know
the result. I did run away; and when I get to heaven I
will search for those two Irishmen, take them to my Sa-
vior, and say, 'Here are the men who first told me that
God never made a man to be a slave.' '
After remaining in Wooster two years, I was assigned
to Galion in the fall of 1872. While at Wooster, the en-
tire family at home the two oldest boys were away
suffered from a severe attack of small-pox. The par-
sonage at Wooster was situated in a part of the town
called the "Five Points," on account of the character, or
non-character, of the residents, and in imitation of the
famous "Five Points" of New York. A traveling show-
man brought the disease into the neighborhood, and in
all that portion of the town not one house escaped the
pest. In my own family there were five sufferers. One
of my sons, who was sent away from the house, on the na-
ture of the disease which had attacked the other children
PASTORAL MEMORIES. 123
becoming known, wandered the streets in the daytime,
and at night slept in the churchyard, so great was the
panic. At last a humane hotel-keeper opened his doors
to him ; but as his chanty lost him every other guest, my
son would not remain, and returned to the churchyard,
when a kindly Christian family already referred to that
of Mr. James B. Powers, took him in, and kept hirrt until
the danger was past, and it was safe for him to return
home. I myself and four children had the disease, and,
as it was impossible to procure nurses for several weeks,
my noble wife struggled along alone under a burden that
would have crushed a less brave and courageous nature.
But our lives were all spared.
When I went to Galion, I had barely recovered from
the terrible disease. The members of the new charge
received me with every ^demonstration of affection. Dur-
ing the year an extensive revival broke out in the Church,
and hundreds were added to the membership of the Meth-
odist Church. The revival continued for sixteen weeks.
All ages were reached, and the effect was marvelous. I
had preached for four weeks, without any marked sign
of a revival, when a Mr. Crim, a banker of f the city, rose
for prayers I think more out of sympathy with me than
any deep religious conviction. The following evening
there were fifty-seven came to the altar ; and this was the
beginning of a glorious work, which never was surpassed
in all my ministry. There were many remarkable cases
of conversion. One man, who was so degraded as to be
shunned by all classes, and who, because he never looked
in the Bible, had his week's wages hidden there by his
wife, this man came to the altar, was converted, and
became an honest and trustworthy man. A young hard-
ware merchant, named Frank Case, universally respected
124 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
for his social qualities, was among the converts. He
startled an audience one Sunday afternoon in the hall by
declaring, "If anybody says I have n't got religion, I will
shoot him on the spot." This was an extraordinary utter-
ance, but it was simply his way of expressing his idea that
he was a changed man. His subsequent life proved it,
and he died joyfully.
During the progress of the meeting, the Rev. W. M.
Punshon, the famous Wesleyan orator, dropped in. I
recognized him ; so also did one of the members, and whis-
pered to me to invite him to preach. That was precisely
what I would not do. It was in the afternoon. There
were three daily meetings. I knew that Mr. Punshon was
not, perhaps, in the revival mood, as he was on a lecturing
tour. I preached, and according to custom, invited
mourners forward. A number came and professed con-
version. I turned the meeting into a general class, giving
all an opportunity to speak. Then I concluded it was the
proper time to call upon Mr. Punshon, which I did, say-
ing, "I perceive the Rev. Mr. Punshon is here, and the
Church would be glad to hear from him." He did not
know that any one had recognized him ; but got up, and,
in a stammering way at first, spoke. He gradually
warmed up, and spoke gratefully of the delight and satis-
faction he had experienced in the services.
There were many stirring incidents connected with
that revival, and there were many excellent people who
were moved to a more blessed experience. I recall a few :
The Spaldings, the Cronewelts, Ducks, Pagues, Stewarts,
Carharts, Camps, Crims, Wensells, Hackedorns, the Gills,
Davises, Camps, Hayeses, Jameses, Reeces, Pritchards.
John Whitworth was the presiding elder, a worthy gen-
tleman, who was always abounding in good work. Then
PASTORAL MEMORIES. 125
there were the Smiths and others, who were always active
in Church work. Milford Lewis, a young steward, was a
stanch Methodist, a splendid w r orker, and always stood
by the pastor.
I had in this Church an eccentric but benevolent sort
of a man. He was emphatically a peculiar individual.
During the sermon he would write his opinions of the
preacher in the hymn-book, and show his disapprobation
in many ways. One day I said to him, "Brother , I
missed you from church yesterday." "Well, I did not
miss much," he replied, with unnecessary candor. Being
an Irishman by birth, I naturally referred occasionally
to Ireland, whereupon the eccentric brother confided with
his pencil to his hymn-book, "The preacher believes that
Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles were Irishmen." In
my absence, once, the Episcopal clergyman preached.
The sermon annoyed the erratic brother, and he preferred
charges against me for introducing a strange form of wor-
ship. In the Quarterly Conference he asked, "By what
authority have you introduced a foreign religious service
into our Church?" I replied, "By my own, the highest
Methodist authority in this city." He was, notwithstand-
ing his oddities, a good man, and a most liberal one to the
Church. A. M. Stewart took an advanced position during
the revival, and has ever since been loyal and useful. His
beautiful home is the resting-place of bishops.
Hon. J. C. Covert, of the city of Cleveland, and a well-
known newspaper man, was then in charge of the local
paper of the town. I remember he was present at my first
sermon there, and wrote a most favorable criticism.
After three years' service as pastor in Galion, my next
appointment, in 1875, was Mt. Vernon, where I had
preached my first sermons in the United States. Mt.
126 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Vernon is a handsome old town, the streets pleasantly
shaded with grand old trees; the people are noted for
their intelligence and hospitality.
In Mt. Vernon I retain many sweet memories of dear
friends in the Methodist, as well as in all the Churches.
The Delanos and Morgans, of national reputation, were
frequent visitors to the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Joseph C. Devin, a member of the Ohio Legislature, an
upright citizen, and an honored member of society, used
to drop in occasionally. I was present at his wedding,
which was a brilliant affair. Colonel W. C. Cooper, after-
wards a member of Congress, and one of the first lawyers
of the State, came in at times. The Curtises, the Harpers,
the Hamiltons, the Sproules, the Stauffers, the Coles, the
Johnstones, the Sandersons, the Sturgesses, the Mitchells,
lived here. Here lived, also, Samuel Lynch, a retired
preacher, whose daughter married the now famous Ad-
miral Miller. Reverend Thompson was the Episcopal
rector, a pure and lofty-minded man. Reverend Newton
preached in one of the Presbyterian Churches. His face
was a benediction. Rev. Mr. Thrapp was the Protestant
Methodist pastor, every inch a gentleman, and as a
preacher he ranked high ; a patriot who loved his country,
served her faithfully in the war, loved all mankind. To do
good is the business of his life ; it is also the first and last
joy of his heart, ever ready with his voice and pen to
vindicate the innocent. He has filled the leading pulpits
in his denomination. All efforts, when a young man, to
keep him in the rear were failures, and, like the sun, which
may be clouded for a time, but ultimately shines out in
glory, he could not be extinguished.
The last session of the North Ohio Conference I at-
tended was in Mount Vernon, one of my old charges, and
PASTORAL MEMORIES. 127
my reception, after several years absence, was cordial in
the extreme. Bishop Hurst presided with dignity and
grace over the sittings. The name of Bishop Hurst is
identified with the most complete exposition of theology
since the days of Richard Watson. In his earliest youth
he was a close student of the German School; accurate
scholar; and, to crown all, he had a cultivated eloquence,
which frequently outshone the brilliancy of the masters of
speech. In all his published and spoken discourses there
is not a slovenly sentence, nor a broken metaphor. Whilst
the tutored ear listens to him with admiration, the ignobile
vulgus still find a something in his words, which showed
he is a man of the people.
I lectured before the Conference upon Sherman's
March to the Sea. The Rev. W. C. Endly, a clear,
nervous, and able preacher, was pastor. His atmosphere
is revivals and church-building. I met many old com-
panions: Kellam, Ball, Kneale, Badgely, Barnes, Close,
Farrah, Card, Graham, Hagerman, Hanawalt, Disney,
Dunbar, Barren, Barker, Baker, Edwards, Gallinmore,
Jewett, Keyes, Roberts, McCaskey, Jones, Martindale,
Van Camp, J. P. Mills and B. J. Mills, Painter, Palmer,
Mather, Ruff, Struggles, Thompson, Torbett, Upp, Wag-
goner, Kelser, Clark, Richards, Lawrence, Reece, Booth,
Smith, Pollock, Castle, McCullough, Russell, Long,
Chase, Patterson, Bush, Place, Wolfe, Knapp, Hastings,
Dawson, Wilson, Gay, Winter, Mead, Grosse.
My last charge in Cleveland was at Woodland Hills
Avenue. The congregation had been scattered by fac-
tions. There was nothing left but the church without a
door, and a few determined spirits, who had not joined
in chanting the requiescat in pace. I record their names as
among the most godly and enthusiastic Methodists I
128 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
eyer met. They were all English and Gladstonian Lib-
erals, who hailed John Bright as their chief. They were
Wimper, Price, the venerable Mr. James and his devoted
wife, Orgell, Richards, Henderson, Horton; the Thomas
family, a host in themselves; Griffiths, Gage. I gave a
lecture to put the church in order. A revival followed,
and over seventy new members were added. I have a
warm place in my heart for these whole-souled Wesleyans.
Their class-meetings were like a prairie on fire. One of
the highest compliments I ever received was from one of
them. "Brother Pepper," at the close of my term said he,
"you do not put out all your sails sails at once," refer-
ring to the common practice of preachers giving their
best sermons at first. I shall ever remember with feelings
of deepest pleasure my connection with this Church. It
is now pacified, harmonious, and flourishing. It seems
that I was ordained to be a settler of Church difficulties.
Scovill Avenue was split almost in two. Many of the
best paying members thought there was no necessity for
the Church. Those who remained worked strenuously
with honor and fidelity. Instead of affairs being compli-
cated and unsatisfactory, the Church is prosperous. The
Brecksville Charge had only forty members; but every
one counted. They paid the largest salary, and, in pro-
portion to membership, paid the largest subscriptions to
the benevolent institutions of any Church in the Confer-
ence. They were all Yankees; intelligent and enterpris-
ing, a lecture-patronizing community. The place is so
healthy, it is said that nobody ever dies there except of
great old age. I used to visit Mrs. Boyd, almost a hun-
dred years old. She kissed the hand of Lafayette, and
was very proud of it. She told me that the great French-
man took back with him to France a barrel of American
PASTORAL MEMORIES. 129
earth to be buried in. Rev. George Greene resided here.
So did Rev. Brush, both valuable helpers. There were
also Fathers Newland, Reinhardt, Garietty, Foster.
Brother Kuss and his amiable wife were always to the
front in every good work; but the chief financial worker
was a gifted woman, Mrs. Dillow ; and Mrs. Butler, presi-
dent of the Ladies' Society, was a valuable helper.
9
Chapter VII.
VOYAGE ABROAD IRELAND AND ITALY VISITED.
FROM Mount Vernon I was sent, in 1878, to Bellevue,
a pleasant town, partly situated in two counties
Huron and Sandusky and one of the prettiest places in
Northern Ohio. The Church and community possessed
many men whose names were known all over the coun-
try the Higbees, the Boyers, the Harknesses, the
Bradys, the Woods, the Woodwards, the Places, the
Bakers, the Millers. Two of the official members of my
Church had been members of the Legislature.
Towards the close of my third year here, with my
wife, I revisited Ireland, neither of us having seen the dear
old land for over twenty-five years. We sailed from New
York on the 3Oth of May, 1881, and after a pleasant voy-
age of ten days arrived in Liverpool. Thence we immedi-
ately departed for Ireland. As we approached the scenes
of our youth and childhood, and recognized the spots
remembered so well, the quarter of a century of change
seemed blotted out, and we were once more care-free,
laughing children. We agreed that I should call first
upon my wife's mother, while she remained outside in the
jaunting-car. "Can you give me a glass of water?" I
asked, as the old lady appeared at the door in answer to
my knock. "O yes," she replied, "would you not rather
have a glass of milk?" I did not make myself known, but
asked her a number of questions. "Have you any rela-
tions in America?" "Yes, indeed, sir; I have a daughter
there." "What is her name? Perhaps I may have met
130
VOYAGE ABROAD. 131
her." "Pepper is her name, and her husband is a Meth-
odist preacher." "I heard him preach two weeks ago, and
saw his wife, a beautiful fair-haired woman. They have
six children." "It is the very same, sir; and here are their
pictures." The conversation now became very exciting,
as she begged me for news of her daughter, whom I had
seen so recently. My wife could wait outside no longer,
and rushing in, embraced her mother, exclaiming,
"Mother, it is I, your daughter Christine!" After some
minutes of intense feeling, my aged mother-in-law turned
toward me, and said, "It is George ; I recognize him now."
I remained here for a week, and then, leaving Mrs.
Pepper with her mother, proceeded to the Continent, vis-
iting London, Paris, Milan, Rome, Florence, and Venice.
This was my first visit to Southern Europe.
In London I stopped long enough to hear Bright,
Gladstone, the Irish orators in Parliament, and some of
the great preachers. I was impressed with Spurgeon.
My first sight of the Alps is a memory that never can
be forgotten. I recalled the saying of Portia, in the play,
when Bassanio had chosen the right casket, and also the
fair maiden, "How all the other passions fleet to air."
There was no room for any other emotion but that of
wonder and awe. Never have I seen mountains so grand,
meadows so green, lakes so clear and beautiful, air so
genial and so soft ! And never did I hear music to equal
that which I heard in the silence and solitude music call-
ing us back, with tears in our clouded eyes, to flowers
that had faded, and the haunts of summer birds whose
songs are hushed forever ! Crossing the Alps is the event
of a lifetime ; it is a memory for all time !
At last I was in Italy, and the apostrophe of Robert
Browning came to me, "O woman country!" I was in
132 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Italy; the ambition of a lifetime was realized, Italy,
where minds of the loftiest nature have derived stimulants
to brave great enterprises, victorious actions, and from the
grandest heights have received inspiration that has car-
ried them over fields of flame! Italy, whose statesmen
have decided the fate of armies, scepters, and empires!
Italy, whose renowned martyrs, especially Savonarola,
rose in a dark and troubled night as the day-stars of Ital-
ian regeneration! Italy, whose patient industry clothes
the land with richness, fertility, and beauty !
The scenery of Italy is unsurpassed. Her matchless
lakes, Como and Maggiore, which for a thousand years
have been celebrated in song and oratory, are probably
the most charming sheets of water ever seen by mortal
eye.
Pen can not paint nor heart conceive the splendor of
a summer in this favored land. Upon one side, masses of
rich crimson clouds recline upon beds of brilliant purple;
on the opposite side of the sky, a proscenium of colors,
gold and crimson, are moving to and fro, while splendid
arches, like heaven's own rainbow, seem to encircle earth
and sky. It is nature singing its hymn of praise to the
Creator.
There is not a spot in Italy that is not vital with pa-
triotic memories and desperate gallantry. It was said of
a patriot soldier of Greece that, after the battle of Mara-
thon, a fevered uneasiness appeared in his countenance.
He seldom slept and rarely spoke, and when asked why,
after such a glorious victory, he was not contented, he
replied, "The trophies of Miltiades will not let me sleep/'
And surely the trophies of Italy, which flash on us from
her thousand fields and encircle travelers with the light
of liberty trophies reared on the Alps, trophies reared
SAVONAROLA.
VOYAGE ABROAD. 133
at Rome, trophies reared on the banks of the Po, trophies
reared on the classic soil of Sicily surely these splendid
trophies will rise up from the depths of memory. Italy is
composed of a family of beautiful sister cities. Milan, the
city of industry, commerce, and music, crowns her head
with the wreath of victory of her "cinque giornati" her
five days' glorious war for liberty. Venice, fair and beauti-
ful as a dream in a maiden's breast, is called the ideal.
Genoa is the superb city of palaces. Florence is the city of
the beautiful, city of flowers, and the flower of cities, and
the city that contains the treasures of Italian art. Rome
is holy ground to two-thirds of the Christian world. Rome,
impressive, immortal Rome! What a tide of memories
rush upon the brain and heart as the traveler beholds
Rome for the first time! There is not only grandeur in
the sight, but in the thought of the great sight ! He feels
as if ennobled by the destiny which has brought him
hither to meditate amidst scenes so renowned and holy.
Rome, seated upon her seven hills as of yore, stretches
away before me! The city whose history involves the
annals of our race ! The great mother of heroes exalted
by the loftiest achievements of valor and piety ! No other
city has ever been the theater of such events. Who can
behold it for the first time without emotion? The states-
man, the philosopher, the Protestant, the Catholic, the
Jew, and the Gentile, all alike regard it with the deepest
interest. It is the devout Christian who says, with Byron,
"Rome, my country, city of the soul."
The eye is bewildered with the vast variety of objects
to be seen in Rome. The Coliseum is an enormous build-
ing, erected by Vespasian to commemorate the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem, and to gratify the pride and cruelty
of the people. What vastness ! what strength ! what walls,
134 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
that have resisted the fury of the elements and of time for
eighteen hundred years! The Triumphal Arch of Titus
has one long arch which is very beautiful. Two only of
its eight marble columns are perfect. On one side, Titus
is seated on his car of triumph; on the other are the
spoils of the Temple, copied from the originals, the seven-
branched candlestick, the table of the shewbread, which
were all transported to Rome.
To return to the Coliseum, the grandest of all ruins.
It is the glory of Rome. Great and beautiful even in de-
cay, it stands in lonely grandeur, speaking to the heart
in a voice so touching, awakening feelings so powerful,
so unutterable, so melancholy! In one small portion
the extensive elevation is preserved entire. It rises in
lofty grandeur, arch over arch, simple, noble, harmo-
nious! Within, the hand of violence and time is more
apparent and impressive; the marble seats are broken,
the sloping walls and arches that supported them are
shattered. The mind loses itself in contemplating the
great arena. The very galleries were so numbered that
every Roman citizen knew his seat. There were fre-
quently eighty-seven thousand persons present. The
maids and matrons came twice a day to see the gladiato-
rial games. So terrible was the butchery that an aqueduct
was built to supply the water necessary to cleanse the
arena after these bloody exhibitions. It is long before we
awaken from the solemn majesty, the painful associa-
tions arising, when we remember that here thousands
of Christians met a fearful death, and that thousands
looked on with admiration. Blessed forever be the pure
spirits of these martyrs, whose blood sanctifies this monu-
ment of imperial greatness, and invests it with a holier
grandeur than its other loftier pretensions! The victor
VOYAGE ABROAD. 135
and the vanquished, the master and the slave, the tyrant
and his victim, are all forgotten ! But above shines the
same unclouded sky, the same gentle breezes whisper
through the great ruins, the same glamour lights up all
objects with its radiance !
Then there is St. Peter's. How magnificent is the ap-
proach to it! That grandest of colonnades, the noble
piazza, the ancient obelisk, brought from Egypt two
thousand years ago, the sparkling fountains ! The fagade
of St. Peter's has been criticised, but I was disarmed. I
felt like approaching it upon my bended knees. The co-
lossal genius of Michael Angelo towers exultingly to the
skies in that majestic dome, which seems built for eter-
nity. There the spectator, whose mind has become ex-
panded while pacing those glorious aisles, has no diffi-
culty in comprehending that in St. Peter's the founders
designed the temple of the Christian world. This was
the ambition which laid its foundation-stone, and which
has actuated every succeeding pontiff in adorning it.
When returning from this first visit to Europe it was
during the time when President Garfield was nearing
death I was called upon to perform a funeral ceremony
at sea. A passenger died, and the captain called upon
me to take charge of the melancholy ceremony. He was
a very kind-hearted captain. The passenger had left a
large family in Ireland. The captain suggested that I
give a lecture for the benefit of the widow and children;
and he also suggested the subject of the lecture, "Amer-
ica," as so many were going there. I agreed, upon con-
dition that the English flag should be taken down and
the Stars and Stripes be placed at the masthead. He
was very willing, and the arrangements were made. Pa-
triotic songs were sung, and I began my lecture. When
136 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
I was about half-way through, the pilot came on board,
announcing that "Garfield was still living." The lecture
was speedily brought to a close, and the audience cheered
and shouted. An incident occurred at the commence-
ment. Some British officers started "God save the
Queen." It was too much for a full-blooded Yankee
from Hartford, who went off, indignantly exclaiming,
"God d-mn the Queen! I have been in England for six
months, and I have heard nothing but 'God save the
Queen/ "
Chapter VIII.
PASTORAL RELATIONS RESUMED APPOINT-
MENT AS CONSUL TO MILAN.
UPON my return to the United States in the fall of
1 88 1, I was appointed to Sandusky, a pleasant and
attractive city upon the historic shore of Lake Erie. The
Church here for years had worshiped in the basement;
but before the year was up, the large room was finished.
The first sermon I preached was upon the evening be-
fore the funeral of President Garfield. The hearts of the
people were with the dead man, and some of that com-
munity could not understand his death in such a cowardly
and cruel manner, and were disposed to question strongly
a belief in a wise Providence.
From Sandusky I was returned to Wooster in 1882,
and became pastor of Trinity Methodist Episcopal
Church, a very gem in architecture. This church was
largely built by Mr. D. Q. Liggett, of whom I have al-
ready spoken a generous merchant, whose heart was
ever touched by any worthy person's tale of woe. The
reception tendered me was enthusiastic and hearty. The
famous lawyer, Mr. John McSweeney, recited there, in
his own inimitable style, the "Burial of Moses." I spent
three years at this charge. It was here, from the Wooster
University, that three of my children graduated. The
youngest, Carrie, now with the angels, received one of the
honors, that of belles-lettres, and was, I believe, the first
girl student to be thus distinguished since the establish-
ment of the institution. She delivered her address in
137
138 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
German, which was highly praised by many of the emi-
nent educators present. The day of her graduation was
a lovely one, and I can see her now, as she came bound-
ing over the campus, and, as she overtook me, asking:
"How did I do? Could you hear me? Did I speak loud
enough?" Ah yes! loud enough, clear enough to be for-
ever impressed upon my memory !
While attending the university here my children
formed many warm attachments among the students.
Among others whose friendship they valued highly were
Mr. Alvin Findlay, now editor of the Iron Trade Review
in Cleveland, and the Messrs. Fred and Walter Mullins,
the one now a prominent attorney, and the other a suc-
cessful business man.
The Conference which met in Galion, after three years
in W r ooster, transferred me, in 1885, to Ashland. This
Church had a membership of three hundred, and in for-
mer years was among the strongest Churches in the Con-
ference. My family had decided to move to Cleveland,
my wife having become weary of the constant moving
which a ministry in the Methodist Episcopal Church ne-
cessitates, and was desirous of settling down in a perma-
nent home. I told this to the elder, that I could not
have my family with me; but nevertheless it was decided
that I should go to Ashland. The result proved the wis-
dom of the appointment. The first year a revival of great
magnitude was started, and hundreds .were induced to
begin a new life. After the revival, steps were taken to
erect a new church, and one was built that is probably
not excelled by any in the Conference. The official mem-
bers, out of respect for my services in the revival and for
building the edifice, presented me with a beautiful stained-
glass window, which bears this inscription : "This window
PASTORAL RELATIONS RESUMED. 139
is dedicated by the pastor, Rev. G. W. Pepper, to Ire-
land's benefactors and martyrs Parnell, Emmet, Glad-
stone."
The reason I placed those distinguished names upon
that window were, first, I admired the men and I loved
their principles; then I knew it would be noticed in the
Wesleyan papers in England, which at that time were
very hostile to anything like justice to Ireland. Now
these same journals are its most ardent supporters, and
this inscription would show-them that in the United States
there were no such prejudices as existed in the old land.
I recall the names of Judge Jones, the Goods, the Stubbs,
the Jamesons, the Hoyts, the Blacks, the Krebs, Ames,
Kunkles, McNeeles, the Waggoners, Sprengles, the Cow-
ans, the Shinns, Deshongs, Browns, the Moores, the Fritz-
ingers, Whitings, Cralls, the Grosscups, the Fords, and
Christofels, the Brubakers and Shearers.
Among the good and patriotic women of Ash-
land stands the name of Mrs. Mary Freer. She has
always been a liberal and generous benefactor to all the
Churches and charities of the city. The beautiful sol-
dier's monument which adorns the town is her gift. Her
husband, Jonas Freer, a very industrious man, amassed
a large fortune. He was a devoted Union man during
the war, and his widow shared in his patriotic sentiments.
When President Hayes dedicated the monument, he was
her guest. When the new Methodist Episcopal church
was built, under my auspices, she gave largely. Mrs. Freer
is a Methodist, and very liberal. Her able lawyer, R. M.
Campbell, tells many good things of her her benevo-
lences to the poor and the orphan. The editors of the
Ashland papers, especially the Hon. George Hildebrand,
a member of the Church, rendered valuable help in the
140 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
building of the magnificent new church. Mr. Ilger, as
president of the Social, rendered good service.
I remained in Ashland for four years years as pleas-
ant and delightful as I ever passed. Then, preferring to
live in Cleveland, I was favored by the Conference with
an appointment at Doylestown. Here, as in many other
charges, I found an old debt hanging over the church.
In company with Mr. Hoffman, I proceeded to raise this
amount, and the debt was soon liquidated. It was while
I was stationed at Doylestown, in the winter of 1889-90,
that I made a visit to Washington, to see a son and daugh-
ter Charles M., who was in charge of the Chicago
Tribune Bureau and Carrie, who was the correspondent
for a syndicate of papers, a very responsible position for
one so young and inexperienced. She said to me one
morning, "Father, let us go and see Mr. Elaine." I de-
clined, upon the ground that I did not want any office,
and a call upon him would naturally give a wrong im-
pression. But she insisted, saying that Mr. Blaine had
frequently asked why I did not come to see him, and, to
gratify her, I accompanied her. The room was full of
office-seekers, and I was ashamed to find myself there;
so I quickly retreated. The next morning my daughter
made another appeal to me, and I mustered up courage
enough to visit the State Department again. I knocked,
and the door was opened by a messenger, who inquired
if I was a diplomat, and what I wanted. I replied that
I was not a diplomat, and my object was merely to call
upon Mr. Blaine. He refused to permit me to enter,
saying that none but diplomats were received that day.
But Mr. Blaine had heard me give my name, and called
out to know if it was Dr. Pepper, of Ohio, and on re-
ceiving an answer in the affirmative, instantly begged
APPOINTMENT AS CONSUL TO MILAN. 141
me to come right in. Then followed a deluge of ques-
tions : "Why have you not been to see me before? Where
do you want to go?" etc. I replied that I wanted nothing,
that I had simply called for the sake of past friendship,
and to gratify my daughter, who had told me that Mr.
Elaine had inquired kindly about me, saying that he was
under obligations to me. "That is true," he replied.
"Where do you want to go?" I told him that I did not
come as an office-seeker, and if I had, courtesy demanded
that I should first see Senator Sherman. "No! no!" he
said ; "I know you, the President knows you ; so to which
country do you prefer to go?" I was taken completely
by surprise; but having always had a longing for Italy,
I replied that I would like to go there. "Well," he re-
plied, "there are two or three fine appointments open
there yet. When are you going to leave the city?" "To-
morrow," I answered. "Wait until next Tuesday. I
am going to New York to-morrow to attend the Pan-
American banquet. Come back next Tuesday, and I will
have your appointment ready."
I was astonished; for I knew there had been a regi-
ment of ex-governors and ex-representatives, wearing
their sleeves off, and they could not even get a hearing
from the Secretary. I returned on the day specified, and
Mr. Elaine showed me the appointment list, indicating
with red ink, Milan, Florence, Naples any one of which
I could have. Mr. Elaine suggested Milan as being the
best, being the commercial and musical center of Italy;
that the district contained the beautiful lakes of Como
and Maggiore, where I could spend the summers, going
back and forth every morning and evening.
I accepted the offer of Milan, thanking the Secretary
most cordially. Soon afterwards the President confirmed
142 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
the nomination. It was announced in all the papers the
next day, and the old politicians were startled, not ex-
pecting it, and not knowing I was a candidate, any more
than I did myself when I went to Washington. My
daughter was overjoyed, as she was anxious to spend a
year or two in the poet's land, perfecting herself in Italian
literature. But alas! in three short months before any
definite arrangements had been completed for her jour-
ney, she had finished her studies on earth forever.
I left for my post of duty early in the spring of
1890, and never regretted, during my four years stay
there, that I had chosen this advanced, intellectual,
and progressive city for my residence abroad. Milan
is a large and ancient city. It has been twice de-
stroyed, once by Attila and once by Frederick Barba-
rossa. It was here that, in the fifth century, Constantine
issued the decree making Christianity the religion of the
Roman Empire. As early as the twelfth century it pos-
sessed a population of three hundred thousand, which
'has now become nearly half a million. It has always been
distinguished for its manufactures in silk and jewelry.
There is there at present a firm for the making of watches
that has been in existence for five hundred years. The
famous Bishop Ambrose had his seat in this city in the
fourth century. There is an ecclesiastical incident told
of him that shows his kindness of heart. It was said that
Monica, the mother of Augustine, came to him in tears,
weeping for her wayward son. The good Ambrose en-
couraged her, saying, "The child of so many tears can
never perish," and Augustine became one of the bright-
est saints in the Church.
Milan possesses many grand palaces and the, second
cathedral in the world. The Duomo, as it is called, in
CONSUL AT MILAN. 143
its gorgeous exterior, is unsurpassed; in the richness of
its materials, in the profusion and beauty of its decora-
tions, it is superior to St Peter's. It is Gothic in archi-
tecture, built of white marble, which looks, from a dis-
tance, like a mountain of snow. Its nave and double
aisles are supported by fifty-two clustered columns
and fifty half-columns; and on the exterior, its roof
is encircled by a triple row of pinnacles or spires,
each about sixty feet in height, and crowned by
statues as large as life. . Its walls and buttresses
are crusted with a profusion of tracery. Upon
the outside there are three thousand four hundred statues,
which give the sacred edifice a most graceful and beauti-
ful appearance. The pinnacles are one hundred and
twenty in number. The interior contains four thousand
statues, representing prophets, angels, martyrs, and
saints. The cathedral is the wonder of wonders to tour-
ists from all parts of the world. The German Emperor,
when he first beheld it, exclaimed, "A mountain of gold
converted into a mountain of marble." An Italian peasant
being once asked his opinion of it, his quick reply was,
"It is worth a whole day in July," referring to good -
weather in the growth of his crops. It is very ancient,
having been begun in 1389 by Visconti, one of the old
nobles of Italy, who made his vast wealth by piracy. He
built it as an atonement for his sins. He had, in addition
to his crimes upon the seas, poisoned a host of his rela-
tives, and he supposed that by devoting his wealth to
religious purposes he might cancel his crimes.
A hundred years is a long time, but here is a church
six hundred years old. The inside is vast and rich, and
is mixed with a variety of styles, the Greek and the Gothic
predominating. This is very common among the cathe-
144 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
drals in Italy, arising, doubtless, from the tastes of the
various architects who have been employed.
Milan possesses, like the other cities of Italy, many
schools of science and of painting, and galleries of art,
where collections of paintings by the great masters are
kept, and where an annual exhibition of paintings takes
place. In this city is perhaps the most famous picture
in the world, the celebrated fresco painting of Leonardo
da Vinci. He was a native of Milan, and the Milanese are
justly proud of him. The fresco of the Last Supper
is much damaged by time and the brutal treat-
ment it received from Napoleon's soldiers, who camped
in the refectory. The greater and more expressive part
of the faces may be well discerned; that of the Divine
Savior is such a personification of his magnetic charac-
ter that it is impossible to look at it without the most
profound reverence and emotion. Judas is easily recog-
nizable, but the most expressive face among all the apos-
tles is Thomas, as he lifts up his finger and asks, "Lord,
is it I?"
Milan has always been celebrated for its patriotism.
There is a fine monument recently dedicated to the mem-
ories of the dead heroes who, a few years ago, drove out
the Austrians when six hundred men and women drove
out of the city sixteen thousand Austrians. The gallant
and patriotic people realized that liberty was more to
them than the golden vision of the poet, more than the
dream of the visionary, more than the schemes of the
politician or the statesman. The very women fought like
heroines, and many of their names are inscribed upon this
monument. The love of liberty burns brightly in the
hearts of these people. It needs but the breath of inde-
pendence to shine forth in all its ancient luster.
HEAD OF CHRIST, BY LEONARDO DA VINCI.
CONSUL AT MILAN. 145
The stately theater, La Scala, is one of the attractions
of the city. It was here that Patti, Albani, Emma Abbott,
received their musical training.
The Lombard Capital is finely located. Guarded upon
one side by the Alps, and upon the other by the blue
mountains of the Apennines, here is the great plain of
Lombarcly, level as a floor, covered with luxuriant fields,
mulberry groves, and vineyards. It is the principal seat
of manufacture, five million dollars worth of silk passing
through the American consulate to New York.
The leading characteristics of the people are their
push, their activity, their industry, and their enterprise.
There are twelve or more daily papers, the Secolo, pub-
lished by Sonzogno, and L'ltalia del Popolo, published
by Dario Papa, being the leading republican newspapers
in Italy. The Milanese are tall and handsome ; the women
of the cultivated classes are strikingly beautiful, and as
they roll past daily in their gorgeous carriages, they
look as if they possessed the very gold of nature. And
the women of the peasant classes also have beautiful
faces, sweet and Madonna-like, especially when young.
There are several fine Protestant churches, among
the oldest being the Waldensian. What a throng of
recollections that name calls up ! The memories of the
brave thousands who perished rather than surrender their
dearest religious convictions, is one of the historical facts
that can never be forgotten. Milton, in his noble ode,
refers to these heroic confessors of the faith :
" Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones
Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold !
. . . Their martyred blood and ashes sow
O'er all the' Italian fields, where still doth sway
The triple Tyrant, that from these may grow
A hundred fold."
10
146 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
The Methodists are growing in Italy. Everywhere
we see evidences of Methodist growth and Methodist
prosperity. The Epworth League is making itself felt
and appreciated; the old-fashioned Methodist revivals
are in full operation. At one of their services I witnessed
a touching incident. At the close of a revival sermon,
a child of seven or eight years, with tearful emotion,
left his father and mother in the pew, and stepping out
into the aisle the church was crowded knelt down
and said, "Preghiamo," ("Let us pray"), and uttered a
simple childish prayer. The effect was thrillingly im-
pressive, and the audience was profoundly moved. Bishop
Joyce came about this time, and his sermon made a deep
impression. He preached the old imperishable gospel,
and he communicated to the people the pentecostal flame
with which he himself was burning. One Italian Meth-
odist said to me the next day, "I felt as if I had wings."
Dr. Joyce is not, as a preacher, what one of his Irish
countrymen said of another, "Like green timber in a
stove, all smoke and no fire."
I observed, while there, that Italian Methodism needs
several changes. Bishop J. M. Walden, when in Italy,
made a thorough investigation. He is not an optimist
about the progress of the Methodist Church in any
European country. He is a wise and thoughtful observer,
taking time to make inquiries. He carries John Wesley's
sermons in his pocket, and reads them in his travels. He
visits the schools, and makes notes of all that particularly
attracts his attention.
One of the greatest needs of Methodism in Europe
is a native bishop who can speak the modern languages.
There is a commodious Methodist edifice, dedicated in
Rome a few years ago, near the War Department, and
METHODIST CHURCH IN ROME.
CONSUL AT MILAN. 147
in full view of the king's palace. It is one of the most
audacious enterprises of American Methodism. It is
grandly located on the road between old and new Rome.
It is to be the headquarters for all the Methodist work
in Italy. It will contain a college, a theological seminary,
a Deaconess Home, a printing-house. The Rev. Mr.
Reeder, a minister of the North Ohio Conference, a Chris-
tian gentleman well known for his missionary labors, gave
to this institution the generous sum of fifteen thousand
dollars. Already over one hundred thousand dollars have
been raised, and it will require much more to complete
the work.
One of the most gratifying results of the preaching
of these Italian Methodists is the utter absence of con-
troversial attacks upon the religion of the great mass of
the Italians. One would hear more from a roving secre-
tary before an Annual Conference in America in five min-
utes, about the Pope, than he would hear in Italy in ten
years from Methodist preachers. While such frothy
declamations may delight the groundlings, it never suc-
ceeds in reaching those who should be benefited by the
gospel of Christ. These foolish talkers, when denounc-
ing fancied dangers, are usually silent upon the great sins
which threaten our Protestant Churches. When I hear
these declamatory orations, I am always reminded of the
young English curate who asked Bishop Horsley's ad-
vice as to how to preach without notes. The bishop ad-
vised him to memorize his sermons. "But suppose I for-
get," replied the curate. "Then," said the bishop, "abuse
the 'Yankees,' and when your memory fails a second or
third time, abuse the Irish, the Pope, and the Jews."
I remember an old Californian who was desirous of
visiting the Italian Methodist church while I was in Milan.
148 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
A portion of his family went to the cathedral to hear the
music, but he insisted upon going to his own Church.
The minister preached a sermon of rare power, the sing-
ing was full of the old Methodist fire, and the worship
was very fervent. The Californian was much interested.
He did not understand a word of Italian ; but the thor-
ough earnestness of the worshipers touched his heart, and
he became intensely excited. The collectors came with
their boxes. The custom w r as for the congregation to
sing when the collection was being taken up. So when
the collector presented the box to him, he put both his
hands into his pockets, and drew out several ten-franc
pieces. The singing still continued, and he also contin-
ued drawing out the ten-franc notes, much to the col-
lector's confusion.
The absolute need of a native bishop was forced upon
my attention in a rather unpleasant manner. The present
plan of American bishops visiting the foreign Confer-
ences is expensive, faulty, and useless. A native-born
bishop, speaking the language, and in thorough sympathy
with the people in their political and intellectual aspira-
tions, would be far more efficient. During my residence
in Milan, I saw an illustration of this, in the case of Bishop
J. H. Vincent, who was appointed by his colleagues to
preside over the Italian Conference at Rome. He was ad-
vertised to preach at Milan on a certain date, and was
represented as being known in two hemispheres as a
scholar, an author, and a speaker of rare eloquence. The
press had been notified of his engagement, and expecta-
tion was on the qui vive to hear this famous American ex-
plain the peculiarities of the Methodist Church, of which
most of the Italians know nothing. I, too, shared in this
public feeling, and was anxious to hear the gifted divine.
CONSUL AT MILAN. 149
irrespective of the pride I felt in having a countryman,
chartered and commissioned by his Episcopal brethren,
placed in such a conspicuous position. Rooms had been
taken at the most prominent hotel, and two presiding
elders were in constant waiting for days to render honors
to the distinguished visitor.
A large crowd, including many eminent Italians, was
present that beautiful Sunday morning to hear the dis-
tinguished American. Unfortunately for the cause of
Methodism, Bishop Vincent failed to appear. No noti-
fication that he was not coming was sent, and no expla-
nation of his absence was received. It was afterwards
learned that he was sojourning placidly at Lake Lucerne,
the attractions of the place proving too great to be aban-
doned for so trivial a thing as this engagement to preach.
Among the Italian friends who were present were" Mr.
Dario Papa and his American wife, an accomplished
and kind-hearted lady. Dario Papa was the editor of
U Italia del Popolo, the leading republican paper of Italy.
He made it a tremendous power in the interests of the
operatives. In a few years he won an eminence, a fame,
and a name which few have succeeding in reaching. He
loved Italy, and the grand outbursts of indignation
against the oppressors of his native land, the fond anxiety
with which he portrayed her beauty and her heroism, the
sad and mournful murmurs with which he dwelt on her
misfortunes and her sufferings, are a part of the history
of Italy. Wherever the Italian heart shall weep or burn
at the thought of his country's wrongs, the writings of
Dario Papa will give new inspiration and power. He
died a few years ago. His devoted wife returned to the
United States, where she has enriched the North Amer-
ican Review, and other magazines, with her able articles.
Chapter IX.
INCIDENTS OF CONSULAR LIFE DISTINGUISHED
VISITORS.
THERE is no department of the foreign service of the
United States so misunderstood and unappreciated
as the consular system. It has been criticised by every
tyro, and by every tourist who fancied himself overlooked
or slighted; by every member of Congress who is ambi-
tious to win a reputation for economy with his constit-
uents. Frequently some mugwump, suddenly seized with
a fit of civil service, overhauls all our consular establish-
ments, and substitutes literary foppery for practical sense.
He harps, like another Paganini, on one string, or, like
the cuckoo, sings but one refrain.
The United States consul has many trials to endure
and many sacrifices to incur. Out of his slender salary
he is expected to entertain lavishly and to contribute to
every Church and charitable institution. If a distin-
guished American, an Ex-President, or general, or states-
man, takes a journey around the world, as did General
Grant a few years ago, and happens to visit the city where
a consul is located, that consul is expected to give an
elaborate and costly banquet, where the leading social
aristocrats, merchants, and manufacturers are invited to
meet him.
It is not necessary here to give the history of consuls
to go back to Rome, or cite the illustrious example of
Napoleon, the first consul honored by the title. In the
United States the system of sending consuls abroad com-
150
CONSULAR LIFE. 151
menced immediately after the Revolution, when they were
appointed without salaries. In 1856 a law was passed
grading consulships into seven classes. The class without
a fixed salary was allowed to engage in mercantile pur-
suits; consuls with salaries fixed by the Department of
State were to be exclusively employed in Government
business. The salaries range from one thousand to four
thousand dollars per year, being supplemented by what
is called notarial fees. In some cities, especially in Lon-
don, Paris, Milan, and BerHn, these fees increase the regu-
lar salary one-third, oftener more. If an American desires
to execute a deed, make a will, sign a contract, or any-
thing of that nature, it is called notarial, and the consul
is remunerated as a lawyer for his official services.
The duties of a consul are arduous, difficult, and
frequently complicated. The common idea that a consul
has nothing to do is very erroneous. It is his duty to see
that the treaties between his country and the one to which
he is appointed are faithfully carried out ; that Americans
arrested or defrauded are given a fair trial. In cities
where ships anchor, he is expected to watch the move-
ments of vessels, and to assist, with funds supplied by the
Government, distressed sailors. It is his duty to sign
the certificates of all invoices, and to testify that the
goods invoiced correspond to those manufactured. He
must sign three invoices one to be given to the shipper ;
one forwarded to the collector of the port of New York,
Boston, San Francisco, or wherever the goods are to be
delivered; one is retained in the office. Then he must
make reports every three months, every six months, every
year, to the State and Treasury Departments. He keeps
a record of all the invoices and notarials he receives, and
sends this record to the Treasury Department, which
152 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
must be sworn to before a magistrate. He may be as
pure as Washington, as honest as Aristides, but his simple
word is not enough. He makes similar reports to the
consul-general. If there is a single error if a t is not
crossed, an envelope not properly sealed the report is
often returned for correction. To inexperienced consuls,
who have no clerks, but do all the work themselves, this
is very embarrassing. There are many other duties de-
volving upon the consul. He is frequently called upon
by the Department for reports upon banks, roads, streets,
methods of packing goods, commerce, railroads, beggars,
crimes, etc. If an American dies in his district, it is his
business to visit the hotel or house and get all the facts,
take an account of his effects, the nature of the disease,
the disposal of the body, and then send on name and date
to the Department.
The consul rents his office in a conspicuous part of
the city, and is solely responsible for the rent and all
the office expenses, although he is allowed a sum equal
to one-fifth of his salary for the rent by the Government,
nothing for servants and fuel, and only a small amount
for clerk hire. Unless a consul sweeps out and takes care
of his own office, a servant is a necessity. In many of the
consulates, where the salary is small, the consul can not
afford this, and so the servant hire is put down in the
expenses sent to the Government as ''stationery" or
"stamps."
The appointment of an American consul rests with
the President, and he is allowed thirty days and a month's
salary in advance. His appointment must be satisfactory
to the Government to which he is assigned, else there
is no exequatur given him. An exequatur is a permission
to exercise the functions of his office. If the new ap-
CONSULAR LIFE. 153
pointee has ever said anything against the king, em-
peror, or queen, the fact is reported by the ambassador,
a copy of the speech is forwarded, and the consul might
as well remain at home ; for his services will not be needed
elsewhere.
The office hours in all the salaried consulates are from
ten to four. The consul has few privileges. If he is ab-
sent under sixty days, the vice-consul is entitled to half
the salary; and if over sixty days, he gets all of it. The
qualifications for a consul by European Governments are
thorough and extensive. In England, the applicant is
put through a searching examination. He must be able
to speak and write English and French, and have a prac-
tical knowledge of all the common branches; he must
serve an apprenticeship in the London office. It is the
same in France; he must commence undec twenty-five,
and must be a graduate of one of the numerous schools
and colleges of that country. In Italy, Germany, and
Belgium, similar laws prevail. Hitherto the qualifications
in the United States have not been so sweeping and ex-
acting as those of the nations mentioned. An appoint-
ment by the President, and confirmed by the Senate, has
been all that was required. There is a growing demand
for men whose attainments will compare favorably with
the consuls of other Governments. The consul should
have, if not a comprehensive knowledge of the laws which
govern nations the Jewish law, the Christian code, the
Roman law by all means a knowledge of the laws of
his own land. A knowledge of the language is absolutely
essential. An American appointed to a continental con-
sulate, and attempting to transact business without even
a smattering of the language, is like the Methodist
preacher who became an Episcopalian and desired ordi-
154 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
nation. The bishop asked him, "Have you read any
books of ours upon the Church?" "No," was the reply,
"but I am going to write one." The candidate should
have a conversational knowledge of all the modern lan-
guages French, German, Spanish, and Italian.
Yet, despite all the poor salaries and lack of scientific
and classical attainments, our consuls rank high. An emi-
nent Frenchman, in an address delivered to his country-
men some time ago at Paris, said : "American consuls are
shrewd, well-educated men, placed where they can do the
most good, and they are required not only to look after
the interests of their compatriots, but also to make them-
selves masters of every detail respecting the commerce
of the countries in which they are placed, and to report
to headquarters as to what articles can with advantage
be imported to their country. Their reports are gener-
ally comprehensive and complete, and are read with avid-
ity by merchants, manufacturers, and workmen."
The duties prescribed by the consular regulations do
not embrace one-hundredth part of the unwritten things
devolving upon an American consul in any of the large
manufacturing cities of Europe. He is asked to arbitrate
in questions requiring the finesse of a finished politician
or a learned lawyer. He must possess the wisdom of a
Solomon and the wealth of a Rothschild to advise wisely
and aid all those who come to him for help and advice.
His visitors are not all of that worthy class of citizens that
makes one glad to acknowledge them as countrymen.
A Swiss, a Russian, a German, a Spaniard, if he has lived
a month or a day in America, as soon as he is in trouble,
seeks the American consulate, and demands assistance
on the score of being an American citizen. The consul
may be one of the most pacific and peace-loving of men.
CONSULAR LIFE. 155
and yet his footsteps will be dogged in the daytime by
persistent beggars who threaten to shoot themselves in
his pathway if he does not give them money, and his
sleeping hours be haunted by the specter Remorse because
he did not give his last suit of clothes to the suave and
gentlemanly youth who asked for it. The postman brings
him mysterious billets-doux which, on being opened, are
found to contain a challenge to mortal combat from the
Spaniard to whom he refused to lend one hundred dollars
the day before ; and when he is not asked to take the part
of principal in a duel, he may be requested to act as second
to a young prince who has had a quarrel with one of his
countrymen. He receives letters from American women
requesting him to rent for them a Roman villa near Milan ;
or to buy, "for a lady in Kentucky," a donkey with a white
spot on its nose ; or for a gentleman in Boston a complete
suit of Roman armor breastplate, helmet, and sword.
Requests of this kind are always unaccompanied with
funds, and the consul is asked to make the purchases at
his own expense, and the money will be refunded if the
commission has been satisfactorily executed. I did this
once, but never a second time. Experience is a stern
teacher.
Those who attempt to obtain money from the consul
under false pretenses are many. There came to me one
morning a well-educated woman, of handsome presence,
finely dressed, and a brilliant conversationalist. She said
she had lately been married, and her husband was the
United States commercial agent at one of the East In-
dian ports. He was taking his vacation, had been taken
ill at the hotel, and, as the illness had greatly increased
their expenses, she would like me to cash a draft for her,
as it would take so long before they could get the money
156 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
from home. I was obliged to refuse. The woman begged
and pleaded with tears, but it was no use. She then went
to a bank in the city, and succeeded in getting the money.
A few weeks later, the bank officials were anxiously inquir-
ing at the office if anything was known of the party. They
had sent the draft on to Washington for collection, and
found that the man was an all-around rascal, and had
long ago overdrawn his bank account. He had been the
United States agent at B y ; but wine, women, and
cards had proved his ruin. The woman with him was not
his wife. The bank was out just five hundred dollars.
For several successive days a genial gentleman
dropped into the office, and highly entertained the vice-
consul and myself with thrilling accounts of his travels.
At the end of a few days he desired just a small loan,
one hundred dollars, as he was suffering a little finan-
cial embarrassment, and it would be some time before
he could get his money from home. The loan was re-
fused, and as the gentleman took his departure he mur-
mured words the opposite of a religious character, and
the atmosphere about him was deeply tinged with a ceru-
lean hue. Before coming to Milan he had spent some
time at Monte Carlo, which probably accounted for his
financial difficulty.
One evening, about nine o'clock, two distracted young
women appeared at the consulate. The sights of the city
had proved too seductive, they had lingered longer than
they had intended, their money was all gone, and the
landlord had set their trunk in the hall. They had a
ticket to Paris; but that was a two days' journey no
money, cruel landlord, tears would the consul lend
them - ? The consul did, and a week later received
a post-office order from Paris for the amount loaned.
CONSULAR LIFE. 157
My faith in human nature went up a point. Then came
a suave gentleman, who owned vast pine-forests in Maine.
His greeting was effusive. "Ah, my dear sir, I am so
happy to meet you ! I am a great traveler, and the first
thing I always do when I arrive- in a city is to hunt up
the consul. I know that a Government official can not
receive presents; but your wife is not under restrictions
of that kind, and I want to make her a present of a fine
broche shawl. O, you must not say no. I have a num-
ber of beautiful things I ana bringing home from India,
and I will feel really offended if you do not let me give
your wife a shawl. My things are not here, but they
will be in a few days, when I will bring it around. And,
by the way, can you not dine with me at my hotel to-
night you and your excellent vice-consul?" I declined;
but the vice-consul nibbled at the bait, and a week later
was presented by the hotel proprietor with a bill for board
for the gentleman from Maine, w r ho was traveling around
the country with broche shawls to give away as presents.
He had slipped away in the night-time, leaving nothing
behind but a trunk full of patent medicine, doubtless oil
from the pine-forests of Maine. The vice-consul was
obliged to settle the bill, as his acceptance of the dinner
invitation and publicly appearing in the man's company
made him responsible for his debts. Such is the law in
Italy.
An Italian sent in a request for an American wife,
saying that the American girls made better housekeepers
than the Italian girls. In cases of this kind a consul will
do well to steer clear of the filmy meshes of the little god
of love, or he may find a tearful American girl, after a
brief honeymoon, seeking to be sent back to her friends.
"Yes, I am the King of Strength, and I have called
158 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
upon you to see if you will aid me in recovering twenty-
five dollars, of which the manager of the theater
has robbed me. You see, he paid me in paper money, and
I will have to have it changed into gold before I leave
the country, and will thereby lose twenty-five dollars."
The King of Strength could scarcely get through the
door, being about as broad as he was long. "I want you
to recommend me to a good smart lawyer, who can take
up the case and carry it through for me."
"Have you any signed contract to the effect that
you were to be paid in gold?" I asked.
"There is a contract, but it is not stated in what
medium the money is to be paid."
"Then I am afraid the smartest lawyer in the country
could not help you. Nothing goes here that is not down
in black and white."
"Well, I have learned a lesson then, and I will know
in future how to arrange a contract with a foreign
theatrical manager. Won't you come over to the theater
to-night? I can show you some feats of strength that
will certainly amaze you. I can bend a bar of iron double,
and straighten it out again. There is a complimentary
ticket; bring your family and come around."
One morning a woman presented herself at the office
who was evidently not in her right mind. She told a
rambling story about a visit to Genoa. She had met on
the steamer, coming over, an Italian family, with whom
she engaged to board for a while. But after arriving at
the house, she found there was only one sleeping-room
for the whole family and herself; so she decided to go
to a hotel. It was late at night, and every hotel refused
to take her, because she was alone, and she was obliged
to go to the depot and stay there all night. This part
CONSULAR LIFE. 159
of her story was afterward corroborated. She desired
the consul to send a telegram for her to her brother
in New York. She said that her brother was dead, but
he would get the telegram anyway. She then dictated
a wild and incoherent message that would have taken a
month's salary to send, but I did not send it. A servant
was sent with her to a quiet boarding-place, and nothing
more was heard of her for several days. Then she came
in one morning, saying she had received an answer from
her brother, and she desired to pay for the telegram
that was . quietly resting in my waste-basket. I said it
did n't matter about the money, and for her not to worry
about it. But she insisted, and as she was becoming
nervous and hysterical, I said I guessed a franc would
cover the amount. She paid me this sum, and I sur-
prised the next beggar I met by dropping it into his
hand. This woman traveled all over France and Italy,
and why her relations or friends permitted it will always
remain a mystery. Five minutes' conversation with her
would reveal to the most obtuse that she was mentally
unbalanced.
These are a few of the different varieties of callers at a
consular office. There are some who, when their demands
for money are refused, threaten dire things to the consul.
They will write at once to the Department at Washing-
ton, and have him removed; or they will write to the
American papers, and have him exposed ; or they will pub-
lish his misdeeds to the ends of the earth. The mis-
deeds are supposed to be the misappropriation of munif-
icent funds confided by the Government to his keeping
for the benefit of his impecunious countrymen abroad.
Italians often come to him for assistance in recover-
ing lost relatives, lost either in America or elsewhere.
160 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
One little dark-eyed woman sought my office, and begged
me to see if the United States would not indemnify her
for the loss of her husband. He had sailed for America
or Australia she did not know which and as he had
never returned, she thought the United States ought to
make good his loss. Another Italian woman had been
told that the United States Government would settle her
claim of one hundred and fifty dollars against a missing
boarder the son of a Philadelphia clergyman. Why
Philadelphia, and why clergyman, I can not say; but the
majority of missing boarders, leaving unpaid bills behind
them, are represented as sons of Philadelphia clergymen.
A man from Cincinnati posted a notice in one of the
principal hotels in Milan to the effect that a certain bar-
ber in that city had died, and left a fortune of a million
dollars. Immediately my office was besieged by an army
of relatives, all anxious to establish their relationship, and
secure a slice of the fortune. Communication was opened
with the authorities at Cincinnati, when it was learned that
the barber had died and left several children for the city
to support!
I wish to say here, though it has no relation to what
has preceded, that I never found more faithful and de-
voted servants than in Italy. When we decided to return
to America, we immediately told the servants, in order
that they might have an opportunity to find situations
elsewhere. One maid, Ernesta, was successful in find-
ing a place at once, and she was to go to it as soon as we
left. But the days and weeks passed, and still we were
detained. Her new employer became impatient, and told
her she must come at once, or she could not have the
situation. Ernesta then told us that if we were sure that
we would remain a month longer, she would give up the
DRIVE BETWEEN MILAN AND MONZA.
CONSULAR LIFE. l6l
situation and remain with us. But we did not know. As
the Government was delaying the appointment of a, new
consul, it might be a month, and it might be only a week.
We advised her to go at once to the new situation, much
as we would miss her, and with tears she left us. A week
later, at her usual hour, ten o'clock, she walked in, and
resumed her duties. On questioning her, she told us she
had worked faithfully for her new padrona a week, and
then had gone to her and said, "Well, are you satisfied
with me?" "Yes." "And with my work?" "Yes, en-
tirely satisfied." "Then let me go back to my padrone
Americane, and stay until they go to America, and then
I will come and stay with you as long as you want me to."
The Italian woman hesitated ; she did not like to lose the
new servant that gave such satisfaction. "You had bet-
ter let me go," said Ernesta, shrewdly, "and then I will
come back to you ; if you do not, I will go any way, and
I will not come back at all." So she came and stai'd with
us until our departure, some three or four months later,
when she still found the other situation open to her. Only
an Italian peasant woman, and yet the last we saw of her
little, old, wrinkled face, the tears were streaming down
it as she left the depot as our train was speeding away
from Milan.
There is one class of United States officials who have
never been appreciated according to their deserts ; I mean
the vice-consul. These unknown and unrewarded men
have rendered valuable services to their countrymen.
They speak all the modern languages of Europe, and have
a practical knowledge of the commercial and other affairs
which interest the countries they represent. Mr. Elaine
said to me, when I received my appointment to Milan,
"You will find there a tried, true, and faithful vice-consul
362 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
in Mr. Anthony Richman." I found Mr. Elaine's words
true, and many an American can also testify to the same ;
for they have received from him helpful words and wise
counsel. Milan is the great musical city of the world. The
very air is charged with music, and hither come annually
hundreds of inexperienced American girls. These girls
.always found in Anthony Richman a true friend and bene-
factor when they needed help and comfort. It was said of
him that he "would walk his feet off for an American,"
and I found this to be almost literally true. Somewhere
in one of our Western cities lives a clergyman. He was
.spending his honeymoon in Italy, when his beautiful bride
was seized with a fatal illness. He could not understand
.a word of the language, and the hotel people were seized
with a panic. The bride died, and could not be buried
without a permit from the Government at Rome. In his
trouble and despair, the clergyman came to the consulate,
and flung himself upon the floor. Mr. Richman procured
the necessary papers, and the wife of three months was
buried in the beautiful cemetery at Milan. I know not
if the memory of that clergyman sometimes travels back
to Italy, and visits a lonely grave ; but I do know that as
long as Anthony Richman lived, he and his wife went
annually and placed a bouquet of flowers on the grave
of the young American buried so far from home and
friends.
He died at the close of my term, and it became my
melancholy privilege to deliver his funeral oration. As
I recounted the lovable traits of his character his hon-
esty ; his charity, a hand open as the day to the appeal of
the suffering; his integrity, a more honorable man never
held position under our Government ; his patriotism, the
audience responded in the Italian fashion, "Bravo !
CONSULAR LIFE. , 163
bravo !" He stood by me in the two darkest hours of my
life, and his memory will be forever dear to me.
He had been in the office at Milan nearly twenty years,
and was thoroughly conversant with all the details con-
nected with the consular business, and his place was hard
to supply.
American consuls in the faithful discharge of their
duties often incur great risks to their positions, and occa-
sionally to their lives. If their reports criticise the action
of the exporters and manufacturers, complaint is made
to the Government, and their removal is demanded.
Again, if their reports refer adversely to the teachers and
professors of music, painting, or sculpture, they take their
chances of being stabbed or shot down in the streets.
There have been several cases where consuls, after their
removal from office, have been sued for damages, because
of their honest reports to the Department. I had seen,
during my residence in Milan, so many American girls
deceived and driven to the verge of despair by the high
expectations which they were led to entertain of immedi-
ate success in music, that I felt it my duty to write a state-
ment to the authorities at Washington, telling the facts
as to the expense of board, tuition, and of certain Italian
customs of which American girls, and of course their
parents, know nothing. The report was deemed of such
importance that the State Department gave it immedi-
ately to the press. It was widely circulated in the United
States, and copied into all the leading papers of Europe.
Labouchere, the brilliant and caustic editor of Truth, re-
ported it. I will append a synopsis of it here: "Rev.
G. W. Pepper, United States consul at Milan, has made
an interesting report upon the difficulties encountered by
American musical students. He says : 'The great majority
1 64 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
of young students who come to finish off their musical
education return to their homes disgusted. The selection
of a teacher is one of the most difficult problems which
confront the new arrival. Now that the two famous
teachers, San Giovanni and Lamperti, are dead, there
are about one hundred and fifty others, more or less culti-
vated. Young women who are wrongly allowed to come
alone to this country are met by another difficulty a
social etiquette which forbids them taking a lesson unless
a third party is present, and which condemns their ap-
pearing alone in public. This custom is gradually giving
way to more advanced and liberal ideas, but the violation
of it has recently placed several American women in most
annoying positions.
1 'The price of lessons is, on an average, twenty dol-
lars a month, the rent of a piano fifty cents per month,
board $30, lessons in the Italian language forty cents per
hour.
" 'But however well equipped and however strong the
energy of the young people, they are not prepared for the
difficulties which await them. After the year or two re-
garded as sufficient to prepare them for their profession,
they soon find that without a year's more study the time
and money spent are utterly lost. At this point a few,
being refused further help from home, or realizing that
their talents do not justify them in making any further
effort, abandon the profession, and return to their homes.
In three years, however, out of a hundred who have come
to Milan to have their voices tested, only one, to my
knowledge, received an honest verdict from the master to
the effect that her voice did not justify her in commenc-
ing lessons. Unfortunately the majority of them are led
to believe that they are destined to a brilliant and suc-
CONSULAR LIFE. 165
cessful career. They remain from month to month, from
year to year, continuing their lessons and waiting for en-
gagements. There is not so much villainy and falseness
on the part of the impresarios and agents as we are led to
believe by disappointed singers. But many of them are
deceitful in their dealings.
' 'There have been three cases brought to my atten-
tion where the cupidity of the master in wishing to keep
his pupils for a long time, in order to receive their money,
caused the unsettling of their reason.
" 'Wrong ideas with regard to the cheapness of living
in Italy is also another reason for their failure. No one
can live here for less than sixty dollars per month, includ-
ing lessons, and yet the majority come with an income
much less. Many hope to enter the Royal Conservatory,
where tuition is very low ; but very few are the Americans
who succeed in doing so, as the conditions for entering
are very severe. No one over twenty years of age is ac-
cepted, and she must have a thorough knowledge of
Italian. Out of a hundred American singers now resid-
ing in Milan, not one has succeeded in entering this year.
The majority of the American students are from New
York, Ohio, and California. The quality of their voices
in purity and range is said to surpass those of other na-
tions; but the fact is apparent that not more than five
per cent of them attain great success on the stage.' '
It would be impossible to describe the consternation
that followed the republication of this report in the Mi-
lanese and Italian papers. The teachers, agents, and pub-
lishers of music-books, the hotel and boarding-house
keepers, all people dependent on travelers for sustenance,
at once joined in a shout of execration; the report of the
consul was a conspiracy against the good character of
1 66 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Milan! It looked alarmingly threatening for me, and I
was warned to be prepared for some sudden attack upon
myself or the consulate. However, the Milanese news-
papers came to my help. The Secolo, the most widely-
read paper in Italy, said, "The consul may have exagger-
ated, but it is unfortunately too true what he has said."
The Carrier e della Sera, in a vigorous editorial said : "The
consul has not told half the facts; there ought to be a
public institution for the relief of American students."
The Italia del Popolo, "The consul has only told the brutal
truth." A few days afterwards, Professor Fontana, in a
lecture before a literary audience, read the report and
indorsed it most heartily, asking, "Where is the Italian
consul who would have the courage of this American con-
sul to look after and defend his poor country-women?"
Copies of the papers containing notices of and comments
on the report were sent to the Department of State and
filed.
While in Milan it was often my privilege to meet men
and women famous in the different arts and professions.
It was thus that I met Miss Ada Rehan, the foremost
actress in America to-day. She had just finished her
London engagements, and had come to Italy for a rest.
She has the witchery and winning truthfulness of Helen
Fawcett; her voice is rich, strong, and musical. I con-
versed with her there, and afterwards in Cleveland, and
in answer to my questions in regard to voices and elo-
cution, she did not hesitate to give her opinion. Speak-
ing of Beecher, she said he was the "most perfect elocu-
tionist she ever heard in the pulpit ; that there was not his
equal in his day; he was master of the art of oratory.
Tennyson's voice was so magnificent that to hear him
CONSULAR LIFE. 1 67
read some of his own matchless poems was like listening
to Forrest and Macready read the masterpieces of Shakes-
peare ; there was so much beauty in the ever-varying ex-
pressions that his reading was like a memory that never
could be forgotten." She then referred to the pope's
marvelous voice. It was "so sweet, so full, so pure, so
sincere; its lowest tones could be distinctly heard, but
when he raised his voice thousands had no trouble in
hearing him." Gladstone's voice had a "soft and brilliant
power, which thrilled on the ear delightfully, endowed
with that rotundity and full body of melody that gave such
distinct and mellow grandeur to the voices of Chatham,
Chalmers, and Grattan." Miss Rehan was accompanied
by her manager, Mr. Augustin Daly, the successsful and
popular playwright of the United States, who is entitled
to the thanks ot the patrons of the drama for his efforts
to refine and elevate the stage.
When Lord Dufferin was the British Ambassador to
Italy, I had the pleasure of meeting him. He received me
promptly, saying, "I am always glad to see an American."
He gave me many reminiscences of his sojourns in India,
Constantinople, Canada, and Rome. In all of these coun-
tries he represented the English Government. Lord
Dufferin impressed me as a man of most magnificent
genius in all departments of diplomacy and of literature.
He was moved when I told him that the simple ballad of
his illustrious mother, "I am bidding you a long farewell,
my Mary kind and true," was read and treasured in the
backwoods of America. Lord Dufferin, with the blood
of the Sheridans in his veins, has upheld in the world's
proudest capitals the character of his ancestors for ability
and power. He has, within the last few years, become in-
1 68 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
timately related to our country by the marriage of his son
to one of America's beautiful heiresses Miss Davis, of
New York.
I have celebrated our glorious Independence-day
under many varied circumstances; but perhaps the most
agreeable was the one I spent upon Lake Como, the
guest of Dr. Terry, an American, who had lived twenty
years in Italy, and who never failed to commemorate, in
the most approved fashion, all of the national holidays of
his native land. The scenery on both sides of the historic
lake was delightful; the thick foliage of the trees appeared
to expand its wings upon the perfumed Italian air, and the
lovely tints were bestowed by a bounteous Providence ; the
waters were a deep rich blue, and the sky was covered
with clouds of purest whiteness, that appeared like large
swans that had fallen asleep, and in their dreams were
floating above us. The Stars and Stripes were floating
over the waters, and under a flowering mulberry-tree the
dinner was eaten, the speeches were made, and the toasts
drank.
The memories of the day filled the heart with joy
and thanksgiving. I thought of the friends far away,
of the living and the dead. The bloom of youth has
passed away since first I celebrated this glorious day ; but
let me indulge the hope that even though many misfor-
tunes may come to the land I love, I have still a legacy
to leave, rich in its hope, sacred in its duties, and grand
in its Constitution love for the land of Washington and
Lincoln.
THE KING OF ITALY.
THE first time I saw the King of Italy was when visit-
ing Monza, one of his summer resorts, in company with
CONSULAR LIFE. 169
my daughter. It was at the time of his visit there; for
he usually spends the most of his summers in this his-
toric and charming spot. At the palace gate I saw a
strikingly handsome man on horseback. I asked if the
palace was open to visitors that day, and if so, could we
enter? I thought, perhaps, I was addressing one of the
king's officers, dressed in citizen's clothes. He responded,
"Certainly; everything is free, perfectly free." It began
to dawn upon my mind that he bore a resemblance to
Humbert, and that, after all, this might be the king. And,
sure enough, it was the Italian sovereign upon whom I
was gazing with my republican eyes. I ventured to ask
if His Majesty was there and could be seen. The words
came calmly from his lips, "O yes; I am the king." It
seemed impossible. There 'were no immense crowds, no
Hveried servants, no soldiers with their glittering sabers.
I i Md him we were from America, where Italy had hosts
of aa^irers, and where there were many of his subjects,
now American citizens, and that they were industrious,
frugal, and in a few years acquired a competency. "O
yes; America is a grand country; you are a great people,
that have shown yourselves worthy of political rights.
You are intelligent, patriotic, and moral. You have
thrown the gates wide open, and the world beholds your
Republic as a self-governed Nation by a Congress which
is free, full, and fair representatives of the people's
wishes." Reference was made to Lincoln, and the mov-
ing interest taken by the Italians in his assassination.
Cavour's dying words were remembered. When the re-
port reached the ears of the expiring statesman, he faintly
gasped out these words, "O, these Americans; they were
my ideals, ,and now they have murdered their benefactor!"
1 70 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
"Yes," said the king, "grande uomo, grande uomo" a
great man, a great man "such as no other country in
the world can show." The king, again referring to the
United States, called it "the land of exhaustless wealth
and prosperity, and that such a land, possessing the im-
mortal names of Washington and Lincoln and Grant, had
the purest and grandest destiny ever vouchsafed to man-
kind."
The personal appearance of Humbert is very attract-
ive. He was in his fiftieth year when I met him. His
tower-like forehead is furrowed with many cares and
anxieties, making him look much older than he really
is. His step, however, is elastic, and his voice sounds clear
and round as a bell. He is not tall, but of medium height,
with a broad chest and a robust, healthy frame. He pos-
sesses the eye of a hawk, and every lineament of his coun-
tenance shows calm determination. There is one of his
eyes which has a peculiar eccentricity. It never moves,
but seems immovably fixed. It was caused by the fright
which Passanante gave him when he attempted his assassi-
nation. He is a splendid horseman, and as a rider has no
equal. He keeps three hundred horses in his stables at
Rome. He is a soldier, having received his first baptism
of blood in the Crimean War. Many anecdotes are told
of him by the Italians. It is said that he was traveling
somewhere in Italy, where he was unknown as he sup-
posed. He bought some oranges from a peddler, who
charged him an enormous price. "Why," said Hum-
bert, "oranges must be scarce in this part of Italy."
"No," said the peddler, with a merry twinkle in his eye,
"but kings are scarce, your Majesty."
The Italians tell with pride of the liberality of their
AN OFFICER OF THE ITALIAN SHARPSHOOTERS.
THE KING OF ITALY. 1 71
king in sending five thousand francs to the Waldenses
when they commemorated their three-hundredth anniver-
sary. This was a brave act, when it is remembered that
the House of Savoy have reddened the valleys with their
blood.
His welcome to the Evangelical Alliance showed that
his religious belief knew no shore. When the queen tried
to dissuade him from going to the cholera-stricken city
of Naples, where hundreds died of the scourge, he an-
swered, "My life is my people's ; my place is by their side,
especially in times of danger." Again he testified his de-
votion to democracy when he proudly declared, in a speech
of great power : "As long as my country can be served by
my remaining its king, I remain on the throne; but the
moment when it will be better without me, I retire to
private life." These are grand words and grandly spoken ;
but it is nobler to he chief of a Republic, elected by the
ballots of a free people. Purple and tiara fade in the lus-
ter of that simple dignity. The man who wears it need
not envy czar nor king. He has a nobler mission than
any ruler of mankind on earth. It is true that he does
not sit in a chair of gold and crimson cloth ; but he is en-
throned in the hearts of millions.
I saw the Queen of Italy some fifteen years ago, as
she rode amid the thrilling acclamations of enthusiastic
thousands along the banks of that glorious river where
the noble Brutus struck Csesar down. I thought, then,
that she was the most beautiful sovereign in Europe. She
is fairly tall, her profile well proportioned, her hair a
chestnut brown, and her eyes a resplendent blue. She is
not only the most beautiful Queen, but she is the best edu-
cated. She converses in all the modern languages ; is well
172 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
read in Shakespeare, in Ruskin, and in Schiller. But her
loving devotion to the King is the brightest jewel in her
crown. She thinks more of that symbol ring, by which
her royal husband endowed her with his love and made
her sacred, than all her royal dignities.
Chapter X.
DOMESTIC SORROWS A PERSONAL CHAPTER.
ALTHOUGH death had, at times, hovered near me and
/i. mine, yet for more than thirty years it had spared
us. The last one dear to me to pass away into her eternal
rest had been my mother, in my young boyhood. But I
had not been a month in my new position in the Italian
consulate, whither I went first to pave the way for other
members of my family to join me, when the news was
flashed over that my youngest born was dead. Like a
flash of lightning from a clear sky the blow struck -and
felled me to the earth.
It would best comport with the wishes of my dear
Carrie to let her passage to the tomb be mourned by silent
tears and regrets. I had seen her happy school-days ex-
pand into the noble fullness of a graceful young woman
quick, genial, and accomplished by intercourse with the
good and pure, looked upon by all who knew her with
admiration. Her conversation charmed the intellect by
its freshness and wisdom. What a pity that a nature so
rich, and which, like some rare perfume, exhaled itself
with such lavish generosity, should exhaust itself so soon !
Even now, years after she has left us, my lips tremble as
I speak her name, and my heart sinks within me as I
weave this garland for her memory. When mature age
wraps around itself the mantle of mortality, we look with
the same sensation as we behold a sunset succeeding the
hours of closing day ; the grain is fully ripe, and we won-
der not that reapers begin their task. But when death
173
174 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
snaps the golden thread of life's young morning, we bow
our heads, and our souls are torn with anguish. Bright
was the dawn of my dear girl's life, and brilliant the open-
ing promise; but it may be just as well. The Power that
clothed it with celestial light decreed that it should have
its noonday in the skies. Better that the clouds of evening
should not succeed so beautiful a morning.
The summer bloom is coming, but the flowers will
not bud and blossom for her. The golden fields of au-
tumn will come too, but the golden fruit will not ripen
for her. The dews of spring will come and go, but she
never again will make joy and gladness in our home.
Though young in years, she had forged her way to the
foremost ranks in her profession, and was regarded with
the highest esteem by those with whom her work brought
her in contact, and those who read her brilliant letters.
The President, senators, and distinguished journalists
sent sincerest condolences, and Wallace Bruce, the poet,
wrote, "I read it with dimmed eyes." Sympathy is sweet
to those who mourn; but only One can bring peace to
the wounded heart. We, too, can sing the noble dirge of
Marmion :
" Now is the lovely column broke,
The beacon's light is quenched in smoke ;
The trumpet's silver sound is still,
The warder silent on the hill."
My second daughter joned me in Italy, and we trav-
eled for a few months, and sought by constant motion to
stifle the pain that was gnawing at our hearts. But each
new scene, each beautiful object, reminded us the more
of our sorrow; for we thought continually how Carrie
would have admired it all how she would have loved to
wander through the art galleries, to peer into the old
A PERSONAL CHAPTER. 175
books in the libraries, to sail about upon the beautiful
waters, to see all the quaint and curious things we were
seeing! We returned to America in the fall of 1890, and
a few weeks later I again departed for Italy, accompanied
by my wife and oldest daughter. But death, which had
spared us so long, again, ere another year had passed,
paused at our hearthstone long enough to waft away,
with his cruel breath, another one from out the circle.
When first she came to dwell at my fireside, she was in
the first flush of her youthful beauty. I had seen her ex-
pand and grow from timid bud to the blooming flower.
I had seen her when the first joy of motherhood glori-
fied her countenance. P'or nearly forty years we had
walked together, and when she left me all seemed blank
and the world a void. One brief month of illness and
pain, and then she joined our youngest born in the skies.
Almost her last words were: "I see Carrie! I will soon
be with her."
It was during this time of trouble that we learned to
know the value of true, disinterested friendship. Mrs.
Dario Papa, an American girl who had married an Italian
editor, with unselfish devotion and the tenderest affection,
was with us during all the sad hours, giving material aid
and cheerful encouragement to the well and tenderest
sympathy to the sick.
The funeral services in Milan were conducted with
the utmost simplicity. The Americans visiting the city
were present. The singing was led by a Presbyterian
gentleman from Ohio, and the hymns were strikingly
appropriate "Nearer, my God, to thee," "Rock of
Ages," and "God be with you till we meet again," having
been favorites of my wife. The sermon was delivered by
Professor Braccioforti, author of the standard Italian die-
176 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
tionary, from the text, "In my Father's house are many
mansions." The discourse was a picture of the blessed-
ness of the saints, and the language was beautiful. The
sermon was comforting and inspiring.
After repeated efforts, permission was granted by the
Italian Government, the German, the Swiss, and the Bel-
gian, to take the beloved dead through their territories.
We were met in New York by two sons, and the melan-
choly journey was resumed.
Dr. Dimmick delivered a touching and appropriate
address in Cleveland. He was assisted by an old clergy-
man, Rev. Oliver Burgess, who had kind words to say,
and who referred to a similar service in the same house
for the dear daughter.
In one month from the time she had died in Italy we
placed the mortal remains of my dear wife to rest in Lake-
view Cemetery, by the side of the daughter who had pre-
ceded her by only a year and two months.
* After a four years' stay in Europe with my two re-
maining daughters, I arrived in the United States, Janu-
ary i, 1894, and proceeded immediately to Cleveland. I
again took up my work in the ministry, and have served
within the last four years the Woodland Hills Methodist
Episcopal Church, and the Scovill Avenue Methodist
Episcopal Church, of this city, and the Brecksville Meth-
odist Episcopal Church, which I was obliged to give up
on account of continued ill-health.
My first serious sickness occurred in September, 1897,
after returning from Nashville, Tennessee, where I deliv-
ered one of the Centennial addresses. Dr. Durstine, a
kind and able physician of the Old School, being sum-
moned, helped me; but thinking I would be benefited by
the electrical baths of a sanitarium, and the constant medi-
DR. H. F. BIG GAR. 177
cal attendance one can receive there, he advised me to go
to the sanitarium at Dansville, N. Y. I was there only
one week, when the senior physician, Dr. Jackson, kindly
but frankly told me my heart was seriously affected, and
that I should return home as soon as possible the treat-
ment of the sanitarium would not benefit my case any.
Dr. Durstine had been able to do more for me at home,
as had also Dr. Sawyer, a skillful and successful phy-
sician. I returned home immediately, accompanied by
my daughter, who had come in answer to a telegram.
The family in the meantime had resolved to try the New
School, and Dr. H. F. Biggar, being one of the most emi-
nent in his profession in the city, was asked to visit me.
He made an examination, but only said, "The heart is
weak, but it can be strengthened."
In a few weeks I was out on the streets ; but an indis-
creet compliance with lecture committees in the East
threw me back into a worse condition, and it was at this
point in my illness that Dr. Biggar advised me to try the
waters of Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania. I followed
this counsel, and spent several weeks there at the River-
side Hotel. I found it a delightful place, and the mineral
waters were very healthful and beneficial. It was here
that I first met the genial Colonel William Edwards, of
Cleveland, a great sportsman, and a patriotic and kind-
hearted gentleman. He and his amiable wife were the
charm of all the social gatherings there. His subsequent
death was a great loss to this community, of which he was
an honored citizen.
DR. H. F. BIGGAR.
I like not the indifference that fails to recognize and
acknowledge the benefits received from the unceasing de-
12
1 78 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
votion and accomplished skill of a faithful and conscien-
tious physician. I shall always remember with delight the
good offices of Dr. Biggar. I have come to think of him
as the modern prototype of the beloved Physician de-
scribed by the evangelist. Many have been the delightful
hours of intellectual companionship passed in his society,
when the storehouses of<art and literature, and the trav-
eled experiences of a cultured observer, have been unre-
servedly opened up. In such companionship the recol-
lections of a sick-room cease to be a chronicle of pain and
distress. They become a bright leaf in the dark pages of
sorrow.
Dr. Biggar is of Scottish origin, his ancestors having
been inhabitants of Biggar, a quaint old Scotch town.
Nature has been no niggard to him. He possesses a
stalwart frame, clear broad temples, a massive head, and
an athletic figure. His manners are benevolent, reserved,
and dignified. As a surgeon he brings all the industry
and all the resources of a well-trained and vigorous intel-
lect to the discharge of his duties. In his operations he is
eminently successful. While stern as a bit of Mount Sinai
in the actual treatment, he is kind as a woman in his meth-
ods. The old lines must be familiar to him :
" Use men kindly, they rebel ;
But be rough as nutmeg-grater,
And the rogues obey you well."
Although born under the Queen of England's
flag, he is an American in its broadest and grandest
signification. It. is the beauty of republican character,
as of republican institutions, to be harmonious, well-
balanced, simple, just. He has traveled extensively,
and has mingled with the most eminent of his profes-
sion and of all professions. The luxury of the great
A PERSONAL CHAPTER. 179
European capitals seems to have only confirmed the re-
publican simplicity of his habits and manners. They are
severe, almost to asceticism. Either from principle or the
natural inclination of his character, he is a total abstainer.
The doctor is a pleasant speaker. Recently I read one
of his addresses before a Medical Association. It was a
tender and beautiful speech, a poetic prose gem. Signal
must be his abilities to have gathered around him such a
constellation of honors in his profession. A really great
man, without pomposity,- upright and just. I remem-
ber to have seen, in a conspicuous place in Florence,
an elevated column surmounted by a figure of Justice
with the scales. I also remember a citizen passing by it,
and, seeing a stranger gazing at it, remarked to him that
"Justice was so high in Florence that no man could reach
it." Dr. Biggar is not only just, but he is generous, and
the poor man never appeals to him in vain. He
owes much of his brilliant success, not only to his knowl-
edge, but to his sympathies. Dr. Alexander discusses
the question whether sympathy and science can have any-
thing in common; whether the advance of science must
necessarily be the destruction of poetry, and that the
tender expression on the face of medical science is sym-
pathy. Medical science can point year after year to books,
not only bulkier, but better; to instruments infinitely
more subtle and delicate ; to operations which a quarter of
a century ago would have seemed incredible; to hospitals
improved beyond conception ; to fruits such as Bacon, the
Isaiah of science, never saw in his most inspired mo-
ments. But the ideal physician gains his accumulated
stores of knowledge by the beauty and tenderness of sym-
pathy. The best portion of that knowledge was never
gained by the hope of golden fees. It was won by sym-
180 UNDE-R THREE FLAGS.
pathy with suffering, and the sympathy was created by the
mind of Christ.
To these personal chapters I append others in con-
nection with the incidents of my life, lectures, and ad-
dresses, prominent personages whom I have known, and
some leading events in national history.
I have five children living; one, dearest Carrie
to whom I have already referred passed to a better
world a few years ago a most gifted girl. George
Wesley, my oldest son, has been in the railway mail
service for twenty years, and is now the superintendent
of the Ninth Division of the Railway Mail Service,
extending from New York to Chicago. He has retained
this position through all changes of administration. Sam-
uel Arthur, my second son, has lived in Montana for years,
and has been by turns a mine-owner and rancher. He is
now in the Klondike. Charles Meagher, my third son, is
a newspaper man. During the recent Spanish-American
War he represented leading New York, Chicago, and
Washington papers, in Cuba. My daughters, Lena Lind-
say and Mary Sifton, have been devoted to literary pur-
suits. They have traveled extensively, and speak the
German, the French, and Italian languages. Lena has
for several years written descriptive letters for the press,
and is now the w^riter of the foreign article for a leading
Chicago newspaper, and has in preparation a novel on
Italian life. Mary has principally been engaged in the
work of translating; was one of the original translators
of the "Jesuit Relations," a colossal work, published in
sixty volumes.
Chapter XI.
TRAVELS IN THE ORIENT FIRST IMPRESSIONS
OF THE HOLY LAND.
FOR many years I had contemplated a visit to the
Orient, and, in fulfillment of this design, I sailed
from Brindisi in December, 1893, for Cairo. A Medi-
terranean steamer at this season is the rendezvous of all
nationalities some traveling for pleasure, and some for
profit; some on wedding tours, and some in the grief of
widowhood; some bounding along upon the road of life
in all the freshness and hopefulness of youth, and some
walking with slower footsteps toward the brink of eter-
nity! The sedate Englishman, the lively Italian, the
pushing American, the witty Frenchman, all are rep-
resented upon these steamers. Lady Beresford, wife of
the famous English-Irish general who bombarded Alex-
andria, was one of our passengers, a woman of great
beauty and conversational power. I thought she was an
American, and told her so. "No, sir, I am Irish ; and that
is the next best thing to being an American."
The captain gave his solemn word that the Mediter-
ranean would be gentle and kind; but how soon all our
pleasant prospects were dispelled! The second day this
fascinating, lovely, historic sea became very rude, smash-
ing everything on the dining-table. Out of seventy pas-
sengers, I think only four were able to appear in the din-
ing-room the second day. I had had an old notion that
I would hail a sail upon the Mediterranean with transports
of enthusiasm; that I would look with rapture on its ever-
181
1 82 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
lasting blue expanse, and listen with delight to its sub-
lime music. I was seven different times upon its waters,
and, like the unhappy husband's wife, every time it got
"worser and worser."
Alexandria is hailed in the distance, and every face is
brightened with joy and hope. The Egyptian sky is glow-
ing with all the beautiful transitions of color which lie
between pink and blue. The level shores of the city are
soon reached, and a thousand memories of Alexandria's
great past pass in review.
The city of to-day is insignificant, and there is little
in it to remind one of the time, two thousand years ago,
when it possessed the most magnificent library in the
world; that in the fifth century it was the center of liter-
ature, of science, of theological lore, and the home of cul-
tivated people, where Greek thought, Eastern mysticism,
and Western scholarship met and debated the same eter-
nal questions which are now vexing the Churches. It
was here that Aristotle, Euripides, Euclid, and other fa-
mous men lived; where Cleopatra died of love for An-
tony. It was also the city of the beautiful pagan, Hypatia,
who dedicated her lively fancy, her powerful brain, and
her warm heart to astronomy, to mathematics, and to the
better improvement of the poor. It was here, also, that
the Scriptures were translated into the Greek tongue.
From Alexandria to Cairo is only three hours' ride by
rail. The country is one of the most fertile in Egypt.
The houses are shabby, and the people look poverty-
stricken. Every little town and hamlet pours forth its
tribute of camels and donkeys loaded with cotton. We
pass through the cities of Tanta and Benha, the former
a place of considerable importance, with a palace for the
khedive and a fine mosque, where three festivals are cele-
TRAVELS IN 7 HE ORIENT. 183
brated annually. Everywhere are veiled women, and it is
here that is seen the first evidence of woman's awful degra-
dation. What can be expected from a system that
teaches, as Mohammed does in the Koran, "Woman was
made out of the crooked rib of Adam, which would break
if you tried to bend it; and if left alone, it would always
remain crooked." And again he says, "I stood at the
gate of paradise. Most of the inhabitants were the poor.
And I stood at the gate of hell, and lo ! most of its inhab-
itants were women!" Everywhere, in Mohammedan
lands, the eye is pained by the degraded state of woman.
'She is only valued by the husband for her sex. At Con-
stantinople, as I looked at the sultan going to the mosque
alone in his carriage, I shocked a devout Mussulman by
.asking him, "Where is the sultan's wife, and why does she
not accompany him to his devotions?" A look of indigna-
tion was my answer, and I thought I could hear the words,
"Christian dog !"
Cairo is a city at once Oriental and modern. It is
large, covering almost four square miles, and the houses
in the new quarters are elegant and expensive. The
common observation is frequently quoted :
"He who hath not seen Cairo,
Hath not seen the world."
It is full of picturesque sights, the beauty and variety of
which must be seen to be appreciated. Here the majestic
Nile, with its wealth of profane and Biblical associations,
stretches in grandeur for hundreds of miles. The air is
so fresh even in December so sweet, so divinely agree-
able, as to produce an indescribable effect upon the feel-
ings. The most interesting view is from the citadel; a
magnificent panorama is unfolded. To the east we see
1 84 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Heliopolis, where Joseph obtained his wife, and Moses
was trained, and Abraham sojourned, and near it the
tombs of the Mamelukes ; to the south, the ancient quar-
ries of Mokatten ; and in the north, the green fields of
the Delta.
From Cairo to the Pyramids is nine miles, through
the richest and most fertile soil of Egypt. We pass over
the rich plain of Goshen, the country which Joseph gave
to his father. Everywhere are to be seen the graces and
grandeurs of nature thrilling memories of Cleopatra's
going forth in all her splendor to her unhappy marriage ;
of Cambyses, the Persian tyrant, who slew the last of the
Pharaohs ; of Alexander the Great, rescuing the land from
the Persians; of Roman legions, Carthaginian phalanxes.
It was upon these sacred plains that the triumphant song
was sung: "I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath tri-
umphed gloriously; the horse and the rider hath he
thrown into the sea."
It was this sublime victory that inspired the muse of
Moore to write his splendid poem :
" Sound the loud timbrel o'er Egypt's dark sea
Jehovah has triumphed, his people are free !
Sing, for the pride of the tyrant is broken ;
His chariots, his horsemen, all splendid and brave.
How vain was their boast ! The Lord hath but spoken,
And chariots arid horsemen are sunk in the wave."
Yonder, in the purple distance, stands, in unique gran-
deur, the great Pyramid, unchangeable in a world of
change. It was built by Cheops, the third king of the
fourth dynasty. Higher than St. Peter's, grander than
the Parthenon, the king employed one hundred thousand
men in making the road from the quarries, and four hun-
dred thousand men twenty years in building it. It calls
'NVWCX&. 1VJ.NHIHO NV
TRAVELS IN THE ORIENT. 185
up emotions of wonder and awe. All other pyramids are
dwarfed in its colossal presence. I saw all of them clearly
-and distinctly; no mist or cloud overwreathed their lofty
summits, bathed in sunshine and suffused with light. My
expectations were more than realized. It was not so
much the lofty height nor the enormous sides of the great
Pyramid, as the exquisite symmetry which fascinated and
.absorbed my mind and heart. Now we see the ancient
gray of the rock, and then spots flecked with green. All
visitors are expected to climb up to the top or creep into
the interior. I looked at the Pyramid with strange feel-
ings of uncertainty ; and the Pyramid looked sympathetic-
ally at me, and I reached the conclusion that both of us
were too old for the exercise. The interior, however, is
equally hazardous. I tried to make the exploration. The
first passage was only three feet high, and after several
efforts at crawling and dodging, I succeeded in seeing
the chambers of the king and queen rooms five thou-
sand years old. The darkest night I ever saw was day-
light in comparison to the concentrated night of this
mighty tomb of the dead.
The sheik, or chief of the tribe, for a fee, furnishes
three guides. Their attentions are graduated according
to the expectation of their fees. They always speak hope-
fully, repeating the words frequently, "Big man satis-
fied big fee." "You are quite satisfied quite well
then all right." Afterwards they sing a rough chorus like
this, "Aby naby big man. Aby naby big pay." I was
glad to bid an eternal farewell to these guides and to the
royal chambers, and greet once more the light.
Cairo has all the liveliness of Paris, all the beauty of
Cleveland, and all the Orientalism of the East. The air is
soft and balmy ; there is no such thing as frost. Then the
1 86 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Hotel Shepard, where every evening at dinner one sees
the reunion of all nations, from New York to Jerusalem ;
of all conditions, dukes, generals, statesmen ; British offi-
cers going to and returning from India. Here are the
sedate English, the vivacious French, the witty Italians,,
the thoughtful Germans, the solemn and stately Turks,
the keen Armenians, the accomplished Greeks, and the
earnest Americans. There are no places of honor at the
table. All are equal.
The poet Lamartine, writing of the Holy Land sixty
years ago, speaks of buying an arsenal of pistols, sabers,
and other weapons to defend himself against the Greek
pirates that infested the Archipelago Sea. In these peace-
ful days it seems hard to understand that such should be
the condition then; for in visiting Palestine now there
is no risk.
Lord Bacon has laid it down as one of his maxims
that the best thing for persons contemplating an exten-
sive journey to new or old countries is, "first, to read ; and
then to travel, to satisfy yourself of the truth of what you
have read." With the most profound respect for Bacon,
I believe he is mistaken, and that the very opposite course
is the wisest, most beneficial. And hence, in my recent
trip through Egypt, Palestine, Greece, and Turkey, I
read no books, took no guides, but trusted myself solely
to first-class guides and dragomans, who had an estab-
lished reputation for their general knowledge and expe-
rience in their profession. The Orient is full of drago-
mans. It is said that in England when a man fails in
everything else, he becomes a wine merchant; in the
United States, an insurance agent ; in Egypt, he becomes
a dragoman.
Out of the seventy millions of our American popula-
TRAVELS IN THE ORIENT. 187
tion, only about five thousand have ever visited Pales-
time; of all those who go to Europe, less than five per
cent get as far afway as Rome, less than two per cent to
Athens, and less than one-fourth of one per cent to Judea.
I do not know a more striking example of the power of
moral association to elevate and perpetuate the fame and
interest of a country, naturally insignificant, than that of
Palestine. How little interest is awakened in the souls of
moralists, scholars, by the name of Russia, whose do-
mains are boundless! politicians may speculate about
its future relations and predict its renown; but it has no
stirring memories, nothing in intellectual achievement,
nothing in moral grandeur. How different is Palestine, a
country scarcely noticed in the colossal empire of Russia,
and yet the very name fires the hearts of Christendom !
I was accompanied thither by an English clergyman,
a rare and cultivated gentleman of very High Church per-
suasion. I was sorely perplexed by his efforts to carry
out the customs of his country; he must spend an hour
at meals, so much time in arranging his toilet; in every
church the same crossings, bowings, and genuflexions.
For the sight of Jerusalem and its holy places, great
multitudes make sacrifices, endure hardships, and spend
the hard earnings of years. As soon as they come to
understand the blessed mysteries of their religion, they
long for a pilgrimage, and their hearts burn with enthusi-
asm to tread in the footsteps of patriarchs; to see with
their own eyes the spots memorable, in Bible history, by
the words and deeds of the prophets of the Old and the
apostles of the New Testament.
There are others, again, who visit Palestine because
of its scenery. There is a nobility in its mountains, a
loveliness in its vallevs, a divine beautv in its lakes, a
1 88 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
fragrance in its flowers, a grandeur in its rivers, and an
azure in its skies which even surpass those which bend
over the faded splendors of Italy. And the plain of
Sharon, fifteen miles long, bounded by the blue waters
of the Mediterranean on one side, and by the hill country
of Judea on the other ! And who can describe the emo-
tions of the devout Christian as he looks upon the rose
of Sharon?
There are many devout people who visit the Holy
Land because of its sacred associations. There is not a
breeze that blows which does not waft some words of
Christ; there is not a flower which blooms but seems to
be nurtured with his blood; and every spot is hallowed
with his presence. As the morning star appears in the
heavens, the Christian remembers that over Bethlehem
was fulfilled the prophecy, "There shall come a star out
of Judah." If he beholds the waters of a lake, in his im-
agination he sees the divine form of his Master walking
upon it. A clergyman of the English Church recently
died in Milan; before leaving home to visit Palestine,
he said, "I want to see Jerusalem below, before I see Jeru-
salem above."
The approach to Jerusalem produces emotions of the
profoundest reverence by its very antiquity. Modern
Jerusalem possesses but little of the ancient city, the
houses being new and modern in style. Still, the hoary
hills are there, and the natural landscapes. The waters
of the Jordan, over whose sacred waves a Divine Voice
was heard, still flow calmly on; the cedars of Lebanon
yet wave their branches to and fro ; the heights of Tabor
are still crested with beauty; the fountains, the brooks,
the olives and vines, are still there, haunted by memories
which are dear to Christendom. Bethlehem, Nazareth,
TRAVELS IN THE ORIENT. 189
Gethsemane, and Calvary gladden the eye, recalling other
times.
The departed glories of Jerusalem rise in one long
procession. What a variety of history ! At one time its
inhabitants were hunted and oppressed by persecution;
at another time they were placed upon the top of pros-
perity. In the midst of all the varied emotions which I
felt, I could not but remember the prophecy that all their
magnificence should be destroyed, and that their beautiful
house, where their fathers worshiped, should be deso-
lated.
Tasso, in his "Jerusalem Delivered," describes the
emotions, not only of the Crusaders, but of all true Chris-
tians, as they behold, in the distance, Jerusalem :
" With holy zeal their swelling hearts abound,
And their winged footsteps scarcely print the ground.
When new, the sun ascends the eternal way,
And strikes the dusty field with warmer ray.
Behold ! Jerusalem in prospect lies !
Behold ! Jerusalem salutes their eyes !
At once a thousand tongues repeat the name,
All hail Jerusalem with loud acclaim ! "
" At first, transported with the pleasing sight,
Bach Christian bosom glowed with full delight;
But deep contrition soon their joys opprest,
And holy sorrow saddened every breast.
Scarce dare their eyes the city walls survey,
Where, clothed in flesh, their dear Redeemer lay ;
Whose sacred earth did once their L,ord inclose,
And where triumphant from the grave he rose."
The Dome of the Rock is a building with eight sides,
twenty yards in length. The outside is richly ornamented
with colored marbles, and the inside has also been made
magnificent with mosaics. The rock, which occupies the
whole center of the building, is environed by a balustrade
190 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
of painted wood ; every one can see it, and the light which
streams through the stained-glass windows increases the
grandeur of the noble sanctuary. The rock, in its native
simplicity, makes a deeper impression than if it were deco-
rated with gold and silver lamps. It is fifty feet in diam-
eter, and over it is suspended a canopy of colored silks.
To this rock gorgeous edifices owe their existence ; to the
Mohammedan it is the second sacred place on earth,
Mecca being the first. It rises ten feet above the marble
floor, and is called the "stone of prophecy." When the
prophets were compelled to fly for their lives to foreign
lands, this rock tried to follow them ; but Gabriel seized it.
The Mohammedans have also a tradition that it was from
this stone that their prophet ascended to heaven on his
famous donkey, Alborak, after that patient beast had se-
cured a place in Paradise. They say that the print of the
prophet's feet are seen yet upon the rock, and that it at-
tempted to follow him, and would have succeeded but for
the timely interference of the archangel Gabriel.
The Jews have also a tradition that it was upon this
rock the ark rested, and consequently the holy symbols.
Explorers have endeavored to wrest more secrets from
the past by raising this stone. The Mohammedans are
opposed to it. The reason assigned is, that the rock
covered the well of the evil spirit; and if the bad spirit
should get out, disastrous results would follow. The
Dome of the Rock became the model for the Churches
known as those of the Order of Templars.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the most promi-
nent sacred edifice in Jerusalem. The legend of the Em-
press Helena's vision in the fourth century, when she dis-
covered the site of the crucifixion, is well known. The
ground fronting the church is used as a market-place,
THE HOLY SEPULCHER, JERUSALEM.
TRAVELS IN THE ORIENT. 191
where Christian Syrians, with their lower extremities in-
cased in a common garment, half-pantaloon and half-petti-
coat; Jews, with their heads shaven, and wild-looking
Bedouins, all ply their vocation. One would think that
to the Jews and the Christians there was too much solem-
nity in the surroundings to check the hot commercial
transactions which pain the eye to behold. Near here
rose the temple in its glory ; and if these money-changers
would only walk about this church, mark well her bul-
warks, consider her palaces, surely there would be enough
in the storied walls, in structures that once were effulgent
with Deity, to remind these traffickers that other thoughts
than those of merchandise should occupy their minds.
Bethlehem ! the house of bread. We think of Naomi,
and the modern wives and mothers stand upon the hill-
side in their plain white clothes. We think of Ruth, as
we see the cornfields, making the heart of Boaz soft with
her tender and thrilling story. We think, as we watch the
shepherds, of David, herding his flocks and making the
valleys ring with his songs. We travel over the same
fields where the shepherds were watching their flocks
when they heard the music of angels, saying, "Glory to
God in the highest;" and the wise men, as they saw the
new and brilliant star in the heavens, the precursor of the
Messiah's reign.
As Bethlehem was the commencement of our Lord's
life, so Bethany, a beautiful village nestled among the
hills behind Mount Olivet, undoubtedly witnessed his
closing days. It was here that Martha and Mary and
Lazarus lived. Recent explorers have discovered the spot
where the ascension took place. In our continued jour-
ney we pause, and take luncheon at the Inn of the Good
Samaritan. This whole region is adapted to be the ren-
192 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
dezvous of robbers, and close to it is Cherith, where Elijah
was fed by the ravens. We have now a magnificent view
of the Jordan and the mountains of Moab; the Mount
of Temptation is visited ; Jericho is reached, but nothing
remains of its former grandeur but a few stones.
After a good night's rest, next morning, bright and
early, I started for the Jordan, passing Gilgal. The coun-
try is most delightful, and the scenery is beautiful. The
Dead Sea being the farthest away, it is the first visited.
I bathed in it, and marveled at the intense stillness ; there
was not a bird that hummed, not a living thing about.
The waters were salty and sticky, having twenty-four per
cent of salt alkali in their composition. I walked over
places supposed to be the sites of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Contrary to my expectation, I found the sea to be a deep
blue. The first view of the Jordan is disappointing, al-
though on coming nearer I saw that the river was well
wooded, banks alternating with rocks ; still, I think Naa-
man's view was correct. The water was like pea-soup,
deliciously warm and soft. An Englishman, who trav-
eled with me to the Jordan, and who suffered much from
the jolting over the rocky, stony way, said, "If our dear
Lord had known how much I would suffer in this trip,
he would have chosen another spot more convenient than
the Jordan in which to be baptized."
Among the most delightful of the countries I visited
was Greece. The civilized world will ever take an interest
in the land of heroism and song, and in the ancient gran-
deur and glory of Athens. I was there during the excite-
ment of the downfall of the Tricoupis ministry.
The Greeks are among the most patriotic people in
the East; their schools, their seminaries, and their uni-
versities are continually teaching the young the story of
TRAVELS IN THE ORIENT. 193
Marathon. Wealthy Greeks, in other countries, donate
immense sums to keep alive the old form of Greece. Mag-
nificent buildings are erected by their generosity. Rail-
roads are extending all over the land, the public roads
are improved, telegraphs are in constant operation, and
activity is prevalent all over the little archipelago.
Education is universal; not only are schools of every
grade numerous, but the parents and children are eager
to make the best of their opportunities. Travelers will
see, at the corner of every street, boys who are reciting
their "Iliad" and their "Odyssey" aloud, who have mas-
tered their mathematics and astronomy. The fact is, that
education is free to everybody; all schools, including the
universities, throw open their doors, and give a hearty
welcome to all who desire to enter. The University of
Athens has within its walls about three thousand stu-
dents, the most of them being as poor as a newspaper
correspondent. There are no fees required, and living
is cheap. My guide, a stalwart, strapping fellow, was a
graduate ; many of the waiters at the hotels and the labor-
ers are students. Every year the university graduates
six hundred doctors. There is a growing opinion among
Greek statesmen that education in this university is too
cheap, and when I was there, there was much discussion
in regard to the matter.
But what of modern Athens? It was a charming day.
The skies were cloudless and the air was sweet when I
caught my first glimpse of this city of Minerva. Its loca-
tion how grandly beautiful ! If an angel were sent out
to locate a city he could not light upon a more delightful
spot than that of this capital of Greece. It is everywhere
clothed with classic recollections; every inch of ground
is vital with beautiful and patriotic memories. I do not
13
194 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
believe that so small a portion of God's earth is so rich
in art, scenery, and patriotic deeds as Athens. Arriving
at Piraeus from Palestine in the morning, I took the train
to the city, and all along the route it is only five miles
picturesque and historical places were pointed out.
The first things that arrest the eye are the names and
characters of the streets. In other cities the traveler can
make out the names by the similarity of the Italian or
French words to the English. Here it is different ; for the
names are Greek, printed in Greek characters. The
streets usually bear the names of some of the great heroes
of Greece; such as, Themistocles, Alcibiades, Hermes.
There is one street called after Lord Byron, the benefactor
and champion of Greece. Hermes Street probably has
the finest church, the Agra Triada. The street Consti-
tution is very fine. It possesses the two finest hotels
the Grande Bretagne and the Angleterre, fronting the
royal palace a palace only in name, having no elements
of grandeur. The handsomest street is the Rue des
Phillenes. Here the Greeks are daily and nightly prome-
nading. It is the street which constantly brings up the
recollections of the mighty past. Frequently the stranger,
as he walks about the streets, is presented, as an evidence
of Athenian hospitality, with a roasted chestnut.
The peculiar dress of the modern Athenian is very
attractive, and is called the Fuestenella, being a pictur-
esque resemblance to the kilt of the Scottish Highlanders.
It consists of a red cap with a purple tassel, a short jacket,
a sash around the waist, and a petticoat of white goods
coming down to the knees. This costume is pre-eminent
for its colors, all except green, and its gracefulness.
Everywhere through Athens there is a quietness which
contrasts strangely with the boisterousness and activity
TRAVELS IN THE ORIENT. 195
of European cities. No one is in a hurry. In London,
New York, Paris, Milan, and Brussels, one can scarcely
walk the streets, so crowded are they, policemen being
stationed at every corner to assist people in crossing. It
is not so in Athens. It is like a quiet college-town far
from railroads and busy commercial life.
The approach to Constantinople is the most interest-
ing and picturesque in the world. The Archipelago is
itself one of the most suggestive sheets of water ever
sailed over. There is Rhodes, distinguished for liberty,
learning, and patriotism. There is Patmos, where the
beloved disciple John spent his exile, and to whom the
heavens were so marvelously opened. There is Lesbos,
which surpassed Athens in culture. Then there are the
nine isles of which Byron has sung so nobly :
" The isles of Greece, the isles of Greece,
Where burning Sappho loved and sang;
Where grew the arts of war and peace,
Where Phoebus rose and Delos sprang."
I have said that the approach to this city was pic-
turesque and. enchanting, but the location of Constanti-
nople is the grandest in Europe. St. Petersburg, with its
noble river; Stockholm, on its many islands; Venice, the
bride of the sea can not rival the city of the ancient
Caesars. To see Rome and die is mere gratuitous advice,
when the other Rome, the charming city of Constantine,
remains to be visited. There is hardly a scene in the wide
world so replete with natural beauty, so rich in storied
recollections, as that inclosed betwixt the Bosphorus and
" The dark blue water,
That swiftly glides and gently swells
Between the winding Dardanelles."
196 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Upon the Church of St. Sophia wealth and beauty
have been lavished, and even Solomon's Temple was not
superior to St. Sophia. There is no end to the stories
told of it. It is built on the lines of a square, from the
center of which rises the great dome, supported by four
great arches. Surrounding the interior of this stupen-
dous skeleton are seven half skeletons or domes. Over
all comes the sunlight in great shafts of varying color
through the gorgeous stained-glass windows. Into the
mortar of the bricks was thrown a vast quantity of musk,
and to-day, six hundred years after it was put there, there
lingers an odor of musk. There are no stairways to the
different stories, but broad inclines. One of the windows
is called that of "the cooling wind," as there is always a
pleasant breeze comes through it. A spot in the wall is
pointed out to the visitor, and the following legend told
him: The bishop was one day celebrating worship, when
the Turks burst in. He turned to flee, the solid wall
opened and inclosed him before the eyes of the maddened
Turks. In a fury at being thus deprived of their prey,
they dug into the wall, but could not find him. It is be-
lieved that, after the fall of the Turkish Empire, the bishop
will come forth.
St. Sophia is large enough to hold three thousand
people. It is recorded that, when the capital was taken,
one hundred thousand took refuge there, only to be mur-
dered. At the sight of the wealth and splendor, the mob
became wild, and then the carnage began. But the
church will yet overshadow the mosque.
As I made the tour of the walls, my guide told me the
following story of an old convent included in one of the
views: During the siege of 1453, a monk was frying fish
for his supper, when a brother monk rushed in, shouting
TRAVELS IN THE ORIENT. 197
that a breach had been made in the walls, and that the
Turks were already in the city. The monk declared that
it could not be true ; he would not believe it unless the fish
jumped out of the frying-pan; whereupon the fish jumped
to one side, assuming its original color. It is safe to
assume that the monk then believed this miraculous evi-
dence.
I found one of the greatest attractions of Constanti-
nople to be the bazaars. They are now, as they were in
the time of the Arabian Nights, a series of unpaved streets,
roofed in at the top. The wares are of every variety.
The shoemaker and the harnessmaker are there; so also
the sellers of cloth and silks, and of every article needed
under the sun. The most curious is the bazaar where
second-hand articles are sold by peripatetic salesmen.
The shops are little more than small cupboards, with room
enough for the merchant to sit in. The merchant begins
by asking a big price. When a customer appears, the
seller begins his opening speech. He covers his wares
with the golden embroidery of Oriental praises, and as he
talks he gracefully waves the object back and forth before
the supposed-to-be dazzled eyes of the desired purchaser.
He lifts his undulating periods, upholds and poises them
well till they have gathered their weight and their
strength, and then hurls them forward. The expectant
buyer listens to the speech with deep and serious atten-
tion ; but when it is over, his turn arrives. He elaborately
endeavors to show why he should not buy the goods at
twenty times their value. Bystanders, attracted to the
debate, take part in it as outsiders. The seller is heard in
reply, and coming down with his price, furnishes the ma-
terials for a new debate.
On seeing the Turks for the first time, the European is
198 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
struck, but not astonished; for his imagination has been
prepared for contrasts. The Turk is ferocious, and con-
stantly animated with a religious hatred against every-
thing which is not Mohammedan, regarding the foreigner
always with contempt. He is inhospitable and proud, and
treats others with arrogance. He is base and cringing to-
wards those above him, and subtle towards those who do
not fear him; insolent when one regards him with awe.
He is obstinate, and his ignorance shuts his eyes against
the light. More credulous than can be supposed, he is at
the same time suspicious by instinct. He is fanatical in
his religion, and punishes a Greek with death if he lifts
his hand ; and the same penalty is dealt to a Christian who
attempts to convert a Mohammedan. If an Armenian
happens to be overtaken by a shower, he must return to
his home for shelter ; for no Turk will permit him to enter
his dwelling. It is the stupid ferocity of the Turk which
makes him courageous. He goes to the combat with
resolution, and defends himself to the last extremity, ex-
pecting to receive a crown for his apparent bravery. In
commercial transactions, he rarely breaks his word, and
is magnificent in his presents. Like the rest of the Asiat-
ics, he is unacquainted with that refined and delicate love
which constitutes the happiness of civilized life. He is
constantly under the influence of jealousy. Many only
look upon their wives as slaves to their caprices, and sel-
dom experience those endearments of conjugal love which
render the wife a comforter in distress. How, indeed,
can a woman conceive a profound attachment for her
husband when she knows there are others under the same
roof possessing the same title?
The character of the Jew is everywhere apparent ; but
in each country ^ a different variety is found, and the Jews
TRAVELS IN THE ORIENT. . 199
of Turkey are not the least interesting. The English
species we know well; the shabbily-dressed gentleman,
with rings and breastpin, with bushy black whiskers, and
a mouthful of glittering black teeth. Then there is the
flaxen-haired Jew, generally poor and shiftless, serving
over the cheap tables of a bazaar. The German Jew is
intellectually superior to the others. He is more of the
type which Rembrandt loved to paint small, with dark,
dry features.
The researches of the, Jew are often as laborious as
those of the professors of other nations, his logic as sound,
his critical eye as acute, his imagination as brilliant. As
a philosopher, he adds another system to the universe;
as a theologian, gives a deeper meaning to the teaching
of John and Paul. The Jew of Eastern Europe is physic-
ally the finest of his race. The bearded old Hebrew who
comes from Poland, with a wallet at his back, is often
chosen as a model by admiring artists, to pose as Abraham
or Eli or Moses. The Jews of Constantinople are mostly
relics of the tribe which fled from the fires of the Inquisition
in Western Europe, and their thick Semitic Spanish blood
is still herded in the close alleys where they exist outcasts
lower than the lowest, and beings on whom the meanest
Armenians may inflict the blows he has received from his
Turkish master. They are a quiet race, slender and
stooping, with something weak and idiotic in their coun-
tenances. Occasionally there is one whose features might
have been intelligent, if a brighter future had ever allowed
any noble or intelligent thoughts to awaken the dormant
mind, or the sun of hope had ever broken through the
close mist woven by the contempt and poverty which
must encircle the journey of his life. Though they are
what they are, one can still imagine that in the schools of
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Cordova and Toledo their forefathers were great in phi-
losophy and medicine; that they were the physicians of
emperors, and even gave many a bishop to the Church
that persecuted them. However, the descendants are
poor and miserable, earning a scanty meal by selling their
petty wares. And there they stand, at the entrance of
Bosporus, whispering confidentially to each tourist, and
offering their services with that mysterious and secret air
which characterizes the race. Crowds of peddlers of all
kinds are to be seen everywhere. The cry of "Milko !
milko! bono milko, Jonny!" is everywhere to be heard.
The milk is carried in bottles, and sold by glassfuls to the
thirsty travelers. I heard a boy, in reply to a soldier
asking, "Joe, have you got anything good in that bottle?"
"Nix bono, wateree," was the answer. This sort of talk
goes on all day. The Turks never drink. They are the
soberest of people, and kind to animals. The children and
male Turks are a handsome race; the women are not so.
Their beauties come from Circassia. These are seen to the
greatest advantage by making a visit to the Sweet Waters,
where are a profusion of beautiful faces, all like sisters.
The tourist is dazzled by the view of Constantinople,
with the sea covered with its caiques skimming over the
surface, its sun-illumined domes of mosques and sharp gilt
pillars of minarets, its burnished columns rising majestic-
ally ! As I was gazing on some of these objects of interest,
the Sultan passed on his way to his prayers. He was
followed by an immense retinue. His horses were
mounted with trappings of silver and gold, and the harness
was richly ornamented with diamonds and pearls. As he
sat in his carriage, I looked at him closely. His features
were pale and regular, and his large black eyes were busily
engaged in scanning the crowds of people as he passed
TRAVELS IN THE ORIENT. 2OI
along. Shouts of joy announced his arrival at the mosque.
What figures on all the warmth and depravity breathe
around one as one watches the Sultan on his way to
prayers! the Persian in his coat of many colors, the
Arabian in his flowing robes, the African with his war-
club, and the swarthy Ethiopian in his purple buskins!
Who could forget this picturesque confusion?
The country around Constantinople is beautiful, but
with an air of desolation which arises from the negligence
of man, and not from the parsimony of nature. Wherever-
the valleys are watered by natural streams, they are beau-
tiful with the moist and vivid green of Ireland. There
is nothing of the gorgeous East, however, in this temper-
ate climate. One interesting spot I visited was called the
Sweet Waters of Asia. Formerly this spot was sacred to
women, who escaped weekly from the monotony of the
harem to eat sweetmeats, and envy each other their dia-
monds, afar from the profane gaze of men. They still
resort to it, as in former times, in gilded carriages; but
their privacy is invaded by a crowd of adventurous stran-
gers, who pass up and down, admiring the alabaster com-
plexions of the fair-skinned Circassians. The poor pris-
oners seem not at all indignant at the presence of the
intruders. They wear the thinnest veils, and appear to
detest their uncouth and sable guardians. However, all
intercourse, except that of looks, is impossible, and the
tourists return home with the new idea that there is
something lacking in Turkish civilization.
An amusing scene took place at Sweet Waters of Asia.
A gallant English gentleman was determined to address
a few words to some fair Mohammedan, and asked a
friend to write him down some complimentary phrases in
the Turkish tongue; such as, "You are pretty," "I love
202 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
you," etc. Armed with this document, he visited the
grove waters, and selecting the prettiest face, leaned in at
the carriage window, and proceeded to favor the lady
with the contents of the paper. A shriek went up from
the eunuchs, as they rushed out and attempted to drag
him away. The officer drew his sword and fled in dismay.
The lady enjoyed the scene, and seemed much pleased at
the discomfiture of her guards.
Scutari, on Asiatic ground, finds the Turk more at
home. Here the race live almost untouched by Chris-
tianity. They are here ever ready to gaze on all foreigners
with curiosity. Men step to their doors and scowl, while
spiteful old women urge the little children to cry, "Giava"
a Turkish word of contempt. Scutari is directly opposite
Constantinople. Its beauties in ancient times were more
numerous than they are now. Then it was called Chys-
opolis, City of God. No one would think of calling it so
now ; for it is dirty and unsightly. Close by is Chalcedon !
How degenerate from the days when Eutychus's heresy
was condemned ! Bishops must have been plentiful in
those days, when there was one for every city. Nature
has given it the advantages of a cloudless sky and mag-
nificent scenery. The clustering and sunlit islands of the
Sea of Marmora; the deep blue Bosporus, rippled- only
by the strong and never-ceasing current which rushes
down its center; the old seraglio, with its cypresses and
plane-trees ; the great city stretching away, with the seven
towers just visible ; St. Sophia, all form an indescribably
beautiful landscape. Some of the largest steamers in the
world have lately been drawn close under the tent-
crowned heights, and this gives some idea of the magnifi-
cent harbor. The steamers look like little smacks that
have taken shelter under the cliffs.
Chapter XII.
OTHER COUNTRIES AND CITIES VISITED
LONDON PARIS.
ISHALvL never, forget my emotions when I saw the
vast city of London, the growth of centuries, where
men have been dying for generations, and where the
battle and the plague have striven to see which should
make the direst havoc of human life; where the great
dead have thronged and the mighty living were throng-
ing ; and there was I, not knowing a solitary human being
among four millions like myself. And even here, over the
dust of those slain by the plague and the mightier host
slain by time, the wild, reckless laugh is heard, commerce
is boisterously pushing its wealth; the beautiful lady and
the gallant beau are driving their steeds; the golden-em-
broidered livery of servants is flashing in the sunset ! O,
there is something painfully sad on entering such a city !
Where are the men who figured so earnestly years ago
the kings, the orators, the poets? And where are such
men as Goldsmith, Burke, Sheridan, Johnson? What
confusion is here! What evolutions of streets! What
piles of bricks, mortar, and stone ! What a wilderness of
men ! What a hell of thoughts and actions, and I among
them all, only a four-millionth part! How utterly insig-
nificant we are!
Think of its size ! We are apt to talk loosely of this
immense city, and yet we are bewildered at the endless-
ness, and the startling contrasts of wealth and poverty.
It is the elephant among cities, covering one hundred and
203
204 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
twenty square miles. On this space is concentrated a
population equaling that of the States of Illinois and
Wisconsin, or that of New York, Brooklyn, Boston, and
St. Louis. It is still growing! Between 1861-71, 150,000
new buildings were erected. "A city?" says a French
writer. "No ; it is a province, covered with houses." Five
times more populous than New York, four times more
populous than St. Petersburg, twice as populous as Con-
stantinople, two-thirds larger than Paris the mind fails
to understand, the brain recoils from the mighty sum.
The kings of Wurtemberg, of Saxony, and Hanover, do
not possess as many subjects as sleep in London. When
the sun flashed a light on a dark place, there were not so
many people in all England as in London. Every eight
minutes of every day a soul goes out to the eternal world ;
and this marvel of mystery and death is more than
neutralized by the greater mystery of life, for every five
minutes of every day a child is born. If it were possible
for the population of London to be stretched out in a
line, the line would be six hundred and seventy miles long ;
and at the space of three miles an hour, it would be nine
days before the last of the long procession swept by.
Think of its wealth ! London is to the modern world
what Rome was to the ancient in regard to wealth. But
Rome in its palmiest days was poor by comparison.
Take up your position in Regent Park, and you will see
more wealth in one day than all Paris. The four million
souls which compose the city need not do a day's more
work. They have capital enough invested in stocks to
support the whole population to purchase them food,
clothing, and to pay all their taxes. The leisure class are
numerous. London is the headquarters of the landed
aristocracy of the three kingdoms, that are receiving rents
OTHER COUNTRIES AND CITIES VISITED. 205
aggregating one thousand million dollars. Here is con-
centrated the banking wealth of England ; here is held the
bonds representing the national debt; here is owned the
majority of bonds of Great Britain and the colonies ; here
is the grand depot of the tea; here is the focus of the
shipping trade.
Think of its historic spots ! There is the Tower. It
is located on the left bank of the Thames, near the im-
mense docks. Whether it was built by Caesar, by Con-
stantine, by William Rufus, is unknown. Kings fled to
it for safety. Wallace poured out his blood here. For
three hundred years kings, from Henry VIII to Richard
II, were crowned within these walls. It was the scene of
magnificence and splendor. Here languished and died
princes. Religion, in the person of Lord Cobham, suffered
when the fire was kindled beneath him. Jane Shore, the
famous, was a prisoner, and so was Sir Thomas More,
within these bastions. For a while there was rest ; but the
gates began to grate, and Ann Boleyn, on the iQth of
May, 1537, was executed; then followed another unhappy
wife, Catherine Howard. We might follow the gloomy
history of the Tower through the reigns of Mary and
Elizabeth; but the stories of the bloody cruelties are too
well known to need repetition here.
Westminster Hall stands diagonally across from the
Abbey, and forms the vestibule to both Houses of Par-
liament. It was built four hundred years ago, and has
been the scene of many brilliant festivities. What colors
have shone, what gold and silver have sparkled here!
What shouts have rung along the roof under Norman
and Tudor! Here Henry II served his son; here took
place the espousals of Henry III and Eleanor. But it is
as a place of justice especially that American memories
206 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
cluster around it. Here was tried Stratford, in 1745 ; here,
above all others, was the memorable trial of Warren Hast-
ings, who, for eleven years, had been governor of India.
The trial commenced the I3th of February, 1788. Rank
and fashion crowded the seats. Burke spoke for four
days. Ladies fainted, and even Hastings said, "For four
days I thought I was guilty." Burke was followed by
Sheridan, in a speech of unsurpassed eloquence, attaining
the summit of oratory. Hastings was acquitted.
All nations have their characteristics, and so have the
English, which distinguish them from all others. The
English are a strong race strong physically, strong men-
tally, strong morally. The blood of six or eight races
was required to make them illustrious. Thomas Corwin
said that Webster had burst suddenly into such eloquence
in Congress that he became faint, and was obliged to lean
up against a pillar for support. The sentence which over-
came him was this: "The morning drum-beat, traveling
with the sun, and keeping time with the stars, circled the
earth with one continuous strain of the martial airs of
England."
The English are governed by the great law of duty.
Other nations are impelled by the love of glory, by a
renowned past, by pride of conquest ; but everywhere that
the Englishman goes it is at the call of duty. It is this
that has carried England's flag to the ends of the earth,
that has adorned English womanhood with grace and
beauty. Nelson, on the eve of the Battle of Trafalgar,
when he flung out the Union Jack with the inscription
upon it, "England to-morrow expects every man to do
his duty," touched the keynote of English character.
The English are a polite people, although I know
that the very opposite idea is entertained by Americans,
OTHER COUNTRIES AND CITIES VISITED. 207
and also that they are surly and positively rude and re-
pellent in their manners. I have traveled extensively in
England, where I have asked thousands of questions, and
invariably I have received civil answers. I remember one
day, while visiting Dr. Parker's church, I asked an Eng-
lishman near me the address of Gladstone, whom I was
exceedingly anxious to see. Without a moment's hesita-
tion he accompanied me out of the church, and walked
with me for nearly two miles, until we came to Downing
Street, when he pointed out the house, and then left me.
Loyalty to the queen,' extravagant eulogies upon roy-
alty, are the tests of admission into what is called the
best society; hence, in all their churches, their theaters,
their public 'meetings, "God save the Queen" is the most
popular song sung. Sixteen thousand paid ministers of
the Established Church, all the Dissenting preachers, all
the Roman Catholic priests, all the Jewish rabbis through-
out England, and wherever the English flag floats, pray
for Her Majesty's royal soul. "God save the Queen" is a
very flexible and comprehensive prayer. It means not
only the present and eternal happiness of the queen, but
it includes the continuation and preservation of English
laws, customs, and government, for all time to come.
When the landlord says, "God save the Queen," it means,
"May my rents be paid promptly;" when the archbishop
of Canterbury says it, it means to him, "My $80,000
salary;" when all the members of the royal family repeat
it, it means that all the royal allowances, including the
queen's $2,000,000 annually, be cheerfully paid ; when the
eighteen brewers who were recently elected pray, "God
save the Queen," it means, "May our breweries always
be prosperous and profitable!"
The English are very thrifty and industrious. Noth-
208 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
ing goes to waste in England, in which respect they re-
semble the French. The working classes secure the
greatest results out of the most limited means, being very
frugal and saving. The mercantile community always
have an eye to business. They might be compared to
the French widow who had a flattering inscription en-
graved on her husband's monument, followed by the
announcement that "His disconsolate widow still keeps
the shop, No. 16 Rue St. Denis."
The English are a handsome race. The blood of sev-
eral generations shows in the robust, healthy bodies of the
men and the rosy complexions of the women, in the
healthy, outdoor exercise of all classes. The children are
very respectful to their parents, and it is seldom that a
child contradicts anything they say. The English girls
have beautiful faces, and it is not to be wondered that
Pope Gregory, a thousand years ago, said, when he beheld
a lot of English girls, "They are not Angles, they are
angels."
The English are reserved at first to strangers; but
when they are fully satisfied that the stranger who is
introduced is not an impostor, and is worthy their esteem,
there is nothing they leave undone to make him feel at
home. An Italian gentleman of my acquaintance told
me that he resolved to seek his fortune in France or
England. He took with him a large number of recom-
mendations. Stopping first at Paris, he called on a leading
merchant, and presented one of his letters. The French-
man was all courtesy, all smiles. "O yes; thank you for
your visit. We will do all we possibly can for you." More
smiles, more courtesy, more bows, and the Italian took
his departure, confident of an immediate position. Day
after day passed, and he called often, always to be met
OTHER COUNTRIES AND CITIES VISITED. 209
with the same suave politeness and promises ; but no situ-
ation. He then went to London, and presented his letters
to a manufacturer. The Englishman read the communi-
cations carefully and slowly, and then said coldly : "Really,
sir, I do not think we can do anything for you, as our
establishment here is full; but if you will remain in the
city a few days, and then call again, perhaps we may be
able to help you." The Italian remained, and found, when
he visited the manufacturer, who greeted him warmly,
though not demonstratively, that he had made a place for
him in their establishment'at Manchester, a position which
he held for many years. I might say here, while referring
to French politeness, that a writer of old, while speaking
of the relations between the French and the Indians, said
that while a Frenchman was bowing and offering a chair
to a man, the Indians could finish three councils.
The English have always been noted for their courage.
The common impression that John Bull is a cold-blooded
animal, calculating, and a bragging coward, who can eat and
drink and bluster, and even fight occasionally, but that at
the critical moment his courage fails, and he is a poltroon,
is very far from the truth. Whatever may be the faults
of Englishmen, they are not cowards. They are brave
in battle. They have conquered, not only the hardy tribes
of the north, but the dusky multitudes of the south. Their
rule has not always been just or generous to the con-
quered, and in the presence of the magnificent victories
achieved by the English soldiers, it may be truthfully said,
in the words of the poet :
" No matter how blazoned in story
The fame of the victor may be,
Accursed is the march of that glory
That treads on the hearts of the free."
210 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
I visited in company with General McAddras, a dis-
tinguished French general, who had married an American
lady Versailles, and walked through its galleries, salons,
and chambers, which appeared as if there were no end to
them filled with paintings, sculptures, mosaics, marble,
and gilding. I enjoyed a hasty visit to that most exquisite
spot, the Little Trianon, where Marie Antoinette and
Louis XVI used to play at farming, and convert the ladies
of the bedchamber and maids of honor into dairymaids,
before the Revolution swept all before it. I lingered with
admiration in its beautiful walks and gardens. I watched
for hours the grand display of the fountains. It is utterly
impossible to convey any idea of the effect of so many
magnificent and beautifuly-formed fountains, throwing
their waters high into the air in every direction. The
crowning sight was, however, at the grand basin of Nep-
tune, where at least 200,000 people had assembled to see
what certainly is a chef d* censure of fountains. The drive
from Paris to Versailles is exceedingly interesting and
lovely. Every spot of ground is vital with some historical
event. My good friend, the general, pointed out many rich
palaces. In Versailles, the day I visited it, there was an
anniversary celebration of one of the great French gen-
erals of the Revolution, Hoche a beautiful custom of
this people, who annually repair to the tombs of their
illustrious dead, and strew them with flowers. Many
speeches were made, and the United States was gracefully
remembered; and I was kindly requested to say a few
words upon Lincoln. Loud and continued acclamations
greeted the tribute to the martyr President.
The evening before, I had a strange and delightful
experience. It was the first night I had been in Paris,
and when I was walking along the crowded boulevard,
OTHER COUNTRIES AND CITIES VISITED. 211
jostled by the throngs, without a friendly recognition, I
heard a voice calling, "Pepper, come and see your
friends!" My curiosity was excited, when I discovered
the speaker to be James Redpath, the early friend of
bleeding Kansas, the biographer of John Brown, and the
founder of the Lyceum that bears his name. He intro-
duced me to Mr. P. Egan, who was banished from his
country, and for whose capture the British Government
had offered a reward. Mr. Egan was very kind in showing
me the wonders of the city. I stopped with him at the
same hotel, and had many opportunities of witnessing his
daily movements; and a more disinterested gentleman
I never met. He afterwards represented our Government
in Chili, rendering brilliant services. I have heard Dr.
Drees, a Methodist missionary, speak highly of his liber-
ality and kindness to Protestant missionaries.
St. Cloud is chiefly remarkable for its grand woods,
commanding views of Paris, and for its artificial cascades,
a splendid piece of art in water. The palace always having
been a favorite, has been duly cared for. St. Germain pos-
sesses a far different interest. Its partially ruined and dis-
mantled palace is associated with French history for cen-
turies. Its noble and extensive forest is faced by a noble
and extensive greensward terrace, two miles in length,
and which overlooks the valley of the Seine. I had an
excellent dinner in the room where Louis XIV was born.
Nothing in all the world can surpass the beauty and
grandeur of the French Capital. It is the grandest embod-
iment of the French mind, and the most modern type of
the ancient cities, of which fancy dreams, in the past. To
speak of it is to speak of marvels of architecture, grand
churches, spacious and costly galleries of art, wide and
ornamental streets, attractive and splendid cafes. The
212 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
River Seine, which runs through Paris, is one continual
line of beauty. This city has no rival. We may contrast,
but not compare it, with the cities of the Orient or of
Europe. London is grand, but not beautiful; Constanti-
nople is picturesque, but has little architectural splendor;
Paris has all these. I have seen Venice, unrivaled for
situation and immortalized by Byron; Florence, with its
broad and finished streets and its old palaces ; I have seen
London, distinguished for its vast industries, but Paris
surpasses them all.
The boulevards, commenced by King Louis XIV,
are grand. Two thousand vehicles, with their rush
of wheels, their whirl of life, pass over them every
day. Then there are the famous resorts St. Honore,
where Marie Antoinette won all hearts; the Palais
Royal, where wealth and fashion hold their revelry;
the Place de la Concorde; the tomb of Napoleon,
above the door of which one reads, "I desire
that my ashes may rest upon the banks of the
Seine, among the people that I have loved so well;''
the Church of Notre Dame, which has in turn conse-
crated and deified so many sovereigns, baptized and con-
secrated so many revolutions ; which has opened its sacred
portals to so many usurpers; whose high altar has show-
ered so many blessings indiscriminately upon the heredi-
tary monarch and the democratic leveler, upon the heir
of kings and the elect of the people; a sanctuary famous
for its great preachers and great events. Perhaps the
most gorgeous event which has transpired there in recent
years was the marriage of the late Napoleon. Beneath
its vast dome, twenty thousand spectators beheld a pa-
geant never surpassed. The thoughtful observer thinks
of many brilliant ceremonies that have taken place of the
OTHER COUNTRIES AND CITIES VISITED. 213
same nature ; of the beautiful Josephine, who stood before
Napoleon I, in robes of unrivaled splendor, sparkling with
jewels, wearing an ancient coronet, her lovely face radiant
with smiles, and her black eyes lustrous with tears of joy.
I thought, as I surveyed the church, of many a figlia
dolor osa who had knelt for a blessing at the foot of the
altar; of the beautiful Marie Antoinette, and her tragic
fate, recalling the eloquent eulogy of Burke; of the
Duchess of Orleans, flying from the maddened populace,
with the infant heir of the .French monarchy in her arms.
I thought of the bishops in their mitered robes, holdingthe
silver canopy over the head of the august bride of Napo-
leon III. Some future Burke, depicting the horrors of
another Revolution, may extort tears from the most cal-
lous in recording the agonies of that heart whose joyous
pulsations stirred the diamonds that glittered on the breast
of the Spanish beauty, the lovely Eugenie ! When I saw
her afterwards in Milan, the loveliness, which shone like
the hues of the morning on her bridal-day, had vanished
in the darkness and desolation that had broken her heart,
and thrown a pall of sorrow over her once handsome face.
It was in this cathedral that Bossuet and Massillon
preached those wonderful sermons which will live forever;
and that Pere Hyacinthe thrilled thousands by his fearless
utterance, "I will not enter Notre Dame in chains," when
the Church attempted to prevent the expression of his
advanced sentiments. I heard this famous divine. He is
unquestionably a great preacher ; but it is gross caricature
to elevate him to the position of the Saurins and the
Bourdaloues. He is bold, vigorous, dashing, discursive,
sometimes rising into animated declamation. His pero-
ration, the day I heard him, was decidedly beautiful. It
was studied with elaboration, worked into the memory,
214 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
and delivered with thrilling effect. The French love
eloquence, and Pere Hyacinthe at that time was the most
accomplished master of speech in Paris. He has all the
physical gifts of the orator a massive chest of immense
breadth, a voice of great compass, and thrilling in its
tones; his gestures are perfect, his arms moving with the
incessant motion of the windmill, but as graceful and
harmonious as the sails of a ship.
Paris is full of such historic and memorable churches
and places. All Frenchmen are proud of their marvelous
capital. Voltaire, in a letter to the King of France, says :
"In ten years you might make Paris the marvel of the
world. Such an undertaking would confer glory on the
nation, and immortality on the council of the city. It
would encourage all arts, attract strangers from the ex-
tremities of Europe." It has been the darling ambition of
all French rulers to make Paris the most beautiful city in
the world. It is built on a level plain, twenty-one miles
in circumference, and contains a population of over two
millions. The splendid River Seine, flowing through the
center, is spanned by thirty-five bridges. The great Na-
tional Library, the Bibliotheque Imperiale, has more than
a million and a half of books. The pavements of the
streets are so smooth that the rattle of carriages is not
heard; this, however, is dangerous to pedestrians, an av-
erage of seven thousand persons being injured annually,
and five hundred killed.
French cooking is regarded as the best in the world.
A good dinner is easily obtained for twenty-five cents.
I quickly recognized the fact that the average French-
man is much shorter than the American. This is especially
noticeable in the French soldier; but it is almost impos-
sible to describe a Frenchman. His head is particularly
OTHER COUNTRIES AND CITIES VISITED. 215
difficult the description of one is not applicable to all.
There are heads of various sizes, and beards of all shapes
and colors, mustaches of every possible quality and quan-
tity, and hair sometimes flowing like a mane or bristling
like the quills of a porcupine, or cut as close as scissors
can accomplish. French women are not so showily dressed
as is the general opinion. They are usually neatly and
prettily clothed. Whether seen in the theater, or in the
church, or upon the boulevards, they appear fascinating,
light-footed, and light-hearted. The French people are
always polite. Ask one of them the way from one direc-
tion to another, or any little act of courtesy, and he will
immediately forget himself in his efforts to render the
desired service.
I was everywhere struck in Paris with the great display
of artistic works. Besides the elegant buildings that have
been described, the statuary in the public gardens, and
the paintings which so profusely adorn the churches and
galleries, Paris is full of print-shops ; portraits of public
men and women are seen in all quarters. The French are,
emphatically, an artistic people. They have a strong love
of poetry, eloquence, architecture.
Like the generality of Americans, I \vas impressed with
the large number of soldiers in France ; every fourth man
I met was a soldier. The French soldier differs from the
German, English, or even American soldier, in the friendly
and social relations to the people. It is not uncommon to
see a soldier and a citizen walking arm in arm together,
discussing grave questions. Barracks are seen every-
where; soldiers are stationed at the end of every street.
France, with all its art, its love of the beautiful, its aspira-
tions after liberty, its high regard for man, has by far too
large a military element. But beneath that military tinsel
2l6 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
exists an ardent faith in the power of ideas, and a pure and
unquenchable love of freedom. In this may be seen a
power that will carry France to prosperity and continued
greatness.
I have great admiration for the French people for
the eight million peasant proprietors who follow their
horses to the field, and plow up their own land. They are
sober, thrifty, and industrious. In all my travels in that
country, I never saw a drunkard. The benevolent wish of
a French King seems to be a realized condition. He
hoped the time would come when every French peasant
would have a chicken in his pot.
In some parts of the country a custom exists where
half a dozen or a dozen families they are not large
spend the evenings together. The papers are read, and
the leading events of the times are discussed. By this
practice sociability is cultivated and thrift is promoted.
The one fire serves a score of persons.
There is much in France that we dearly love. To
Americans the name of France stirs the proudest recollec-
tions of the patriotic heart. It is doubtful whether our
Revolutionary fathers could have succeeded had not La-
fayette helped them. There is much in common between
the French and American Revolutions ; they both fell like
thunder-peals upon the ears of tyrants. A new element
was called into operation, powerful and extensively dif-
fused as the electric fluids in the kingdoms of nature, and
destined to work and spread with restless activity. The
people of France had been ground to earth, and they
rose with a heroic grandeur and swept feudalism from
their country forever. The French people are gay, lively,
vivacious the predominating trait is glory. Hence one
reads on all their great monuments, "Dedicated to all the
OTHER COUNTRIES AND CITIES VISITED. 217
glories of France." There is method in the Frenchman's
suicide madness ; he makes every preparation. I was told
of a man who, before killing himself, sent a card to his
friends: "Come and dine with me at four; I will blow my
brains out at six." If this volatile and brilliant people
have their vices, they have also their splendid virtues,
possessing many of the noblest traits which adorn hu-
manity. They are patriotic they love France. If they
had not been patriotic they would not have fought seven
bloody revolutions, and drenched their sunny soil in gore
to establish a republic the only fit form of government
under which an intelligent man ought to live.
There is nothing that strikes one with more surprise
than the air of self-satisfied vanity with which a Parisian
regards his shop. It is the first object of the whole family
whose property it is. All the resources of coquetry, all the
artistic taste they possess, are lavished upon its adorn-
ment. The wife looks upon it as her temple, where, as
presiding goddess, she sits enthroned; for behind every
counter is placed a luxurious couch, covered with choicest
stuffs in the most glowing colors. Here she is found with
all the unconstrained ease of a lady at home in her draw-
ing-room, chatting with a neighbor or working at her
embroidery frame, during the pauses in the busy day. The
children watch with envy lest a neighbor should eclipse
their shop in neatness, and the graceful propriety with
which the tempting wares are exposed for sale. From
remote streets the proprietors of the distant quartiers
crowd every evening to the boulevards to ascertain what
novelties are to be seen in the great stores, known all over
the world as the originators of fashion. Then, everything
new or remarkable is copied all over Paris within twenty-
four hours after it is exposed to view. The air of happy
2l8 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
gayety which pervades these stores, the graceful polite-
ness, their obligingness, are remarkable ; and yet there is
no servility. Perhaps the most remarkable feature in their
demeanor is that entire self-respect which they will main-
tain at any cost. An amusing instance is told of an
Englishman. He entered a store or shop with his hat on,
approached the spot where the owner of the establishment
stood talking with his wife, who was comfortably seated at
her work. He asked, in that, careless, insolent tone, so
characteristic of English and American travelers, the di-
rect road to Rue de la Paix. "I shall tell monsieur when
he has the kindness to remove his hat ; he has not observed
that madame is present." Who could paint the amazed
look, the suppressed rage, as he retreated, muttering
curses. He was evidently new to Paris, and took as a
personal insult this expression of the general sentiment
of the nation ; nor the quiet contempt of the Frenchman,
as he turned to resume his conversation with his wife,
remarking, "Que ces Anglais sont betes"
There are not many fine stores in Paris; the Bon
Marche is the most attractive. It has the largest kitchen
in the world. It provides food for all its employees, of
which there are 400. The smallest kettle used holds 75
quarts; the largest, 375. There are 50 frying-pans, each
of which is capable of holding 306 cutlets at a time ; 8,000
eggs are used every morning, and 750 quarts of coffee
daily. There are 60 cooks, and 100 boys are employed
in the kitchen.
The first thing that engages the attention of vistors to
Paris is the many splendid public buildings with which it
abounds. The freedom and access to these, with all their
treasures of art, furnishes a most agreeable contrast to
the surly and avaricious spirit exhibited in England and
OTHER COUNTRIES AND CITIES VISITED. 2IQ
Italy. Before the visitor can enter St. Paul's, in London,
he must pay a fee to the verger ; and before he is through,
the expense will be nearly a dollar. At the Pantheon, in
Paris, which occupies a similar position as St. Paul's in
London, one can ascend to the top of the dome, and have
a magnificent view of the whole city without paying a
cent. All the grand and historic churches are open daily.
They abound, as in all Roman Catholic countries, in side
chapels, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and to the saints;
and in each of them the shrines are decorated with various
paintings, and works of art in gold and silver. In many
of them the stained-glass windows are of the most gor-
geous description, especially in the Church of St. Ger-
main 1'Auxerrois, every window of which was completely
filled with the most beautiful colored glass. In addition
to the riches displayed in the chapels and the works of art,
pictorial and sculptured, they are adorned with a profusion
of polished marble of various colors. Nowhere is there
any evidence of the fee system.
The civic buildings are equally accessible. I passed
through the whole of the splendid suite of apartments in
the Hotel de Ville, the scene of many memorable events ;
the noble galleries and rooms in the palace of the Louvre,
which contain the largest and costliest pictures in the
world; the Jar din des Plantes, which contains immense
conservatories; and museums, in which the rarest treasures
of science are stored, including the whole of the works of
Cuvier, without any charge of admittance. The public
buildings of Paris far exceed in magnitude and in splendor
all those that I have ever seen in other countries.
Whether from policy or ostentation, the past rulers of
France have gratified the passion of the people for such
things, and taught them to identify themselves with the
220 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
public monuments and institutions of the nation. Per-
haps much of this has arisen from the social and out-door
habits of the French. They are eminently a gregarious
race. Home, in the American sense, seems unknown to
them. They sleep in their dormitories, but no more. The
cafe and the restaurant supply them with all their meals.
Out of this again arises that universal politeness which is
so marked a feature of French national character. Accus-
tomed to associate so much in public, all classes insensibly
acquire the habit of making themselves agreeable, and
hence those easy, self-possessed manners which can only
be acquired by such intercourse.
Bohemia occupies a small space upon the map, and
must occupy a correspondingly small space within the
covers of this book; for, not being acquainted with the
Bohemian language, I could not gather as much infor-
mation about the customs and people, in my hasty trip
through the country, as I would have liked. The popula-
tion is mixed, consisting of Italians, Tyrolese, Illyrians,
Hungarians, and Poles. I lingered the longest about
Prague, remembering it was the home of John Huss, the
reformer.
Vienna, or Wien as the natives call it, delighted me.
It is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and con-
tains the finest architecture I have seen anywhere. The
streets are wide, smoothly paved, and cleanly kept. The
Ringstrasse was formerly occupied by the fortifications
of the inner town; but during Franz Josef's reign these
have been removed, and there now extends about the city
one of the most beautiful streets in the world. The Rath-
haus, Parliament buildings, two monstrous monumental
museums, picture-galleries, imperial palace, and many
OTHER COUNTRIES AND CITIES VISITED. 221
other grand structures, face on this street. I was asked if
I did not wish to go through the Rath-haus. I thought
of all the marble stairs I had climbed, the wonderful curi-
osities marveled at, the old, old pictures admired, the
statues looked at, the palaces visited, and I said, u No !"
I looked at the immense building, covering acres and
acres of ground, and the thought of having to travel all
through it appalled me. One can have a surfeit, even of
grandeur, sometimes.
There are many hist9rical churches in Vienna. The
Augustinian contains the mortuary statuary for the tomb
of Maria Christina, by Canova. In the chapel adjoining
the church, the hearts of deceased members of the royal
family are preserved in silver urns. The Votive Church
was begun in 1856, in remembrance of Franz Josef's es-
cape from assassination in 1853. The chimes of this
church make indescribably sweet music. I was passing
one day as the funeral cortege of a young girl was passing
out, and I think I never listened to sweeter music than
that which came from the chimes, tender and sad, an em-
blem of the deep heart tragedy that had just been ended.
I lingered long in St. Stephen's, one day, watching the
worshipers as they came and went. There were some
half-burned candles on the table near a statue of the Vir-
gin and Child. One by one the people came in groups
of a dozen or more, making the sign of the cross, repeat-
ing prayers, or leaning over the railing to kiss the hands
of the Virgin, or reaching out a handkerchief or little
dress, or a tiny pair of shoes, with which to touch the
image. Their faith was great, and they went away with
a lighter step and brighter faces, feeling that the mere
touching of the garment of the carved image, or kissing
222 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
the marble hands, would put health into a weak body or
bring peace to a wounded heart. It was in this church
that thanks were rendered up to Heaven for the victory of
Sobieski over the Turks. His personal prowess was su-
perb, and he is the most commanding figure in Polish
history. He contributed the soldier's part to sustain the
grandeur and the glory of his noble Poland, a country
which in all ages had made many struggles for freedom.
Chapter XIII.
A VISIT TO THE PASSION PI^AY AT OBERAM.
MERGAU IN 1890.
FOR years I had read of the Passion Play, and
had longed to visit the very spot, and witness
with my own eyes and hear with my own ears the ren-
dition of this most sacred of all the dramatic representa-
tions of Christ.
I had been interrogating tourists who stopped from
time to time at my hotel in Milan, and who had already
attended one of the bi-weekly representations of the play,
regarding their opinion of it. There was but one reply,
" Grand, inspiring, alone worth a trip across the Atlantic."
As my daughter and I were then contemplating a brief
visit to the United States, we decided to take a steamer
at Antwerp, going thither by way of Munich, whence we
could easily reach the scene of the play within a few hours.
We started from Milan, one day, about the middle of
August ; thence going to Venice, which we reached after
a five hours' ride. The route from Venice to Frankfort-
on-the-Main lay through the Tyrolese Alps, whose chalk-
like and rocky summits looked hot and repellent under
the burning August sun. There was only a short stop at
Frankfort, where there is one of the finest railway sta-
tions I saw in Europe. We descended from the cars at
Munich with a sigh of relief; for the blazing sun beating
down upon the low, sandy soil for hours before we had
reached the city had been reflected through the windows
223
224 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
of our little, crowded compartment, and had made us
long for the cool seclusion of a German gasthaus.
We started for Ammergau that evening, a pleasant
California lady, who, by some mischance, had failed to
meet her friends, asking to share our compartment with
us. Ammergau was reached about midnight. We had
thought we would be obliged to remain there until morn-
ing; but seeing a rickety stage-coach about to depart for
somewhere, we found upon inquiry that its destination
was Oberammergau, the little village nestled down among
the Bavarian Alps, and some three miles away. The coach
was dark, and we had not the least idea who our fellow-
travelers were. Occasional bits of conversation, however,
revealed to us that we had with us Herr High-priest
Ananias, one of the chief actors in the play; a Russian
lady, who spoke English with an enviable correctness;
several of the villagers, who had been to Munich laying
in a stock of supplies for the unlooked-for rush of visitors ;
one or two army officers, and a priest. There was an
old German householder, also, lying back in the farthest
corner. After jolting along for a while, the passengers
became drowsy, and the desultory conversation ceased
altogether. It was at this juncture that the German, po-
litely apologizing to the "Damen," struck a match to
light his pipe. The sight that this revealed aroused the
sleepy passengers to full consciousness. The old priest,
fat and well-preserved, was snoring rhythmically, with his
head resting gently on the California lady's shoulder. It
was a revelation to her, also, and she gave it a push to the
other side. The tired head rolled around aimlessly for
a while, and at last fell back contentedly into its first po-
sition. All laughed aloud at this point, the lady herself
THE PASSION PLAY AT OBERAMMERGAU. 22$
joining in; but it was not until she moved to the other
side of the coach that the priest awoke.
We reached Oberammergau about one o'clock in the
morning. As we were set down in the little square of
the village, a flood of moonlight broke out from among
the clouds, and lighted up the whole place with a silvery
sheen, showing the red-roofed houses, with their walls
painted over quaintly with Biblical representations, and
making it seem as if we had been dropped down suddenly
into some toy city.
The inhabitants of the place are wood-carvers, and
pass away their simple lives in this occupation from gener-
ation to generation. The Miracle Play is given by them
every ten years, in fulfillment of a vow made over two
centuries ago, in return for their deliverance from a plague
which was devastating the surrounding country. Seven
hundred of the fifteen hundred inhabitants pass nine
months of every tenth year in rehearsing their parts; for
although there are only five hundred actors, two hundred
more are drilled for substitutes. The performances are
given twice a week, for the three summer months, in an
immense amphitheater, capable of holding thousands of
people. For two centuries the play was given regularly,
without attracting the attention of travelers; but in the
year 1850, Dean Mil man, of London, and in 1860, Dean
Stanley, of the same city, visited the play, and wrote such
glowing accounts of this marvelous performance in the
Bavarian highlands that since then visitors from all parts
of the world flock there by thousands. In 1870 the Jewish
musical critic, Aronson, made a critical study of the play,
and pronounced the musical features of it to be unsur-
passed. In the same year it was visited by Edwin Booth,
15
226 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
who said that he had never known what acting was until
he beheld it here in its perfection. The people show rare
artistic cultivation, combined with perfect simplicity.
They have a profound knowledge of the Scriptures, show-
ing a wonderful familiarity with every act of our Lord's
life. They have no master in the art of acting except the
parish priest.
We thought for a while that we might be obliged to
pass the rest of the night here on the village square, as I
had made no arrangements before leaving Milan for lodg-
ings and tickets, which are supposed to be arranged for
weeks in advance. However, the good Bavarian, Ana-
nias, took pity on us, found lodgings with a friend for my
daughter and the California lady, and took me to his own
home, where he was obliged to give me his bed, as the
house was crowded.
I was sleeping soundly when the great cannon boomed
at five o'clock the next morning, announcing the hour
of prayer for the villagers. I had scarcely dropped to
sleep again when a band passed through the town, calling
the people to some other act of devotion. I finally gave
it up altogether, arose, dressed, and went to seek my
daughter and her companion, and find some hospitable
board where we might get breakfast. As I had not seen
where my friend had taken them the night before, and
as there were thousands of strangers in the village, it was
no easy task to find two answering exactly to their de-
scription. Finally, after climbing to the top of an out-
side staircase, and pushing open the door which I found
there, I came upon the objects of my quest, sleeping
peacefully on the top of a high German bed, which they
had evidently had to reach by means of a chair ; for there
was one standing near by. It was then almost eight
THE PASSION PLAY AT OBERAMMERGAU. 227
o'clock, the time for the play to begin, and we did not
even have our entrance tickets. I had been hearing
stories from complacent tourists, who had their tickets,
about people who had been obliged to remain over from
one representation to the other, a space of two or three
days, all because they had not procured tickets several
days in advance. It did not add to my peace of mind
to realize that the ladies had yet to make their toilets
before we could even go to seek the burgomeister, who
alone was said to have the power of disbursing tickets.
By a happy coincidence, the visit to this mighty poten-
tate of the village was dispensed with. My kind friend,
the High-priest Ananias, again came to my rescue. Some
of his expected guests, for whom he had reserved tickets,
had not come, and their tickets were at our disposal.
Thus armed, and after getting a cup of coffee and a roll
at the gasthaus, we made our way to the amphitheater,
whither crowds were already hastening in response to the
beating of a drum. The booming of a cannon announces
the beginning of the play. It continues from eight until
twelve, and recommences at one, continuing until four.
Our seats proved to be under cover, upon which we con-
gratulated ourselves a few hours later, when the rain
began to come down gently, and the people on the lower
seats, which occupy at least one-half the amphitheater,
were obliged to sit under dripping umbrellas, or leave the
place altogether, as many of them did. The immense
stage also is nearly all uncovered, and it was curious to
observe with what stolid indifference and apparent ab-
sorption in their parts the players continued the repre-
sentation, with the rain beating down in their faces and
dripping from their clothes.
. I shall ever bear in memory the magnificent panorama
228 UNDER THREE FLAGS,
which spread out before our gaze, as we sat there listen-
ing to these simple peasants chanting the chorus which
precedes every act. Immediately in front of us a sea of
heads, people from all parts of the world; a little beyond,
the crude stage; and in the near background a succession
of rolling hills, whose green rivaled the emerald; cattle
grazing peacefully here and there, and a solitary peasant,
scythe in hand, mowing fresh grass for his herds, seem-
ingly oblivious of the absorbing drama that was taking
place down below.
I will not describe the play in detail; it has already
been done so often. The chief character was taken this
time, as in 1870 and 1880, by Joseph Meyer, a pale-faced,
spiritual-looking man, who copies, in so far as he is able,
in personal appearance and dress, the accepted por-
traits of our Lord. He went through his part with
an intense earnestness, which reconciled the observer, if
such a thing be possible, to the assumption of this sacred
character by any human creature. Each act is preceded
by a chant from the choir, who file in in green mantles
and golden crowns, and shadow forth in their sweet but
generally sad strains the tragic events which are about to
take place. There are also interspersed many tableaus,
representing prominent events recorded in the Old Testa-
ment.
The First Act is Christ's Entry into Jerusalem. He
weeps over Jerusalem's desolation, and bewails the fate
of her children : "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for
me, but for yourselves and your children." This is ren-
dered with exquisite pathos, and the refrain "Jerusalem"
rings in your ears, now rising in tones of anguished warn-
ing, now dying- in a wail of despair. There was a sacred
JOSEPH MEYER, AS CHRIST.
THE PASSION PLAY AT OBERAMMERGAU. 22$
hush, fraught with profound reverence, through this, as
well as through nearly all the other acts.
Act II represents Christ at Bethany. After the tur-
moil and excitement of the city he retires to the peaceful
quiet of the homes of Mary and Martha.
Act V is a celebration of the Last Supper. This is an
exact representation of Leonardo da Vinci's famous paint-
ing, and is one of the most faithful and most impressive
ones of the play.
Act VII represents Christ in the Garden of Geth-
semane, where the majestic sufferer bows beneath the
great olives, and pours out his soul in agony. An angel
is sent with a golden censer to comfort him.
In Act IX, Christ is brought before Caiaphas. Here
he is found guilty. The disciples, so bold and confident,
now resort to cowardly flight. All forsook him and fled.
Act X shows the despair of Judas. The betrayer does
not seem the hardened criminal that the pictures repre-
sent him, but a man of the world. He appears now to be
full of remorse. When he looks into the innocent face
of Christ, he flings the bag upon the ground, exclaiming,
"He was such a good man !"
Act XI, Christ before Pilate, is a thrilling one. Pilate,
after a thorough examination, exclaims, "I find no fault
in this just man!" then sends him away to Herod, who
delivers him to the brutal soldiers. Never can the spec-
tator forget the lofty scorn and the deep loathing with
which Pilate looks upon the enemies of Christ.
Act XV was greeted by sobs and cries of absolute
pain from all over the amphitheater. It represented
Christ bearing his cross. Nothing can be more heart-
rending than the Holy Man taking up his cross, and bear-
230 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
ing it upon his shoulders, the blood streaming from every
part of his sacred body, until Simon appears and relieves
him of the terrible burden.
In Act XVI, the Crucifixion, the climax is reached]
All nature harmonizes with the dark deed. The heavens
assume a somber color ; soon the whole sky is black ! The
two thieves are placed on their crosses, and Christ in the
midst towers above all others, Jesus in the midst ! Has
he not always been there? there in eternity, before he
made the journey of a God from the splendors of a throne
to earth; and is he not now the Lamb slain in the midst
of the throne? O my soul, I can hear the heavy strokes
of the hammer as they drive the nails into those feet which
never wearied in errands of mercy, and those hands which
were stretched out over Jerusalem's lost opportunities!
I watched him there, and though I had read the great
French and Italian preachers' sermons upon the Passion,
nothing moved me like this ! Theirs was acting, but this
was the real scene. "O Lamb of God, was ever pain, was
ever love like this?" What a marvelous change in the
physical appearance of the Divine Victim ! The face that
was white and lifelike, now black ! The neck, which had
been white and smooth, now showed the veins swollen
and blue! Edmund Burke, in that most perfect of his
eloquent descriptions, describes Marie Antoinette as hav-
ing her whole being changed by suffering. She enters
the prison with hair like a raven; a single night makes
it white as snow. A more wonderful and heart-rending
change took place in this Christ figure upon the cross
before the very eyes of the spectators. Cries of horror
and pity broke from their lips, and so intense was the
emotion for a few seconds that it seemed almost as if a
panic would ensue.
THE PASSION PLAY AT, OBERAMMERGAU. 231
The succeeding act, the Descent from the Gross, is an
exact copy of Rubens' s celebrated picture in Antwerp.
The executioners, with indecent haste, rush forward; but
Nicodemus shows an order from Pilate, giving him full
authority to take charge of the body. Two ladders are
placed, one in front, one in the rear of the cross. The
crown of thorns is removed and given to a servant. The
nails are then extracted, and the dead Christ is taken
down and laid upon the ground, where he is covered with
a clean white linen cloth, and the blood is washed from
the hands, from the temples, and from the feet. Now he
is buried amid the sweet budding foliage of spring. The
"funeral was unostentatious. Behold the place where they
laid him! Rich odors are shed there. Behold it in your
tears, ye who sorrow for loved ones ! The third day the
good women come to anoint the body, and their ears are
anointed with the most fragrant tidings that ever fell from
heaven to earth : "He is not here, he is risen !" The gloom
gives place to joy! The performers now put on white
garments, and as the limestone rocks of Judea crack and
explode with the glory of the risen Christ, all exclaim,
"The Lord is risen ! The Lord is risen!" There is not a
line of departure from the Gospel narrative. The clear
and thrilling tones of the Christus is heard, "I am the
Resurrection and the Life !" O Jesus, I have often gazed
on thee in admiration, but never so much as when thou
didst declare thyself by the sublime title, "I am the Resur-
rection and the Life!" demonstrating thy divinity over
death and the grave. I felt myself involuntarily repeating
the hymn of Watts :
" Say, Live forever, wondrous King,
Born to redeem and strong to save !
Then ask the monster, Where 's thy sting!
And, Where 's thy victory, boasting Grave !"
232 . UNDER THREE FLAGS.
I have never heard anything to approach the dra-
matic power of these performers. Says the good priest,
Father Daiserberg, of Oberammergau : "It is not our aim
to shine in the art of acting; that would be ridiculous in
country folk. But it must be the earnest desire of each
one to represent worthily this Holy Mystery. As the
apostles taught men by their holy conversation, so must
we endeavor, if our work is to be blessed to the hearts of
men, to show by our Christlike conduct the salutary
effect produced upon our souls."
That is it ! It is more than acting ! It is devotion in
its most spiritualized and sublimated form!
The succeeding acts The Burial of Christ, The Res-
urrection and Christ's Ascension, making twenty in all
although grand in conception and almost perfect in exe-
cution, were received with strange apathy. The people
had spent their emotion in the supreme Act of the Cruci-
fixion.
Few words were exchanged that evening in the beau-
tiful drive back to Ammergau, with the enchanting green
of the mountains before our eyes, and the noise of the
waterfalls soft and soothing in our ears. The great trag-
edy which had just passed before us was a real one, and
it was long ere we could throw off the magic influence,
and think of the actors therein as simple Bavarian peas-
ants, who were giving this Miracle Play in fulfillment of
a pious vow.
Chapter XIV.
CAMPAIGN EXPERIENCES MEN KNOWN IN
POLITICAL LIFE AND OTHER BYWAYS.
A3 a minister of the gospel I have always claimed the
right to tell my sentiments upon the questions in
which the righteousness and the prosperity of the Re-
public are profoundly interested. Every four years I
have made campaign speeches to the electors, assuring
them that they would stand immeasurably higher as Chris-
tians if they took some interest in the political affairs of
this country. Their lips ought not to be padlocked wher-
ever and whenever bribery and corruption are to be ex-
posed, the great cause of Temperance to be vindicated,
and the stability and prosperity of the Republic are to be
promoted.
I spoke these sentiments in 1861, when our majestic
eagle wavered in his flight, and the stars upon our banner
began to lose their luster. I spoke them again when
Grant was triumphantly chosen as the Chief Magistrate
of the Nation. I spoke in all the subsequent Presidential
elections, except one during which I was absent from
the country. And I also believe that hereafter more min-
isters will take time from their pulpits to spend in this
way; not dragging partisan politics into their pulpits,
which I never did, but preaching upon the lines laid down
by the prophet, "Righteousness exalteth a nation."
Those words of Byron's are true and noble :
" Freedom's battle, once begun,
Bequeathed from bleeding sire to son,
Though baffled oft, is ever won."
233
234 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Is it possible that when a patriotic government or a
municipality is doing its best to promote morality and
decent administration of affairs, that ministers of the
gospel can be silent? Are they too much absorbed in the
contemplation of the heavens, that they have no time to
take some interest in the welfare of the millions upon the
earth? A story is told of a scholar who, when the whole
Nation was startled by the fall of Fort Sumter, said to
his friends, "What do I care? I must finish my gram-
mar." I have heard the utterances of certain bishops,
boasting that they "never had voted." Such men should
never preach the gospel to me. They are not indoctri-
nated with the principles of the Bible upon their duties in
civil life. I maintain that we have not been doing our duty
in regard to politics and civil government. You may tell
me, indeed, that ministers of the gospel should not be
politicians. I have no politics aside from Christianity.
I can say with the Covenanters, "My politics is my Bible."
A national campaign is one of the trials of democ-
racy. It has been questioned whether seventy millions
could peacefully carry out their respective political creeds
without the Nation suffering serious disaster. But the
calmness, the decorum, and the readiness with which the
defeated parties accept the results, demonstrate the sagac-
ity of our system. There are many popular fallacies about
elections. Among them a common one is, that all the
speakers and managers are supplied with money to buy
votes. "Money!" cries the bankrupt, while he listens
to the harangue. "Help us to pay off our indebtedness."
"Money !" cries the beggar, who believes that a political
campaign is a pyramid of wealth. "Money!" demands
the idler, while he buries his hands in his empty pockets ;
and the mechanic out of work takes up the dismal chorus.
CAMPAIGN EXPERIENCES. 235
When I was speaking at a town in Southern Illinois,
during the campaign of 1896, a Democratic wag reported
in advance that I had a valise full of silver, which Mr.
Hanna gave me to pay off all mortgages. When I ar-
rived at the depot, there were hundreds of colored people
waiting my arrival. One powerful fellow seized my
satchel, exclaiming : "It is true ! There is so much money
here that I can not lift it up/' For hours I was pestered
with appeals, and I was confidentially informed that the
applicants would never tell how much they got.
There is no fallacy more common than that all the
active campaigners are office-seekers. This may be true
of a few, but not of the great majority. The usual class
of office-seekers are not the men selected for their abil-
ities, or from the hard-working men who carry elections.
For the most part, they are party hacks, who help to elect
senators and congressmen, who form a company or a
clique. The life of a man of this class, as has been truth-
fully said, must be a life of drudgery. He dares not de-
clare his independent opinion on any question. He dares
not answer a plain question plainly, lest his answer should
be remembered.
Another very common fallacy, the constant reiter-
ation of speakers of all parties, is, that if the opposite
party succeeds the country is ruined; that all the pros-
perity and morality will disappear if the opposite candi-
date is elected ; that the platform of his party was made in
heaven; that America is on the brink of a deadly gulf.
The Republic, the foundations of which have been laid
on the heights that overlook the Bay of Charleston, laid
deep on the banks of the Potomac, laid firmly in the
-wooded hills of Vermont the Republic, these opposing
236 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
orators tell us, if Free Trade or Protection succeeds, will
split from base to battlement.
The most noted clergyman in the United States tells
how, when he was a boy, he went to hear a famous polit-
ical orator, who, pointing his index finger at him, thun-
dered out, "If Mr. Harrison is elected, that boy will grow
no taller." He went home crying, and told his father not
to vote for Harrison. Twenty years after, the boy,
grown up, heard the same political orator declare the
same thing if Lincoln were elected.
These political campaigns are educational factors, and
leave a softening, humanizing influence behind them.
There is always a patient investigation and a desire to
ascertain the facts. Upon all such contests as those of
1844 and 1 86 1 the American looks back with pride. He
remembers the rush of noble words and the bright play
of Henry Clay's speech. Bryce, the Irish author of the
"American Commonwealth," the best book ever written
by a foreigner on American institutions, says: "The
American is keen and shrewd. His passion seldom ob-
scures his reason. He keeps his head during these ex-
citements, when a German or a Frenchman would lose
his." The political election, in which two men are pitted
against one another in a four months' campaign for the
great prize, stirs the blood like any other trial of strength
and speed.
The campaign every four years teaches the responsi-
bilities that are offered to the young men of the land. In
no other country is there such an opportunity. The
American people do not ask, "What was your father?"
but, "Who are you?" Thomas Jefferson's test is the
thing, after all, for a candidate: "Is he honest? Is he ca-
pable?" Let the young man, the intelligent, adventurous,
CAMPAIGN EXPERIENCES. 237
and gallant, take heart ! Lord Morpeth, after visiting
our schools, was asked what he thought of them. His
answer was, "Every boy who spoke expects to be Presi-
dent of the United States."
The campaign inculcates the value of enthusiasm.
The incidents and picturesque surrounding of the crowds
form a copious theme to excite earnestness. The orators
become aroused when they quote extracts from other
candidates' speeches extracts that will supersede. De-
mosthenes against ^Eschines, Rienzi against the nobles,
Pitt retorting on Walpole, and Webster in reply to Hayne.
Charles James Fox declared that a man without enthusi-
asm never succeeds. The great transactions of history,
the fight at Marathon, the death of Caesar, the sublime
episodes of the Swiss crags, the storm which hurled the
thrones of the Bourbons into destruction, the eternal ring
of the bell at Philadelphia proclaiming the rights of man
throughout the world, were not accomplished without
enthusiasm.
The campaign inspires candidates with the necessity
of'having spotless records. As soon as a man is nomi-
nated, every obscure paper in the country begins the
everlasting search for his history. The challenge is sent
forth, the trumpet is sounded, and the bitter and humili-
ating events of the man's life are gone over. The candi-
date is the public property of the Nation. The day of his
nomination it might be written over his door, as over "the
churches in Paris, "La propriete nationale." ("The na-
tional property.") Everything is noted and exaggerated.
Should he take a trip, it is telegraphed. If a Hoosier
comes along and slaps him on the back, he must submit.
A skulking shadow everywhere pursues him. If his child
upbraid him or his wife abscond, the spies are ready to
238 . UNDER THREE FLAGS.
publish it to the world. Expostulate with these burglars
as they tear the roof off his house, and they answer: "It
is all right! He is a public man, and a candidate for
office, and the people want to hear all about him." This
was especially the case with James G. Elaine. He was
followed to Europe, his steps were dogged everywhere.
His dentist in Milan told me that when the great states-
man came to his office, a spy was just behind him, and even
the office was invaded and questions asked about Elaine's
health and teeth.
Again, a political campaign is a spectacle of grandeur.
It is really a great thing when seventy millions of people
are interested. As our admirer, Bryce, puts it: "The
scene of immensity, and the belief that the same thoughts
and purposes are animating millions of other people in
sympathy with himself, lifts a man out of himself, and
sends him into transports of eagerness and zeal."
The first campaign in which I took part was for the
election of Grant, in 1868. I was then a chaplain in the
regular army. The speech was delivered in the Public
Square, Cleveland, Ohio. I afterwards addressed the peo-
ple of North Carolina, visiting every county in the State.
The next campaign in which I took an active part
was a memorable one, the contest for the election of
James G. Elaine, in 1884. The reason for my interest in
Mr. Elaine arose from an incident which took place in
Ireland a few years before. I was visiting the home of
my childhood, and, in response to old friends, delivered
an address upon America and Americans at Pepper's
Cross-roads. During the delivery of the lecture, I com-
pared America's Presidents with the English Kings,
American Queens with those of England.
The next day two policemen came to my mother-in-
CAMPAIGN EXPERIENCES. 239
law's house, asking if Rev. George W. Pepper was there.
My wife responded, "Yes," with a touch of indignation.
They requested that I should take a walk with them to the
nearest station, Gilford. I knew what that meant, eigh-
teen months' imprisonment, without a trial; for the Cur-
few Law was then in force. I remonstrated, but in vain,
until I pulled out my passport, which I flaunted in their
faces, saying, "If you arrest me, I will cable James G.
Elaine, the Secretary of State, whose name is there, and in
forty-eight hours he will. hold your British Ambassador
responsible!" Quickly they changed their actions, and
cravenly apologized. Elaine's name carried terror as
well as influence with it. I said then to my wife, "If
Elaine is ever a candidate for the Presidency I will take
the stump for him."
The next year I delivered the Fourth of July speech
in Mansfield. John Sherman presided. He had given
land enough to build a beautiful park for the city, and
this patriotic occasion was the dedication of the grounds.
I repeated the incident in my address; it got into the
papers, so that when Elaine was nominated I was invited
to deliver the first speech in New York. The audience
was very large, and I had some fears. At the Astor House
a reporter for one of the newspapers, whom I had known
in the army, Mr. Doyle, called to give advice. He was
anxious to know if I could sing an Irish song. I an-
swered, "No, nor a Methodist ! I do not even know one
tune from another." "Well, then, you will find it un-
popular to deliver your speech. A rousing Irish song
might quiet them for some time, and give you a chance.
But Republican speeches to Irish audiences never suc-
ceeded here. General Benjamin F. Butler tried it, and
failed." From the first sentence, "I am here to-night to
240 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
bind with a shamrock wreath the brow of the grand old
party with which the proudest and grandest recollections
of the country have been associated for thirty years ; the
party of Abraham Lincoln, of Grant, and of its noblest
living representative, James G. Elaine, its standard-bearer
in this campaign," cheers began in all parts of the hall
and lasted for several minutes. Somebody I think it was
Hawley or Elkins came up and whispered in my ear,
"You have got them."
The next morning I was invited to visit the National
Headquarters, where I became acquainted with the man-
agers and several of the leading Republicans of the coun-
try. I met Mr. B. F. Jones, Mr. Elaine's chairman, a
prominent iron manufacturer of Pittsburg, an honest and
respected gentleman of the old school, conscientious and
sincere in his politics as in his business. I met also Mr.
J. S. Clarkson, whose unflagging zeal, untiring activity,
and enthusiastic application for twenty years of laborious
service were developed and matured in the service of his
party. It does not detract from the glory of others to say
that Clarkson's pluck and determination were always in
the lead.
I delivered my first speeches in Maine in Bangor,
Portland, L,ewiston, and Saco. Before commencing, it was
deemed advisable to have an interview with Mr. Blaine,
at Bar Harbor. I remember an incident which occurred
in a town of Maine. I had ridden forty miles from Calais,
and put up for the night at a quaint old town. Arriving
at the hotel, "Stranger," said the proprietor, "you are in
the best town in the world. Think of it ! There has never
been a saloon here, nor a jail, nor a Democrat, nor a trial,
nor a Catholic, nor a Methodist!"
After doing Maine, I was sent to Massachusetts, the
CAMPAIGN EXPERIENCES. 241
land of Mugwumps, where I spent two weeks, speaking
in all the principal cities. It was in a carriage on the way
to Faneuil Hall that I met a man who has recently gained
much celebrity in the war with Spain as colonel of the
Rough Riders, Theodore Roosevelt, and Senator Henry
Cabot Lodge. The order of speeches was discussed.
Lodge was to give the history of the party ; Roosevelt ta
talk to the Mugwumps, and to show that civil service had
a better showing with Republicans ; and I to address my-
self to the veterans. Senator Lodge made a lucid and
unanswerable speech, showing himself to be a scholar and
a fine speaker. Roosevelt attained high distinction dur-
ing that campaign.
At Quincy I was billed to speak with Colonel Slack,
the collector of the port of Boston and editor of the Com-
monwealth. He spoke first, and notwithstanding that he
was frequently interrupted by the leading Prohibitionists
of the State, he made a telling and convincing speech.
I never heard his equal in answering questions. I fol-
lowed him. Some one cried out, "Three cheers for Elaine
and Logan!" which were given with enthusiasm. Then
some politician of the other party cried out, "Three cheers
for h 1 !" "That 's right !" quickly responded Colonel
Slack, "every one should cheer for his own country!"
After leaving Massachusetts, I spoke in Indiana, Michi-
gan, Illinois.
In the Harrison campaign of 1888 I was engaged for
many weeks, and here I met Senator M. S. Quay and the
indefatigable Clarkson. Quay was an adroit, skillful
leader, priming himself upon being more than a match
for Tammany. It was not omnipotent when it confronted
Quay. I spoke fourteen nights in the city to the most
disorderly crowds I ever saw. The Goths were refined.
16
242 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
in comparison with these mobs. At one place, supposed
to be the wickedest and most dangerous of the city, a
meeting was arranged, the first Republican meeting ever
held there. The Democrats having failed to break up the
meeting, resorted to a new device ; at a given signal some
roughs in the outskirts would toss into the air bundles of
paper pellets, which fell upon the speaker like white flakes
of snow; the crowd would then send up a yell. General
Dennis Burke, the gallant commander of the Irish Bri-
gade, tried and had to give it up.
At last a West Virginian, whose name I have forgot-
ten, commenced. The same game was started. Finally
the West Virginian suddenly exclaimed, with an oath,
"My father was killed and my brother was wounded in
the war, and I, too, was a soldier. I fought for free
speech as well as for the Union!" and lifting up some-
thing that looked like a revolver, "and I swear that the
first ruffian who throws up one of those paper pellets, I
will give him the contents of this !" The rascals fled, and
he spoke for an hour without interruption, other than
cheers. It was a cigar-case, not a pistol, that he held in
his hand. It was a great success,
I next was sent to Indiana, where I met John C. New,
a stanch Republican, a cool and forecasting man, who
knew the politics of his State better than any other poli-
tician.
Once more was the McKinley campaign, in 1896. I
had known the Major by reputation ; but the first time I
ever saw him was in Augusta, Maine. He was making
speeches, and I think was on his way to see the Plumed
Knight. I was impressed with his evident sincerity and
his unselfishness. What a change position makes in the
number of a man's friends! I remember one of the last
CAMPAIGN EXPERIENCES. 243
times I saw him, after the temporary reaction against his
tariff bill, he was on his way to Lorain to make a speech.
I was going further to deliver a lecture. There was not
a man in the depot to see him off, nor one who accom-
panied him. Now there would be thousands, with bands
of music and flying colors. The same McKinley, the same
quiet, Christian gentleman; but there is the Presidency,
with its offices. I delivered an address in behalf of the
soldiers when he was the candidate for this high office.
He was full of compliments. "It was beautiful ! It was
beautiful!" he said.
Receiving an earnest request from Colonel Hahn, the
chairman of the Speakers' Department, I accepted his
invitation, and departed immediately for Chicago. I
made my first speech in the stockyards to a thousand or
more men with mugs of beer in their hands it was the
noon hour cheering for Bryan and more money. It was
the oddest crowd I ever beheld. They raved like maniacs.
While I was trying to speak, a gentleman stood behind
me who was there purposely to protect me, in case the
mob should make an attack. He had previously advised
me to lay aside the silk hat I was wearing, as it would
probaby be a target for their missiles.
Hurrying into the carriage, we drove to another stock-
yard meeting, which was orderly, respectful, and appre-
ciative. The chairman was a Gold Democrat. The same
night I addressed an audience in the hotel in which Mr.
Hedges was stopping. It was full and enthusiastic. The
next day I made a speech at twelve o'clock to the busi-
ness men. It was a scene never to be forgotten, that im-
mense crowd of eager and hopeful men.
I was sent from there to Kansas, where I addressed
meetings at Topeka, Lawrence, and St. Mary's. At the
244 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
latter place, among the Reception Committee, was the
Hon. James W. Fitzgerald, formerly of Cincinnati, a mem-
ber of the Ohio Legislature, and the best Police Court
judge that Cincinnati ever had. He was such a terror to
evil-doers that they shot at him. He was a Democrat in
Kansas, and was running for the Legislature ; but that did
not chill his interest in an old friend. He has since died.
A more stainless knight never drew a sword. A good
and true man.
I also met in Topeka my old friend, John Mulvane,
formerly of Ohio, a banker and an honored citizen. He
wields a powerful influence in Topeka.
Next, I was directed to spend several weeks in Illinois.
Mound City was my headquarters; from there I visited
all the neighboring towns, speaking frequently in halls,
old shops, churches, and in the open air, twice a day regu-
larly, and occasionally three times. After the night
speech, I would ride sixteen miles, accompanied by a band
of singers. At one place the hotel had just burned down.
A Republican of the town told me that he had no place
for me to sleep, but could give me my supper. I looked
into one of his rooms, it was full of old muskets. At night
he introduced me to a judge as a preacher, and asked for
lodging, as I was the speaker of the evening. The family
were eating supper. "All right, let me hear you ask a
blessing." I did so. He was satisfied that I was a
minister.
The last State was Missouri. It seems to me that
there is no richer State than this in the Union. The min-
eral and other resources are incalculable; all it wants is
enterprise. I see it overflowing with opulence and wealth,
noble cities arising where only a few years ago were scat-
tered villages, excelling in magnificence and beauty the
CAMPAIGN EXPERIENCES. 245
oldest cities of Europe. I heard the clink of the shuttle
and the music of the anvil where, a few years ago only,
resounded the clash of the tomahawk.
The meeting in St. Louis was a grand assemblage; it
was the business men's daily gathering. Here, in the very
center of traffic, thousands gathered to hear Speaker
Thomas B. Reed, and to accredit and to sanctify the peo-
ple's choice, William McKinley. I would not follow
Reed, so I made the first speech. It was well received.
Reed proved himself, tnough his voice was hoarse, an
accomplished master, and won repeated applause. The
next night I spoke twice, Judge Noble, a prominent citi-
zen, preceding me at one of the meetings. The second
was composed of Union and Confederate soldiers. There
were over eleven hundred in the club. Four hundred
were ex-Confederates, but all were now for honest money
and Republicanism.
Among the good and worthy men whom I met in St.
Louis were Messrs. A. H. EiJers and Drosten, a rich
and partiotic jeweler. Mr. Eilers was my fellow voyager
across the sea in the Fuerst Bismarck! He has an inter-
esting history. Brought up a bigoted Lutheran in Wiscon-
sin, he was constantly warned never to attend a Methodist
church, as he would be sure to become a Republican!
As a boy he made his way to St. Louis in the early
sixties, when the war fever was at its height. He heard
Hiram Cox, of precious memory, sing Union songs upon
the streets. He was fascinated, and followed him to dear
old Union Church, covered with flags. He was at home,
and said, "Thy people shall be my people." In Ger-
many, the land of his fathers, where he was recently, he
found thousands of the people who believed Colonel Cody
and McKinley were brothers, from the similarity of their
246 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
names "Buffalo Bill and McKinley Bill." At a German
fair he saw an immense hog in a fancy chariot, with two
large-sized portraits of McKinley and Cody, with the
flaming inscriptions conspicuous, "The two great broth-
ers, Buffalo Bill and McKinley Bill." It was the actual
belief of many that they belonged to the same family.
Colonel Cody got a cool reception in many quarters be-
cause of his alleged relationship to McKinley. The tariff
measure was very unpopular in Germany, and I was not
surprised at the reply of a German manufacturer from
Crefeldt, who lay groaning in the berth above me on a
steamship while crossing the ocean. I asked him what
was the matter, and he muttered, "It is either seasickness
or the McKinley Bill, I do n't know which."
The next morning we started through Missouri in Mr.
R. C. Kerens's private car. At all the principal towns,
"Reed! Reed!" was the cry; but as his voice was weak
he did not respond. I tried to supply his place. This
part of the State-^-its soft and verdant valleys, its fertile
and level plains, its magnificent rivers aroused the ad-
miration of all in the car. Mr. Hitchcock, our present
ambassador to Russia, was one of the party.
I reported, according to instructions, at Clinton, the
home of the Republican candidate for governor, Robert
E. Lewis. There I was met by Mr. Mitchell, the brave
and fearless editor, and by the genial Haynie, a lawyer of
ability. Lewis was very popular here. Amid a furious
storm of bigotry and opposition, he has stood unmoved
and undismayed. His intrepidity and courage are every-
where praised.
I spoke at Windsor, at Rich Hill, Warrensburg, and
other places. The counties visited were Henry, Cass,
Johnson, Bates, Cedar, and St. Clair. In all these cities
CAMPAIGN EXPERIENCES. 247
and towns I met hundreds of Ohioans. At Warrensburg
there was Herrick, Logan; at Windsor, George W.
Schwer, the present postmaster, and the editor of the
Republican. At Rich Hill, I was delightfully entertained
by a stanch and respected merchant, Mr. Kellogg, now
collector of internal revenue at Kansas City, a splendid
gentleman; also others Martin, Judge Huckaby, Hon.
J. R. Hales. There were no interruptions, such as those
at Chicago.
But the greatest of all the meetings was held at Clin-
ton, two days before the election. Nobly did the spirited
Republicans turn out in their thousands to mark their high
sense of the great services of their candidate for governor.
I spoke, as one of the dispatches said, to twenty thousand
people, after which I left immediately, as I must reach
home in time to vote. While waiting at the depot here,
an Irishman, who had ridden thirty miles to hear me, came
up to me and said, "I do n't know McKinley ; but I do
know that he has a mighty smart woman for a wife
Hanna!"
I can not sufficiently express my admiration of Mr.
Richard C. Kerens's management of the work in his State.
His powerful help, his persuasive manners, and his tact,
drew applause from all.
The great Cooper Institute demonstration in 1884,
to which reference has been made in the preceding para-
graphs, calls for more than ordinary remark. The Insti-
tute was filled, as one three times its size would have been
filled, with an assemblage of New York's best citizens.
There were, side by side, thousands of patriotic mechanics
and merchants, the active business man, and the retired
capitalist. The platform was crowded with the best men
of all parties, who had come to do homage to the gallant
248 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
standard-bearer of the Republicans. The walls were hung
with the portraits of the illustrious leaders of the Repub-
licans. There was Lincoln, his face indicating that his
whole soul was filled with the love of liberty, upon whose
ears the sounds of freedom fell with sweeter tones than the
song of birds in early spring; there were the pictures of
Grant, of Sherman, of Sumner, of Wilson, of Wade.
The opening remarks of the president, Patrick Ford,
were delivered with a fervor and a modesty worthy of his
name and fame. His nephew, Austin Ford, who was gen-
eral manager, received an ovation when he appeared to
introduce his uncle as chairman.
The first speech was delivered by a Methodist clergy-
man from Ohio, the author of these reminiscences. Hon.
Judge John Brennan, of Iowa, had a grand theme, and
he handled with masterly skill the Cobden Club and its
designs upon America. He nobly vindicated the doctrine
of protection. This speech was clear, strong, to the point,
and conclusive, and will stand all the artillery which the
Free-traders can discharge against it. He was afterwards
engaged in the campaign, speaking mostly in the city of
New York, where his trenchant, sledge-hammer argu-
ments and overflowing wit won thousands of votes for the
Republicans.
The next speaker was Hon. Thomas P. Barry, a mem-
ber of the Illinois Legislature. The speech was vivid as a
picture, bristling with facts, clear in its details, full of the
most direct and cogent arguments. Mr. Barry laid bare
with a bold and strong hand the disease of the labor de-
pression and its remedy. His address was timely and bold,
forcible and solid, and worthy of his reputation. His self-
possession, clearness of statement, his quickness in an-
CAMPAIGN EXPERIENCES. 249
swering questions, make him a favorite speaker on all
occasions.
Henry Gary Baird, the grandson of 'Matthew Gary,
the champion of American protection fifty years ago, was
the next speaker. His speech was profoundly statistical.
In the higher elements of oratory he is deficient, prefer-
ring the more solid matter to the more graphic and at-
tractive elements of speech.
Captain O'Meagher Condon was introduced as an
Irish patriot, an American .soldier in the Civil War, a hero
who received the honor of a sentence of death in London
for his Irish sympathies, and who uttered the brave words
upon the verge of the scaffold, "God save Ireland !" The
feeling of the audience rose to an immense state of excite-
ment during the delivery of this able address. Captain
Condon, in whose features glowed the proud conscious-
ness that before the high trbunal which adjudged him to
death, he had done his duty, stood before that vast audi-
ence in a manly and respectful attitude, and gazed upon
the crowded multitude with calmness and composure.
Political opponents and friends admired the sincerity with
which he advocated the claims of his benefactor, James G.
Elaine. He spoke briefly, but clearly, ably, and with illus-
trations, telling as they were happy.
Such may be a slight characterization of the speeches
spoken at this mighty gathering. But how shall we de-
scribe its enthusiasm? For four hours did the people
listen without a sign of impatience ; and the heartiest of all
the applause was when the speakers uttered the name of
Elaine. The proceedings came to a close at twelve o'clock.
The thousands were on their way home, the streets were
hushed, the vast swell of human feeling had subsided, and
its echoes were heard no more.
250 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING.
Mr. M. A. Hanna, who was the manager of McKin-
ley's campaign, is one of the foremost of that class of busi-
ness men whose character for substantial independence,
honor, uprightness, and industry is associated with the
prosperity of their city and country. No man contributed
more to the success of his party than this much-abused
gentleman. While on the stump, it was not so much
McKinley who had to be defended as his able and inde-
fatigable manager. His only crime was that he organized
the McKinley forces into an army, defeated his enemies,
and gave the United States a pride and a hope which will
always be proudly remembered as a white day in the calen-
dar of American political statesmanship. Mark Hanna
was always for the Republican party. He knew no de-
spondency, no despair ; these cowardly feelings are foreign
to him. He is liberal in his benefactions ; the poor of every
nationality, race, and creed always find his purse open.
As a speaker, Senator Hanna is not showy, but his
talks bristle with facts. They are clear in their details, full
of the most direct and cogent argument. As a public
man, many of his friends who know him think he will
never live his term out; that he will not be able to en-
dure the strain of the office-seekers. It is this eternal
office-seeking that has killed so many of our public men.
Jefferson tells that Washington brought down his hand
emphatically on the table, with the asseveration, "I have
never been sorry but once that I accepted the Presidency,
and that is ever since !" Senator Anthony said, "that he
never secured an office for any beggar that he did not
make half a dozen foes for every friend." Years ago,
Preston King accepted the office of collector of New
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 251
York, and greedy office-seekers worried the life out of
him. Hopeless of relief, he plunged into the river and
ended his days. So it was with William Henry Har-
rison.
Colonel Chas. F. Dick was Mr. Hanna's most con-
spicuous helper. There never was a more devoted, faith-
ful, unflinching adherent to McKinley. Nothing could
shake his confidence in the apostle of protection ; he was
the particular star upon which he looked with admiration.
He knew him well, and the more he knew, the more he
loved and honored him. There is little about him to pro-
voke astonishment or envy, but much to deserve esteem
and regard. The usefulness of his life, his indefatigable
industry, high sense of principle, devotion to his party,
should give him more eminence than rightfully belongs
to a whole throng of those showy men who have at-
tracted more attention or dazzled it by the unprofitable
splendor of their intellect.
Colonel Hahn, chief of the Speaker's Bureau, showed
great ability, courage, and knowledge in the assignment
of speakers to the various States. It is a most difficult
and complicated office to fill. There were obstacles, un-
surpassable obstacles, to overcome. He was ably assisted
by Mr. Fletcher. Colonel Haskell was very active and
effective ; sixty thousand persons were introduced by him
to Mr. Hanna.
H. C. Hedges is a man of unbending integrity. All
the speakers came into immediate contact with him. He
gave them letters of introduction to the committees of the
localities where they were assigned. He was their pay-
master. Mr. Hedges is an element of pure goodness.
He brought from his retirement, into the wild and excit-
ing agitation and collection of forces, a clear brain, and
252 f UNDER THREE FLAGS.
a heart in whose atmosphere no selfishness could dwell.
It is the beauty of our republican institutions to be har-
monious, well-balanced, and just.
Governor Albert G. Porter, who introduced me to
an assembly in Indianapolis, at a meeting for the relief
of Ireland, was an ideal American, neat in person, a
ripe and accurate scholar, an accomplished speaker,
and a model governor. He was our minister to Italy
when I was consul to Milan. He had recently prepared
a lecture upon Gladstone, and predicted with exulting
pride his subsequent political changes. Admirers of
oratory may talk of their Beechers, their Starr Kings, and
other celebrities ; but Governor Porter surpassed them all
in finished oratory. In structural arrangement his address
was perfect.
At the same meeting was Thomas A. Hendricks, Vice-
President of the United States. He had a large body, a
frank and smiling face, a good delivery, and above all a
warm heart. No one ever charged Thomas Hendricks
with being mercenary; for he was ever generous. Differ-
ing from him politically, and being prejudiced, I was
pleasantly disappointed. He was pure and honorable in
all the relations of private life. Slander never pointed to
a stain in his moral character. He knew nothing of the
luxury and splendor of foreign courts ; but he knew Indi-
ana, and the people of all parties respected him. He had
tremendous influence in determining elections. His
speech, after the regular lecture, was intelligent, sympa-
thetic, strong, and pathetic.
General Grosvenor is both a soldier and a statesman.
He makes most telling speeches. He is the best posted
man in the party. He closes his speeches amid thunders
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 253
of applause. The same may be said of General R. P.
Kennedy.
Henry C. Payne, of Wisconsin, I have frequently met
in the national campaigns. He is a medium-sized man,
with a mind filled to overflowing with ideas. He is a wise
counselor and a grand organizer. There is not a lazy bone
in his little and wiry frame. He is the only member of the
National Committee who accompanied me to the meet-
ings, where he watched the movements of the crowds.
He took a personal interest in the contest, and thousands
of his friends deeply regretted that he declined a Cabinet
appointment. He has been a very successful business
man; this ought not to be a bar to any good citizen's
promotion. When General Grant appointed A. T. Stew-
art to be Secretary of the Treasury, one of the reasons he
gave for his action was, that a man who built up such a
colossal establishment would carry the same genius into
National affairs.
In the same State lives Senator John C. Spooner, a
man of most excellent mind and heart, whose political
ideas are tempered by philosophy. In his State his
speeches operate upon the masses like magic. In his style
of speaking there is much of the flash, and in his elocution
much of the dash, that was the great specialty of Elaine.
When warmed with his theme and with a grand purpose,
a soaring soul, and a large audience, Senator Spooner
makes a great impression. When passing through Milan,
he called at the office, and introducing me to his friends,
said, "This is the man who makes more votes for the
Republican party than all of us."
R. C. Kerens is the leader of his party in Missouri,
and a foremost man in all public affairs. His life is full of
254 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
picturesque incidents. The first time I met him was on
the steps of the White House. Elaine was coming out,
and I was calling upon the President. He was a great
favorite of Elaine's and of Harrison's. He had then, as
now, the distribution of the Missouri patronage. He is
never more delighted than when he is surrounded in his
princely home with a host of friends. The next time I saw
him was during the election of McKinley. I had been
five weeks assigned to the State Committee of Illinois,
and ordered to the southern part. I spoke frequently
three times a day, and after the night speech would ride
sixteen or twenty miles to a hotel. I remember eating
at one house, on one occasion, and then, as there was no
room, going to another to sleep. My strength was being
greatly overtaxed when I met Kerens, in Chicago, at the
National Headquarters. He looked at me with a surprised
air, saying, "You are just the man I want." I explained
to him that I was not through with Illinois. But he
procured my release from that State, and had me assigned
to Missouri instead. He offered me a seat in his private
palace car, and thus I traveled through Missouri, speaking
in St. Louis and several other towns, en route to Spring-
field with Thomas B. Reed.
Senator George F. Hoar is a statesman, endowed
with the highest qualities, the last of the great men of the
past who united scholarship, dignity, and wisdom in his
political addresses. He is the most conservative of the
Republican leaders, conservative of the rights and prog-
ress of his party. The senator is absolutely free from re-
ligious bigotry. He believes, with Thomas Jefferson,
that it matters not to him whether a man believes in one
God or a thousand, provided he does not steal his purse.
He does not believe in the promotion of one class at the
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 255
expense or the degradation of another. He is a disciple
of John Boyle O'Reilly:
" Races and sects were to him a profanity
Hindoo, Saxon, and Celt were as one ;
Large as mankind was his splendid humanity,
Large in its record as the work he has done."
He also did me the honor to call upon me. He was
on his way to Turin to see Kossuth. He talked of old
times of Elaine, of the campaign of that memorable year.
He spoke kindly of O'Reilly, and his successor, James
Jeffrey Roche. As he was on his way to see the illustrious
Hungarian, I told him the following incident, which
pleased him greatly: "The Turkish Pasha dined with
Kossuth, and gave the following toast: 'There was once
a gold vase of the most beautiful kind, but two stones fell
upon and cruslied it. It lost its form, but still remained
gold, whilst the shapeless rocks were still only rocks.
Kossuth is the golden vase which the rocks of Austria and
Russia have tried to crush, but could not, and which will
regain its pristine form and grace on the impressionable
page of history/ '
President Hayes I had known for years; but never
could appreciate the man until I met him at the dedica-
tion of the soldiers' monument in Ashland, Ohio, the
gift of a noble lady, Mrs. Jonas Freer. Two companies
of his regiment were raised there, and it was easy to ac-
count for his popularity when he saluted each of the boys
by his Christan name "Milt," "Ott," "Arthur," etc. At
Kenyon College, where I had been a student a year or
two afterwards, he worked steadily at his studies. His
companions were ardent spirits, among whom were bril-
liant Harry Winter Davis, of Maryland, and Judge David
Davis, of Illinois.
256 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Charles Foster, governor of Ohio, congressman, and
Secretary of the Treasury, all his speeches are models of
a high grade of political morality. Of medium stature,
a quick and lively imagination, and a warm heart, Charles
Foster is one of the talkers whom everybody wishes to
hear. He speaks the language of the common people;
they have not to carry dictionaries to make out his mean-
ing. I heard him upon the currency, and, speaking of the
greenback, he said "it was easy to carry," and, suiting the
action to the word, he quickly took off his necktie,
wrapped a lot of greenbacks in it neatly, folded it, and
replaced it upon his neck, adding, "I can carry that
through the world and nobody will know it." Cheer upon
cheer greeted the illustration.
President Benjamin Harrison needs no praise; his Ad-
ministration will forever remain a permanent monument
of the prosperity of this great Nation. His addresses to
the delegations which called upon him at Indianapolis are
a storehouse of political wisdom. His speeches contain
noble appeals to all that is grand and patriotic in the
heart. They can be quoted by the soldier, arming for
battle, as well as by the student in his seclusion. I vis-
ited him after I was through with campaign work in New
York. He was anxious to know what the prospects there
were. I gave him this instance: In Leroy, Conkling's
bailiwick, where Elaine lost nearly four hundred votes,
that little place would increase its vote four hundred for
Harrison. He was surprised and pleased. I told him also
the methods which were used by the stump orators the
State ticket was not to be criticised ; so the people would
cheer alternately for Harrison and Hill.
SENATOR M. S. QUAY. As a leader of men, Senator
Quay stands unequaled. He was the manager of the Har-
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 257
rison campaign. Of how he discharged the onerous and
most responsible duties which thereon devolved upon him
is well known to the country. But we should feel it a
deep dereliction of that just debt of gratitude which his
services to his party should command were we not to
express admiration for the skill and tremendous energy
displayed in the election of Harrison. His census of New
York itself was a miracle. He knew exactly by this
enumeration how many voting people were in the city,
and upon the day of election thousands of fraudulent
voters were challenged, and asked how long they had
lived in New York. When Quay, consulting the census,
would reply, "Your name is not here," the imported
frauds were not permitted to vote. Quay made it the
duty of the speakers in New York to report every morn-
ing. I spoke fourteen times, and complied with this
order. He was very reticent; like Bismarck, he knew
how to keep silent in fifteen different languages.
SENATOR FRYE. I met Senator W. P. Frye, of
Maine, frequently during the campaign of 1884, and spoke
with him at different places. The senator is lithe, active,
and as wary as a sportsman. As an off-hand speaker, I
think he is the most effective I have ever heard. He is
full of resources, full of figures, full of patriotism. His
mastery of popular speech is very remarkable, and in no
country of the world does popular oratory count for so
much as in the United States.
At Newark, Ohio, we were both billed to speak in
the Blaine campaign. I made an effort to deliver the
first speech, as I did not wish to follow so distinguished
a speaker. The audience was largely composed of wool-
growers. Frye took in the situation. The first words he
uttered caught and captured them. They were, "Sheep !"
17
258 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
"sheep !" "sheep !" It was a spell-word. As he proceeded,
the enthusiasm became contagious, the' crowd cheered
time and again. Frye was in his happiest vein. His coun-
tenance was striking, and his words fairly leaped over one
another. Fit subject was he for the pencil of an artist.
The meeting adjourned, and the scene that followed
was one of triumph. Bright banners waved over his head,
and bright flowers were strewn along his way to the
hotel. Cheers for Elaine and Logan rent the air, and the
result was seen when, in that Democratic county, a ma-
jority of 1,500 was given to the Republican party.
SENATOR STEPHEN B. ELKINS. I became well ac-
quainted with Mr. Elkins during the Blaine campaign.
He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Maine states-
man, and put forth all his efforts to elect his favorite.
The day after I made the first speech in that campaign,
he sent for me to come to the national headquarters, and
requested earnestly that I should take the stump.
Elkins has become rich. He is a strong man strong
in will, strong in resources, and strong in determination.
His character is like his eloquence, rapid, spontaneous,
vigorous, realizing a poet's ideal man. "There are two
things which fashion their own channel the strong man
and the waterfall." He makes a good speech compact,
brief, dwelling upon statutes. He tells few anecdotes, and
relies principally for effect upon convincing logic, clear
statement, and evident sincerity.
JOHN WANAMAKER. I became acquainted with this
gentleman in the recommendation of an old soldier for
a post-office. The Postmaster-General immediately said
to his secretary, "Go to the letter-case, and get the rec-
ommendation for Mr. ." I told him he had no
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 259
recommendation, that the Congressman had given in the
names of four others. I told Mr. Wanamaker the history
of my candidate; that he was an old soldier, brevetted
for bravery at Antietam; that McKinley had him ap-
pointed postmaster some years before ; but in consequence
of a propensity for drink, he lost the place, and that I
could bear testimony to his character for four years, hav-
ing been reclaimed through a Methodist revival. I cited
several instances of his kindness to the old soldiers. Mr.
Wanamaker listened attentively, and requested me to see
the Congressman, and have him put "your friend's name
in the list." It was done; he was appointed, and served
honorably the whole term. I could see that Wanamaker's
heart was moved profoundly. He is one of the people.
Without birth, without fortune, without friends, by in-
dustry, by the use of his brains, and by the force of his
character, he made for himself a fortune which princes
might have envied. The circumstance which I have re-
corded is sufficient to show the goodness of his heart.
WHARTON BARKER. Wharton Barker is descended
from a long line of patriotic ancestors, Jacob Barker, one
of the financiers of the Revolutionary War, being a rela-
tive. I am proud to name such a man, because his name
stands for integrity, for political righteousness, for liber-
ality, and for generosity. A few years ago he was one of
the leading manufacturers of Philadelphia, employing
hundreds of men and women. I have seen him among
his employees, and surely there never was an employer of
labor more beloved. I have known him to give forty
thousand dollars to elect the President of his party the
money to be spent in literature and public speaking. I
have known him to. sacrifice the delights of home for the
260 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
thorny path of politics. Why all these sacrifices? Were
they for nothing? Assuredly not. They were for the
prosperity of his country.
DR. WILLIAM CARROLL. Among the warmest friends
of Wharton Barker is Dr. William Carroll, the eminent
physician and patriot of the same city. I knew the doctor
when he was still in the bloom of youth, before he entered
the army, where he served with distinction.
Dr. Carroll is descended from a race which has made
itself illustrious in the annals of American history, and,
like his renowned relative, Charles Carroll of Carroll-
ton, he has no faith in the beauties and beatitudes of Eng-
lish rule here or anywhere. He is a man of sound dis-
cretion, although his life has many stirring events and
romantic passages. I was once a member of a -committee
with Dr. Carroll to call upon the Russian ambassador, to
make an offer of help in case of war with an old enemy.
John Devoy, a very gifted man, a fine linguist, an able
writer, carried on the conversation in French.
The doctor is an athlete, of fine physical appearance,
and as he passes along the streets, people stop and ask,
"Who is that?" He is boundless in his hospitality; his
latch-string is always out to his friends, and they are
legion. He has a splendid library of the best books pub-
lished. He has a large practice, and were it not for his
devotion to humanitarian causes, he might be counted as
one of the millionaires of the land. Dr. Carroll was the
friend and companion of John Mitchell, and tells many
stories of his old friend. The able and interesting jour-
nalist, Robert McWade, is one of the doctor's constant
companions. John O'Leary, the distinguished patriot,
when he visits this country, is his guest.
PROFESSOR ROBERT ELLIS THOMPSON. If I were
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 261
asked to name a modest, unobtrusive, and scholarly
man, it would be the Rev. Robert Ellis Thompson.
He belongs to the same quiet circle as Barker and
Carroll. He is the most industrious writer of the day.
He writes books upon the Tariff, biographies of George
H. Stuart; writes for the magazines, and the Sunday-
school journals. He also edits a column in his friend
Wharton Barker's newspaper, the American. He is the
first living authority upon Protection, and is the legiti-
mate successor of Matthew Carey. That he is a man of
exceptional ability is evident from his selection as one of
the lecturers before Yale College. As a writer upon this
subject he has made a reputation which adds laurels to
his crown, and they are so fresh that it looks as if he had
never worn them before.
I must mention also the names of Judge Wilhere,
Martin Griffin, Hugh McCaffrey, sterling men, who are
always upon the side of patriotism, temperance, and phi-
lanthropy.
JOHN W. MACKAY. When lecturing some years ago
in Virginia City, Nevada, it was my good fortune to meet
Mr. Mackay. He was very attentive and kind, giving me
a sketch of his marvelous life, and adding, pointing to the
Bonanza mine, "There, fifteen years ago, I worked as a
miner for five dollars a day, and those were my happiest
and best days !" He kindly offered his services, and con-
ducted me down into the mine and through it. In making
the descent of sixteen hundred feet, in the miner's cos-
tume, which he put on himself, he told several amusing
stories of the Emperor of Brazil, of Henry Ward Beecher,
and of others, of their Strange experiences as they de-
scended. A German was so overcome with the heat that
he exclaimed, "Hell ish not far from dish place!" Even
262 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Beecher was converted to the old orthodox views in re-
gard to hell. Mr. Mackay had my picture taken in the
miner's garb I had been obliged to put on before descend-
ing. I saw five hundred men at work in the mines without
any clothes upon their backs. After we rode in the ele-
vator five hundred feet, my host said, "There, on that
rock, you can cook steak."
Mr. Mackay is princely in his benefactions, and is
very popular with the miners ; they admire and love him.
He introduced me to his partner, Mr. Fair. Years after-
ward, I wrote to the latter on behalf of a poor girl who
was studying music in Milan, and he generously sent her
five hundred francs.
P. DONAHOE, THE GRAND OLD MAN. I am under
many obligations to this rare old man. He published
my first work, which had a great circulation. It was
upon Ireland, and was delivered originally in Raleigh,
North Carolina, and published in the Standard, then
edited by W. W. Hoi den, afterwards governor of the
State, at the request of General Miles, who was my colonel
in the regulars. Some one sent it to Mr. Donahoe, who
published it in the Pilot. He afterwards wrote me that he
could not supply the demand, and asked the privilege of
publishing it in book or pamphlet form.
Mr. Donahoe is always young, though verging
towards ninety, his face is that of a man of fifty, while his
hair is that of a man of a hundred years. In every station
in which he has been placed he has shown himself honest,
capable, and faithful ; he is, emphatically, one of the peo-
ple. For all that he has he is indebted, under God, to
his own exertions. Born to an inheritance of compara-
tive poverty, coming to the United States when a mere
lad, he struggled with difficulties that would have ap-
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 263
palled and crushed a less resolute character. He has been
burned out, and his immense publishing business pros-
trated; but with an energy and devotion to the public
worthy of all admiration, Mr. Donahoe recovered, and
succeeded in his great work. He had to contend with
bigotry in its worst and most dangerous form bigotry
unworthy of a civilized Nation. He supported the Gov-
ernment in the War for the Union, and does to-day in the
War against Spain with surpassing fidelity. Modest
and unassuming, Mr. Donahoe is a Christian without
hypocrisy, he is always the thing that he seems.
MR. PATRICK FORD. Mr. Patrick Ford is one of the
foremost benefactors of the age. He has always been
heard in the defense of great reforms. His paper, the
Irish World, has never flinched in the championship of
mighty principles. I have frequently read in my pulpit his
stirring editorials, and they have seemed like trumpet
blasts. I remember, years ago, I was traveling in North-
ern Ireland among the Presbyterians, who were strongly
national. I asked one of the parties at a dinner, an elder
in the Presbyterian Church, where he got such views.
"From the Irish World" he replied. I learned that twelve
copies were sent to every post-office in Ireland. But it
was undermining landlordism, and the attention of the
Parliament was called to it, and the paper was prohibited ;
not, however, until it had accomplished its work. His
scathing exposure of the city, State, and national corrup-
tion in our own country have won him the respect and ad-
miration of all patriots. Augustin, his associate, is equally
distinguished as his illustrious brother in every good and
blessed work. So also is his gifted sister Ellen; and no
less useful was the lamented Austin, who died as an official
of Mayor Strong's administration of the city of New
264 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
York. One of the ladies of the family was a writer of
spendid poetry, and her life, like the rose, was still fra-
grant and beautiful after death; for she yet lives in her
poems.
What can be more stirring and arousing than the one
on "Liberty?"
" O, Liberty, thou great and mighty angel,
Whom the nations seldotfi see,
View the lands in fetters pining,
Lifting up their helpless hands to thee !
Let the rushing of thy pinions
Rouse the dreaming lands to life ; . . .
And if their manacles can only
By their sword be cut in twain,
Better hear the clash of sabers
Than the clanking of a chain."
Patrick Ford has long been my friend. His character
stands forth like one of Homer's heroic combats in the
field. As a reformer in the cause of temperance, in the
cause of labor, and in politics, no man has ever accom-
plished so much. Some men are reverenced, but not
loved; but here is a man who is loved and reverenced.
His whole character might be summed up in one word
benevolence. When a defaulting cashier robbed him of
thousands, he refused to prosecute him, stating as his
reason that years of imprisonment would take him from
his wife and children. He possesses a Napoleonic energy
in raising money for the champions of liberty, for the
famine-stricken, and the needy. "Give me that news-
paper of Ford's," said a distinguished New England ed-
itor to me a few years ago, "and in five years I will clear
a million." Mr. Ford has suffered by the perfidy of
others; but he renews his youth and starts afresh. It
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 265
might be said of him, as Talleyrand said after visiting
Alexander Hamilton, "I have been to see one of the won-
ders of the age a man who enriched a Nation, sitting up
all night to support his family."
The highest statesmanship, in the opinion of Patrick
Ford, is to do the right thing immediately, and calmly
await results.
Another celebrated Irishman of my acquaintance is
John Fitzgerald, of Lincoln, Neb. Coming to this country
without a dollar, he amassed millions. He was a mag-
nificent master of finance, a consummate contractor. He
was an excellent and accomplished man, always distin-
guished for the purity and philanthropy of his life.
He was manly and vigorous. He never discharged, even
during the hardest times, one of his thousands of
employees. All the best qualities of our nature benevo-
lence, patriotism, industry were matured in this Irish
Howard. The thousand dollars which he contributed to
the Logan Monument was only one of his numerous bene-
' factions. Conspicuous in this State in every good work
is Neil Brennan. He is much attached to Ireland and to
the United States. There never was a more devoted, un-
flinching friend. Parnell was the bright particular star
of his devotion. Nothing could shake his faith in the
apostle of the new gospel. Long and bright be the
life of my beloved friend, Neil Brennan ! The same may
be said of his neighbor, Mr. McCaffrey. He is yet in
his prime, but he has done much already to build up the
growing West. I was met at the depot by a reception
procession of the Grand Army of the Republic, com-
manded by a brave veteran, General Slocurn.
HON. JOHN F. FINERTY. It is impossible to know
John Finerty without being struck with his magnificent
266 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
appearance, his sonorous and thrilling voice, his mag-
netism, which always excites enthusiasm.
He is an American from the sole of his feet to the
crown of his head. Every argument, every burst of pas-
sion, every sarcastic shot, all are made subservient to
the advancement, power, greatness, and glory of America.
When in Congress, one of his pet hobbies was the
strengthening of our navy, building it up to the level of
our opportunities. He predicted, when grave senators
laughed at him, that the time would come when we would
need a great navy.
He is also in sympathy with Ireland, and believes in
the gospel of Wolfe Tone and Robert Emmet. He feels
this Irish cause even in every fiber of his being. He ut-
terly hates and abhors compromise, is fierce with those
who believe differently, and when he hits, he hits hard.
He hates remorselessly the English Tory member of his
Church, who would place on the British throne a ruler
as treacherous and persecuting the Irish as harshly as the
worst of the Stuarts, who would restore the splendors of
a foreign Church rather than do justice to the Irish peo-
ple. What a virile writer he is ! There is a dashing splen-
dor in his compositions as well as in his speech. I have
known an eminent Methodist dignitary, president of one
of our colleges, to spend a part of a Sunday afternoon
reading with delight one of his papers.
Among Mr. Finerty's friends at home is Alexander
Sullivan, who had the glory of perfecting the Land
League; a lawyer, skillful and shrewd; a man who exer-
cises influence by the force of his character and the au-
thority of his well-informed mind. His address to Presi-
dent Arthur is a model of statesmanship and of sound
logic.
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 267
His wife, Mrs. Margaret Sullivan, is probably the most
powerful woman newspaper-writer of the United States.
In her writings are contained all the elements of genius,
original thought, and inspiration. As an essayist and
reviewer, she has no equals. Her mission is to vindicate
the cause of justice, to teach oppressors righteousness,
to animate the suffering conscience, to inspire timidity
with courage, to arouse sympathy for oppressed lands.
Mrs. Sullivan is also a wit. She was present some
years ago when General Logan and I addressed a mon-
ster meeting at Ogden's Grove, in Chicago. After all
was over, she laughingly said to me, "Mr. Pepper, these
good Irish Catholics think you are too good a man to be
a Methodist."
Few Americans who read those brilliant articles on
political economy written by this gifted woman will with-
hold their sympathy from her now, broken down and seek-
ing health in foreign lands.
If she has not the piquancy of Madame de Stael; if
not so versatile and sensational as George Sand; if not
so pathetic as George Eliot; if not so persuasive as Mrs.
Humphry Ward, in logic, in eloquence of style, in pow-
erful delineation of character, she is superior to them all.
Mrs. Sullivan has had her trials and tribulations, and
has learned the lesson of Raleigh: "Death, which hateth
and destroyeth a man, is believed ! God, who hath made
and loved him, is always deferred."
Others among his devoted friends might be men-
tioned : W. J. Onahan, learned in history ; William Dillon,
the accomplished scholar, and an authority on all Church
law; J. T. Keating, a live man and a great organizer;
A. L. Morrison, the famous campaign orator; McCoy,
the genial entertainer and prince of good fellows; Brady,
268 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
the bright lawyer; M. V. Gannon, an old toiler in the
good work and a noted speaker; Father Dorney; W. J.
Hynes, the great criminal lawyer, these are a few of his
friends; they carry him upon their shields.
MAJOR WILLIAM GLEASON. Not to know him, in
Cleveland, is to know nobody ! There has been no public
measure for the benefit of the city in which he has not
been interested. He has consecrated to all such works
his time, his ability, his close inspection, and his deliberate
judgment. When the Soldiers' Monument was built,
General Leggett told me that Gleason was not only its
secretary, spending days and months and years getting
the names of the Cuyahoga boys who enlisted, so that the
names might be inscribed upon it, but he was the life and
soul of the whole movement. He went to every meeting,
met the enemies of the monument, refuted their objec-
tions, and almost invariably won their support. He would
go to the Legislature and plead for money, and if facts
did not convince the members, then the major would, with
a hearty, merry laugh, bring into requisition his sarcasm,
his tears, and his abundant wit.
Patriotism has its own reward, and it is well; for cer-
tainly it is not 'appreciated in some parts of our country.
Here is a man who has been a soldier, a political worker,
and a philanthropist, who has received no national recog-
nition.
Go into any meeting for bidding God-speed, or to
welcome the returning hero of the Civil or Cuban wars,
and there is the magnetic presence of my friend Gleason,
making suggestions with a smplicity and vigor which al-
ways carry his side. The word "fail" is not found in his
vocabulary. I believe he has held one office the gift of
a worthy man, Mayor Gardner that of auditor of the
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 269
city, or comptroller; an office which he filled with credit
to the city and great credit to himself.
He has many friends. Father Thorpe is among his
warmest. The late P. K. Walsh, an Irish patriot, was the
brother of his heart. The beautiful monument over
Walsh's grave was largely the result of Major Gleason's
efforts in raising the necessary funds.
He is a bold asserter of his opinions, and a dauntless
defender of them. I remember him in his youth, when he
was a rollicking boy, and retain a vivid recollection of his
kindness to myself and others in times that tried men's
souls.
Captain Patrick L. Smith, the well-known lake cap-
tain and ship-owner, is entitled to honorable mention in
these recollections ; for he was among my earliest Cleve-
land friends. He has by his industry, inflexible devotion
to business, and by his skill, acquired a handsome fortune.
He is ranked among the millionaires of the city. My old
friend has all the hospitality, the wit, the gallantry of the
race from which he sprung. He is probably the best
known Irish citizen of Cleveland, and is regarded as one
of the best fellows in the world. Meet him at the public
resorts or at his home, and one is charmed with him. He
has a fine, free, rollicking way with him that at once wins
him hosts of friends wherever he appears. He is a good
story-teller, and his cordiality is perfectly infectious. His
candor is eminently touching. You may have believed
that he was a bigoted religious or a violent partisan. A
few minutes disenchants you of these illusions, when he
tells you that politics is a humbug from beginning to
end, and as for religion, every man is responsible to God
for his faith. He gives liberally to every benevolent cause.
He glories in his patriotism. The names of Robert Em-
270 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
met, Abraham Lincoln, Grant, arouse in him the greatest
enthusiasm. He adores America, and will repeat poetry
about its great men, its past, its flag, and its future, that
country of which Thomas Davis grandly says :
" There are lands where manly toil
Surely reaps the crops it sows ;
Glorious woods and teeming soil
Where the broad Missouri flows."
I look over the list of the old soldiers whom I know,
and I find Colonel Winship, a gallant hero in the war,
and a verdict winner at the bar; Judges Barber, Hutch-
ins, Hamilton, Stone, and Jones, who have won reputa-
tion, honor, and emoluments. Judge Jones's decisions
have never been reversed by the higher courts. Captain
Kaiser is calm, self-poised. He utters no pompous mouth-
ings, but thoughts beautiful in their simplicity. Colonel
Morgan is a respected member of the mercantile profes-
sion, and is always present at meetings where soldiers are
interested. He was kind to his men, and they honor him
to this day. General Barnett is a grand old veteran.
And much might be said of Colonel George H. Fos-
ter, lawyer and good citizen ; of Shields, Schofield, Hayne,
and of my lamented friend, Dr. Springstein, whose
death was universally regretted. John G. W. Cowles was
chaplain, and brightly lettered his name into the hearts
of the boys. Nesbitt wore no eagle, but was a high pri-
vate, and a brave one. Colonel Millas was always at
his post; and Stafford a soldier of whom his coun-
try may be proud.
COLONEL M. T. HERRICK. This well-known finan-
cier is the architect of his own fortune, without the advan-
tageous aids of wealth and rich friends. He has risen by
his own exertions. No obstacles were so great that he
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 271
did not surmount them. His perseverance, his business
skill, his sagacity, have all been rewarded in making him
one of the foremost and successful bankers in the United
States. His generosity is well known, and his recent gift
to the Salvation Army has ranked his name with the phi-
lanthropists of the age. He possesses the genius of Pea-
body, the benevolence of Samuel Bugett, the sagacity of
Sage without his eccentricities. He is a man of action,
not a mere vapid talker; but when he speaks, every word
weighs a pound. Colonel Herrick has flung the life of a
young heart, a pure genius, and a well-stored intellect
into his chosen life-work, and he has made a decided
success.
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER. Cleveland has many such
men as the foregoing, but it was reserved for John D.
Rockefeller to throw all others into the shade by his
princely gifts. He has given force and form to philan-
thropy in its highest, noblest expression. He has proved
himself greater than a king. His benevolences are like a
freshet in its force, and like the sea in its abundance.
There is one thing more for him to do, and that is to
build a shelter and a Home for poor, superannuated
laboring men. A Jewish gentleman of Milan, worth
millions, who contemplated an act of this kind, once asked
me if in the United States there was such a building, so
that he could model from it. I was compelled to say there
was none, and he went on with his project without having
any help from the United States. Let Mr. Rockefeller,
the Christian Baptist, imitate and emulate the deed of this
Jewish philanthropist, and thousands will bless his name.
COLONEL WILLIAM EDWARDS. I have already made
allusion to my fortunate acquaintance with the above
accomplished and broad-minded man but, alas! the ink
272 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
had scarcely dried, when the news flashed through the
country, Colonel William Edwards is dead ! Little did I
think, when I saw him last, the picture of health, of joy-
ousness, and of happiness, that those eyes, in which a true
soul shone forth, should now be closed; that the hand
so cordially extended in friendly greeting should be mo-
tionless, and that the face so mirthful and so expressive
should now be shrouded in death ! No more respected
and beloved citizen ever lived in Cleveland. Colonel Ed-
wards was descended from the renowned Jonathan, who
had such visions of splendor in the dark Northampton
woods. The hundreds who not only attended the burial,
but who flocked to Lakeview the next day, showed that
his memory found a place in the deepest affections, and
that his image was enthroned in the hearts of our people.
When Daniel Webster lay dead in Marshfield, a plain old
farmer said, "Daniel Webster, the world without you will
be lonesome!" So we may say of our lamented friend:
Cleveland without him will be lonesome. Sing his dirge
in the words of the Highland Scotch poet words that are
sung when a distinguished Scotchman is carried to the
grave :
" Neighbor, accept our parting song ;
The road is short, the rest is long;
The Lord brought here, the Lord takes hence;
This is no house of permanence.
On bread of mirth, and bread of tears,
The pilgrim fed these checkered years ;
Now, Landlord World, shut to the door :
The guest is gone for evermore.
Gone to the land of sweet repose,
His comrades watch him as he goes ;
Of toil and moil the day was full,
A good sleep now, the night is cool."
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 273
Then there is my long-life friend, Colonel R. C. Par-
sons, a successful and gifted speaker. Always self-pos-
sessed and eloquent. I have mentioned his kindness in
securing me a ticket to the impeachment trial of Andrew
Johnson, the Vice-President. Bluff Ben Wade wrote on
an old envelope, "For God's sake give the bearer, Chap-
lain Pepper, a ticket to the trial." Colonel Parsons does
not go to Demosthenes for his model in oratory, but he
studies the great Americans of the past.
Colonel Barnett is still with us calm, brave, wise,
and never absent from any meeting where the soldier is
to be honored, cheered, and welcomed. His sympathies
are always with the people who till the fields, build the
ships, and drain the swamps.
The same might be said of many old Cleveland soldiers,
Colonel Sullivan, who was a brave and gallant man ; and
Brinsmade, as true to his country as to the saddest client
that ever sought the shelter of his blazing shield; Will-
iam Monaghan, a soldier who never flinched in battle, and
came out of the service with flying colors ; Colonel Moses
Dickey, who commanded an Ohio regiment, was a great
favorite with his soldiers; Hutchins, a wise adviser, a
strength and honor to his profession. Colonel Kendall,
my old friend of the regular army, is a bright, companion-
able, and chivalrous gentleman, who has a habit of stirring
up things wherever he is placed. He has an indestruc-
tible and sublime faith in his country's future. General
Elwell's large and patriotic heart cherishes the precious
memories of his dead comrades. A very, the scholar, the
historian, the legislator in war, valiant; in private life,
gentle, tactful, and conversational is a writer of his-
tories and a patriotic gentleman. Stafford, commander
of Memorial Post, with a full heart and streaming eyes,
18
274 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
tells of the past. The same might be said of Couch, of
Smith, of Patterson, of Winship, Dissette, Stone, Hamil-
ton, Garrettson, and Dawley.
Among the Cleveland ministers are Manchester;
Place (who entered the army in his sixteenth year, and
fought to the end, a boy in years, but a veteran in experi-
ence), Stewart, Mitchell, Reager, Bush, and the venerable
Father Brown, who dedicated the glory of their youth to
their country's cause. Martin Foran, now a leader of the
bar, was also a good soldier. He is a most able lawyer.
In him his client has a crafty advocate, quiet as Somnus,
vigilant as Argus, and cunning as Mercury. He is bold
and adventurous, striking away right and left with the
abandon of a gladiator. A. R. Brewer served throughout
the entire war. He, also, is a lawyer of wide reading, emi-
nent for the soundness of his views, the unlabored clear-
ness and compactness of his reasoning, and the calm but
earnest simplicity of his style. What he says once is well
said, and never weakened by repetition; not a word is
thrown away; he strikes out, and the object is attained.
I can not forget my worshiped friend, General Leggett.
I can not forget what I owe to his friendship, to his de-
voted attachment. I do not forget, when I was raising
volunteers, his voice thrilled through the lan.d in the same
noble cause. He loved his country, and while she treas-
ures to her fond heart the brave men who perished in the
contest, she will guard with loving care the hero of one
of the great battles before Atlanta. He was always at
home in the heart of the battle. Although brought up
a Quaker, like the sea-bird, he gloried in the storm the
louder it raged, the more intense his delight. General
Leggett was an extensive reader, an author of ability, a
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING, 275
trusted member of General Grant's Cabinet, and a finished
gentleman. Time would fail to mention all the soldiers,
such as Colonels Dewstoe, Morgan, and Groot, Smith-
night, Shields, and Judge Noble. The judge is an honor
to his profession. Clean in his language, believing that
decency in a lawyer is like drapery in a painting it covers
a multitude of defects. Where it is not, the higher quali-
ties are usually absent. He is no petrel; he loves not the
tempest. His mind is essentially calculated for repose.
His accomplished wife is a philanthropist, and for years
superintended three of the missions where thousands
were fed.
Since my return from Italy I have lectured in many
principal cities of the country, and I take pleasure in re-
cording my thanks to the various committees having the
lectures in charge, for their uniform courtesy and the
success of the engagements. At Taunton, Massachusetts,
Daniel J. Carey was a host, and he made a triumphal tour
for me. At Syracuse, I met my old friends, McGrath and
Tracey. They crowded the hall, although it was my third
lecture in that city. At Worcester, the committee
P. Skelton, t)r. Underwood, and Aldermen Mellen,
Rogers, and Manning were prompt and effective. At
Pawtucket, Judge Tillingsworth, Hon. Hugh Carroll, Vin-
cent McAlveney, Daniel Harold, William Burke, Daniel
J. Carey, and J. McAleavy did grandly. Fall River my
old-time friends, Monaghan, Britt, and Leonard, left noth-
ing unturned. Hugh Gaffney and H. M. Fox filled*the
house at Attleboro. At Nashville, the committee James
Killilea, Tracey, and Wrenne had great success. At
Hartford, Mr. P. F. Butler and Colonel Home did
their work well. At Ansonia, Judge Quinlan and Mr.
276 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Flahavan did effective work. So it was at Lawrence and
Lowell, where P. J. O'Brien and P. H. Callaghan insured
success. Edmond Lynch and Squire Connolly the one
at Kansas City, the other at Springfield, Illinois did like-
wise. At San Francisco, Judge Cooney, Cummins, and
Foley were indefatigable, and made all the lectures a suc-
cess. And so it was at Toronto, where the fearless editor,
P. Boyle; at Quebec, where Hon. Mr. Carbery; at Hamil-
ton, where Dr. Burns, of the Wesleyan College ; at Mon-
treal, where Mr. Mclvor, full of zeal, all did great serv-
ice. At Augusta, Georgia, beautiful Augusta, there I met
that prince of good fellows, Senator Walsh, a splendid
specimen of the young blood and brain of the South.
Walsh is about sixty years of age, with a fine presence and
a frank, benevolent countenance. He is a Southerner,
brave, chivalric, hospitable, and is passionately fond of the
South. The reception committee was composed of ex-
Confederate soldiers, and surely there never was given
me a more magnificent welcome. I met at a banquet,
after the lecture, many distinguished Southerners men
of gracious gifts. My friend Armstrong is gone, and
others whom I met on that festive occasion. Again I say,
beautiful Augusta! Within a few years it will be the
health-center of the Southern States.
My lectures, and probably the last one I will ever de-
liver, closed in Montreal upon the 23d of November, 1898.
En route to that historic city we passed through Buffalo,
whe/e years ago I made the acquaintance of James
Mooney, one of its most enterprising and wealthy citizens
a rare and grand man he is, a benefactor of the city, a
patriotic gentleman; Doctor Cronin, the eminent jour-
nalist, who unites calmness with enthusiasm, valor with
coolness, brains with sense, a generous, broad-minded
MEN WORTH REMEMBERING. 277
man; Mahoney, the youngest man who ever sat in Con-
gress, noted for his courage, ability, and fidelity.
Passing through Toronto, we met Waring Kennedy,
twice elected mayor of that city. Memory recalls our first
meetings in the old Donegal Square Wesleyan Church,
Belfast. Then I remember my old friend Boyle, fearless
and brave, an ardent and whole-souled Irishman. Arriv-
ing at Montreal, we were met by a Committee, Messrs.
McMorrow, Ivers, O'Neil, O'Brien, Lavelle, Berming-
ham, Feeney, Morgan^ and Reilley, We were immedi-
ately taken to the Windsor Hotel, said to be the finest in
the Dominion. During the day I was interviewed by the
newspapers, and in the evening lectured upon the Martyrs
in a splendid hall, to a packed audience.
There were thanks 'and cheers for the martyrs of all
nations thanks and cheers for Lovejoy, Brown, Garfield,
Haddock, and Lincoln, the martyrs of America; thanks
and cheers for Emrnet, Fitzgerald, Tone, Orr; and the
last thrice consecrated heroes, thanks and cheers for those
of Cuba. Maceo's death, the greatest Cuban soldier, the
most splendid in daring, in gallantry, did not check the
mighty love of freedom. It was a sad hour. Dead, with
tens of thousands of his comrades waiting his commands ;
dead, with American and European lovers of liberty look-
ing for the resurrection of beautiful Cuba ; dead, with the
speeches of our statesmen pleading in her behalf still
vibrating in our ears. O God! is freedom dead? Is tra-
dition dead, and is her finger no more uplifted? Not so,
friends. Freedom yet prophesies in the tabernacle of the
heart; tradition yet lives, and points to Thermopylae, to
Dungannon, and to Washington ; carries ever in the light
a luminous vision of liberty enthroned. Martyrs have
been the seeds of Christianity, but of freedom. They
278 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
were the giants of their day and generation. The poet
saw them when he wrote these lines :
"Bring me men to match my mountains,
Bring me men to match my plains ;
Men with Empires in their purpose,
And new Bras in their brains ;
Pioneers to clear Thought's marshland,
And to cleanse old Brin's fens ;
Bring me men to match my mountains,
Bring me men !"
Chapter XV.
METHODIST CAMP-MEETINGS IN THE PAST.
A FEATURE of Methodism that is rapidly disappear-
ing is the camp-meeting. When I first began to
preach in the United States, these meetings were a great
part of the services, occurring once a year in many of the
districts. I well remember the first one I attended. It
was warm-hearted, enthusiastic, and soul-stirring; but
there were many things which looked as if they were not
in exact accordance with the apostolic injunction, "Let
everything be done decently and in order." For some
weeks the most extensive preparations had been made;
the surrounding country was in a state of intense excite-
ment; all was bustle and stir. Merchants in the country
towns around closed their stores, and farmers abandoned
their avocations all to attend the camp-meeting.
Preachers, local and traveling, were there in abundance.
The morning of the day when the camp-meeting was to
open was beautifully calm and fine. More than one hun-
dred tents were pitched so as to form a hollow square, and
it was truly a noble sight to see the thousands of earnest
people assembled in the grand old woods, God's first tem-
ples, to worship God.
One of the great attractions on such occasions was
the preacher who was to do the principal preaching. The
one that I heard deliver the first sermon was a tower of
strength, bold and fiery in his speech, but not blessed with
any education. He attended to his farm during the week,
and looked after the circuits on Sunday. The announce-
279
280 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
ment of his name brought hundreds from all the surround-
ing towns and hamlets. In this sermon there was a union
of strength and beauty which showed much ability. He
commenced in low, drawling tones, which at first was very
disappointing ; but after a few moments one became inter-
ested and delighted with the simplicity of the uncultured
eloquence, a style that is seldom heard nowadays. After
the sermon the tents were crowded with persons of both
sexes, on their knees. The noise was so great that it was
impossible to tell who was praying. Several of the breth-
ren threw their coats off, and the women had cast aside
their bonnets (they wore bonnets in those days !) and they
were even more enthusiastic than the men, clapping their
hands and shouting at the top of their voices. I noticed
one woman lying flat on her face, screaming, "I have got
it!" and another, equally earnest, was repeating the re-
frain, "I '11 wait till Jesus comes, and then be carried
home!" Another threw her arms around a sister who
was praying, and embracing her eagerly they swayed
backwards and forwards in an ecstasy of delight. Others
caught the infection, and all in unison sang:
" O, that I could, with favored John,
Recline my weary head upon
The blest Redeemer's breast !
From care and fear, and sorrow free,
Give me, O I/ord, to find in thee
My everlasting rest."
Then they sang as a chorus, "Glory! Hallelujah!" or
"We will wait till Jesus comes, and then be carried home."
The leader of the meeting for the hour then gave out the
military hymn, "Am I a soldier of the cross?" which was
sung with stirring melody, a melody equal to Luther's
immortal "Bin feste Burg."
CAMP-MEETINGS IN THE PAST. 281
The speaking meetings were distinguished by a variety
of experiences and appeals ; one earnest brother cried out,
"Fire up, brothers ! fire up, sisters !" and then, "Down
upon your knees!" At this, a quiet Methodist hesitat-
ingly offered an opinion. that there was too much noise,
that he did not like the screaming. "I do n't like it ; you
are entirely too noisy," he said ; but was instantly an-
swered by a score of voices, "Better scream here than in
hell!"
One brother said that he had been trying to get for a
long time what Methodists call the "second blessing."
He prayed and fasted, but it did not come ; finally, driven
almost to despair, he asked the Lord, "What is it? Is
it my wife? take her. Is it my children? take them.
Is it my farm? take it." There was no relief; finally he
thought of an old shotgun that he was fond of, and he
asked, "Lord, is it the old shotgun? take it." Immedi-
ately a sweet peace came over him, and he knew he had
received the second blessing. He was happy, and re-
joiced with exceeding joy. ' I saw a young woman
stretched out upon the straw scattered over the ground.
She was evidently laboring under intense excitement.
She would throw her hands upward, and then let them
fall instantly as if struck by some power. She repeated
this many times, calling out, "Jesus, give me the bless-
ing now ; just now, Lord !"
In the midst of these exercises the horn blew for
preaching, and all hurried to the large tent used for the
general services. The sermon was scarcely begun when
a loud buzzing was heard in the distance, and a man
rushed upon the stand, screaming out, "I have got it!
yes, I have got it!" He proved to be a preacher, filling
an important city appointment. He made no apologies
282 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
for interrupting the sermon ; but the preacher immediately
stopped, and the brother, who had suddenly become sanc-
tified, delivered himself of something like the following:
"I want you to know that I am the pastor of the largest,
richest, and most fashionable Church in my Conference !
How will I go back and tell them I am sanctified?
O, brethren and sisters, pray for me." Here a thousand
voices murmured, "May the Lord give him courage and
bless him !" Then he went on to say : "I was always op-
posed to the doctrine of holiness, and I came to this camp-
meeting to take notes for the purpose of writing a book
against it ; but praise the Lord, bless his holy name, I am
now sanctified !" This brother was a very ignorant man ;
he could not put two sentences together, and his book,
if it had been published, would have been a sensation in
literature. When he preached, he would quote the name
of the famous French preacher, Pere Hyacinthe, "Perry
Hyacinkse." During one of the meetings the horn blew,
as usual, for the preaching, but the devotees were unwill-
ing to yield their meetings even to hear the gospel. Then
messengers were sent to all the tents to tell the people to
come to the main tent. "It is time to close this 'speaking'-
meeting," said the leader; "we must go to preaching."
A brother answered him: "No! stop your praying, stop
your preaching; let everybody sing. I am too full of
glory to hear preaching." Another brother replied to
this, "Brother Jackson, how can we stop these sisters and
brothers from praying to God?" "But we must have
silence, decency, and order," said Brother Jackson.
"Is n't it always in order to praise God?" asked some one.
"To be sure it is a good thing to praise God, but now it
is time for preaching." Another took up the argument,
"Well, there is nothing new under the sun; but this is
CAMP-MEETINGS IN THE PAST. 283
certainly something new that it is not in order to praise
God at camp-meetings." At this moment a brother called
out, "Why, that young woman has found the Lord, and
do you suppose her mouth is to be stopped?" And so it
went on until finally more messengers came, and the
"speaking"-meeting yielded to the demands of the im-
patient preacher, who was awaiting their coming. After
the preaching, immense crowds of both sexes again
flocked to the tents for special services. One young wo-
man fell by the way, screaming for mercy; another com-
plained of a burden upon her heart, and tried to cry out,
but could not. Many of the penitents would remain up
all night. I remember aiding a brother to carry a young
woman from one of the tents to her room. She suddenly
aroused herself, and commenced a conversation with an
invisible being whom she called an angel. Tears began
to flow down her cheeks, her lips opened, and her face
brightened up with a holy fervor and with such evident
sincerity that every one was spell-bound.
Now and then a solemn stillness would interrupt the
boisterous expressions of joyfulness and prayer, and ex-
altations seemed to hang over all the people. One wild
young man became deeply impressed. An involuntary
sensation came over him, and he knelt down and cast his
eyes upward. His heart was moved, and tears flowed in
abundance; and as grace and peace took possession of his
soul, he rose quickly, exclaiming: "I am so happy! I
would swear it upon a thousand Bibles! I have got re-
ligion ! .Yes, glory to Jesus !" Those who knew the reck-
less life the young man had led were amazed, and sensa-
tions of awe and reverence pervaded the meeting.
As there were always such throngs of people attending
the camp-meetings, much crowding was necessary, that
284 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
all might be accommodated. Impromptu beds and
couches of straw were improvised, and many were
crowded into each sleeping-room. One night, after my
wife and I had retired to rest upon a bed of straw, we were
startled to hear an ominous creaking above us. We had
scarcely time, however, to become alarmed, when the floor
above, which had been hastily put up for the occasion,
gave way, and some sleepers descended upon us. They
proved to be two very stout sisters, and this strange intro-
duction led to a friendship that lasted for many years ; but
my wife could never speak of the occurrence without
being convulsed with laughter.
Chapter XVI.
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF 1896.
IT was most appropriate that the beautiful city of Cleve-
land, with its wealth of spring, should be the seat of
the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. To a city so blessed with natural and cultivated
advantages came the representatives of Methodism
throughout the world. They came from where the Rhine
gushes wildly over its barriers; from where the Tiber
creeps heavy with the shadows of ages to the sea; from
where the Shannon, more grand than our own Hudson,
kisses two provinces; from where the Ohio careers like
an arrow shot through the wilderness; from where the
St. Lawrence flows, deep, dark, and cold, into the bosom
of its majestic gulf.
I have heard it said that Methodism has no history,
that she has rendered no great services to humanity, that
she has left no splendors that endure. It is true, thank
God, that she has no such history as State Churches!
Where they obtained power witness the valleys of the
Piedmont, drenched in the blood of the Waldenses; and
the plains of France, wet with the gore of the Huguenots !
Witness, also, Scotland, red with the blood of the Cove-
nanters; and England, during the reigns of Mary, Eliza-
beth, and Cromwell. O no ! Methodism has no such his-
tory. Its triumphs have been the triumphs of converted
souls, the triumphs of peace, and the triumphs of happi-
ness. In the illustrious roll of missionaries, many there
are who wear on their brows the red bar of martyrdom.
285
286 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
The Methodist Church has no history? That was not the
opinion of Cardinal Manning, who, in his sermon upon
the re-establishment of the Roman hierarchy, declared,
with a generous outburst of enthusiasm, "There is no
telling to what a depth of degradation England would
have sunk had it not been for John Wesley and his
preaching of justification by faith." That Church at
this very hour, near the summits of the Aventine, is build-
ing a commodious edifice in which the lessons of John
Wesley will be taught; yea, in the very city of Rome,
where the laurel shall replace the ivy, beneath the shad-
ows of its ancient glories, Methodist preachers will preach
the gospel. It seems to me the Methodist Church never
looks so beautiful and so hopeful, and never speaks so
impressively, as when she is valiant for the truth, whether
it be shrouded in darkness, like the cross upon the noon
of crucifixion, or rises in its glory from the tomb in which
the guards have hemmed it in.
This General Conference marked and emphasized cer-
tain great reforms. It is only a few years ago that Dr.
Jabez Bunting, the pope of English Wesleyanism, spoke
the sentiments of his denomination when he said that
"Methodism abhorred democracy, just as it abhorred
sin."
What would the pious but despotic divine think if he
had seen laymen engaging in oratorical battle with the
clergy upon the floor of this General Conference, and
arrangements completed for the admission of women into
the great councils of the Church ! Methodism is nothing
if not patriotic. The flags of all the principal nations
decorated the magnificent Armory. There was the flag
of old England we can forgive her when we remember
she gave the world John Wesley ; the flag of Ireland was
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF 1 896. 287
there the immortal green, with the harp without the
crown ; the flag of beautiful Italy was there, worthily rep-
resented by William Burt, the Italian delegate.
Everybody knows the exalted enthusiasm of Meth-
odist preachers when their country is the theme. This
was conspicuously seen when the son of General Grant
and William McKinley were introduced. The reception
of the son of the great general who broke the chains of
slavery was unbounded, and the oration upon Grant by
Bishop Newman was a beautiful tribute to an illustrious
man. The oratory of the Conference recalled the grand
days of the past. Buckley, Kynett, Day, Neeley, Moore,
Grill, Harlan, Shaw, are all strong and brilliant speakers.
Buckley has much originality and fearlessness. Moore
utters no halting sentences; every word is full, and even
in his most impassioned moments, his articulation is dis-
tinct. His is no artificial eloquence, but a mountain
spring always fresh and perennial. The colored orators,
especially Bowen, of Atlanta, and Mason, of Savannah,
are not surpassed by the pulpit orators of any race. The
great mistake of the Conference was its failure to elect
one of these men as a bishop. The new bishops, Cran-
ston, McCabe, and Hartzell, were able and eloquent
speakers ; the two former served throughout the war with
a splendid heroism. Chaplain McCabe, whose name as
a money-getter admits no plural or parallel, blushed with
youthful chivalry when he was saluted as bishop.
Leonard is an effective speaker. Years ago I am told
that his piercing voice resembled the screams of a scalded
eagle. Now it is smooth. Hamilton's speeches are mas-
terpieces, strong almost to coarseness, vigorous, and
sinewy.
This General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
288 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Church is one of the significant gatherings of the denom-
ination. She has had many such gatherings, but none
of greater importance than this one which took place in
the spring of 1896. Let us pray that its triumphs will
be splendid and its services to mankind numberless.
While there was no orator-king there like Simpson, no
statesmen like Chase and McLean, no soldier like Grant
all Methodists yet, though the genius of the leaders
may have been less conspicuous, the number and variety
of the members were incomparably greater. On the first
day of May every street leading to the magnificent Cen-
tral Armory of Cleveland was crowded with the yeo-
manry of Methodism.
The first day was auspicious. The sun shone in cloud-
less splendor. Yes, it was truly delightful enough to
charm sadness from the heart; the memory of it passes
over me like enchantment. There were all the various
elements of the Methodist Church gathered from every
part of the globe its merchants, its farmers, its mechan-
ics, its judges, its clergy, its captains of industry. Hark !
what means that old familiar hymn, "And are we yet
alive?" followed by "My country, 't is of thee?" It was
a glorious sound. I have heard music in St. Peter's and
St. Paul's, at camp-meetings, and at grand army reunions ;
but nothing so sweet, so grand, so overwhelming! Two
figures ascend the platform: one young, handsome, and
with eyes as brilliant as his dress; the other, thin, ema-
ciated, his head white as snow, and drooping upon his
breast, the venerable Bishop Foster and Bishop Joyce.
The speeches were all to the point, they aimed to tell,
and did tell. No dandy coruscations, no rhetorical fan-
dangoes, no blank cartridges ; but hard facts, driven home
like bullets ! Who were the mighty leaders of this Meth-
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF 1 896. 289
odist host? There was the venerable Bishop Foster, smil-
ing like a carved saint on some old Gothic capital. I
used to think his style stilted; but the more I read his
thoughtful sermons, I realize that it is full of vitality and
controversial passion. At one of the Conferences I heard
him relate a story which illustrates the liberality and
breadth of his religious views. Like Dr. Adam Clarke,
one of the lights of his denomination, who, upon being
asked if he was a bigot, replied, "No, by the grace of
God, I am a Methodist," this incident, which I heard
from his own lips, fully corroborates Bishop Foster's
sentiments. In dedicating a church in Boston he referred
in glowing words to the self-sacrifice and devotion of
the Catholics in the building of churches; and, though
the elements be the most adverse, their attendance at
all the services of their denomination was uniform. He
asked the question, "Where can we find such devotion
paralleled in our Protestant Churches? But I will tell
you something more surprising," he continued. "The
last time I was in Havana, the captain of the ship said
to me, 'Bishop Foster, there is a Catholic bishop on
board; perhaps you would like to be introduced to him/
I answered promptly, 'Yes.' I found the bishop to be
a highly-educated and social gentleman. In the course
of our conversation, I made the following statement:
'Now, my dear sir, I wish to give you the popular Protest-
ant opinion of your Church ; but remember, it is not mine,
nor that of intelligent Protestants.' 'All right,' responded
the Catholic dignitary; 'let us have it, and then I will
give you my opinion of the Protestants.' 'Well,' said I,
'the popular opinion of Catholics is, that all saloon-keep-
ers, that all deserters (it was during the war), that all
the bad people in the world, belong to the Catholic
2 QO UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Church.' 'Yes,' replied the Catholic bishop, 'there is a
great deal of truth in what you say, and the Church must
bow her head before the disgraceful acts of her unworthy
children who have practically strayed from her fold; but
they are not true Catholics, they belong to the body, but
not to the heart of the Church.' Then he portrayed the
schools and hospitals and the thousand works of charity.
'Here.' he continued to say, 'you find the Catholic
Church,' I urged him for his opinion of the Methodists,"
continued Bishop Foster. " ' I will frankly tell you. Years
ago, I was a missionary amid the wilds of Colorado,
where the voice of Christian praise was never heard. I
was riding along in a lonely, dangerous region, when I
saw a horse tied to a tree. I said to myself, "This is a
doctor's horse, and this poor miner is probably a Cath-
olic." I opened the rude door of the cabin, and heard
a man in prayer it was a Methodist missionary and as
my soul went up to God, I felt that, if there were any good
people in the world, they were the Methodists ! But they
do not belong to the true Church,' he added, laughingly."
There was the saintly Bowman. His purity of life,
his apostolic zeal and his heroic Christian character are
a part of the history of the Church. There was Walden,
the early advocate of abolition, a pioneer in Kansas when
it was death to be known as a friend of the Negro. He
is the brother and friend of every young preacher. He
is said to resemble Simpson in his manner, fastening his
eye upon some one in the audience, then upon another,
until all are reached. He is a fine talker, always instruct-
ive, always practical, and always evangelical. There
was Joyce look at him ! his head of a finer intellectual
development than any in the Conference ; an out-and-out
Methodist. He is like a race-horse, all nerve and all
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF 1896. 29 1
fire when in the pulpit. Heaven, send more such bishops !
His eloquent sermons leave impressions that will never
be effaced.
There was Fowler, a singularly able man, possessing
a fine head, and eyes that go through you ; in his younger
days brilliant, but rather vain of his talents. He has
plenty of vivid fancy; but he labors by piece-work, and
lacks system in his sermons and lectures. There was
Mallalieu. He has a loving sympathy with all humanity,
and a brave, upward look for everything grand in God's
universe. There was Andrews, scholastic, benevolent,
and a man without a crotchet. He was regarded, because
of his studious habits, as haughty, cold, and self-restrained
he had none of that abandon which characterizes the
Methodists. There was Newman, who, when preaching
the gospel, leaving the thorny path of political preaching,
is a master in his art. All criticisms are impertinent, and I
would not willingly do injustice to any one. Many of his
sermons are marked by splendor and heart, and as you
listen you think of Demosthenes confronting the furious
multitude, where surging voices lashed the air like an
angry ocean, and leaving them peaceful and subdued.
There was Johnson, the Irish delegate. He felt his
subject deeply and spoke forcibly. Like most of the best
early Methodists, he was the pupil of no school but na-
ture's, yet by some stroke of inspiration he often reached
a prize beyond the reach of art. Like Plunket, his illus-
trious countryman, the hearer's attention is shivered by
the lightning before he hears the first mutterings of the
thunder. His address on Ireland was refreshing, differ-
ing from similar addresses delivered by his predecessors
on former occasions. I would have been glad if he had
shown that Ireland's first want was the land, that Ire-
2Q2 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
land's second want was the land, that Ireland's third want
was the land, and that her last want was unity among
her people. As a speaker Dr. Johnson was a splendid
example of sacred eloquence; he did not strive after the
unutterable, and die, like the choked calves, with their
bleatings in their throats.
There was Watkinson, the English representative,
author of many excellent books, an editor of the Wes-
leyan Methodist Magazine, and a speaker of rare though
unusual eloquence. His address upon the relations of
English to American Methodism was worthy of the man,
worthy of the occasion, and did honor to the Church. He
is middle-sized, spare, and his face exhibits eagerness,
kindliness, and intellect. His was one of the most vigor-
ous and impressive countenances I ever saw, marked by
piercing gray eyes, a high forehead, and lips compressed
together as the shells of an oyster. The closing sentence
of his address was full of beauty. I was reminded of a
passage in Curran's plea for a client, in which he says
that he would make it clear as the glorious burst of sun-
shine, which just then streamed through the window and
supplied him with a splendid illustration.
But there were sad gaps in the ranks of the great men
of Methodism. Scott had long since passed away ; Peck's
tall form was moldering in the dust; Ames's princely pres-
ence would never again meet mortal eye; and the great-
est of them all, first in eloquence, first in fame, and first
in the hearts of his brethren, Simpson, also, was no
more. Never again would his thrilling words delight and
capture his audience. In speaking of Ames, he was not
only the statesman of his Church, but he was a man
of infinite humor. At one of our Conferences the lights
were suddenly extinguished. Some one cried out, "Turn
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF 1896. 293
on the gas !" "Never mind," said the bishop, in his
solemn manner, "there will be plenty of gas when the
brethren get to talking." He was always opposed to
importing preachers to fill important stations in this
country . I asked him how the Reverend Mr. , fresh
from the Wesleyan Conference by way of Africa, was
getting along. He was attracting great crowds. The
bishop lived in the same city. His reply was laconic yet
significant, "Dear-bought and far-fetched."
James W. Mendenhall was not there. He has on me
a nearer and dearer claim; it was my happiness to win
his confidence and trust. It was only a few years ago
that he was among the brightest of our writers and
preachers, now he-is among the honored dead. His body
was small, but he had a mind of gigantic mold. He had
qualities the rarest and noblest. Alas, that our libations
should sprinkle so green a grave as that where his strong
heart rests ! Alas, that Methodism should have of him but
his glorious example and splendid scholarship ! The soul
of Dr. Mendenhall is never absent from the councils of
his brethren; it will ever be his abiding testimonial, a
surviving halo, the rainbow of his fame, in which are
blended all the hues of his working thoughts, arched in
heaven and based upon time and eternity !
Chapter XVII.
MY COLLEAGUES IN THE MINISTRY.
IN the Methodist Church the custom was, years ago,
to send two preachers a man of experience and a
younger man, inexperienced upon the different circuits.
The senior had all the responsibility of revival-meetings,
of the benevolent collections, and of Church expenses.
It was his special care to see that these duties were car-
ried out, and that the junior preacher should do his part
in the enforcement of the laws of the Church. He could
not baptize, nor marry, nor perform any sacramental serv-
ice. Whatever emoluments these duties brought be-
longed to the elder preacher, who also had the privilege
of remaining two or three years on the circuit, an ad-
vantage seldom accorded to the younger divine.
The first colleague I had was a robust and shrewd
brother from the Western Reserve, full of thrift, business
tact, and zeal Allen S. Moffitt, a practical farmer; but
feeling a call to preach, he proved himself to be a man
of wide usefulness, of native ability, and of rare power
as a singer. He was always very popular with the people,
and knew every man, woman, and child in the com-
munity.
Another early colleague was John A. Berry, who had
been a successful physician. He abandoned a lucrative
practice and flung himself heart and soul into the min-
istry. Nature had endowed him with a ready command
of language, a retentive memory, and a determination
that never failed. He was a sweet singer (singing being
294
MY COLLEAGUES IN THE MINISTRY. 295
an accomplishment almost indispensable to the Methodist
preachers of those days), a stirring speaker, and a re-
vivalist of the most pronounced usefulness. He died in
the very height of his success and usefulness, leaving an
accomplished and interesting family, who now occupy
prominent and honorable positions in the communities
in which they live. One of them is the wife of Hon.
John W. Buchwalter, of Springfield, Ohio.
William M. Spafford, another splendid type of the
old-fashioned preacher with whom I was associated, was
one of the best preachers I ever heard. He had read
everything in philosophy, in theology, and in politics.
His fine fanc}^ as well as his logical mind illuminated
everything he touched. As a preacher he stood in the
van of the Conference.
D. D. T. Mattison was a strong man, and preached
well.
Rev. Jacob Miensinger, another colleague, was a con-
scientious man, a professor of holiness, with the Ten Com-
mandments written upon his face. He was a valuable
pastor and a good preacher.
The Rev. John Mitchell was a noted character in his
day. He was my senior in Nashville Circuit. He was
emphatically a strong man strong in body, strong in
intellect, and strong in his convictions. He was in his
element at camp-meetings, where his powerful voice al-
ways led the singing. Wherever that voice was heard
there was no need of a choir. I have heard him say that he
could sit up all night to hate choir singing.
Many of these pioneer preachers were the victims of
a base and unholy prejudice because of their Abolitionism.
They had no friends among the great political par-
ties. Denounced by eloquent speakers in Congress, be-
296 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
lied and slandered by the press, traduced abroad, suffer-
ing under a daily persecution, wearied out in the Border
States by jeering of mobs, waylaid in the South, their
houses unsafe, their minds worn out by rumors of venge-
ance, they appealed to Heaven, and were comforted,
sustained, arid upheld! They remained steadfast when
the curses of the pro-slavery mobs were rained like sparks
of fire upon their heads, and the fingers of a savage set
of politicians were pointed at them, ready to be dipped
in their blood. But their time soon came.
Providence was equally gracious in giving me supe-
rior and generous men for my presiding elders. Harvey
Wilson was the first of these precious servants of the
Church who introduced me to the active labors of the
ministry. He gave me wise advice on preaching and
pastoral visiting. I remember one of his counsels was
to preach my best sermon on rainy Sundays, when the
audiences were apt to be small. This would get noised
abroad, and the people would say: "What a splendid
sermon to a small audience ! If our preacher does so well
under such circumstances, what would he do if the usual
congregation had been here?" I had soon an opportu-
nity of testing this advice. The third or fourth Sunday
after I went to a circuit the weather turned out to be
appalling, the skies pouring, torrents, the roads impass-
able, and it looked as if a second deluge had come upon
the earth. I proceeded to the appointment in Holmes
County, Lakeville, and there found one man. He was
not a professed Christian. I preached one of my best
sermons to him. He afterwards became a Christian, and
an official member of the Church. The incident was pub-
lished everywhere, and the next Sunday the school-house
was filled to overflowing; and there is now a church
MY COLLEAGUES IN THE MINISTRY. 297
there, and Brother D. Armon still lives to confirm the
story.
Henry Whiteman was my presiding elder during the
war. He was a thorough and conscientious Methodist,
a methodical preacher ; although very deliberate and slow,
at times he became so aroused as to cause the people
to cry out, "What must I do to be saved?" His words
were weighty and convincing.
Rev. G. A. Hughes was a college graduate, orig-
inal, instructive, and profpund, and was among the best
informed men of the Conference. His sermons were
well arranged; they were not slipshod, slovenly com-
positions, but well-written, and produced a wholesome
influence. He was always helped by his amiable and
gifted wife. Their combined labors at Ashland, when I
was pastor there, resulted in much good.
Rev. Alfred Wheeler was one of the most scholarly
members of the Conference. He had studied for a phy-
sician, and I think was actively engaged in the profession
when he entered the itinerancy. He was a member of
a debating society, where, because of his varied attain-
ments, he was called Lord Brougham. In Conference
he soon took front rank as a debater. As a cross-exam-
iner he was admirable; to have him on your side meant
victory.
Rev. George W. Breckinridge was a magnificent man,
physically and mentally. He was straight as an ash, with
voice clear and penetrating, a strictly evangelical preacher
and a true friend. Rev. Thomas Barkdull was a pleasant
gentleman, a popular preacher, and a wise administrator.
Rev. John Whitvvorth, an American all over, was born
by mistake in England; a sound preacher, and a most
patriotic citizen. When fairly warmed up with his subject,
298 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Whitworth was like a man on tiptoe, burning to get
over the ground.
Rev. Elvero Persons, D. D., was one of those Meth-
odist preachers whom to know was to love; for in him
was combined intense evangelism with strong intel-
lectual qualities. He had grown up to be a man, active,
progressive, and professional, before he became a min-
ister. He was a member of the legal profession when I
first knew him, ever forward in active philanthropy and
patriotism. As a preacher, Dr. Persons preached Christ
in the glory of his pre-existence, Christ in the perfection
of his Divinity, Christ in the completeness of his atone-
ment, Christ in the triumph of his resurrection, Christ
in the glory of his ascension. What can be more tender,
more patriotic, than his tribute to N. S. Albright? He
has embalmed the memory of that sainted man with
beauty, truth, and eloquence. He was equally at home
in his devotional and patriotic work. He could not live
without this spiritual high-mindedness. He was not like
the Scotch woman's opinion of her pastor's prayers:
"See, Mr. Moncrief is away to heaven noo, and left us
all sitting here." Mr. Persons took his flock with him.
They are lifted up upon the wings of his devotion to
heaven, to God ! Dr. Persons was also a Union soldier
and Judge Advocate, brave and loyal.
Then there was Dr. Nelson, of precious memory, well-
read in literature, in science, and in theology. He was
of Scotch ancestry, and loved to hear a good Scotch
story. After my return from Europe, I told him the
following experience of a Scotch evangelist, Richard
Weaver, and when he came around to the Quarterly Con-
ference, I had to repeat it : In Glasgow there was a con-
verted butcher, the fruit of Moody's first revival, whose
MY COLLEAGUES IN THE MINISTRY. 299
name was Richard Weaver, or, as he was familiarly called,
"Dick" Weaver. To his rough audience of thousands,
he would frequently ask, "Boys, did you ever make your
mothers weep? I did mine many a time, and she used to
come to the bars of that window, and wetting them with
her tears, she would cry out, 'Dick, give your heart to
Jesus!'" then, turning his streaming eyes to heaven,
"She is away yonder now ; but, bless God ! before she died
she heard her Dick preach on Glasgow Common."
Dr. A. J. Lyon, careful, considerate, and instructive;
a true friend, and a gentleman all over.
I might speak of James A. Kellam, a preacher of the
old-fashioned type, who took ho stock in stereotyped
phrases, but stuck valiantly to "the three R's, Repentance,
Redemption, and Regeneration;" of Hartupee, a man of
wealth, who has left his thousands to Delaware College,
and helped many a deserving student, a European trav-
eler, a man of accomplished scholarship, and a presiding
elder whose administration was always marked by wis-
dom and prudence ; and of Stroup, a preacher thoughtful
and suggestive, bold and earnest; of Mitchell, command-
ing in person, and who understands the art of touching
people's hearts, and, either as pastor or elder, succeeds
in reaching the masses; he so closely resembles his dis-
tinguished cousin, William McKinley, that he has fre-,
quently been taken for him. Dustin Kemble was modest
and unassuming, with the heavy learning of a scholar, and
a solemnity that might befit Massillon. Samuel Mower,
a great-hearted soul; gentle as a child, he was yet brave
as a lion, and as terrible, too, if his wrath were aroused;
his love of liberty was a passion: may the love and tears
of his friends rest like freshest flowers upon his grave
brave, good old man ! I might also speak of McConnell,
300 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
of Owens; of Godman, president of Baldwin University.
But time fails me to speak of these, and others of the
acutest and most accomplished minds of the North Ohio
Conference, powerful in logic and eloquent in decla-
mation, minds of lofty Goliath-like stature, "the staff of
whose spear was a weaver's beam," such men as John
H. Powers, originally a blacksmith; Adam Poe, related
to the great Indian fighter; W. L. Harris, afterwards a
bishop ; Edward Thomson, the president of the Ohio Wes-
leyan University, master of the purest English, present-
ing arguments for the gospel too invincible to be over-
thrown : he, too, became a bishop, and died in the service.
Then there was John Quigley, exhibiting, with force and
variety of illustration, the truths of Christianity.
There is much said against this hard-working order
of the Church which is neither generous nor just. A per-
plexed bishop once said to a minister of the Conference :
"I am very much bothered to know what to do with
some of these preachers. We have three classes: One
class, everybody wants; the second class, everybody will
accept; the third class, nobody wants, what to do with
this last class is what bewilders the bishops. We are in
constant trouble about them/' "I can tell you what to
do with them," said the minister to whom this remark
was made, "make them presiding elders." Eventually
the system will be abolished. In England, where Meth-
odism had its origin, and where it has become an enor-
mous power, there are no elders. Chairmen of districts
take their place. These are pastors of experience, who
visit the circuit or station once a year, meet the official
members, make note of their desires, and report the
facts to, the Conference, the Church merely paying their
railroad expenses.
MY COLLEAGUES IN THE MINISTRY. 301
There is Oliver Burgess, a true-hearted old man, al-
ways and everywhere faithful. He has won, and justly,
the title of "Bishop of Cleveland," kind to the sick and
prompt with his help in sorrow. Palmer, Jewett, Bush,
old comrades, calmly waiting the angel death. Bush was
a chaplain, and a good one, of Gibson's 4Qth Ohio.
I might refer to Thompson, now a Californian. In
early life he took to teaching as a profession, as he was
passionately fond of books. He educated his mind, be-
came a scholar, devoured books, and afterwards became
a preacher. He was the most successful missionary col-
lector, with the exception of the lamented G. A. Reeder,
in the Conference. His sermons were Scriptural, expos-
itory, and instantaneous. He always left his Church in
good condition.
Mclntyre was also a special friend. He has preached
in Ohio, in Texas, and in the Golden ^State, where he
attracted large audiences by his vigorous and earnest
utterances. He had but one thought to give dignity to
his profession and to be a useful minister of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
There was William Kepler, the secretary of the Con-
ference for years. A more industrious man was never
known; no artisan in the workshop, no farmer in the
field, no mechanic, ever wrought so unremittingly
through life as William Kepler. He was known all over
the State and country as an investigator of nature; in
fact, he began his chemical and geological investiga-
tions as soon as he was breeched, and in a magnificent
fashion, that has known no parallel, has kept it up. He
was elected unanimously to the General Conference, with-
out even asking for a vote. He also was a soldier, was
with Sheridan in Virginia, and fought in seventeen battles,
302 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
and was wounded several times. He is the most modest
man I ever knew; industrious from his cradle, his mind
well-stored with facts.
Younger men, like Brandt, who became renowned
in the anti-saloon work, a splendid organizer; Ward, a
scholar and a gifted preacher; Hoadley, learned in the
classics, and now professor in the Portland University;
Gould, one of the coming men; he is a scholar, a his-
torian, a sociologist, and an attractive preacher.
DR. D. H. MULLER. "He who will not reason is a
bigot ; he who can not is a fool ; and he who dares not is
a coward." If there be a preacher of the gospel in the
world to whom these words do not apply, it is Dr. D. H.
Muller, of Cleveland. He is one of the most liberal,
tolerant, upright, high-principled preachers that ever en-
tered a pulpit. Labor to him is light in the cause of
humanity. Dr. Muller brought into the pulpit a style of
preaching singularty simple and impressive, a pure-mind-
edness, activity, and punctuality, that could not but war-
rant the highest anticipations of his successful career.
For years, when in his prime, it was with difficulty
that one could procure standing room in his churches.
He preached frequently by illustration, thus walking in
the footsteps of the great divines of the East. The
teachers of the East, the most gorgeous and figurative
of artists, dwelt largely in illustrations. When the Divine
Preacher condescended to interest mankind in the divine
mysteries of religion, he used illustrations.
Dr. Muller is a splendid-looking man, a graduate of
Evanston College, and a fine scholar. At Evanston he
was a fellow-student of Bishop Fowler and other dis-
tinguished men. He has a tall and commanding pres-
ence, and a very radiant expression of countenance; a
MY COLLEAGUES IN THE MINISTRY. 303
strong, clear voice, resonant as a bell. Dr. Muller has
preached in the largest cities of the country, always re-
maining the full Methodist term of years. As a presiding
elder he was noted for his strict enforcement of Meth-
odist law, as well as for church building. Commencing in
small stations, he climbed the loftiest and brightest emi-
nences to which any preacher ought to aspire. The great
feature of his pulpit oratory is its simple and earnest pre-
sentation of truth. The lips of the man catch the expres-
sion of the heart, and he attains that most difficult achieve-
ment ; he uniformly convinces his audience of his own
confidence in the merits of the subject he is discussing.
Dr. Muller is a believer in political righteousness,
and he is mightily interested in everything that benefits
the city or the country. He is a thoroughgoing Meth-
odist, loyal and true to its doctrines and traditions. A
many-sided man is Dr. Muller. In sickness, a healing
presence; in the pulpit, a convincing orator; in private
life, he carries with him a sacred charm. Dr. Muller,
Christian gentleman, patriotic citizen, and true friend,
may the day of your departure to a better world be far
distant !
He was among the preachers whom I knew before
I went to Europe who gave me a warm and hearty wel-
come on my return. He was the presiding elder of the
Cleveland District, East Ohio Conference. I had not
intended immediately resuming ministerial duties; but
Dr. Muller called several times, and generously insisted
that I should commence preaching at once. He assigned
me to Woodland Hills Avenue Methodist Episcopal
Church, where I met a generous and liberal class of
people. In one year there were four or five new churches
built in Cleveland alone during his eldership, and it is
304 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
safe to say that in every department of a minister's labors
he has seldom been surpassed.
Although not a colleague, the Rev. G. A. Reeder was
a beloved and valued brother in the ministry. He had
only one sphere that was the salvation of men and
women. He had only one ambition, and that was to see
Methodism prosperous and happy. As a speaker he was
calm, often eloquent. He was a thorough student, a
widely-read historian, an accomplished master of facts.
His magnificent gift of thousands to the Methodist col-
lege at Rome showed his princely benevolence. His
mantle has fallen upon his gifted son. Dr. F. S. Hoyt,
for twelve years editor of the Western Christian Advocate,
is rounding a life great, beautiful, and noble ; as a profes-
sor in our Wesleyan University, learned and instructive ; as
a preacher, profound, heard with admiration. Dr. W. C.
Pierce was for many years a presiding elder, wise and
prudent in his government of his district. His preaching
carries us back to the remotest ages of the Church. His
services, both in literature and in theology, have been
great. His sermons abounded in ideas, original, startling,
and frequently sublime. Dr. Warner, the president of the
university at Berea, and Professor Whitlock, at Dela-
ware, stand at the head of their departments. Their ser-
mons and addresses are full of eloquence and informa-
tion. I have known them long and well.
Chapter XVIII.
STRAY LEAVES FROM CIVIL WAR PERIOD-
SECRETARY STANTON.
1MET my old friend, Judge Martin Welker, on Euclid
Avenue one day, and, it having been long since we had
met, we immediately began talking about old times. We
had both paid a visit to Edwin M. Stanton, President
Lincoln's great War Secretary, in 1868. I was appointed
a chaplain in the regular army <by Mr. Stanton, largely
because I preached a sermon in Coshocton County, Ohio,
on the text, "Out of the South cometh a whirlwind," and
raised a company of volunteers on the same Sunday. The
call upon Secretary Stanton was made at his residence
in Washington. I attended, during the same year, the
famous impeachment trial of President Johnson, having
gained access thereto by means of a pass provided by
the late Benjamin F. Wade, then president of the United
States Senate.
No patriot, excepting Lincoln and Grant, deserves
more praise and grateful remembrance. With the simplic-
ity of a child, Stanton combined the courage and strength
of a man. His absorbing passion was the salvation of
the Union. Through the tempestuous times of the war
he held steadfastly to the vision of a reunited country.
Stanton was a man who was free from sordidness. With
every opportunity to become a millionaire, he could say
proudly with Sydney: "I will live no longer than my
principles preserve me. I will not blot out my past by
providing for my future. I will live by just means or
20 305
306 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
not at all." Stanton was a noble-looking man; the com-
mon photographs have done him great injustice. His
face is there represented as a man of great power, but
coarse. In reality Jiis face was marked by great beauty
and intellectual power. He was one of the stateliest,
noblest sons of Adam. His voice in conversation could
be alternately soft as a girl's or sonorous as a field cap-
tain's. In the conversations which we had he manifested
the greatest self-restraint, seemingly indifferent to the
impeachment trial so far as it concerned himself.
When Judge Welker and I visited him together, he
was reading a volume of Tennyson's poems when we
went in. He remarked that Tennyson possessed an eye
as true and loving as that of Homer and Dante for the
beautiful side of the little things of daily life. "But," he
said, "in all this terrible war he has not a word of
sympathy for the United States." Speaking of the Secre-
tary of the Treasury, Chase, he said : "That scribe, Chase,
is a great master of financial subjects. He brings to
them an extraordinary amount of experience, combined
with great fertility of resources and energy." When he
began to speak of Mr. Lincoln, the Secretary rose from
his chair in zealous admiration. "His eloquence," he
said, "had about it a logical strength and solidity and com-
mon sense which cast into the shade the figurative fas-
cinations of Everett. His speech at Gettysburg was un-
surpassed in comprehensiveness, boldness, and clearness.
It will take its place among the memorable orations of
the world." Referring to Grant and other successful
generals of the war, he said that they were successful, not
only because they possessed the elements of success,
but chiefly because they lived in a time which afforded
them opportunities for the exercise of their talents. Mr.
SECRETARY ST ANTON. 307
Stanton became animated as he spoke of the success of
the Union cause. He said : "It is a glorious truth. De-
spite Southern secessionists and Northern sympathy
yes, with the world against us we triumphantly suc-
ceeded." Here Stanton slapped Mr. Welker on the knee,
and looked laughingly into his face.
"How different is the England of Palmerston," he
continued, "from the England of Lord Chatham, his pre-
decessor, who withdrew his eldest son from the army
lest he should be called 'upon to fight the American Col-
onies, who were in arms, not to maintain their British
connection, but to sever it !"
I told him a story about Ben Wade. He laughed
most heartily, saying that Wade was the most persistent
leader of the Abolitionists of the Senate. For years he
had stood alone. He and Sumner had been the original
anti-slavery senators. Speaking of Charles Sumner, the
leader of the impeachment trial, Mr. Stanton termed him
the most eminent example of cultivated eloquence in our
country. He said that Sumner's eloquence was not ex-
temporary volubility, which characterized American
speeches; that he made the most careful preparation,
acting on the maxim of Demosthenes, "I should be
ashamed to throw out what comes uppermost in an as-
sembly like this." Turning to the fact that America had
no sympathizing friends among foreign nations, he quoted
from Joseph II. When Joseph II was urged to help
Louis XVI, the husband of his unfortunate sister, he re-
plied, "Alas! the State has no sister." Speaking of the
men who helped the Union cause, he was profuse in their
praise. He said of Bishop Simpson that there was in
his preaching a magnetic power which bore down all
opposition. "The bishop," he said, "spoke with an in-
308 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
spired majesty and strength." Mr. Stanton also praised
the efforts of Bishops Purcell and Hughes, of the Cath-
olic Church. Mr. Stanton referred to Mr. Welker as a
very useful friend to the Government.
I saw Mr. Stanton at the grand review, a scene of
unparalleled grandeur. I was within a few feet of him
when Sherman declined to shake his hand. The Secretary
felt the rebuke keenly, his face changed color, and he
was profoundly agitated. The cause of the refusal, I
believe, was Stanton's declination to confirm Sherman's
terms with General Johnson. He thought they were too
liberal, and so did most of the Union people at that
time.
When Mr. Stanton was visited by his warm friend,
Mr. Sumner, and was asked how he felt, the great War
Secretary raised his head and said, "I am waiting for my
furlough." It was only a short time thereafter that the
furlough came.
Stanton died too soon. He never sought rest. The
maxim, "If anything is worth doing at all, it is worth
doing well," was ever present in his mind. He died with
the harness on. Chatham fell fighting, Lincoln was as-
sassinated, Canning died suddenly while soaring in the
pride of his might. How many years of usefulness to
his country, how many splendid deeds, Stanton might
have achieved ! His memory is now a tradition ; but pos-
terity will do him the great justice of recognizing that it
was his tireless and magnificent genius which contrib-
uted largely to the country's security and grandeur. My
position as an officer in the army, as a superintendent of
the Freedmen's Bureau in the reconstruction period, as
chaplain of General Miles's regiment, gave me abundant
SECRETARY ST ANTON. 309
opportunities to know them, and I frankly confess that
Stanton was the peer of them all, who, if not so brilliant
as Sumner, so eloquent as Everett, so magnetic as Chase,
yet in a passionate love of the Union and in a sublime
confidence of the result, was surpassed by none.
Chapter XIX.
MEN WHO TOOK PART IN THE IMPEACHMENT
OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON.
Written by the author for the Ohio State Journal, from Wash-
ington, April 1 6, 1868.
IT would be utterly impossible to describe this bril-
liant and extraordinary trial. The scene, the purpose,
the feeling it expressed, the illustrious chief justice in
the robes of office, and the stately participants in their
places. It was a spectacle of beauty, patriotism, and
grandeur. I thought of the impeachment of Warren
Hastings, and the oratorical duels fought on both sides.
It was very difficult to procure a ticket. After all
efforts had been tried and failed, I appealed to my old
friend, Colonel R. C. Parsons, of Cleveland, a gentleman
of the old school and an orator of splendid gifts. He
came to my rescue, introduced me to the Vice-President,
who, upon the back of an old envelope, wrote this request :
" For God's sake give the bearer, Chaplain Pepper, a ticket to
the impeachment !
"(SIGNED,) B. F. WADE."
Mr. Parsons never forgot his friends. His morality
and sincerity of purpose are conspicuous qualities, while
his society and conversation have a charm that draws
scores around him.
The Capitol this day presented an imposing and sol-
emn appearance. Every seat in the Senate under the
galleries was literally choked with a crowded mass of
humanity. There is always something partaking of the
310
IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON. 311
sublime in the presence of a large assembly; and when
that assembly is convened for some important purpose,
the bosom of everybody composing it stirring and vibrat-
ing with intense emotion, then the sublimity becomes
of a yet more overpowering kind. How all that we have
been accustomed to conceive of grand assemblages
merges into insignificance when compared with the im-
pressiveness of this impeachment scene !
Here is a spectacle which the present generation can
only witness once. The .wealth, fashion, chivalry of the Re-
public lend their fascinating influences to clothe this great
scene with grace and splendor. The galleries are daily
decked with the brightest beauties of the land, the most
prominent being Mrs. Sprague, Miss Chase, Mrs. Logan,
and Miss Sherman. In the brilliant throng of learned
senators and representatives, the most prominent and
imposing form is that of the noble Chase. His name is
dear to the friends of humanity throughout the world.
We may exclaim honestly, in the words of Junius: "Re-
corded honors shall gather round his fame, and thicken
over him. It is a solid fabric, and will support the honors
that adorn it." Not Richard of the Lion-heart exhibited
more of personal courage combined with chivalric devo-
tion to the right than has the Chief-Justice in the great
cause of the slave. A life so unselfish, so self-sacrificing,
so devoted to the high and sacred interests of humanity,
carries with it the charm of a divine inspiration. There
is a peculiarity about his delivery. Some consider it un-
graceful, others consider it rough, yet all confess that it
has a most powerful effect. He possesses all the qualities
which go to form the perfect statesman a gigantic in-
tellect, a rich imagination, a fine command over the in-
flexions of his voice, and, above all, a devoted and fearless
312 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
attachment to truth. In common with his illustrious com-
peers, many of whom have gone to their reward, he stood
in the front and heat of the battle against slavery bore
the brunt of opposition, and endured the pelting of many
a pitiless storm. All honor to Salmon P. Chase !
The senatorial jurors who participate in this great
event exhibit great variety of temperament and character,
but a oneness of purpose. Each has his medallion, but
they seem set in a common frame.
Henry Wilson you can not hear him for a moment
without being sure that he is in sympathy with everything
that is amiable and good. Wilson appears to be about
fifty years old. He is of robust frame, and his features
are expressive. His voice is clear and round, though
not powerful. Anthony, of Rhode Island, is slenderly
built, scholarly, and journalistic in appearance. He is a
cultivated orator. Conness is a stout, broad-shouldered,
slovenly-dressed character; but if he dresses badly, his
addresses are able and conclusive. Nye is the Momus
of the Senate, -a jolly, rollicking, devil-may-care sort of
fellow, on good terms with himself and the rest of man-
kind.
Sumner's magnificent head attracts the eyes of the
spectators. His fearless disregard of consequences in the
discharge of every duty was clearly manifested in his
speech to-day. As he uttered some of those rousing sen-
tences, the perspiration stood in beads upon his brow.
Sumner has the look of a student schooled in philology
and science.
Morton, judging from his haggard appearance, looks
like a man of seventy, though he is not yet fifty-four years
of age. He has been called to endure afflictions of no
ordinary severity. He is evidently a man of extensive
IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON. 313
reading and discerning judgment. The share which Mr.
Morton had in the subjection of the Rebellion and the
splendid zeal he evinced for the soldiers of his State, will
hand down his name to posterity as one of the greatest
benefactors of the age. Senator Morton is an intellectual
speaker. His speeches are always composed of a consecu-
tive chain of reasoning; they are also distinguished by
good sense. He possesses a firm and masculine character
of mind, accompanied with a frank and fearless hon-
esty.
Fessenden, a quiet and unpretending-looking man,
sits beside Morton. Being naturally phlegmatic in tem-
perament, he has few or none of the qualities necessary
to constitute a popular orator. He has long been looked
up to by the moderate Republicans, who attach con-
siderable weight to his opinions. Johnson, of Maryland,
is considerably advanced in years, and in personal appear-
ance presents a hoary head and the venerable aspect of
age. He is a man of superior abilities and strong mental
endowments. Sprague, though possessing a slender
frame, is well proportioned, and remarkable for a native
gracefulness of manner. His complexion is fair, his fea-
tures regular, his eyes small and lively, of a dark blue
color. He makes few speeches.
Chandler, of Michigan, the inveterate foe of England,
is one of the most prominent characters in the Senate.
His figure is erect and tall ; but his manner would not im-
press a stranger with the idea of his possessing a peerless
intellect. His voice is good and often powerful, and he
occasionally gets off some flights singularly eloquent and
powerful.
Senator Sherman is one of the most gifted and states-
manlike members. He is of slender frame, and his fea-
314 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
tures are spare, but very expressive. He wields a vast
power on all subjects.
THE MANAGERS.
Among the Congressional managers, Bingham is most
rhetorical. His voice excels both in melody and com-
pass, and its nice modulations are happily blended with
that grace of action which is said to be the chief requi-
sition of the finished orator. He never falters at a single
word, and his elocution is perfect. Logan, though he
is not above the medium height, yet his erect, symmet-
rical, and graceful form, his open, generous countenance
and splendid eye, mark him, even in a crowd, as an extraor-
dinary man. His voice is unrivaled in melody and flexi-
bility, and accommodates itself with perfect accuracy to
every sentiment which he utters. His address the other
day, which has been so outrageously misrepresented, was
a fine effort. There was a solemnity and earnestness in
his manner; there was the same in his eye and beaming
through his countenance; there was a grace and appro-
priateness of gesticulation and an incomparable majesty
pervading his whole manner, all of which, combined,
made the speech one of the best yet delivered.
Evarts, of the President's counsel, in personal looks,
is a vitalized ghost. He is slender, tall, thin, and awakens
emotion in the mind of the stranger by his physical feeble-
ness and infirmity. His voice, at first weak, increases in
strength, until all at once it loses its sepulchral qualities,
and bursts forth in a blaze of ardor, until every nook and
corner of the Senate Chamber and gallery are filled with
his animated and electric words. In emphasis, Mr. Evarts
is unsurpassed. A power is put into certain words which
is felt by the crowd. But who shall attempt to describe
IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON. 315
either the pleader, his argument, or the effect produced
on the vast assembly? Who could portray the simple,
inartificial manner, the lightning glance of the eye, the
glorious climax, or the loud burst of feeling among the
President's friends like the roaring of the sea? Stanbery
is a profound advocate, and his voice possesses .volume
and a silvery sweetness.
The appearance of Mr. Boutwell is prepossessing, and
even commanding. His figure and address are dignified.
His voice, when under full inspiration, is powerful, melo-
dius, and well modulated. His action is chaste and ap-
propriate. His style is masculine and unaffected. His
enunciation is so distinct that no one need miss a word
he says.
Butler's appearance does not indicate talent or energy.
He is too fat, and has the look of the man who was fond
of English roast-beef. His voice is strong, but harsh, and
action energetic and graceful, with the exception of some
tremendous thumps on the table near which he stands.
The speech I heard him deliver was carefully prepared.
Before he speaks long, the hearers become deeply inter-
ested. I never heard a lawyer who could worry a witness
with tough, knotty law questions like Butler. Groesbeck
is faultless in style, possessing all the graces of elocution
and utterance.
Judge Curtiss is confessedly the ablest lawyer on the
President's side. The unusual breadth of his forehead, de-
noting great strength of mathematical calculation, and
above this the arch of imagination, spreading itself out in
as fine a style as in the .busts of our finest poets, all these
render it impossible to study his face without perceiving
the stamp of genius. The appearance of Judge Curtiss
rivets attention. The eye kindling into unusual bril-
316 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
liancy, the countenance beaming with intelligence, the
whole man laboring to give utterance to some mighty
conception, all force the hearer to confess the orator's
power, and to feel that he is in the presence of a master
spirit of the age. Judge Curtiss is no dwarf, physically
or mentally.
Wilson, of Iowa, possesses a remarkably simple style
of delivery. His frame of mind evidently varies. Now,
he is solemn as eternity; then, his wit, of which the fund
seems inexhaustible, will escape and move the risible
muscles of his auditors. When he pleases, he can dabble
in mud; and when he pleases, he can cull a flower.
Honest old Ben Wade is undoubtedly the most noted
of American politicians. The name he has maintained
a score of years; and when it is considered that he is
neither a profound speaker, nor an acute logician, nor a
brilliant orator, nor, we may add, an enthusiastic vision-
ary, we can only account for his popularity on grounds
that are creditable to himself and his friends. His oratory
is not of the Edward Everett school; every sentence is
not rubbed down, polished, and varnished. His voice is
distinct; no well-bred whisper either opens or closes Mr.
Wade's speeches. He has great self-possession, and
without becoming too colloquial, he seems to be familiarly
addressing every individual. His speeches sound like the
proclamations of Sinai ; his appeals are often melting and
powerful; and he occasionally rises to the boldest and
most energetic strains of oratory. This proud old man is
in hearty sympathy with every good and glorious move-
ment. In an interview with him, among other things he
declared himself in favor of the immediate relief of the
Irish-Americans, who, for trifling causes, are dying in
British prisons. Honor to old honest Ben Wade !
IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON. 317
Among the members of the other House who are
always on hand during the trial, I noticed Colfax, the wise
presiding officer, skillful politician, and gifted orator;
Garfield, one of nature's noblemen few have power to
make the strings of the human heart vibrate in an equal
degree; Judge Welker, the model and efficient member
for the Fourteenth District his voice is good, his man-
ner personal and pleasant. There is one thing noteworthy
in Welker besides his ability and patriotism, and that is
the beauty of his life. He is decidedly among the most
influential, the ablest, and most useful members of Con-
gress. He takes pride and special pleasure in accommo-
dating his constituents. Eckley, Beatty, the modest
soldier Schenck; Buckland, Delano, and the other Ohio
members, are ever at their posts. The noble Stevens,
having his soul's life in the great cause, the one medium
of his thoughts and feelings, the early friend of the Negro,
is seldom absent. The future historian, in writing the
history of these eventful times, will place the name of
Thaddeus Stevens where the historian of American in-
dependence has recently inscribed the name of Wash-
ington.
The Adjutant-General is a tall, cheerful, bright-eyed,
pleasant, courteous old man, who has been in the service
forty years. Remarkable, as he is, as the bold and re-
doubtable champion of the President, he is equally re-
markable for the gentleness of his manners. In conver-
sation he is delightfully pleasant. I called his attention
to the testimony of Karsner, of Delaware, the musical wit-
ness. He laughed heartily, and said: "I only met him
once before this difficulty, and that was forty years ago.
I had forgotten him until he referred to some incidents
in my life, which then took place. Karsner was a hostler,
318 UNDER THREE. FLAGS. ,
a coarse, rough, uncouth fellow, and had just married a
dear sweet girl, everybody wondering that she would
have so ungainly a creature." He then went on to say
that the testimony of Karsner was in some things far from
being true, acknowledging, however, that part which re-
ferred to "licking that feller out." Whatever may be the
result of this judicial proceeding, there is one thing cer-
tain, General Thomas will never again be caught in the
same business, even though a seat in the Cabinet is held
forth as the tempting reward.
JOHN SHERMAN.
In those days when I commenced my public life, there
was but one prominent man in Ohio, John Sherman ; and
now, after the lapse of more than thirty years, he is still
conspicuous for his great statesmanship. His first term
in Congress made him famous, and he has maintained his
reputation up to this day. What a noble spirit was yours,
John Sherman, what perseverance, what high qualities,
what rare characteristics! Your rightful place was the
White House, and often have your friends tried to place
their beloved leader there. As for high-mindedness, con-
sistency, and honor, there were none superior. There
was much in his early life to challenge applause and deep
sympathy. The eagle swoop with which he swept down
upon Kansas is a part of American history. John Sher-
man was one of the makers of the Republican party. I
know much has been said of his manner that is unjust.
He is no iceberg, of which two-thirds are under water
and only one-third visible. His speaking has been called
cold. He really makes a splendid speech, careful, mod-
erate, complete. I know he is severely logical, but the
links of his arguments are frequently set on fire. It is
GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD. 319
true that he does not commence his speeches with an
oremus, yell through a dies irce, and end with a warwhoop,
V(E metis fashion ; but such oratory is not worthy of such
great statesmen. He is a man of fine presence, with a
keen eye and bold forehead, vigorous in his gestures, and
in his tone just suggesting a self-possessed combativeness
which commands attention.
GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD.
I was well acquainted with General James A. Garfield,
f and heard him speak niany times. Tall and well-built,
with a magnificent head, a clean and carrying voice,
sonorous and deep tones, neatly dressed, he always at-
tracted attention. His speeches breathed the loftiest
sentiments.
I heard him once at Monroeville, Ohio, deliver a great
speech upon the tariff. He used a stick, and by measur-
ing it, showed the various effects of the tariff. It was a
masterly effort.
President Garfield was a pure and upright man ; with-
out a spot or stain, he went bravely, proudly through all
his trials. English statesmen are proud of the courage
of Hampden and of the fortitude of Russell. Americans
are justly so of Garfield.
I was in Rome when I heard of the attempted assassi-
nation of President Garfield. There was sorrow in the
air. Excited multitudes would embrace each other on
the streets, and repeat, "Garfield is dead." The Italian
Parliament took action. The House was draped in black.
I tried to calm the Americans at my hotel, quoting Gar-
field's memorable words, "God reigns!" saying that the
sympathy of millions would be as soft rushes to the feet
of his family, and that the blessings of a thousand saints
would hang around them like shields.
320 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
VICE-PRESIDENT HENRY WILSON.
One of the noblest, manliest, and most conscientious
men I ever met, and I met him often, was Henry Wilson,
Vice-President of the United States. The loftiest pre-
cepts of Christianity were in him illustrated, and con-
firmed by the most consistent example. Early in life he
espoused the anti-slavery cause, and through all its dis-
appointments and defeats was its fearless champion.
Never in this land, where the courage of Lovejoy and the
bold actions of John Brown have challenged the admira-
tion of the people, was there a greater hero than Henry
Wilson. Never was defeat borne with greater resignation.
I have listened to him by the hour as he related the his-
tory of his youth, of his learning to read when a boy, of
his apprenticeship to a shoemaker, and of his political
success. It was impossible to look at his frank counte-
nance and his soft, speaking eyes, without reading his
character in them. A purer, better American never
breathed.
GENERAL PHIL SHERIDAN.
I knew General Sheridan. My first ministerial ap-
pointment was not far from his home. His is the third
loftiest name in the beadroll of the leaders of the Civil
War. No one would have judged from his modest youth,
shy and retiring nature, that he would become so famous.
Insignificant in stature, with a head shaped like a cannon-
ball, he was not particularly attractive, yet he was the
delight of all the sunny-eyed girls in the county. Phil
Sheridan became distinguished through his inflexible pur-
pose and iron will. To a most enthusiastic love of coun-
try, he added, even when a child, a noble passion for arms.
The first time I met him after the war was at the wed-
GENERAL PHIL SHERIDAN. 321
ding of General Miles, in Cleveland, Ohio, and afterwards
in Chicago, when, by special invitation, I spent some time
with him.
The name of General Phil Sheridan always recalls to
me a curious experience I had in London several years
ago. I went one evening to the Irish Literary Club, in
Bloomsbury Square, near which I was stopping, to hear
Mr. Justin McCarthy read a paper on the "Irish Peasant."
The club, as to politics and profession, was a mixed one;
but, as I found out afterwards, the Tories were in the
majority. Among the members there were distinguished
authors, generals, scholars, and members of Parliament.
I was called upon by the chairman, Mr. Graves, the son of
the Protestant Bishop of Limerick, to say a few words
about the Irish in America. In the course of my remarks,
which bore upon the important parts played by the Irish
peasants in American history, I referred in glowing terms
to General Sheridan as me son of an Irish peasant, who
had risen to distinction in the United States. I said that
there was nothing like it in England ; that Sheridan had al-
ways been proud of his Irish origin, and that he had often
said he would like to march an army through the streets of
London to avenge her wrongs! I felt immediately that
I was treading on dangerous ground. There was a com-
motion in the room, and as soon as I sat down the chair-
man arose and said, apologetically, that they always al-
lowed their friends from across the water the greatest
latitude. The London Methodist Times, referring to the
incident; said that American Methodist preachers were
never silent when the principles of righteousness were
concerned.
21
Chapter XX.
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE AT THE CLOSE OF
THE REBELLION.
ABOUT forty years ago a prize was offered by one of
the Italian universities for the best essay on the sub-
ject, "What individual, since the beginning of the world,
has most occupied the attention of mankind?" The prize
was bestowed upon the author of the essay who main-
tained the superior claims of Napoleon to this world-wide
description of fame. If, however, a prize were offered
now upon the analagous, but more limited question,
"What individual, from April, 1861, to July, 1865, most
occupied the pens and tongues of Southerners?" the an-
swer would be given by acclamation, "General Lee."
In no small degree he was hailed by his enthusiastic
admirers as the hope of the Confederacy. He was the
pillar and center of the Rebellion. A thousand tele-
graphic wires trembled at the impulse of his thoughts.
General Lee, of all the Confederate leaders, held and
deserved the foremost place, and commanded more en-
tirely the confidence and approbation of the Southern
people. Descended from a race of patriots and soldiers,
he always displayed, whenever the opportunity offered,
high professional ability. That a man of such brilliant
talents, of sagacity, of address, of honor, and of an illus-
trious Revolutionary ancestry, should find a conscientious
reason m th'e doctrine of State rights to engage in a des-
perate conspiracy against the Union evoked by the sword
322
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE. 323
of Washington, is one of the wonders and mysteries of
the age.
No evidence is so satisfactory as that which is ob-
tained from the lips of an opponent; and, therefore, we
attach importance to what Confederate General Lee said
of our most distinguished generals and statesmen. When
the army of General Sherman, with which I was con-
nected, was making its famous homeward march to Wash-
ington, it rested for a few days in Richmond. Accom-
panied by General Gear^, afterwards governor of Penn-
sylvania, and provided with a letter of introduction from
General Hazen, who knew Lee at West Point, I made up
my mind to call and interview the Rebel commander.
Ringing the bell with considerable anxiety, I awaited the
result of my rash attempt to get a glimpse of the most
gallant and most illustrious man of the South. Quickly
there appeared at the door a good-looking mulatto, who
awaited my demand.
"Can I see General Lee?" was the simple question I
put on this occasion. "This is not the regular day when
he receives company, and he has not yet entertained any
visitors, but " and he surveyed me with a hesitating air,
not knowing what to say next. I observed, "Perhaps he
would see a chaplain of Sherman's army in his private
parlor for a few moments." "Your name, sir?" he asked.
"Chaplain Pepper, of the Fifteenth Corps of the Army of
the Tennessee." Giving him General Hazen's letter, he
quickly disappeared, and in a few moments returned, saying
it was all right, and for me to walk into the parlor. I took
my seat upon a very plain sofa. The house was sii
itself. There were no rich carpets, soft c
furniture. There was not a wall decoratj^r$Sbthing to
attract attention, a few chairs, a table cftftfred with jpifrf pT
324 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
tures of battle-fields; but absolutely nothing that be-
tokened that this was the home of the mightiest man in
the South.
My musings were soon interrupted by General Lee,
who, with an easy and beautiful simplicity of manner,
bade me welcome to his home. The events of this long
and disastrous war had left their traces on his face. If
there is anything in the science of physiognomy, there
was certainly a remarkable correspondence between the
person of General Lee and his mental and moral constitu-
tion. Both bespoke the worthy development of the entire
man ; no feature was found in excess, and none defective ;
dignified in carriage, with an elastic step, and easy and
graceful in all his movements. His features were regu-
larly handsome, his complexion fair. A full-orbed, beam-
ing, and ample forehead; a mouth that indicated great
sweetness and firmness; and diffused, over all, a radiant
and happy expression that bespoke the clear intelligence
of his mind and the benevolence of his heart. It was with
a thrilling interest that I now beheld this celebrated' man.
He seemed still to be in the prime of life; but his mag-
nificent hair was silvered, the fire in his brilliant eyes was
in some measure dimmed, and there were marks of age
upon his brow. There was dignity in his bearing, a
grandeur in the poise of his head, which a consciousness
of his position would impart. At the same time I thought
there was a slight expression of sadness piercing through
his smile. Perhaps he was beginning to see the hollow-
ness of all that he had adored, and to experience how
many thorns line the pillow of a hopeless and disastrous
revolution.
I conversed with him upon a variety of topics, upon
all of which he expressed opinions. He was very positive
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE. 325
in his convictions, and seemed to have weighed every
sentence with studied care. The telegraph wires hav-
ing recently announced the news of Lincoln's assassina-
tion, this naturally was the first subject of conversation.
In speaking of the martyred President, he said: "The
death of that eminent citizen has filled me with horror.
If there were blemishes in his character, his life exhibited
some splendid and rare virtues. He was one of the most
extraordinary men that ever lived in our country. His
heart was grand and large. He was constitutionally pen-
sive. Had he been spared, the South would have been
treated with honorable propriety and with gallant gener-
osity; his good-will and friendliness would have marked
his treatment of the Southern people."
He pronounced Booth "a cowardly ruffian," affirm-
ing that "the soldiers of the Southern army and the peo-
ple regard the murder of Lincoln, not only as a crime
against our Christian civilization and our common hu-
manity, but that his loss at this moment was a terrible loss
to the vanquished, who would have to bear the respon-
sibility of the cruel, cold-blooded assassination; that the
spirit of clemency, moderation, and of conciliation dis-
played by the President were virtues not to be found in
his successor. Let the avenger's arms," he continued to
say, his eyes moistened with tears, "fall upon the guilty.
Should this be the course adopted by the authorities at
Washington, their greatest victory is yet before them;"
that "a more shining page in their annals would be writ-
ten, and that the sublimest example of magnanimity and
self-government would be set."
To my question, "Do you think the Rebellion is
ended?" he replied, very emphatically, "Yes, sir; and had
it not been for the politicians it would never have been
326 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
commenced." The politicians to whom he referred were
Davis, Yancey, Breckinridge, and Toombs, and others
whose names he mentioned. He went on to say : "I was
opposed to war at the outset. I wept when I heard
of the bombardment of Fort Sumter! I sought retire-
ment, so that I might not see or hear any of the political
leaders, the great end and aim of whose statesmanship
was to precipitate the havoc that subsequently swept their
fields and cities. But when Virginia, my native State, se-
ceded, there was only one course for me to pursue;
namely, to follow her fortunes."
General Lee now adverted to the character of General
Grant, of whom he spoke in the most friendly words and
terms. He ascribed to him the most noble attributes of
American manhood, saying that he possessed all the
requisites and talents for the organization of armies. At
the present hour, when not a few apprehensive gentlemen
and reckless partisans are charging the illustrious Ex-
President with Csesarism and with desperate ambitions to
overthrow the Government, it will be some satisfaction
to his many friends to learn the high estimate in which he
was held by the Southern chieftain. In the generous
terms accorded to the impoverished South, Grant won
for himself imperishable renown, and they furnish a shin-
ing example of how bravely he could fight his country's
battles, and of how nobly he could sympathize with the
vanquished. In no quarter of the world has there been
such magnanimity as that shown by Grant, and of all the
laurels won by the mighty captain in our immortal strug-
gle, the greenest and freshest of them all is his splendid
conduct to Lee and his soldiers.
"I wish," said General Lee, "to do simple justice to
General Grant, when I say that his treatment of the Army
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE. 327
of Southern Virginia is without a parallel in the history
of the civilized world. When my poor soldiers, with
famished faces, had neither food nor raiment, it was then
that General Grant immediately issued the humane order
that forty thousand rations should be immediately fur-
nished to the impoverished troops. And that was not all
of his magnanimity. I was giving directions to one of
my staff officers, when making out the list of things to be
surrendered, to include the horses. At that moment,
General Grant, who seemed to be paying no attention to
what was transpiring, quickly said : 'No, no, General ! not
a horse, not one keep them all ! Your people will need
them for the spring crops !' "
It was a scene never to be forgotten to watch Lee's
manner, when, with a spirit of chivalry equal to his skill
and gallantry, he told, with moistened eyes, this and many
other instances of the magnanimity so nobly displayed by
his illustrious rival.
The conversation turned to General Sherman. The
Southern papers were criticising very sharply Sherman's
march through Georgia and the Carolinas, and I asked
General Lee what his opinion was of the great flanker.
He said, in substance: "It has been observed that there
is no character so uniformly bright as not to possess some
dark stain; but while we assent to the truth of this ob-
servation, that charity which hopeth all things should
lead us to believe that there are no hearts so darkly vi-
cious as not to be illumined by some beams of the light of
virtue. To suppose Sherman an exception to this rule
would be illiberal. The unbounded license which he al-
lowed his soldiers in the States of Georgia and the Caro-
linas has greatly aggravated the horrors of war. As a
strategist and commander of men, Sherman has displayed
328 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
the highest order of military genius. Throughout his
recent campaign, when he had to pass through an un-
known country, cross rivers, support his troops, etc., he
certainly exhibited a singleness of purpose, a fertility of
resource, which wins him a high place among the soldiers
of history. He seems to be cool without apathy, cautious
without being dilatory, patient without being dispirited,
personally brave without being rash. Judged by Napo-
leon's test, 'Who did all that?' he is, in my opinion, the
most successful of the Federal officers who have played
a prominent part in the history of the war."
In the course of the conversation he spoke of Sheri-
dan as a most brilliant and magnetic commander. I asked
him who was the greatest of the Federal generals.
"Indeed, sir, I have no hesitation in saying General
Grant. Both as a gentleman and as an organizer of vic-
torious war, General Grant has excelled all your most
noted soldiers. He has exhibited more true courage,
more real greatness of mind, more consummate prudence
from the outset, and more heroic bravery, than any one
on your side."
To the question, "What was the cause of the failure
of the South?" the General smilingly said : "I am not a
very good extemporaneous speaker, nor am I a very good
extemporaneous answerer of questions. The most con-
spicuous reason was the superiority in men and in re-
sources of the North. The United States had all the
advantages a land of boundless wealth, cities secure
from the horrors of civil war, and a constant stream of
emigrants to fill up the depleted ranks of the armies.
With five to one against them, the Southerners performed
a mighty work, and made a gigantic step toward their in-
dependence.
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE. 329
"Another cause lay in the vanity of many of our peo-
ple. The first battles of the war being favorable to us,
the South was wild with confidence, and the whole coun-
try was thrown into a ferment of excitement. It was
doubtful, indeed, whether one in a thousand of our people
supposed for a moment that there was any doubt of an
immediate and successful termination to the struggle.
The public meetings were in every case too enthusiastic.
The people were carried away by acclamation. The cheer-
ing proved to our folly. This excess of confidence lost
us New Orleans and many other cities.
"A much more serious difficulty arose from the mis-
taken view of the Southern cause taken by the philan-
thropists of the Old World. They were led to believe
that we were fighting for the perpetuity of slavery, and
that the establishment of the Confederacy would lead to
the reopening of the African slave-trade. This opinion
shook the faith of great and good men in the humanity
and righteousness of the South. The conscript law was
another effective check to our success. Instead of being
a benefit, it was a curse, a badge of disgrace. The rich
were favored; falsehood and dissimulation were its natu-
ral results ; suspicion and mistrust arose where confidence
and reliance should have happily prevailed. The attitude
preserved by Mr. Davis and other leaders in opposition
to the arming of the Negroes, a policy which I always be-
lieved to be expedient, proved to be disastrous. The
widespread poverty of the country, accompanied by the
just conviction that all further efforts were hopeless,
these and other forces worked to one final result, the
failure of the Confederacy."
The conversation now took another direction. The
Confederate leader referred despondingly to the Nation's
330 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
lack of great statesmen. I asked him his estimate of the
distinguished men he had heard and whose eloquence had
revived the grand days of oratory. Speaking of Webster
he had said: "I never saw a more striking object than
Webster in the Senate. The effect of his fine figure and
princely air when speaking, was like that of a vivid flash
in the midst of darkness. What Paganini was in music,
that Webster was in oratory the one charmed Europe
with one string, the other electrified multitudes with his
eloquence. He once complained to me of the wrongs
done him by the reporters. The world would read what-
ever bore his name, and the grubworms were ever ready
to gratify the desire by fragments, or rather caricatures
of his mighty eloquence. His speeches indicate the
powers of the great orator; they are lofty, but not im-
passioned; correct, but not fluent."
"Henry Clay was every inch a patriot and an orator.
I heard him on British aggression. Never certainly had
I ever beheld so powerful an exhibition of natural ora-
tory. The grace of the attitudes into which he threw his
flexible figure, the striking gestures of his arms, and,
above all, the fire which shot from his brilliant eyes, im-
parted an effect to the continually changing accents of
his voice, of which the most accomplished actor might be
proud. At one moment leaning forward, when stating
circumstantially the grievances of which the Nation com-
plained, and then standing bolt upright with clenched
hands and a countenance distorted with passion, he
poured out a tide of invectives. The effect on his audi-
ence was electric one and all they stood regarding him
with sparkling eyes and trembling limbs, as though they
were listening to the inspired voice of a prophet. Henry
Clay was the greatest actor off the stage.
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE. 331
"Calhoun was the favorite of the South. Morally he
is to be rated higher than either Webster or Clay. His
logic was compressed and hidden. The train of reasoning
he was pursuing seemed to be clear and continuous to
his own mind, all its facts being logically articulated from
end to end; but it was only indicated to the audience.
It was like a stream of water, making its way under
ground and showing itself now and then, apparently deep,
bright, and sparkling. He was distinguished for his
power of condensation. Metaphors, tropes, and figures
of all kinds were found in his speeches."
To the question, "Did you ever hear Bascom, the
famous Methodist divine?" he answered: "Yes, I heard
him once at a camp-meeting in this State. The people
came from all quarters to behold the glory of the new
sun which had burst forth on the evangelical horizon.
He was undoubtedly a Christian Demosthenes, a giant
of the pulpit. Bascom was handsome, and possessed in
his noble bearing and appearance that happy combina-
tion of mildness, elegance, and dignity which may per-
haps be expressed at once by the word gracefulness. I
have heard and seen many fine orators, but Bascom I
have never seen equaled, nor even imitated. It was not
learning, it was not wit, it was the untaught and un-
incumbered incantation of genius, the mightiest engine
of which the earth can boast." General Lee told an anec-
dote of the great Virginian, Patrick Henry, which may
be interesting to members of the bar. He was in the
habit of using tobacco, and when engaged in argument
would turn to some leading member of the jury, who was
a lover of the weed, and, in an offhand, familiar way, ask
him for a chew. The juryman, flattered at finding such
a similarity of tastes and habits between himself and the
33 2 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
dignified counsel, would follow his example, and the good
impression made upon his mind was not infrequently
transferred from the counsel to his cause.
Our next topic of conversation was the foreign ele-
ment in the armies. Speaking of the Irish, he declared
with much feeling that the South could not reconcile with
their notions of consistency and honor how Northern
Irishmen, who were so desperately and violently opposed
to the thralldom of Britain the wrongs of Ireland being
mosquito-bites by the side of the enormous injuries which
had been inflicted by the North upon the South how
liberty-loving Irishmen could fight against the Southern-
ers contending for independence and equality of rights.
I suggested that the soldiers of Irish origin in our armies
were really bewildered to know how Irishmen who for
centuries had gallantly contended for the freedom of the
Celts, could be so inconsistent and recreant to every sense
of right as to be engaged in a war for a Government
whose corner-stone was slavery. Besides that, though
Irishmen were revolutionists at home, they were conserv-
atives in the United States, and that there was a great
difference between a war in the interest of a downtrodden
race and that in favor of the propagation of slavery.
Adverting to the character of the Irish soldiers, the
general was very enthusiastic, saying that they played a
prominent part in the wars of the world for the last three
centuries, now on one side, now on the other. "The
Irish soldier fights not so much for lucre as from a reck-
less love of adventure, and, moreover, with a chivalrous
devotion to the cause he espouses for the time being.
Cleburne, on our side, inherited the intrepidity of his
race. On a field of battle he shone like a meteor on a
clouded sky! As a dashing military man he was all vir-
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE. 333
tue; a single vice does not stain him as a warrior. His
generosity and benevolence had no limits. The care
which he took of the fortunes of his officers and soldiers,
from the greatest to the least, was incessant. His integ-
rity was proverbial, and his modesty was an equally con-
spicuous trait in his character."
"Meagher on your side, though not Cleburne's equal
in military genius, rivaled him in bravery and in the affec-
tions of his soldiers. The gallant stand which his bold
brigade made on the heights of Fredericksburg is well
known. Never were men so brave. They ennobled their
race by their splendid gallantry on that occasion. Though
totally routed, they reaped harvests of glory! Their
brilliant though hopeless assaults upon our lines excited
the hearty applause of my officers and soldiers, and Gen-
eral Hill exclaimed, 'There are those d green flags
again!"'
Referring to the great loss sustained by the Confed-
eracy in the death of Stonewall Jackson, General Lee
remarked: "In surprises, marches, and in the art of cre-
ating the resources of war, Jackson has surpassed the
level of his age, and risen to a comparison with Hannibal
and Napoleon, the two greatest commanders of ancient
and modern times. In every relation of private and pub-
lic life his character was perfect. The South has pro-
duced some abler soldiers, and a few in point of military
talent were his equals; but it can not and never could
boast of one more beloved ; not by personal friends alone,
but by every soldier and officer that served under him.
His dispatches, even when announcing the grandest suc-
cesses, were brief statements of fact, unvarnished. Many
such statements as this would occur: We are about to
open the campaign. I have prayed earnestly to God that
334 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
he will enable me to pass through it in his fear, knowing
no greater earthly blessing than to have a conscience at
ease in the discharge of duty.' '
I left the presence of this distinguished gentleman
with the consciousness that pride, hatred, revenge, had no
place in his noble nature, and that,. having lowered his
colors and sheathed his sword, he was fully entitled to the
consideration and respect of the gallant soldier to whom
he surrendered. It is needless for me to say that, in my
opinion, had he lived, he would fully have upheld in the
most distinguished manner the Union of the States, the
reconciliation of all classes, and the prosperity and happi-
ness of the whole country. Foremost amongst the Con-
federates, and first in peace, General Robert E. Lee was
not only a chivalrous gentleman, but he was eminently a
Christian. In all his acts he was gifted with so rare a
kindliness of demeanor that he never made a quarrel with
any one. His brief though brilliant experience as in-
structor of the young men of the South after the war
closed, gave the strongest evidence of his loyalty and
goodness of heart, and clearly presaged the glory which
would have crowned his career had his life been spared.
Chapter XXI.
SALMON P. CHASE'S OPINIONS ON MEN
AND EVENTS.
THE name of Salmon P. Chase is well remembered as
one of the great leaders and financiers of the country.
Although many years have passed since his death, the
recollections of his services to the country are calculated
not only to promote admiration for and gratitude to the
great party of freedom, but also to confirm an attachment
to the principles of that party which first checked the
progress of slavery, and then abolished it. The men of
that stormy period were great spirits, fit to encounter
the contests and to endure its heart-stirring agitations.
Theirs was not a carpet warfare, in which they might
flourish and declaim without fear ; they entered the scenes
of the combat, and with the martyr's courage retained
a firm and unyielding grasp of their principles.
Among these illustrious champions and defenders,
many of whom suffered unto death, and all of whom pos-
sessed the spirit and deserve the appellation of martyrs,
Chase is entitled to our high and grateful admiration. I
met him in 1867, when I was chaplain of General Miles's
regiment and assistant superintendent of the Freedmen's
Bureau. He was then on a tour of the South in his ca-
pacity of Chief- Justice of the Supreme Court. Upon his
arrival in Raleigh he sent for me, and requested that I
conduct him the next day (Sunday) to as many colored
churches as possible, as he was anxious to see the prog-
ress of the people. The first church visited was that of
335
336 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
the Methodist, a building capable of holding two thou-
sand people. It was crowded. Governor Holden, Gen-
eral Miles, and many distinguished North Carolinians
were present. The minister was absent, and Governor
Holden suggested that I preach a sermon, and then, Meth-
odist fashion, have a general class-meeting. After the
sermon was over, a hundred spoke. There was a bust
of the Chief- Justice upon the pulpit. I referred to it, and
said that the distinguished man was then in the audience ;
that he .was one of the chief instruments of their eman-
cipation, and their lifelong friend. The enthusiasm was
great, and a shout arose for a few words from Mr. Chase.
He spoke briefly, expressing his delight at their progress.
I gave out the hymn :
"Blow ye the trumpet, blow,
The gladly solemn sound."
The music of this hymn, sung with the abandon of
happy-hearted colored people, as it rang and vibrated
through the great Church, was overwhelming. On the
way to the hotel, Mr. Chase stopped frequently to wipe
away the tears that were streaming down his face. We
visited other churches with the same result. The next
morning I accompanied him to the largest Freedmen's
school. As we entered the building, a man eighty years
of age was being taught to read the Bible by a little child.
Chase asked me what that reminded me of. I hesitated,
and he said, "It is a fulfillment of the prophecy, 'A little
child shall lead them.' "
In the course of our subsequent conversation he gave
his estimates of the distinguished men with whom he had
been associated or had known. "Thaddeus Stevens," he
said, "introduced a new style of speaking into Congress,
SALMON P. CHASE ON MEN AND EVENTS. 337
which was suited to the age and to debates on slavery
a combination of the lecture, of the- bar, and of the stump.
He was thoroughly sincere in his convictions, broad in his
statements, and fearless of results. Burlingame was, for a
time, the most brilliant, pointed, and effective of all the
anti-slavery orators." He was afterwards appointed to
China, where he negotiated the treaty with that country.
Of Charles Sumner, Mr. Chase said : "The high intel-
lect reflected in his writings has for years stimulated
the anti-slavery sentiment, quickened the consciences,
and strengthened the hope of the Abolitionists. His
speeches will always remain as a triumphant vindication
of the Republican policy, as scathing denunciations of
slavery, and as glorious models of eloquence to his coun-
trymen."
I asked him if he did not think Sumner was something
of a plagiarist, at least in one of his orations, reading to
him a sentence in one of his speeches resembling a passage
of Demosthenes. The Greek said in his oration upon the
crown, "By the generous souls who were exposed at
Marathon, by those who stood arrayed at Platsea, by all
the illustrious sons of Athens," etc. Sumner said, "No,
by the generous souls who were exposed at Lexington,
by those who stood arrayed at Bunker Hill !" Chase hesi-
tated, and then confessed that there was a striking re-
semblance.
When asked his opinion of Corwin, he replied : "There
was no such political speaker in the country as Tom Cor-
win. I speak within bounds when I say he had no equal
as a stump speaker, and his services to the country were
inestimable."
He then related an anecdote of him. Corwin was once
speaking at Elyria, Ohio, when he was a Whig. That
UNDER THREE FLAGS.
part of the Western Reserve had always been noted for
its anti-slavery sentiments. Corwin was of very dark
complexion, and was frequently taken for a Negro, and,
like most of the Whig orators, did not relish any allusion
to the peculiar institution. In the middle of his speech
he was interrupted by a Yankee with the question, "Mr.
Corwin, what is your opinion of slavery?" Corwin
quickly answered: "I am surprised, sir, that you should
ask such a question as that from a gentleman of my color."
After a few seconds, when the crowd saw the point, some
one called out, "Three cheers for Mr. Corwin!"
One day the conversation turned to the history of
many eminent men of our country, whose early oppor-
tunities were limited. After speaking of his own early
hardships, Mr. Chase said: "The history of the country
shows that a majority of its most celebrated statesmen,
poets, and business men, whose careers adorned its
pages, Lincoln, Greeley, Stanton, both the Adams,
Grant, Sheridan, the Shermans, were all the sons of poor
men. It was related of Lord Buchan, the elder brother
of the famous Lord Erskine, that when some one spoke
to him of his brother's eminence, Lord Buchan said,
'Why, sir, the eminence of my brother is entirely due
to me.' The gentleman asked, 'How is that? I did not
know you had anything to do with it !' 'Q yes,' said Lord
Buchan, 'I was the making of him. When he was a young
man, he asked me for a small sum to enable him to live.
I absolutely refused to give him a single farthing, and
it is in consequence of that refusal that he has risen to
eminence/ '
Mr. Chase spoke several times of Lincoln, and his
sweetness and tenderness of heart and yet firm and de-
termined character, which wanted only the opportunity
SALMON P. CHASE ON MEN AND EVENTS. 339
to strike with memorable justice. No patriot, born or
unborn, would ever measure up to his greatness.
I told the Chief- Justice that the first political speeches
I ever heard in the United States were by him and Gen-
eral W. H. Gibson, and repeated one of his sentences in
refutation of the claims of Know-Nothingism, which de-
manded twenty-one years' residence before a foreigner
could become a citizen of the United States: "If a man
has not brains enough to understand the Constitution in
five years, he will not understand it in twenty-one years."
Speaking of the Know-Nothing party, he said: "It
was conceived in prejudice and bigotry, as such organ-
izations will occasionally arise, encouranged by dema-
gogues and disappointed politicians; but the growing
intelligence of America shakes off the serpent, as Paul
shook the viper from his hand."
General Gibson believed that Chase had been opposed
to his advancement and had used his influence against
him. Said he : "I wish you would say in one of your let-
ters to the Cleveland Leader that I have always been the
friend of General Gibson, and that my influence has al-
ways been used for him. I consider him a very striking
and effective stump orator. In one of his speeches, and
I have heard him often, he evinced an amount of dramatic
ability and power truly wonderful."
I requested Mr. Chase, on one occasion, to give me
the history of his reply to Daniel O'Connell, who had
written a powerful letter to the Irishmen of America to
come out of the Democratic party and vote with the
Abolitionists. Mr. Chase replied : "The letter written by
Mr. O'Connell was placed in my hands by the Abolition-
ists, with a request that I write a response to the indict-
ment of slavery, and the inconsistency of his countrymen
340 UNDER THREE FLAGS,
in their wholesale support of the party with which the
barbarism of slavery had been maintained." He ex-
pressed his regret at never having seen O'Connell, and
asked if I had ever seen him. I told him I had seen him
only once, when, a mere lad, a stalwart Irishman had
held me upon his shoulder for a glimpse of the eman-
cipator while he was making a speech. He knew O'Con-
nell's writings well, and was conversant with many in-
cidents in his life. I related to him one which he had
never heard, and which seemed to please him. O'Con-
nell was defending a prisoner on trial for his life when
he violently abused the judge and jury. The prisoner
became frightened, and exclaimed: "O, Mr. O'Connell,
if you speak like that they will hang me !" "And never
you mind if they do or not," cried Mr. O'Connell ; "for if
they do, I will make them sorry for it !"
Of the great preachers of his time, Bishop Simpson
was Chase's ideal. He loved and admired him for his
patriotism and eloquence, and pronounced his oration
over Lincoln's grave the finest combination of patriotic
and funeral oratory. he had ever heard. "Yes," he said,
"Bishop Simpson is a man of genius? and his great power
as a pulpit orator remains undiminished. I always hear
him when it is in my power, and I always wish to see him."
I ventured to critcise the great bishop, on account of his
too frequent habit of giving way to his emotions while
in the pulpit. Mr. Chase replied, in vindication of his
favorite, and mine also: "The very same objection was
brought against Edmund Burke by Sir Philip Francis,
in his defense of Marie Antoinette, that there was too
much emotion in it for good taste. Burke replied, 'All
I can say is, I shed tears when I wrote those words and
thought of the scenes they recalled, and my eyes filled
SALMON P. CHASE ON MEN AND EVENTS. 341
with tears as I read them over again/ And I. think,"
continued Mr. Chase, "if the greatest of philanthropic
orators wept when he produced that memorable and beau-
tiful description, Bishop Simpson may be pardoned if
he occasionally indulges in emotion."
That Mr. Chase was a candidate for the Presidency
was evident from his actions. He dwelt frequently upon
the ingratitude of parties for their leaders. I asked him
his opinion upon a question that was then agitating the
country, showing him a- letter upon the same subject
which I had received from Sumner. He said : "You know
that I am a candidate for the nomination, and that my
friends are hopeful of my success, and any profession on
the eve of the Convention would be received with sus-
picion. The press would jump eagerly at any statement
I would make. The truth is, that jealousies, enmities,
and conspiracies pursue the public man to his grave.
His honor, his patriotism, his motives, are impeached!
History is searched for parallels to his shame. The most
disinterested act of my life was that letter to Daniel
O'Connell. At that time it was the most popular thing
that could be done, yet the leading papers wrote me
down as a demagogue."
He then quoted the well-known words of Washing-
ton : "It is a severe tax which all must pay who are called
to eminent stations of trust, not only to be held up as
conspicuous marks to the enmity of the public adver-
saries of their country, but to the malice of secret traitors
and the treachery of false friends." He added, with emo-
tion: "Ignorance and malice pour their calumnies upon
the best men that I have known, upon the men that have
made the greatest sacrifices for their country. It is, in-
deed, the vice of our age, and I fear particularly of our
342 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
country. The pains and penalties of public life and its
enemies were illustrated in the treatment of Henry Clay
by his party. It is related of Clay that he asked some one
who was nominated for the Presidency, and when he
was told "Franklin Pierce," he exclaimed, "Who is he!
My God, we are beaten!" Chase repeated this with
dramatic effect.
These are a few of the utterances of Mr. Chase in
the several interviews I had with him. As I remember
him, he seemed a man noble and attractive in the qual-
ities of truth, justice, and courage. A man whom the
colored people of the South will always remember with
pride and love. He belonged to a grand race of orators
and statesmen a race that lifted the great party of free-
dom and the Union triumphantly before the world.
Chapter XXII.
INTERVIEWS WITH EMINENT MEN WENDELL
PHILLIPS SOME CHARACTERISTIC VIEWS.
T NTER VIEWS with eminent men are the most enter-
1 taining, as they form the most interesting and instruct-
ive department of national history. All history, in truth,
is compounded of a series of biographies and conversa-
tions. It embraces an ampler scope of details. History
is boundless in its range, while interviews are limited and
individualized. But in essence they are one; for there
can be no great events without great actors. The won-
derful Iliad, heroic history in hexameters, is only a
series of interviews. The "Decline and Fall" is a gallery
of portraits emperors, conquerors, lawgivers, pontiffs,
prelates, poets, and patriots; men who have adorned hu-
manity by their virtues, or debased it by their vices.
Each of these interviews gives a faithful account of the
distinguished men's opinions whose names are mentioned.
American genius is a unity, and it is seen in the splendid
antitheses of Phillips, in the beautiful ideal philosophy of
DufTerin, in the piety and wisdom of Simpson, in the vast
intellectual power of Elaine, in the patriotic intrepidity
of Sheridan, the profound learning of Chase.
The distinguished agitator and orator, Wendell -Phil-
lips, has been dead for many years, but his memory is
still warmly cherished by thousands in this and Euro-
pean countries. Massachusetts has given many a great
citizen to the State; none, however, who have rendered
more valuable services to the cause of civil and religious
343
344 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
liberty than the famous man of whom I speak. Few men
hold a more honored position in our roll of illustrious
characters. We claim for Wendell Phillips admiration
and honor. Personal reminiscences of such benefactors
are of incalculable advantage, as through this channel
a vast amount of information upon important subjects
is disseminated concerning those whose labors have left
their footprints in the history of the times.
Mr. Phillips said to me one day, "If you ever come
within twenty miles of Boston, let me know, and I will
hear you." The time came when I could grant his wish,
and he was asked to preside at the meeting. He could
not come, but wrote a letter the last one he ever wrote
expressing his regrets, and saying his wife was ill. He
invited me to visit him the next day. I found him in
his library. He was in a conversational mood, and gave
me his recollections of the eminent men whom he had
met in Europe and the United States. I had recently
returned from the Old World, where I had met and
conversed with some of the Russian exiles. The address
of Mr. Phillips before Harvard, in which he justified and
glorified the rough methods of the Nihilists, was trans-
lated into all the continental papers. These bold con-
spirators read the speech with tears in their eyes, and
they told me of their admiration and of their love for
its author. I told Mr. Phillips of the emotion of these
brave but mistaken advocates for liberty, when I informed
them of my personal acquaintance with him. He was
pleased to know that his words had traveled across the
Alps, giving comfort to the people. "Russia," he said,
"has been carrying on a war against humanity for centu-
ries. The barbarism of Russians was shown in burning off
the feet of the champions of liberty and shooting them
INTERVIEWS WITH EMINENT MEN. 345
down like dogs. I trust that some mighty leader will start
up among them who will avenge the martyred Nihilists,
and lead the cause to success." I asked him his estimate
of Webster, and which of his efforts he considered his
masterpiece. He believed that the noblest specimen of
his eloquence and the most profound specimen of his
reasoning was contained in a lecture before the Mechan-
ics' Institute in Boston, quoting a whole paragraph, com-
mencing, "A history of mechanical philosophy, however,
would not begin with Greece." He said that nature was
lavish to Webster. His broad temples, his massive head,
and majestic body were all expressive of concentrated
force of will which marked the great Greeks, and which
Lavater admired. His self-possession, his splendid pres-
ence, his learning, his oratory, his dramatic manner of
stating a case, all added impressiveness and power to
his utterances. When he first commenced to speak he
was strained, and his first sentences resembled the effort
to get a heavily-laden vessel under way. His words were
not winged, but appeared as if rough hewn out of some
mental quarry. The two best known and popular of
his speeches were the two delivered at Plymouth Rock
and Bunker Hill. He questioned Webster's sincerity.
"To him," he said, "might aptly be applied the language
of Sallust in speaking of Catiline, 'He could with equal
skill pretend not to be what he was and to be what he
was not.' "
France was mentioned, and he was very enthusiastic
in describing the people of that country. "I was there
during all the enthusiasm, which, having been restrained,
broke forth in a torrent. Mourir pour la patrie, to die
for one's country, no matter who governs, is still the
sweetest death to a Frenchman. Neither materialism
UNDER THREE FLAGS.
nor Bourgeois prosperity have been able to erase this
beautiful blossom from the Frenchman's heart." He
quoted with rare power Verginaud's proud saying, "The
nobility what does that mean? The nobility that
means one class born to rule, another class born to be
ruled; one class born to be masters, another class born
to be slaves! The very term is an insult to the human
race and blasphemous against the living God." He spoke
with delight of the French character, and believed that
the Republic was an assured triumph. Of Beranger, the
republican poet, he was full of praise, and repeated his
bold words,
" Peuples, formez tme sainte alliance
Bt donnez-vous la main."
("O, nations, form, a holy alliance,
And give to each other a friendly hand.")
In the presence of this greatest master of eloquence,
I was anxious to have his views upon this subject, and
inquired if the following anecdote of him was true: A
statement had gone the rounds of the press, some years
before, which represented Mr. Phillips as exclaiming, in
one of his superb rages, as he fixed his eyes upon the
motto of the State in Faneuil Hall, "God save the com-
monwealth of Massachusetts," "God d n the common-
wealth of Massachusetts !" He said it was true, and that
he received hundreds of letters from clergymen remon-
strating. He laughed like a boy at the memory called
up, and gave me the history of the circumstances which
called forth the denunciation. A slave girl had made
her escape from South Carolina under the most distress-
ing difficulties. Arriving in Boston, she was immediately
arrested and remanded back to slavery. An indignation
meeting was called. Fredrika Bremer was present, and
INTERVIEWS WITH EMINENT MEN. 347
indignant that such an outrage should be committed on
the sacred soil of the Pilgrims. "I did utter that male-
diction," said Mr. Phillips. "You are a clergyman was
it profanity? Would you not have repeated it?" I re-
plied, "If I had not said it, I would have thought it."
Mr. Phillips laughed heartily, and rising, went to his
book-case and brought me a copy of his Harvard oration,
with his autograph on it, which he gave to me as a tes-
timonial of his regard.
He had nothing but contempt for Disraeli, and de-
scribed him as a charlatan, saying that the best portrait
of him was found in one of his own novels : "He became
habituated to the idea that everything could be achieved
by dexterity, and that there was no test of character ex-
cept success, to adopt any opinion and possess none."
He asked me if I heard John Bright, and what was
my opinion of his style. I replied in the affirmative, say-
ing that his style was very simple. "Yes," said Mr.
Phillips, "his style is simple, and perhaps he has spoken
the finest English in this age ; but he seems to have aban-
doned all his early progressive ideas, and gone back upon
his friends and upon liberalism. Now he sees in every
party a faction; in the enlightened progress toward jus-
tice in Ireland, a malignant insult; in all her efforts for
local self-government, a sectarian cry. The great place
he filled, the great reforms in which he participated,
all are to be remembered with gratitude; but his oppo-
sition to prohibition and woman suffrage and other re-
forms shows that he has become an antiquated imbecile.
He has undoubted talents; but if any of the sacred fire
of his earlier and purer days is left in him, he must feel
degraded and politically dead."
I called his attention to his own recent lecture upon
348 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Charles Sumner, and inquired which of the senator's
speeches he considered the best. He answered: "It is
very difficult to decide. For strength of denunciation,
his speech upon the barbarism of slavery is the most
thoroughly prepared and most forceful, and the most
exciting of all his addresses in the Senate. But the first
address he ever delivered, upon the 'Grandeur of Nations/
bears evidence of great study. It has the glow of genius,
and I believe history will place this effort as perhaps the
greatest of all, in literary preparation and excellence."
Here a suggestion was made that Mr. Phillips and other
agitators might have accomplished more effective work
by accepting public office. "O no," was the quick re-
sponse; "the best method for reformers, if they sincerely
desire the public good, is never to accept office. All
the great reforms of the last few years were achieved by
men who never took office. It was William Wilberforce
who abolished slavery; it was O'Connell who abolished
Catholic slavery; it was Cobden who abolished the taxes
upon food ; and never has Gladstone appeared in a nobler
attitude than when he pleaded the cause of the Bulga-
rians, friend and foe conceded the purity and splendor
of his aims. All these public benefactors were out of
office at the time."
In speaking of Gladstone, Mr. Phillips said: "Glad-
stone possesses all the elements of the most persuasive
eloquence logic unsurpassed, commanding personality,
vast and profound learning, and a free and fearless man-
ner." Referring to the Englishman's change of front on
the Irish question, .and that his enemies charged him
with demagogism: "No," continued the veteran agitator,
with considerable warmth, "that is the old slander. He
is no demagogue. A demagogue follows, but does not
INTERVIEWS WITH EMINENT MEN. 349
lead the masses. He flatters their follies and prejudices,
while the reformer and statesman attacks both at the
mandates of his convictions. He transfers the benev-
olent spirit of Christianity from the pulpit to the plat-
form."
He rapidly sketched traits of several orators of his
own time. Of Clay, he said, "His rush at a subject had
all the rapidity of a mountain torrent." Calhoun was
"always cool. His voice low in tone and small in volume ;
but when he became excited his words fairly hissed."
Everett's eloquence was "like a stuffed doll." "The per-
fection of eloquence is fervid thought in direct language.
No orator can tell the thing within him it is a passion.
Rhetoric is a mummy; no great truth goes by art."
"Every orator has his faults and his own style. It was
the fashion of Addison and Burke to polish, alter, and
finish up the sentence, and adopt the last and best fin-
ished."
I spoke of his sympathy for Ireland, and that in Dub-
lin he was almost as well known as the Irish leaders them-
selves ; that his speeches were read all over the land. "Ire-
land," he answered, "has my support. It is nigh a hundred
years since the greatest political essayist that ever lived,
Junius, wrote in one short sentence the history of mis-
government in Ireland : 'The people of Ireland have been
universally plundered and oppressed.' This has been
the epitome of Irish history for hundreds of years."
Parnell was then in the fullness of his fame, and of
him Phillips said: "He is the truest and noblest type of
an Irish patriot. Since O'Connell stirred the hearts of
Ireland like an earthquake, and swayed her mind by his
eloquence as planets rule the sea, no Irish leader has
ever been a truer exponent of Ireland's aspirations than
350 UNDER THREE FLAGS,
Parnell." He then referred to the labor problem, re-
peating with earnestness the observations of one of the
Fathers: "Government wealth is not to be expended in
personal enjoyment, but in promoting the glory of God
and the happiness of his creatures."
But it was for O'Connell that he reserved his highest
praise. He dwelt upon his generous and effective sym-
pathies with the Protestant Dissenters, securing for them
the laws that guarded their civil and religious rights ; his
noble advocacy of abolition and his broad, comprehen-
sive views, adding : "It is curious enough, in watching the
course of events, to mark how every strong passion which
takes hold of a nation embodies itself in a suitable leader,
who stands forth from his fellows as master of the sit-
uation. O'Connell was Ireland embodied." He then
related many anecdotes of him, his eloquence, wit, power,
and blarney. Referring to the latter, he heard O'Connell
in a meeting in Dublin say: "I was delighted at the
activity, and my heart grew warm admiring the beauty
of the dark-eyed maids and matrons of Kildare. O, there
is starlight sparkling from the eyes of a Kildare beauty!
And remember that you are the husbands of such women,
and a traitor or a coward could never be connected with
any of them." How he came to deliver his lecture upon
O'Connell was in this way : Dr. Blake, a physician, called
upon and asked him to speak a few words for a charity.
He protested that he had not studied the Irish question.
"Tell what you know of O'Connell," said the doctor.
He had a volume of the great Irishman's speeches, which
he took down, and read this sentence from one of them :
"We want no ascendency; we repudiate it. I had rather
die upon the scaffold I say it with all the solemnity of
truth than to consent to a Catholic ascendency for Ire-
INTERVIEWS WITH EMINENT MEN. 351
land." He spoke long and earnestly upon O'Connell,
describing him as the father of agitators; that his was
a sublime close of a political career the most successful
and the most morally glorious.
For John Boyle O'Reilly, the editor of the Boston
Pilot, Mr. Phillips had the most hearty and expressed
admiration^ as well as for Mr. Patrick Donahoe, the vet-
eran publisher of that splendid journal. Referring to
Mr. Donahoe's long advocacy of his Church in the face
of the most bitter New .England bigotry fifty years ago,
he called him a martyr, saying that to his zeal and per-
sistent devotion the cause of Ireland was eternally in-
debted. Then he would refer to O'Reilly frequently in
words like these: "Earnest in his patriotism, profound
in his devotion, stanch in his principles," saying that
his eager Irish heartedness made him the friend of every
oppressed people. It was a question whether O'Reilly
was more American or Irish; that his sympathies were
boundless. He advocated the claims of Ireland in the
fashionable homes of Boston when it had not become
popular. In a remakable essay in one of these Beacon
Street mansions he showed that Ireland had resources
in art, in manufactures, in commerce, and mines, to make
her a nation. "I admired his genius," continued Phil-
lips, "integrity, and sturdy independence." He eagerly
asked if I knew him. I responded that I knew him in-
timately; that I read him, studied him; that I was proud
to call him my friend! Yes, O'Reilly was my friend.
He wielded a powerful and pungent pen, whether it
reasoned with the head or with the heart.
I was in Italy when the cable announced that Boyle
O'Reilly, the accomplished gentleman, the beloved friend,
the revered, warm-hearted lover of Erin, the inspired
35 2 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
poet, was no more gone dead! In his death, Ireland
lost one of her brightest sons, and liberty one of her
most pure and high-souled champions! Perhaps there
never was a man in a shorter time, coming from a foreign
land, who won more respect and friendship than Boyle
O'Reilly. Thousands of the colored race, as well as
millions of Irishmen in all lands, shed tears of deep and
unaffected sorrow over his early death. But this gifted
son of Erin has left behind him a successor in James Jef-
frey Roche, endowed with faculties of the highest order,
a keen sense of all that is most holy in nature, most
beautiful in art, most benevolent in philanthropy, with
the heart of a patriot and the inspired genius of the poet.
Another great Irishman who was beloved by Phil-
lips was Mr. Patrick Ford, of New York. When I rose to
leave, Mr. Phillips exclaimed, "Stay longer! I wish to
speak to you about Mr. Ford. He is a hundred years
ahead of his times. I await each week with a keen inter-
est the arrival of the World. I read his temperance ar-
ticles, then the editorials upon the labor problem, and
his Irish utterances. I have laid away all the special num-
bers upon the American Revolution, and that great
issue upon Emmet, where he has collected the opinions
of the most eminent American statesmen, scholars,
preachers, and philanthropists upon the influences of
Emmet's life and death upon the civilization of the
United States. O yes, it is a great number. That power-
ful editorial has disentombed, renewed, and made fresh
again the martyrdom of that gifted man. Ford, I tell you,
Mr. Pepper, is a Briareus-minded man! He is not only
the fearless and unquailing champion of Ireland, but also
the bold, heroic, and self-sacrificing, friend of every op-
pressed people! He is a constant, sincere, and guile-
INTERVIEWS WITH EMINENT MEN. 353
lessly honest laborer in every worthy cause, and in its serv-
ice he has lavished the profits of a newspaper that would
have made him a millionaire in a few years. Independ-
ence, sincerity, and honor are eminently his character-
istics."
2 3
Chapter XXIII.
SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH JAMES G. ELAINE.
WHO can remember James G. Elaine, without think-
ing of his rare and eventful career? The grandest
American of his time, he gathered around him every
other man whose patriotism or genius seemed likely to
advance the interests of the cause to which he was de-
voted.
In the life of Arnold of Rugby it is related by his ac-
complished biographer, Thomas Hughes, that the stu-
dents of the great master could never hear his name
mentioned without tears. There are thousands of the
admirers of Mr. Elaine, belonging to all parties, who
mourn his loss to his country. They will always remem-
ber him as the patriot, orator, and statesman. To deny
greatness to Elaine is to manifest the most partisan preju-
dice. If that be not greatness which grasped the exigen-
cies of the situation and courageously met them; if that
be not greatness which struck off the degrading doctrine
of Europeans coming to this land, "Once a subject, al-
ways a subject;" if that be not statesmanship which com-
pelled Berlin and Rome to recognize and respect Amer-
ican diplomacy, then we do not understand the mean-
ing of the word.
I was living abroad when the cable flashed the sad
intelligence that Elaine was dead. In visiting the hotels
to see and talk with our countrymen, I met them from
North and South, from East and West, Democrats as
well as the most enthusiastic Republicans, and all ac-
354
JAMES G. ELAINE.
CONVERSATIONS WITH JAMES G. ELAINE. 355
knowledged but one feeling of profound sorrow. When
I put out the flag from the consulate, as is customary
when an illustrious official dies, Italians in passing would
pause, look up, and say, "America has lost a great states-
man/' One of the leading men of Milan could find no
higher praise than to compare him to Cavour. Both
had died in the prime of life, both had been honored with
public trusts, both would be ennobled in history as bene-
factors of their countries.
The first time I ever met Mr. Elaine was at his pleas-
ant cottage in Bar Harbor in 1884. The hour was late,
the family had retired; but Mr. Blaine was still up, and
he welcomed me cordially. About his first question was :
"You are from Knox County, Ohio?" Kenyon College,
where I had been a student many years before, is in that
county. My reply was, "No, Mr. Blaine, I am from
Wayne County; in the same State, however."
This seemed to surprise him, and he responded : "From
Wayne County? I can not understand it. That is a
Democratic county, with six hundred Democratic ma-
jority. How is it that you, a Methodist preacher and a
strong Republican, have not changed that vote?" When
it was explained to him that Methodist preachers only
remained three years in a place, and that the time was
entirely too short to make a change in such a strong
Democratic district, he laughed heartily.
In speaking upon Irish subjects, I mentioned Cur-
ran's name, when Mr. Blaine related an anecdote of the
great Irishman. It seemed that an acquaintance had
told Curran of some lawyer who had given imitations
of his style and gesture. "Imitations," said Curran, "are
like a rat running over the keys of a piano and calling it
356 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
At his request I called upon him again the next morn-
ing. In the meantime a letter from the National Com-
mittee with the list of appointments for Maine had ar-
rived. I showed them to Mr. Elaine. He read them
hurriedly, and then tore them up, saying : "Those places
are rock-ribbed Republican; they do not need mission-
aries and old soldiers." He then made out a new list of ap-
pointments, containing the largest manufacturing cities
and towns in the State.
As this was my first experience in politics, I asked
him for some data. Without referring to any book or
document whatever, he immediately answered : "Stick to
the effects of free trade upon India and Ireland. Tell
the Irish that in the year 1799 Ireland exported fifteen
million dollars worth of manufactured web linen to the
English market, and that fifty per cent of tariff was re-
tained by the Irish Parliament; that under it one million
five hundred thousand of the inhabitants lived by manu-
factures, one to every five persons of the country; that
after the destruction of Grattan's Parliament, with the
introduction of free trade, only thirty-seven thousand
were engaged in manufactures, one to every two hundred
and eighty of the people, showing a decrease of seventy-
eight per cent." These statistics and a series of others
he poured forth without a minute's pause, closing this
part of his conversation with the observation that there
was nothing sublimer in history than a nation achieving
such prosperity in eighteen years, and nothing more de-
plorable than Ireland's decline afterwards.
In company with Judge W. H. West, of Bellefontaine,
Ohio, I addressed a meeting at some cross-roads in Maine.
The enthusiasm was great, and there seemed to be a de-
termination to elect their favorite son to the Presidency.
CONVERSATIONS WITH JAMES G. ELAINE. 357
Afterwards I met Mr. Blaine at Orrville, Ohio, a rail-
road town founded by Judge Orr, a classmate of Mr.
Blaine. I was en route to Newark, to make a speech with
Senator Frye, when the train stopped at Orrville. Blaine
was compelled to make a short speech. I explained to
him the situation in Ohio, and he whispered in my ear
"What majority will Ohio give?" I answered, "About
ten thousand." "O," he replied, "she must do better than
that."
The next morning I breakfasted with him in Colum-
bus. The first words with which he saluted me were:
"Well, now what do you think will be the majority of
your State?" I responded, "Twenty-five thousand."
"Why, how is that? What has occurred since yesterday
to change your opinion?" I reported the immense meet-
ing in Newark, largely composed of wool-growers; how
that Senator Frye's first sentence, "Sheep ! sheep ! sheep !"
captured and conquered hundreds of votes; how that
they flocked around Frye, following him to his hotel,
declaring their resolution to vote the Republican ticket.
Blaine enjoyed immensely the description of the senator's
speech. Every now and then he would break out laugh-
ing, with the words, "That is Frye just like him; he is
the best tariff speaker in our party for a crowd for a
crowd."
I embraced the hour or two which he gave me to get
his opinions and estimates of many public characters.
He spoke in a low, measured, mournful tone of Garfield;
spoke of him as a consummate politician; as one of the
noblest statesmen in our country; compared him to one
of the grand cathedrals of the past, where you pass from
one shrine to another until you reach the undermost
crypt, where are preserved the most precious relics. This
358 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
tribute to his dead friend was warm, spontaneous, direct
from the heart. He inquired if I knew him. I held up
a handsome blackthorn stick, with the initial "G" upon
it, and related to him how it came into my possession.
I was returning from Europe a few months before, dur-
ing the exciting times of Garfield's assassination, when
his life was hanging in the balance. An Irish emigrant
had died on board, and the captain asked me to deliver
an address to raise some funds for the destitute family
in Ireland. I was about half way through, when the
pilot came on board with the joyful news that President
Garfield was still living. I announced it. The cheers were
so long and loud that my address was abruptly brought
to a close. A lady from New Rochelle was so pleased
with the news that she presented me with this cane. Mr.
Elaine took the stick in his hand, saying it was the finest
blackthorn he had ever seen, and remarking, "The cir-
cumstances under which you received it will always make
it a valuable relic."
During this conversation references were made to the
charges of corruption so vindictively made against pub-
lic men. Mr. Elaine quoted Burke with promptitude :
"He who accuses everybody of corruption, convicts but
one." He asked if I had ever heard McKinley, if I knew
him. On my replying in the negative, he spoke in the
most enthusiastic language of him. He said: "Mr. Mc-
Kinley is one, if not the greatest, of the leaders of the
party. He has matured slowly like an oak; but like the
oak his fame and usefulness will outlast generations; full
of facts and figures, he is the best informed man on a pro-
tective tariff in the country."
There was some doubt about Thomas B. Reed's sue-
CONVERSATIONS WITH JAMES G. ELAINE. 359
cess for Congress expressed at that time. I asked Mr.
Elaine his opinion : "Mr. Reed is a man full of electricity,
full of courage, full of hope! He fail? Impossible! He
has always won, and will win this time." He spoke of
his distinguished opponent with judicious criticism.
He inquired about the generals under whom I had
served Sherman, Logan, Howard, Raum. He was an
intense admirer of General Sherman. He described the
results of the war as marvelous; said that "the recon-
struction of the Soutl] was a miracle, the boldest experi-
ment on the grandest scale that the world ever saw. No
other conquered people ever became reconciled so easily.
Greece did not amalgamate with Turkey, Poland with
Russia, Lombardy with Austria, Ireland with England."
He was anxious to know what would be the strength of
the Irish vote, and spoke of Mr. Ford's paper as able and
untiring in its advocacy of the Republican party.
When I saw Mr. Elaine again it was during the Ad-
ministration of President Harrison. In one of the visits
he spoke of his meeting the Duke of Abercorn in Donegal.
The cluke traced his (Elaine's) descent back to the blue
banner of the Covenant. He spoke of his conversation
with Gladstone ; how the "Grand Old Man" monopolized
all the time, not allowing him an opportunity to say a
word ; but the me'mory of his conversation was like music
that always lingers in the ear.
In an interview at this time a brief reference was
made to the cause of Elaine's defeat in 1884. He evi-
dently was averse to talking about it ; but as I mentioned
an incident in connection with the Harrison campaign
in a small town near Utica, New York, where, out of
a large Republican vote, he only received a small num-
360 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
her, and Harrison three times as many, I suggested that
it was Roscoe Conkling's influence. After a moment's
hesitation, he said, "That and the bad weather."
When I was consul at Milan, Italy, I frequently met
Dr. Fornoni, Mr. Elaine's physician when he was there
several years ago. This gentleman was full of remem-
brances of his patient, and with Americans would talk
of nothing else. He would tell of his conversations with
him, of his despondent and melancholy hours, of the
times he would send for him when there was really noth-
ing the matter with him, of the annoyances of newspaper
men. One day I told Dr. P'ornoni that I would like to
have him repeat some of the utterances of Mr. Elaine
upon Italy. "What you request would be an arduous
task," was the reply; "for I took only a few notes. I
was so bewildered and charmed when I listened to him
that I could not remember one-half of his rare sayings.
As a conversationalist upon Italian subjects, he knew
more and he surpassed all the men I ever met. He would
ask my opinion, and before I would utter half a dozen
sentences he would pour such a flood of light upon the
subject that I became ashamed of my own ignorance.
He always exhibited more correct knowledge, more warm
sympathy with Italy than any Englishman or American
of my acquaintance. One time he said : "You have a
wonderful country. Its mountains are grand; its valleys
are beautiful, its streams and rivers are fit to turn the
machinery of Europe, its harbors to moor the commerce
of the world." Again he would show his knowledge of
our political history, quoting the familiar utterance of
Victor Emmanuel after the disastrous battle of Novara,
Per Dio, V Italia sard ('By the help of God, Italy shall be'),
and the Prime Minister's exclamation, 'Italy is made, but
CONVERSATIONS WITH JAMES G. BLAINE. 361
who shall make the Italians?* He seemed to know all by
heart, and predicted Italy's brillliant future; that she
would never go back to the former times."
I then asked Dr. Fornoni to tell me something of
Mr. Elaine's criticisms on illustrious Italians. He an-
swered : "Mr. Elaine had always words of praise for Dante.
He did not like his gloomy grandeur, and had no sym-
pathy for his morose views of the hereafter, but admired
and extolled him as the maker of the Italian language.
He admired our great novelist, Alessandro Manzoni, and
believed his Tromessi Sposi' would live forever. He
considered the most resplendent name in Italian history
to be that of Cavour, and often repeated Cavour's words,
'Five and twenty centuries of accumulated glories have
destined Rome to become the capital of a united king-
dom.' ' Dr. Fornoni continued to say that Mr. Elaine
would frequently pause and gaze musingly at the Cavour
monument fronting the hotel, in which a symbolical fig-
ure of History is writing the name "Cavour."
The last time I saw Mr. Elaine was at his own home in
the city of Washington, where I called to pay my re-
spects and to ask what I should say to his Italian friends
regarding his health. "Tell them I am as well as ever,"
was his quick reply, and his beaming countenance and
whole bearing seemed to bear witness to his words. In
an hour or two afterwards, as I was entering Mr. Harri-
son's room, Mr. Elaine was coming out. Richard Kerens,
the Republican leader, was also about to visit the Presi-
dent. Mr. Elaine grasped his hand joyously, with the
salutation, "Richard, how are you?" Then he turned
to me, and, speaking with deliberation, said: "Parnell
is dead. Although preceded by Burke in his procla-
mation of Ireland's wrongs ; by Grattan, who pleaded for
362 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Irish independence; and by O'Connell, yet Parnell has
accomplished more than all of them."
This was my last interview with James G. Elaine.
He, too, is dead; but as the years roll on his name will
brighten with increasing splendor, and as the young men
of the future will ask their elders who was the most
illustrious American of the day, the answer will be,
"James G. Elaine."
Chapter XXIV.
MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS FOUR TYPICAL ORA-
TORS: CHARLES SUMNER, BISHOP SIMP-
SON, FATHER AGOSTINO, WILLIAM
JENNINGS BRYAN.
THE inanity of oratory has been a prolific theme for
the pens of many powerful writers, and the mystic
might of silent work and speechless labor has had its
panegyrists. This is a reaction, and as such it is par-
tial, nor should it be wholly yielded to. All men are
wearied with the hollow phrase-mongering and maneu-
vers of platforming, and the paltry declarations of dema-
gogues. But not the less hollow and vain are the solemn
shams of the silent, who pass off as wise men because
they are wordless, and frown the talker into disrepute.
It is said that this is the age of action. Fools! Is not
the orator a man of action? Pericles ruled Athens by the
magic of his tongue, and Demosthenes preserved the
fainting liberties of Greece by his eloquence.
Let us not be led away by the crowd who denounce
the speaker and extol the worker; for talking is a neces-
sity of our nature. Like every duty, it is also a privilege.
It has been abused and perverted, as all good things are
when not in harmony with their relations. It has often
been severed from the uses of life and made the weapon
wherewith the indolent war against time; the weapon
of abuse, the apologist of crime ! And yet these are the
abuses of oratory, and not reasons for silence. There
lies a power and a blessing in speech the world but little
363
364 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
dreams of. Our existence vibrates between speech and
silence. These are the day and night of thought. Speech
or oratory spreading its sunlight into the corners of the
mind, showing the minute and paltry, the great and the
beautiful; silence, with its star sheen and deep depth of
sky, revealing beauty and the ideal to the watching soul ;
silence preparing what speech propounds the one the
reality, the other the revelation, let neither be exalted
or despised above the other; they are twin gifts of God,
and both are holy. A world of silence would be a model
prison ; a world of talk, a Babel of parrots.
I have said that the popular outcry against oratory
is a reaction. Thomas Carlyle utters his vehement pro-
test against speech, deifies action, and his followers echo
him. Every disciple of the eccentric Scotch philosopher
exclaims that it is time to stop talking and to begin
to act. Every one wants some one else busy doing
something. They are in an uproar to create silence.
What is oratory but a means to realize the purpose of our
minds? What is it but a struggle to reach and release
the spirit which, imprisoned, aspires to the infinite, as
a caged eagle pants for a free flight seawards?
Wonderful is the power of speech ! It is godlike, it
is creative a holy office, a noble employ, which distin-
guishes life from mere existence. It reveals the attributes
of the spirit, the motions of the intellect, the holiness of
the affections. The idea which it incarnates alone is
intrinsic is the jewel set in words. It is sad to think
how this divine privilege has been abused by alleged ora-
tors; how trivial, feeble, fruitless it has become, until
it is deemed nobler to weave cloth and forge horse-shoes
than to cultivate the divine art of speech. True oratory
demands a purpose. When the blacksmith, having heated
TYPICAL ORATORS. 365
his iron bar, swings his mighty hammer on to his anvil
till the sparks fall in showers around him, he hath a pur-
pose, a defined purpose, to make a horse-shoe. There
is evinced in all oratory either an absence of all purpose
or ignorance of the way to effect it. Any one of the
typical orators never speaks without a purpose; and then
oratory is divine. Sages become their disciples, and then
orators influence the after-fate of the race. No intellect
so poor, no mind so uneducated, as may not be useful
if they have a purpose.. Speech is man's mightiest gift.
It is like a mighty river, which, bearing weeds and rub-
bish in its waters, floats also the stately barks of thought,
and is the channel for the commerce of information. Why
should we worship silence? Oratory is the life of thought.
An unspoken idea remains a dream. The sculptor ex-
presses his thought in marble, the painter in colors, the
builder in houses, the musician in notes, the weaver in
cloth, the tailor in garments, and the speaker in words.
It is not the material which is valued in these; it is the
idea which informs and underlies them, which is the
beauty of art and the utility of the manufacturer. Al-
though the orator trusts his idea to the pliant air, the
subtle element surrounding the tympanum of the ear
discharges there its precious burden into the storehouse
of the brain. The exchange of ideas is as veritable a
storehouse of merchandise as our commerce in wheat or
cotton; its products are more precious, its agency more
powerful. Yea, in a happier age, towards which the hand
of the Almighty urges the world like a ball, the most
valued and delightful work of man will be the inter-
changing of ideas, the expression of emotion, the embodi-
ment of intellect in the perfected medium of speech. The
word is mightier than the book. The mother's voice,
366 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
sweeter than the harps of angels, distills instruction on
her child's inquiring mind, gentle yet effective as the dew
upon the grass. The youth learns as he listens; for it is
the oral explanation of the teacher, not the rule of the
book, which he understands. The wife, sitting by her
husband's side, listens to his talk on the events of the day.
The friends, in conversing together, unfold the tangled
mysteries, and the darkness of doubt vanishes before the
ray of light. The true mission of speech is a holy one.
It has been abused; every medal has its reverse!
CHARLES SUMNER.
Among those who most adequately illustrate the quali-
ties of oratory as described in these lines, is Charles Sum-
ner. It is usual for the living to call the histories of the
dead riddles. Cromwell is a riddle, Lincoln is a riddle,
Gladstone is a riddle. Everything is a riddle to those
who have not the wish or patience to explore its latent
meaning; and Charles Sumner, born to wealth, leisure,
and luxury, becoming the champion of the downtrodden,
would also be a riddle if his motives had not been ex-
plained by his subsequent life. He was called at first a
demagogue. Never was a falser aspersion leveled at the
character of a true, fearless, and dignified champion of
human rights. The charge is so far removed from the
bright truth that sparkles in every incident of his life that
the ardent lover of liberty feels the incapacity of words
to give utterance to the deep indignation which stirs
within him at the aspersion.
"Who is the first orator of England?" a stupid person
once asked Lord Brougham. "Lord Derby is the sec-
ond." This was the self-conscious reply. The inquirer
had forgotten that Henry Brougham had been in his
CHARLES SUMNER. 367
time the defender of Queen Caroline, the champion of
Reform, and as the advocate of Negro emnacipation had
made all England ring with his fame. If Charles Sumner
was not the first orator of this country, he was undoubt-
edly the second. He had all the grand attributes of the
orator. He was tall, and remarkable for his presence
his countenance a model of manly beauty, his face oval,
and the complexion clear and mantling, the forehead lofty
and white. But it was the eye that flashed with piercing
scrutiny when all the character of the man came forth.
One quality of his oratory was his thoroughness, his
learning, and his power of finishing, rubbing his sentences
so fine that nothing could be added. He took all nature
for his illustrations. It might be said of him as was said
of Brougham by an opposing lawyer at the English bar,
that "when Brougham got hold of any subject, he nailed
it, and nailed and nailed it, till no man could nail it any
faster." Brougham, in his reply, readily admitted that
he did endeavor to make the best of his case, and so did
his opponent; the only difference was that of method.
Granting himself to be a nailer, he did not know of any
term so appropriate to his opponent as that of a polisher ;
for when he got hold of a case he polished it, and polished
it, until he made it so superlatively bright that it was sure
in the end to dazzle his own imagination, and lay a trap
for his better judgment. Both illustrations are certainly
happy in their application to Mr. Sumner.
Charles Sumner was aided in his oratory by a faultless
elocution. His style was dignified and correct; and if it
smells somewhat of the lamp, this peculiarity ought to be
overlooked, since it was found even in the orations of
Demosthenes himself.
In Sumner's speeches against slavery we have the
368 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
grave and gradual march of one whose heart is in his
theme, and who carries all things before him, like a land-
slide, which bears trees and rocks and flowers along with
it, and so covers the ground on which it settles as to hide
every trace of prior occupancy.
And yet, in the true signification of the word, Charles
Sumner was a demogogue. He kept company with the
sublimest poets, the most profound philosophers, and the
courageous reformers of all ages. Who were the bold
spirits who battled on the floors of Parliament and on the
popular rostrum for the great truths of freedom and
righteousness? Who the friends of humanity, whose elo-
quence and activity in the cause of the people have broken
one after another the bands that confined their energies
and kept them the feeble suppliants of a proud and opu-
lent aristocracy? Who the men whose burning invectives
made the great nobles of England tremble before the
majesty of the people? They were such demagogues as
O'Connell, Brougham, and Thompson! They revered
the people. Charles Sumner was a demagogue in the
highest and grandest sense. Throughout the glorious
battle of slave emancipation, his fearless eloquence was
a torrent of consuming power, poured into every rampart
of oppression. Under the terrible pressure of his fierce
invectives, the slaveholder paled with hate and appre-
hension.
W T e have always felt universal admiration for Sumner.
When he commenced public life, the anti-slavery cause
was a bundle of broken factions, which his genius and
eloquence led to triumph. We admired him when he
made that magnificent plea for peace as the true grandeur
of the Nation. It was a true, bold, and intrepid picture
of the storms of war. We admired him when he delivered
CHARLES SUMNER. 369
that masterly speech against the extension of slavery to
Kansas. Strong and vigorous were the fearless attacks
upon the proud citadel of slavery. It broke the mental
lethargy of the Nation; it promised the splendid dawn
of emancipation ; it hastened the day-star of liberty. The
Northern mind burst its cerements, and issued forth like
a strong man after a sleep. We admired him when he
pronounced that memorable impeachment upon the "Bar-
barism of Slavery," when he demonstrated its terrible in-
fluence upon its brethren apologists, compelling them to
do its behests and to write "slave" upon their intelligent
faculties. It was unanswerable, and hence the resort to
the blows which were rained upon Sumner's head as he
sat at his desk. These blows killed Sumner. They also
killed slavery. Nothing gratifies the curiosity of sight-
seers more than to know the exact spot of historical
events. The first question of visitors' to the English
Parliament is to ask where Gladstone stood when he de-
livered his famous Home Rule speeches. So it is with
the friends of human freedom. When they visit Wash-
ington they ask where did Sumner sit when Brooks crept
up stealthily and struck the mighty orator. But never
did we admire Sumner so much as when, the war being
over, he took his stand by the defeated Confederates, and
in the spirit of Him whose birth was announced by the
songs of angels, pleaded with an eloquence sweet and
powerful that no thorns should be planted where the
olive had taken root.
These speeches are the most perfect of Sumner's ora-
tions. If you want to study oratory in books read Grat-
tan, Sheil, O'Connell. For amplitude of stride and rich
adornment of style, Burke is unrivaled. For rapidity,
epic grandeur, and epigrammatic point, Grattan has no
24
37 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
equal. Webster is the splendid orator whose grand serv-
ices to his country have been of the highest order; who
dethroned from the belief of many Americans the delu-
sions of Hayne, and vindicated the supremacy of the
Union; "who had a voice like the sound of the sea, pure
as the naked heaven."
FATHER AGOSTINO.
It is with no ordinary feelings that I undertake the
task of sketching this famous preacher, the Savonarola
of modern Italy. He has many of the shining qualities
which are admired by all lovers of eloquence; and he is
exalted still higher in the enlightened estimation of Chris-
tians and moralists by commanding these qualities for the
good of mankind, ready to employ them for that purpose
whenever they are called for, and equally anxious when
they are not to employ his leisure in improving them for
future use. If true eloquence is good sense, delivered in
a natural and unaffected way, without the artificial orna-
ments of tropes and figures, then Father Agostino is
primus inter pares. Our common eloquence is usually
a cheat upon the understanding. It deceives us with
appearances instead of realities, and makes us think we
see reason, whilst it is only tickling our senses.
He is about medium size, well proportioned, and his
face exhibits the perfection of manly beauty mellowed
by the soft touches of age. The features are refined, and
the complexion clear and ruddy. The nose is on the
Roman model, and the chin slightly peaked. The mouth
bespeaks great archness; the eyes have a quick, pene-
trating expression. The clear metallic voice is faultless
in intonation, now ringing out like a trumpet, now soft
and tender like a child's. For an hour (his sermons never
. FATHER AGOSTIJVO. 371
exceed that) he keeps his audience entranced now soar-
ing in ambitious flights and piling up a grand array of
words; now flashing forth with unexpected allusions and
similes ; now overwhelming with a torrent of ridicule ; now
piercing infidelity with the keen dagger of his sarcasm.
Much of his success is attributed to his fascinating
address, which forms the great charm of his oratory.
Even the pope is not proof against the potency of this
enchanted wand. The first element in Father Agostino's
preaching is his sincerity. He worships truth as if it were
God. He is Truth personified. He sees that lies abound
everywhere, and he arises, like another Peter the Hermit,
and preaches a bold and fearless crusade. He has no
concealments, everything is as open as the day.
Faith is another powerful factor in his sermons. He
believes, therefore he speaks. He looks out upon the
world and sees that faith is dead, strangled by the worldli-
ness of man. The age is material, it is an iron age. The
eye is fixed upon business and politics. Better far the
faith of the pagan, who bows to the stars, than to bow
the knee before the many gods of fashion, of money, and
of fame. In this moral wilderness he adopts the senti-
ment of Wesley, and cries out,
" Faith, mighty Faith, the promise sees,
And looks to that alone;
Laughs at impossibilities,
And cries, 'It shall be done!'"
He has another element in his ministrations. He is
courageous. He fears no man, and admires men of cour-
age. He gazes with admiration on Thor, wielding his
hammer and crushing rocks; on Xavier, inspired by a
heavenly zeal, and exclaiming in his dying moments,
"Farther, farther yet;" on Mirabeau, all seared and
372 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
scarred with wounds, "a tiger with the small-pox," beard-
ing the infuriated mob ; on Savonarola, shaking Italy with
his thundering tones; on Napoleon, starting from the
little olive-complexioned lieutenant, sweeping thrones
and dynasties before him like chaff.
Here is a specimen of Agostino's eloquence, selected
at random from a volume of his sermons in Italian. It is
entitled, "The Purpose of Life:" "And now let us con-
template the most innocent, the purest, and the most
perfectly-regulated affection that could animate the heart
of man. Will it suffice to fill it, to satisfy it? No ! because
a secret sense of satiety brings with it a haunting fear, of
which the tears shed in moments of complete and apparent
happiness are irrefragable proof. And the greater the
affection becomes, the more does the heart long for the
Infinite. My God, my God, for what purpose didst thou
create the heart of man? He created it for himself. Then
let us follow the instinct of our heart, and if the heart is
oppressed with the weight of the earth and its cares, it
will carry us straight home, then, to God. Again, if not
content with interrogating the superior faculties of our
nature, we ask the same question of those faculties which
address themselves to material objects; they receive the
same answer. Interrogate our sensibilities. They are
never satisfied. Our energies will not sleep, like Hanni-
bal, upon the victories of yesterday. They must have
some new sphere for activity. Ask the artists, artists
of all ranks. What do you find? You will find a man
whose first word is a protest against his incapacity to reach
the ideal standard he has set before him. You will see
Virgil about to throw his ^Eneid into the flames ; Michael
Angelo in sad, silent contemplation of his statues because
his mind has conceived a Colossus not to be compassed
FATHER AGOSTINO. 373
by his hand. You will see Leonardo da Vinci leave his
immortal Cenacolo incomplete. You will see Tasso bit-
terly regretting that he ever wrote the 'Gerusalemme
Liberata,' and Milton preferring some imperfect ode to
his Taradise Lost.' And last of all, the musician, to
prove this undeniable truth: the last echoes of his mel-
odies have died away, and he listens for them still, and
strains his ears to catch the harmonies which elude him,
and so prove to him his incapacity for reaching the per-
fection of his heart. Why is it? Why is it that the
nearer we approach to our ideal, the farther it seems to
depart from us? I ask the question here in the midst of
all the masterpieces of genius. I ask you, do you not
feel the love of the beautiful increasing, and not diminish-
ing, the farther we penetrate into it? My brethren, it is
the property of all the arts to take our souls to God. O
Raffaelo! I have gazed upon thy sublime frescoes, and
have remained in mute admiration hours before I have
turned away from that immortal page in the Vatican,
while my soul has flown up to God. Rossini! Bellini!
I have listened to your melodies, your symphonies, in a
transport of happiness, and while I have showered bless-
ings upon you for having given such an interpretation
to the feelings of the heart, I felt my own heart caught
up to the throne of God. Yet once again answer me.
How often, when from the summit of some hill you have
watched the sun sinking in the horizon, you have felt
your heart lifted up involuntarily tp heaven ! How often
in that solemn hour when some nameless feeling of melan-
choly has gained possession of you, have you not asked
your soul, Why art thou sad? Whence this melancholy?
What is it thou desirest? Dost thou follow the fleeting
cloud with thy longing gaze? But what dost thou want
374 UNDER THREE FLAGb.
with that cloud? Dost thou watch the course of the flow-
ing water? But what dost thou want with that water?
And the soul will answer, I am athirst for God."
This splendid passage is quoted from one of his ser-
mons preached in Florence, where from eight to ten
thousand persons listened to him daily. Sermons
preached in the morning were published at noon, and
read by multitudes.
I heard this great preacher several times in Milan,
and noted with deep interest the effect his discourses had
upon his hearers. While the greater part of them were
workmen, there was also a large number of scholars,
army officers, and artists. When he told a pathetic story,
hundreds wept ; when he pronounced a fine climax, many
cheered; and all exclaimed, "Bene! bene!" ("Good,
good !") When the crowds were moved with excitement,
the preacher was calm. When he ascended the pulpit, and
the clerk drew aside the curtain, the sea of expectant
humanity hushed before the smile of his face.
There are many stories told of Father Agostino's early
sermons. He frequently brought his hearers to their
knees. He broke the chain of centuries of bondage to the
custom of having a prompter, called suggeritore, in the
pulpit. His preaching was all natural ; no pompous ges-
tures; no mouthing, no posturing. He preached for im-
mediate effect. Once upon a time, when his penitent
audience were showing signs of contrition, he cried out,
"Now all of you who sincerely repent of your sins, hold
up your hands." Every man in the vast audience
stretched out both his hands. "Holy archangel Michael,"
exclaimed the preacher, "thou who with adamantine sword
standest at the judgment-seat of Christ, hew off every
BISHOP SIMPSON. 375
hand which has been raised hypocritically." In an in-
stant every hand dropped, and Agostino poured forth a
fresh torrent of eloquent denunciation against their hy-
pocrisy.
Under such fervent preaching there are no empty
seats; no indifferent hearers; no complaints that the gos-
pel the old, eternal gospel has lost its thrilling and
converting power.
BISHOP SIMPSON.
Matthew Simpson, in my earlier days, as a Methodist
preacher stood in the van of living celebrities for purity
of style, range of thought, simplicity of elucidation, and
cogency of argument. I wish I could present him as when
I first heard him in one of his old-fashioned fiery ser-
mons. Let us recall a single instance. It was at the
Methodist Conference held in Mansfield in the early six-
ties. The church was too small, and the bishop preached
in the open air. The crowd was immense, but reverent.
Expectation was high. At length a stooped form made
its way to the improvised pulpit. He looked neither to
the right nor left, but slowly ascended the rostrum and
bowed in prayer. When he rose to give out the first
hymn, the face was illuminated with a heavenly beauty,
the whole body seemed to be transfigured. The lesson
was read, and the sermon came at last. The introduction
was brief; the divisions were annuonced in the old way,
firstly, secondly, etc. The voice, in the beginning husky,
soon became clear and musical. The logic of the sermon
was unanswerable. Genius began to kindle. The cli-
maxes were the admiration of the eager audience. The
power of the highest dwelt in his soul, and raised him
to the dignity of a prophet. Hundreds turned aside and
376 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
wept. There was nothing local, nothing sectarian, noth-
ing earthly, nothing circumscribed, in his magnificent
utterances. He marched with a sublime movement, and
carried his enraptured hearers with him to heaven. Im-
agination can not linger on a finer picture than was pre-
sented that day. The first part of the sermon was hardly
over, when the people felt that a splendid model of a man
was before them. The very stones, the altar, the pulpit,
the seats, all seemed to move; and the only inactive
thing in the enchanted spot was the preacher's body. The
soul of the orator reigned ascendant over a captive audi-
ence. He never paused in his sacred declamation, he
never hesitated for a word. He spoke as one breathless
with haste, lest his grand thoughts should go unrecorded.
His eye, hand, and form were in perpetual speech. Noth-
ing was abrupt to those who could see him, except when
some flash would burst out with such sudden splendor as
to leave them suspended and dazzled too strongly to fol-
low the lusters that shot after it with restless illumina-
tions.
" Now one glance around, now upward turns his brow,
Hushed every breath he rises, mark him now! "
But on this occasion every breath was not hushed.
From that thronging multitude of heads and faces arose
a chorus of halleluiahs. As he gradually unfolded his
splendid theme, and showed the richer fields of investi-
gation which are disclosed to the angels from the Church,
the seed field of the glory of God; when he painted the
principalities and virtues, with their heads inclined down-
wards, bent on learning, if possible, the notes of the Al-
mighty's revealed purpose, and that from the death of
Christ the universe has been dated anew ; when he proved
that the Church was the mirror of mirrors for reflecting
BISHOP SIMPSON. 377
the many-colored wisdom of the Divine nature, and that
the primitive inhabitants of heaven were attracted to
earth to learn new aspects of redemption, as these sub-
lime visions flashed across the mind of the orator, the
blood mounted, glistening in his face, and the homely
physiognomy was illuminated with a sort of oratorical
sunshine. The mantle of Whitefield had fallen from
heaven upon Bishop Simpson.
At one part of his sermon, I remember, by a gesture,
a glance from his eagle eye, the bishop awed the audience
into deathlike stillness. Then like a torrent his unpre-
meditated and convincing oratory rushed into the heart,
expelling rooted convictions. How daring were his
strange digressions! how apposite his illustrations! how
magnificent the form and structure of his thought! how
soul-stirring his high and stern appeals! To my dying
day I shall always recall that illuminated countenance,
the characteristic actions, the sublime self-forgetfulness of
that great Methodist bishop. There must surely have
been wonderful capability of argument, vast knowledge,
a faculty of persuasion irresistible in its winning grace,
.all combined in the preacher of whom Chief- Justice Chase
said to me, "He is the greatest pulpit orator in Christen-
dom." Fragments of Simpson's oratory only have
reached us. It was all so natural, so easy as spontaneous
as Nature's creation of the violets. He was never like
the ranter, blowing himself up; never like the fuming
speaker to whom it was shouted, "Your face is so red it
makes me hot !"
What type of oratory does Bishop Simpson repre-
sent? He was not argumentative, discursive, and meta-
physical, like Edwards and Foster, those Euclids of the-
ology; he was not an orator of memories and gorgeous
378 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
rhetoric, like Guard and Punshon, those polished dia-
monds of Methodism; he was not an orator of calm and
ripe culture, like Dr. Payne ; he had not the varied scholar-
ship, the tender feeling, the simple pathos, and the splen-
did imagery of the Delaware president; he was not an
orator like Phillips Brooks, whose ear-piercing intona-
tions and clattering articulation produced a dissonance
so whimsically harsh that it can only be likened to the
squeal of a singed terrier tied to an old wagon, which
the horses are taking down a precipitous hill. To none
of these types does Bishop Simpson belong. To none
of them could he, with his great and superb genius and
soaring soul, belong. But in his own sphere he was
unique, unapproached, and unapproachable.
He was pious without hypocrisy, virtuous without
ostentation. He loved mankind. The pulpit was his
pride and his glory. He realized Quintilian's definition
of an orator, "A good man skilled in the art of speaking."
He surpassed all his contemporaries. There have been
preachers who have preached in a more solemn strain;
philosophers who understood more clearly the force of
everlasting truth; poets who uttered higher notes of en-
chantment, but in no age have intellectual power, moral
worth, social dignity, evangelical fervor, sound doctrine,
been so admirably blended as in the life and preaching of
Matthew Simpson. Yes, gifted and beloved man, happy
the Church of which you were the pastor and the bishop !
Happy the country when patriotism was stirred to a lofty
aim by thy brilliant and touching eloquence ! Venerable
son of Wesley, the Nation did itself honor by thy selection
as orator over the dead body of the martyred and im-
mortal Lincoln. Thy life was glorious, and when it closed
it left the literature and eloquence of the country, which
BISHOP SIMPSON. 379
it improved and adorned, as a lasting monument. But
there was a nobler monument, it was a reunited country
and a powerful Church, and the epitaph inscribed upon it
will be the eternal gratitude of the patriot and the saint.
To have paid this tribute to thy memory is the most hon-
orable office to which I could aspire, and to enjoy thy
companionship hereafter is the sublimest aspiration of
my heart.
"Eloquence is speaking out of the abundance of the
heart, the only source t from which truth can flow, in a
passionate, persuasive torrent." This definition of Julius
Hare is illustrated by a story told of Bishop Simpson.
He preached some years ago in the Memorial Hall, Lon-
don. It was one of the bishop's magnificent, massive
sermons. From the platform to the very door the hall
was crowded, the galleries were thronged, and the aisles
were a dense mass of people.
For half an hour he spoke quietly, without gesticulat-
ing or uplifting his voice. Then, describing the immacu-
late Son of God in the majestic beauty of his incarnation,
he pictured the journey of a God to Calvary, where he
bore the world's guilt. The bishop stooped as if over-
whelmed with an immense burden, and rising to his full
heieht, he exclaimed: "How far did he carry our sins?
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he re-
moved our transgressions from us." The great audience,
as if touched by an electric shock, jumped to their feet,
stood for two or three minutes, and then fell back into
their seats. The famous professor of Elocution, Brander
Matthews, who taught half the members of Parliament
the art of speech, was asked what he thought of the bish-
op's elocution. "Elocution?" said he, "he has got the
Holy Ghost!"
3^0 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
This was the greatest triumph of American sacred
. eloquence ever heard in England, ever heard anywhere.
It was a great triumph when it is remembered that Eng-
lish audiences are cold and undemonstrative. It was a
great triumph over prejudice and bigotry, and to this
very day old English Methodists tremble with emotion
when they speak of that transcendent sermon of the
American preacher. It was a great triumph ; for it placed
American pulpit oratory as on a standard of gold, inlaid
with emeralds, before the world.
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN.
It has been well and opportunely said that the dearth
at this moment of great orators of a sterling stamp is
beyond dispute. To that grand race of statesmen, ora-
tors, and patriots, who in the years that are past, in the
Congress of the United States and upon the stump, lifted
the American name triumphantly before Europe, a crowd
of dwarfs has succeeded, who have neither the heart to be
honest nor the genius to be great. Nor is it alone with
the splendid groups of which Hayne, Clay, Webster were
the central figures, that the orators of the present day
fail even decently to compare. Close to these celebrities
there were seated a score or more whose brilliant intel-
lects, prompt eloquence, headstrong purpose, humor, still
kept fresh the brighter memories of Henry, Otis, and
Adams.
Mr. Bryan suddenly and abruptly appeared before the
country at the Demoratic National Convention, in Chi-
cago, in 1896. Before that he was comparatively un-
known; but his remarkable speech there made him fa-
mous, and nominated him to the Presidency. Great in
the ordinary sense, Mr. Bryan can not be called. In poli-
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN. 381
tics he has always been a Democrat. His early education,
his family, and local connections, were all of this political
creed. He has been an apt student of history, and knows
the history of his own magnificent country well. When
he entered Congress, he at once astonished his fellow-
members by the facility and boldness with which he stated
his views on public questions. He professes to be the
champion of the masses as against the classes. Alexander
Hamilton's profligate contempt for the understanding
and rights of the people finds little favor with him, and
he has no narrow and unrepublican jealousy of foreign
immigration. He is among the warmest friends of Cuba,
and organized a regiment for service there.
As an orator he must have read Lord Chesterfield's
advice to his son : "Take of common sense, quantum
sufficit; throw obnoxious thoughts in a new light; make
up the whole with a large quantity of correction and ele-
gance of style; take for granted that by far the greatest
part of mankind do neither analyze nor search to the
bottom, they are incapable of penetration further than
the surface ; all have senses to be gratified ; very few have
reason to argue with; graceful utterances please the eyes,
elegant diction tickles the ears, but strong reason would
be thrown away upon them." This receipt for speaking
is rather indefinite. How much common sense to take
to make a good speech might be difficult to determine.
Plenty of style is by no means essential on the stump.
The gorgeous orations of Burke would be but failures
there; the beauty and classic painting of Sumner would
not be appreciated. What the masses want is the strong,
robust, healthy sentiment spoken earnestly, courageously,
and believingly.
I heard Mr. Bryan in the Armory in Cleveland. When
382 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
he rose to speak he was received with repeated bursts of
rapturous cheering, the vast audience rising to their feet,
and waving hats and handkerchiefs. He had only spoken
a few minutes when his style glowed with an earnestness
of admiration. His diction is copious and fluent; his
voice is sonorous and full, and capable of adapting into-
nations to every emotion; while he indulges in attitudes
and actions which indicate that he has been a careful stu-
dent of gesture. He warmed apace, and then an em-
bodied storm thundered and lightened upon the platform.
As he painted the sufferings of the poor, the majestic brow
grew black with scorn and defiance ; wrathful glances shot
from the eye ; the action became inconceivably vehement,
and the words rapid as a mountain stream, but without
losing aught of their singular distinctness and beauty.
At these times the orator poured forth a whole torrent of
denunciatory epithets, which, like a stream of fire, scathed
and burned up the ground over which it was rolled.
Compare him with Mr. McKinley. They are in many
respects the very opposite of each other, and yet they are
both honest in their opinions. Bryan has attitudes, is
statuesque, and all his speeches show that he has studied
how to capture the eye. McKinley cares nothing for
attitudes, addresses the ear, and is anxious to inform, to
convince the understanding. Bryan's mission is one of
reconstruction of the old, and upheaval; McKinley's
mission is to renovate and to restore the lost prosperity.
Bryan is the representative of a force that would sweep
away with a whirlwind's power customs and laws which
for twelve centuries have been the great factors in the
civilization of the world; McKinley is the representative
of a power which would put something good in the place
offered. Bryan stands for the present, and cries aloud for
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN. 383
justice; McKinley has a more immediate respect for the
future, has faith in a silent and powerful influence which
must benefit mankind. Bryan is the harbinger of the
tempest; McKinley is the harbinger of calm, deep, and
enduring peace, which will open on the world when the
storm and darkness shall have passed away.
To return to Mr. Bryan as an orator. He combines
fare talents, a good voice of powerful compass, a clear
and distinct intonation. When he speaks you are sure to
catch every word, and even in his most impassioned mo-
ments his articulation is distinct. He never recalls a word,
nor seems at a loss, and when he warms up with his sub-
ject his eye kindles with fire. In sarcasm he is most cut-
ting, but never coarse or vulgar. I have heard most of
the recent public speakers of the country, but I question
much if any of them possess more of the essential qualities
of a stump orator than Mr. Bryan. Mr. Bourke Cockran
has more originality, Ingersoll a more pictorial style,
Schurz is more accomplished in facts and arguments,
Cannon more cutting in sarcasm, but where a bold and
independent execution is demanded for an out-door
crowd, Bryan surpasses them all. It has been charged
that he repeated the same speech. My son, Charles M.
Pepper, who, as representative of the New York Herald,
traveled with him for four months, and heard him three
and six times daily, says that there was no repetition of
his speeches.
Wherever he is best known, Mr. Bryan is held in high
esteem. I spoke at Ewing, a pleasant college town in
Southern Illinois, and a strongly Democratic place. It
was the home of Mr. Bryan. The hall was crowded, and
for fifteen minutes after I began to speak there was re-
spectful attention; then the interruption became so con-
384 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
stant that I changed my position to the center of the
building. I referred to Mr. Bryan's oratory, and the audi-
ence cheered. It had the same effect as when Demos-
thenes pronounced "Marathon" to the noisy Greeks.
Then I referred to McKinley's history, his original pov-
erty, school-teaching, and how like their own favorite, he
surmounted difficulties. This reference was greeted with
cheers. The next morning I attended the college prayer-
meeting. The leader, in his prayer, referred to my pres-
ence, and prayed that God would bless the stranger who
came amongst them to preach righteousness to a sinful
and perverse generation. I addressed the students in the
college upon the "Pains and Penalties of Public Life," and
the terrorism of slander through which candidates for
office must pass, and the talk was rapturously received.
I thanked them, and only regretted they did not give some
of their cheers the preceding evening. In conversation
with many of them, I found that they confidently believed
that Mr. Bryan would be elected. I replied that no orator
had ever been selected for that high office; that Clay
the ash and hickory groves of old Kentucky are yet vocal
with his eloquence tried it, and failed. It is said that
Clay was sick when the news of the Democratic nomi-
nation reached him; but raising his head from his pillow
he asked, "Who is nominated?" "Frank Pierce," he was
told. "Who is he?" exclaimed the dying statesman. "My
God, we are beat !" So Webster, that powerful and mag-
nificent man, although worshiped by his party, could not
attain to the Presidency.
WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE.
Chapter XXV.
MR. GLADSTONE AS AN ORATOR, STATESMAN,
PHILANTHROPIST, CHRISTIAN.
IF we were asked who is the greatest Englishman of
the century we would answer, William E. Gladstone.
While to the great soldiers and inventors of the time we
render all honor, and to the great scientists the respect
which their profound discoveries have demanded, we can
find no other man so largely possessed of those qualities
that to our minds constitute true greatness than Eng-
land's "Grand Old Man." If the students of true great-
ness be in search of one upon whom their calmest judg-
ment will teach them to dwell with pleasure, they will not
find a purer or more heroic personage than the great
Englishman, who has been identified with the great re-
forms of his country for the last half a century. The mem-
ories of such illustrious men are the true treasures of a
nation. The statesman deserves the hero's death and the
martyr's monument. They are the real tutors of gener-
ous youth, and in lands where such memories are not
found, there faith can never dwell. Rottenness hath eaten
into the core of those nations, and as sure as the rootless
tree perishes, they will fall, and as they fall, all reverence
and love fall forever!
There has not been a political movement in England,
I might say in the world, with which Mr. Gladstone's
name has not been identified. I know he has been
charged with changing his principles; but, to his honor
be it said, all his changes have been upward and universal.
25 385
386 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
His advocacy of the cause of oppressed peoples is the most
glorious to be found in the annals of the world. His last
days were a sublime close to a rare and wonderful life !
His enemies have doubted many things of Gladstone.
They have doubted whether he had any principle; they
have doubted whether he had any real party attachment;
they have doubted whether he had any drift beyond that
of the merest demagogue, but they have never doubted
that he had no real sympathy with the masses ; they have
never doubted that he did not know the state of the polit-
ical world, an eye or a nose for calculating political prob-
abilities and forming plans, so as to follow closely the
popular demands of the hour. He belongs to the list of
illustrious men to whose name panegyric would be ful-
some. No one thought of panegyrzing Alexander the
Great, Napoleon, Washington! Gladstone was emphat-
ically the greatest man of the century. He justly merited
his rival's (Disraeli's) definition of greatness : "The great
man is one who affects his generation, whether he be a
scholar in his cloister agitating reforms, or a monarch
crossing the Granicus and giving a new character to the
pagan world." A great orator is of no use unless he is
also a great man. Nay, the most eloquent orator can
never become great if deficient in moral power. This was
the secret of his power as a speaker he impressed all
who heard him with his absolute sincerity. He held his
integrity of character higher than the exigencies of party.
In a period of war excitement, he had the courage to say
that England's greatest interest was in peace. "Paint me
as I am," said a great Englishman to the artist, "or paint
me not at all." Gladstone was one of the few public men
who held that a politician's opinions should be founded
alone on principle.
WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE. 387
Gladstone's oratory was powerfully helped by his style,
which changed with the character of his subjects. His
Home Rule speeches were delivered with a musical ca-
dence and recitative, a style in which, Coleridge has said,
"every noble and beautiful thought seeks expression!"
One of his severest critics wrote of him : "It was not until
he had his victim in the deadly grip of his argument that
the stately and melodious swing of his elocution left him,
and then in bursts of vehement rhetoric his words sped
from him in the natural language of passion."
Gladstone's voice, with the exception of O'Connell's,
was the most magnificent ever heard in Parliament it
rang like a trumpet for an hour or two, and at the close
it was as musical as the song of birds! I thought as I
heard him several times of what the farmer said of him,
"He could talk a hen off her nest." His voice had an ex-
traordinary variety of intonations. Every line was made
instinct with life by a change of tone. The hearer was
first dazed, then charmed by a vast variety of solemn and
swelling sounds. The Grand Old Man was never more
brilliant or impassioned, and never held an audience in
greater admiration by his wonderful power, than during
the Home Rule debates. He reached the lofty level of
his own description in his book on Homer, where he de-
scribes oratory as being "the speaker's power to receive
from his audience in a vapor what he pours back upon
them in a flood." Whatever oratory needs to make it
pungent and attractive, Gladstone possessed the living
picture, the novelty of color, the graphic terseness, the
sting of irony, the power of climax. But his best orations
possess more than this the body and substance of all
natural power, the talent of giving back to your audience
their own thoughts and feelings and beliefs in a form that
388 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
fixes them ever deeper in their own minds. He did not
indulge, like Disraeli, in "jewely hemorrhage of words,"
never using such words as his rival puts in the mouth of
one of his characters: "I never smoke/' says one of his
heroes, to the father of the young lady he is wooing;
"tobacco is the tomb of love."
Gladstone is prodigal of his gestures. They are as
varied as his themes. When he commences, his table is
carefully arranged, his notes being usually placed in the
center. As he becomes animated he leans forward and
shakes his hand in the direction of his opponents. If any
one objects, he then puts both his hands behind his ears
to catch the words. If he hesitates for a word, he will
sweep his left hand through his hair. When he has spoken
an hour, he pauses, and takes some stimulant from a small
bottle which Mrs. Gladstone has carefully prepared a
yellowish fluid. His gestures frequently become violent.
Beaconsfield once said of him, that he was glad that a
table was between him and Mr. Gladstone during the
speech to which they had just listened with mingled ad-
miration and terror.
The great deficiency in Gladstone's oratory is a lack
of humor. But although he never tells a witty incident,
he enjoys one. While awaiting his arrival in Parliament,
I mentioned this defect to one of his enthusiastic followers.
"Yes, that is true," he replied; "but he laughs heartily
when one is told. For instance, an Irish physician, the
first of his profession in Dublin, and a Parnellite, upon
arriving in London recently, was asked the question,
'Would you like to live under a Home Rule Government?'
'I will answer your question,' said the eminent physician,
'by this story. Recently I was called to the bedside of a
dying patient. One of his friends said, "John, are you not
WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE. 389
afraid to die?" "No, I am not." "What, John," said
another, "are you aware that you are going to leave us,
and where you are going to?" "Yes, I am going to leave
you," said the sick man. "John, are you not afraid to face
the King of Terrors?" asked a third, his brother-in-law.
"No ; for I have lived thirty-five years with the Queen of
Terrors, your sister," replied John. 'Now/ said the Dub-
lin doctor, 'if I have lived under the English Government
for so many years, I am prepared to take my chances
under a Home Rule Government.' '
One of Mr. Gladstone's friendly English critics says
there are three things to be considered in estimating his
character as a statesman: First, he is a Lancashire man.
It was in Lancashire he learned that profound appreci-
ation of the right and might of capital, without which no
creative financier can be made. It was the blood of the
Lancashire spinner in Sir Robert Peel, the first great
modern reformer of English finances. The same feeling
was strong in Gladstone he mused on the money market,
pondered on the low rate of interest, which might affect
the utility of the Government. He did his work in the-
Treasury, not as a matter of business, but as a matter of
love. As a novelist's mind swarms with expedients for
bringing out the points of his favorite characters, Mr.
Gladstone's mind swarmed with financial ideas, small and
great.
The next fundamental fact in estimating his character
is his Oxford training. It widened the scope of his genius.
In his "Church Principles, Considered in their Results,"
perhaps the most difficult book in the English language,*
can be seen the traces of Gladstone's university life, the
Oxford before the movement of 1833; the Oxford which
made the Aristotelian dogma, that "virtue is the half-way
390 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
house between two opposite vices," its ethical rule; the
Oxford which had not yet begun to dig after the roots of
principle, tended his mind to consequences rather than to
first principles. This habit, while it secured for him a
practical tone, denied him the highest triumphs of oratory.
Bright excelled him as a mere orator, because Bright re-
ceived his inspiration from the deepest fountains of human
passion; Gladstone did not sink his rhetoric wells deep.
The Peelite education of Mr. Gladstone was the third
fundamental fact in making him what he was. Sir Robert
Peel's influence tended to tame the wild craving in Glad-
stone's youth. It made him look at things with the eyes
of a prudent, cautious, country gentleman. Peel's influ-
ence again fostered the pacific and commercial side of
Mr. Gladstone's imagination. It strengthened the ad-
ministrative power of his mind, balanced it with whatever
of caution and judgment it had. His championship of
Italy has made that country his friend forever. An Eng-
lish gentleman was taken violently sick in a remote part
of Sicily. He asked his physician after his recovery,
"What is the fee and expenses?" "None," answered the
doctor, pulling out a photograph from his breast of the
Grand Old Man. "He paid it all."
Gladstone was the last of the great orators of England.
As an orator he has been surpassed, but as a debater
never. The Parliament, the bar, and the pulpit all shrank
from the eloquence and power of this extraordinary man.
His logic was always equal to his eloquence, and his elo-
quence equal to his logic. In him there was no affected
warmth ; none of that superfluous zeal which speaks from
the lips and never touches the heart; none of that stu-
pendous energy which argues only for effect. But its
chief charm was that it was at once enriched and invigo-
WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE. 391
rated by the noblest imagination and decorations. It was
ornamented; but its force was no more sacrificed to its
ornament than the solid steel of the Greek helmet to its
plumage and sculptures. Mr. Gladstone's career will be
differently estimated by a variety of critics ; but none will
deny that he was the first great Englishman in a hundred
years who applied to the administration of civil govern-
ment the immortal principles of the New Testament.
Chapter XXVI.
IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT JOHN BRIGHT,
CHARLES STEWART PARNELL, JOSEPH
CHAMBERLAIN, AND OTHERS.
THERE are many ways of securing admission to Parlia-
ment: By bribing a policeman; by having a vote
taken this requires about ten days, and Americans sel-
dom tarry long enough for this method ; and by the per-
sonal friendship of one of the members. The latter was
the plan by which I enjoyed the privilege for several
nights.
The Parliament buildings are built in an oblong form,
and they can entertain about five hundred members. The
number of members is six hundred, so the balance have to
find room in the galleries allotted to visitors. This House
of Parliament is not the old historic place where Chatham
thundered; where Pitt and Fox, the great rivals, fought
out their political duels; where Edmund Burke poured
forth his splendid speeches; where O'Connell pleaded for
the rights of Ireland; and where blushed the youthful
chivalry of Raleigh. There were no spells to awaken the
profound emotions of the heart, no mighty memories to
thrill the soul ; yet here was the seat of that great Empire,
vaster than the Roman legions covered, stretching from
the Bay of Bengal to the Himalaya Mountains, admin-
istering laws to a population of over three hundred mill-
ions, including some of the finest races of men in the
world. The House of Commons is now more of a repre-
sentative body than it was in the past. A few years ago
392
IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT. 393
a stranger visiting it and asking, "Who is that man?"
would have been told he was a marquis, and that
there were several of them; of another he would be told
he was a viscount, and that there were several of them
also; of others he would be told that they were earls or
lords, and that there were many more of them in the
House; that there were, in fact, fifty lords and seventy
baronets, altogether, three hundred persons connected
with the peerage. The House of Commons, although
still largely dominated by the aristocracy, is now more a
reflex of the people. The vice of its constitution was like
the deformity of the poet Pope, who was constantly ex-
claiming, "God mend me!" and who was on one occa-
sion heard to say to himself, "God mend you, you little
deformity? It would be much easier to make a new one
altogether !"
Englishmen have looked to their Parliament for ages
with passionate reverence and affection. What an excit-
ing picture it presents to an American who views it for
the first time, though not the same where Burke took his
stand by the immortal rebel, George Washington, and
vindicated the American cause in words of eloquence
which will endure forever; not the historic place where
Lord Chatham stood before American independence was
proclaimed, and enunciated the grandest speech that ever
shook the walls of that edifice with its eloquence, in the
memorable words, "My Lords, America has revolted,
and I rejoice at it !"
Americans, and, indeed, all foreigners when they vis-
ited Parliament formerly, inquired at once for Gladstone.
There he sat, straight as an ash, with splendid brown eyes,
hands clasped, limbs stretched out before him, and having
the appearance of a man asleep ; but he was far from being
394 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
asleep. Now and then the eyes opened widely, and he
rose to reply to one of his legion of encores. As he talked,
all the members began to take their seats, and there was
something grand as he proceeded, step by step, to over-
whelm his antagonist. There were no noisy, gorgeous
fireworks of a mere rhetorician ; but solid, thorough, wide
research and resistless logic. A voice soft and gentle or
overwhelming, now it was like the breathing of a flute,
now like the hurricane that shakes the pine-trees of a con-
tinent; an eye like Mars or Apollo, the finest ever set in
a human head; magnificent gestures, when every part of
his body was in motion, his eyes, his feet, his hands, each
a language in themselves. And as to the effects of his
speech he not only killed his enemies, but scalped them !
Next to Gladstone was John Bright. He had a com-
manding figure, a massive presence, and a voice of mar-
velous compass. His voice had a wonderful musical
quality, and it was like listening to a song to hear him
speak. His slightest tones could be heard distinctly, and
when he raised his voice to its highest notes, it filled the
whole house. His gestures were few and simple. Of all
British reformers, he stood foremost; not because he was
the profoundest thinker, but because his sympathies were
ever with the masses. They not only were with the Eng-
lish and the Irish, but they traveled across the winds and
the waves of the Atlantic! During our Civil War he
uttered those brave and hopeful words: "I see one vast
confederation, stretching from the frozen North to the
glowing South in unbroken line to the Gulf, from the wild
billows of the Atlantic westward to the calmer waters of
the Pacific main, and I see one people and one language
and one faith, and all over that wide continent the home
of freedom and a refuge for the oppressed of every clime."
CHARLES STEWART PARNELL.
IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT. 395
But the man above all others who attracted Ameri-
cans, and,, indeed, all visitors, was Parnell, the leader of
the Irish Home Rule party. As a political agitator and
statesman, men of all nations have formed various esti-
mates; but none will deny that he was the first great
Irishman who compelled John Bull to pay heed to the
grievances of the Irish. Such judges of men as Glad-
stone, Morley, and Justin McCarthy have assigned him
a conspicuous place in British history. He had to con-
tend with more formidable difficulties than any previous
Irish leader. He was charged with all manner of crime,
that he was dismembering the British Empire. His life
was frequently so much in peril from the mob when he
left Parliament that he was compelled to reach his hotel
through lanes and alleys. A few years afterwards, so
great was his popularity, he had to take the same route
to escape the ovations of the multitudes.
In stature, Parnell was slender, and he looked, when I
first saw him, before his head was bowed, like a Calvinist
professor ; but his eye, when aroused, flashed like a spark-
ling diamond. He commenced his speech in a halting,
hesitating way, frequently using the English "hems and
haws," "ye know," etc. ; but in the very tempest of his
passion he was measured and self-possessed in his de-
livery, and, to outward appearance, cold and calm, yet his
speech was elaborately bitter and studiously hostile to the
English government of Ireland. It was delivered without
fire ; it betrayed no inward emotion ; it had all the external
coldness of snow ; but inwardly it had all the fire of a
smoldering volcano; it was everywhere inspired with a
vein of common sense and logic. It was no wonder that
Gladstone said of him, "Parnell is the only man who
knows what to say, and when he has said it, stops."
396 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
The first time I met him was at Toledo, Ohio. For
years I had been endeavoring to set before the American
people the true nature of Ireland's complaints. Most of
them believed that all the Irish agitators and revolution-
ists were Catholics, and that Ireland's hostility to Eng-
land arose from that country being a Protestant nation.
This was the popular belief, but it was not true. The Irish
Revolution, like that of the Volunteers in 1782, when one
hundred thousand seized their guns and demanded inde-
pendence, was exclusively Protestant. The Roman Cath-
olics then could not own a gun. So it was in the rebel-
lion of 1798; the organizers and all the principal men
were Protestants. Parnell was a member of the Church
of England, an Oxford graduate, the grandson of Com-
modore Stewart, of the American navy, and the great-
grandson of Sir John Henry Parnell, the member of the
Irish Parliament who sent cheers to Washington. His
accession to the Irish cause was equal to a hundred thou-
sand men.
When Mr. Parnell closed his speech and retired to his
seat, the cheers of the immense crowd increased until the
roof rang with their acclaims, which Irishmen alone can
raise when their hearts are in their voices and every throat
pours out a soul in every sound. The speech at Toledo
was devoid of all rhetorical or oratorical ability; but the
evident sincerity, the practical good sense and honesty
captivated the Americans. The hall was packed. I was
late in arriving; but some of the ushers, recognizing me,
took me immediately to the platform. General Stead-
man, the old warrior of Chickamauga, presided. After
Mr. Parnell finished, I was called upon to speak, and find-
ing that it would be useless to refuse, made a short speech.
A Rev. Mr. O'Brien, a gifted and benevolent priest in
IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT. 397
the audience, had been called upon, and putting down
$500 for the Irish fund, remarked, "I am glad to see here
the 'Uncrowned King of Ireland.' ' I opened my speech
by saying that the time when God anointed kings had
passed away forever; that the only king in this country
was the sweat that lay upon the blistered brow of labor.
At these words a cheer went up from the crowd. I then
told an incident that had happened in Ireland, and a
Presbyterian clergyman's remarks upon it. It was a case
of eviction, and when the Christian gentleman saw the
unroofed houses, the furhiture of the occupants thrown
out and smashed, the gables and walls standing like tomb-
stones in a graveyard, the poor people huddling together
in the distance, "Will God," said he, "hold guiltless the
men who, with worse than beast's cruelty, can thus traffic
in the body and souls of their fellow-men? Under the
spring of the tiger the struggle for life would be but
momentary ; but here is life prolonged that existence may
be embittered, and men, women, and children, under the
visitings of hunger and cold wooing death, but death
fleeing from them. The effect of a believed gospel is this,
'I was an-hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty,
and ye gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and ye took
me in; naked, and ye clothed me.' The effect of Irish
landlordism is, 'I was an-hungered, and ye let me die; I
was a brother, and ye turned me out; clothed, and ye
stripped me; sick, and ye cast me into the ditches and
the miserable outhouses which were beneath the notice of
the demolishing Crown-bar Brigade.' ' I proceeded to
give a history of Parnell, saying that in his veins flowed
the blood of Irish and American heroes; that his grand-
father on his mother's side was the gallant sailor, Com-
modore Stewart, the heroic commander of old Ironsides;
398 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
that his great-grandfather on the paternal side was the
incorruptible John Henry Parnell, whom British gold
could not buy to betray his country; and that Americans
ought to love the name of Parnell, for this gentle-
man, when Franklin appeared at the bar of the Irish
House of Commons with a message of sympathy, rose
and said, "This is Benjamin Franklin; let Ireland rise up
through her Parliament and give three cheers for Wash-
ington." The crowd became tumultuous in their ap-
plause when I told this incident. In closing, I turned
around and saluted Charles Stewart Parnell, not as the
Uncrowned King, but as the first citizen and President
of the Irish Republic. Amid the cheers that followed,
Parnell, the 'man of ice,' jumped up and threw his arms
around me, saying, "I wish to God you were in Ireland,
although I fear your strong republicanism would get us
all into prison!"
In the famous trial which took place in London, this
speech was read by Sir Richard Webster, the Attorney-
General of England, and quoted as evidence against Par-
nell. When he was asked if he had known me, his an-
swer was: "Yes; Mr. Pepper is an excellent Christian
gentleman."
The next day after the great meeting in Toledo, I trav-
eled for several hours with Mr. Parnell, and gave him
some copies of the Chicago Tribune, which was then a
most powerful and influential advocate of the Irish. Mr.
Joseph Medill told me afterwards that he was convinced,
after an hour's talk with the Irish leader, that he was the
most remarkable man he had ever met, and that his
method for the relief of the Irish tenants was the most
practical of any that had been presented to his knowledge.
The paper which Mr. Medill founded, and of which he is
IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT. 399
still the proprietor, has never failed in the defense of the
Home Rule cause. Mr. Medill still lives, in the enjoyment
of a ripe and honored age.
Mr. Parnell's tour through the United States was an
ovation. Congress opened its doors for him to state the
cause of Ireland, an honor never before acceded to a for-
eigner except Lafayette.
A Toledo paper, in reporting the meeting, thus refers
to my address: "The Rev. G. W. Pepper, a very able
Methodist minister, of Bellevue, was called out and spoke
most eloquently. 'Before twenty years have passed/ he
said, 'the seed which is sown here to-night by Mr. Par-
nell will fructify into a golden harvest. Already I see
the faint flush of the morning lighting into glorious day.
The Irish people are more united than ever before.' He
was 'glad to be present at this meeting; but after all that
had been said, it would be an insult to longer detain the
magnificent audience.' There were cries of 'Go on ! go
on !' and the speaker continued a few minutes longer, and
was frequently interrupted . by rapturous applause. In
closing, he said that Mr. Parnell would not live to be an
Uncrowned King, but the first President of a republic/ '
The Irish patriot is dead. His last days were clouded
and sad. Parnell was a patriot; he was no mere street
demagogue. He might have sold his country for place
and power; he might have flaunted proudly in the court
of Queen Victoria and died a wealthy baronet. He loved
Ireland as the Roman loved the City of the Seven Hills,
the Athenian the City of the Violet Crown. He lived a
patriot and died a martyr ! He had his failings who has
not? Calvin was a great theologian, but he listened with-
out protest to the cries of Servetus; Whitefield was the
seraph of preachers, and did the world good service, but
400 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
he apologized for slavery; Washington was a saint, but
he swore a terrible oath once.
"Were David's songs less pure and sweet,
For his tempted heart and wandering feet ?
Were the stones of the temple less fair and good,
That Solomon bowed to gods of wood?"
JOHN DILLON AND OTHER HOME RULERS.
John Dillon, kindly, honest, intrepid, and true, the
first time I saw him was at Toledo before a brilliant assem-
bly, pleading the cause of old Ireland. The next time
was behind the bars of a British prison, smiling and hope-
ful. No chains could crush that unconquered spirit. The
last time was in the London Parliament. Then he did
not appear to have suffered much from his long incarcer-
ation, although his pale complexion and long straight
hair gave his face the appearance of care and anxiety.
He spoke in clear and measured tones. From the outset
he commanded attention by his evident sincerity and by
his devotion to his country. .He had spent several years
in the United States, and was thoroughly conversant with
our politics.
From my seat in the House of Commons I could hear
the thrilling tones of T. P. O'Connor, a well-known jour-
nalist. Bold without bluster, his eloquence exhibited the
highest qualities of the noble art. I lunched with Alfred
Webb, a man of the tenderest sympathy and most en-
lightened brotherly love. Also Diamond, a strong and
constant champion of temperance, a courteous gentle-
man, and a very industrious member of his party. Michael
Davitt, the whole-souled hero, was in grievous suffering
for his native land, that Ireland for which his gallant heart
so constantly palpitated, and his eloquence so forcibly
JOHN DILLON AND OTHER HOME RULERS. 401
vindicated. With such advocates spending two-thirds
of their time in prison, Ireland can never be conquered.
A distinguished Methodist clergyman of Erin once told
me if all the Home Rulers had Davitt's broad and liberal
views, there would be no question as to the unity of Irish-
men. He is a fine speaker, and never fails to hold his
audiences. His is not a pompous and verbose eloquence ;
but he is a master of speech, and always carries his point.
I only heard a few of the speakers of this party. O'Brien,
Arthur O'Connor; Sexton, a clear and emphatic orator;
Esmond, Healey, Knox, -were all absent.
Dr. Tanner, a member of the British Parliament, to
whom I was introduced, is a generous and picturesque
character. He is a fine scholar, a successful physician,
but eccentric to an extreme degree. No visitor to Parlia-
ment leaves without seeing him. He has a sarcastic way
of saying things, which sting like an adder. For instance,
when the allowances to the royal family were being voted
upon, Tanner rose and made a brilliant but bitter assault
upon the Duke of Cambridge, grand uncle to the queen.
He was challenged to fight a duel by Major Jones. "In
reply," said the major, "to your despicable attack upon
the Duke of Cambridge, I designate you a coward. De-
lighted to give you satisfaction Pistols!" Tanner re-
plied: "Wire received, will meet you to-morrow in Con-
stantinople, under the Tower of Galata, midnight. Being
challenged, prefer torpedoes. Bring another ass."
About midway down the House of Commons sits a
courtly old gentleman, who was frequently mentioned as
Gladstone's successor Sir William Harcourt. He has
intellectual nerve, concentration of purpose, and a high
appreciation of the duties of a member of Parliament.
He was formerly the "Historicus" of the London Times*
26
402 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
the author of articles which produced a wide sensation
at the time of their publication. To enter political life he
relinquished a salary of seventy-five thousand dollars a
year. In conversation with him he exhibited a great fond-
ness for the United States, pointing to his wife as an
American; she is the daughter of the historian Motley.
As. a speaker he is one of the best debaters in Parliament;
as pieces of legal reasoning his speeches are unanswerable.
His manner is not graceful, as he has the habit of pound-
ing one hand against the other when he makes a telling
point.
Joseph Chamberlain, the most conspicuous of the act-
ive Unionists, is a man of keen and penetrating aspect.
In his delivery he is calm, deliberate, and, ordinarily, cool
and motionless. Yet when excited he indulges in his
usual rhetorical gesture rising upon his toes and falling
with force upon his heels. This motion somewhat re-
sembles the action of a soldier when standing up and
keeping time with the men. He is a tall, well-built man.
His eye conceals not the intellect; for that glows within.
The poet might sing of him as of the old Scottish king:
" On his bold visage middle age
Has slightly pressed the signet sage."
The London World recently compared him to Bis-
marck. There is no comparison. The great German
never claimed to be an orator. His speech was always
noted for facts and bluntness. Chamberlain conceals the
stiletto beneath the velvet hand; Bismarck could not
brook contradiction. The fiercer the warfare on Cham-
berlain, the calmer and more bitter he grows. I was in-
formed by one of his townsmen that he practiced and
JOHN DILLON AND OTHER HOME RULERS. 403
won his success as a ready speaker in the Birmingham
debating club. As a specimen of his best style, before
his desertion, as the Gladstonians term it, here is a sen-
tence delivered in Birmingham in 1885 : "I sometimes
think that great men are like great mountains, and that
we do not appreciate their magnitude while we are seated
close to them; you must go to a distance to see which
peak it is that towers above its fellows ; and it may be that
we will have to put between us and Mr. Gladstone a space
of time before we shall know how much greater he has
been than any of his corrfpetitors for fame and power. I
am certain that justice will be done him in the future,
and I am also certain that there will be a signal condem-
nation of those men who, moved by motives of spite in
their eagerness for office, have not hesitated to load with
indignities and insults the greatest statesman of our time."
It has become a habit of late years to sneer at Irish
eloquence; but there is not one of the scoffers can pro-
duce from among themselves the equal of a thousand
passages that live in the speeches of the fallen Parliament
of Ireland, or in the records of the present Home Rulers.
I regret that I only heard a few of them. They make no
pretenses to the oratory of the great immortals of the
past, but in directness of action, independence of thought,
and in readiness of debate, they were equal to their ene-
tnies the Unionists and Tories. The eloquence of these
men differs from all previous displays of speech in its
downright practicalness; there is no scope for poetic and
lofty flights of oratory ; the keynote of all their addresses
in public and in private, is the land for the people. Judged
by O'Connell's saying, "A splendid speech is a very fine
thing, but the verdict of the jury is the thing," they have
404 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
achieved results unknown in the history of Ireland. These
Irishmen are the most logical and practical of speakers.
There is not the overwhelming rush of words falling over
each other which once prevailed. The magnificence of
the old oratory has given place to a more simple and
effective style. Sexton is a splendid speaker, having a
large command of words, a flowing utterance, and he is
very self-possessed in his delivery, and beyond all com-
parison stands far above meager and mouthing English
members. His speeches are a flat contradiction of Charles
James Fox's maxim, "Speeches are made to be spoken,
and not to be read." Sexton's pleas for Home Rule read
as well in the closet, and produce the same effect as when
delivered in public. Healey was absent when I visited
Parliament. I was anxious to hear the man who so hap-
pily followed Gladstone after his great speech, offering
Ireland the olive-branch. Healey said: "When I heard
the honorable gentleman's address, I could not help but
think of the royal prophet's words: 'How beautiful are
the feet of him who bringeth glad tidings and publisheth
peace!'"
John Redmond was also away. I heard him once in
the States, and in an hour he spoke the eloquence of
Giles, of Burke, of Everett. While his speech lacked the
brilliant rhetoric of Sheil, by its convincing arguments
it carried conviction to the thousands who heard him.
He held up no splendid phantom to the gaze of his coun-
trymen it was the life-and-death question of the posses-
sion of the land.
Justin McCarthy is as well known here as in Great
Britain. He has been successful in every department of
literature. I did not hear him in the House of Commons,
but it was my pleasure to hear him deliver a lecture upon
JAMES SILK BUCKINGHAM. 405
the Irish peasant in a London hall before the Irish Lit-
erary Society, an organization composed of Irish authors,
authoresses, editors, and many members of Parliament.
It was a masterly delineation of the Irish peasant, inter-
spersed all through with bits of Celtic wit and Celtic fire.
I was recognized and called upon for a few remarks. I
referred to the Irish peasants' sons in the United States,
their progress and advancement, citing the cases of Gen-
eral Sheridan, Charles O'Connor, and James T. Brady
of the New York bar. I spoke of the laurels they had
won, lifting them up from "obscurity to a dazzling height ;
but that in all their brilliant successes the blood which
flowed in their veins never proved false to the rich foun-
tain from which it sprung; that they were always proud
to own themselves the children of Irish peasants. This
part of my speech was received with cheers, but other
utterances, more radical to which I have already re-
ferred were less favored.
JAMES SILK BUCKINGHAM.
I met James Silk Buckingham, a member of the Brit-
ish Parliament, a famous traveler and explorer, and a
philanthropist of world-wide celebrity. He was among
the first advocates of universal peace, and into the legal
aspect of the temperance cause he entered with enthusi-
asm. He is a grand specimen of an English yeoman,
standing before his audience, dignified and erect, solid-
looking as a rock, with both hands firmly planted on
either side of the little table before him. I also saw at this
Manchester meeting the eminent chemist and writer, Dr.
Lees, of Leeds. He was a tall, slender, scholarly man,
and, as a speaker, among the best. He speaks simply, in
nervous, straightforward Saxon. His sarcasm, I remem-
406 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
ber, was most galling. He visited the United States a few
years afterward, and was my guest at Wellington, Ohio,
where he occupied my pulpit to the delight and admira-
tion of an immense audience. Dr. Lees was a capital
story-teller in conversation, but in his public addresses
seldom repeated an anecdote.
C. H. SPURGEON'.
I have spoken elsewhere of Spurgeon, and he certainly
ranked among the foremost pulpit orators of the world.
What raised him to this high rank? It was not his learn-
ing. He was no scholar, and his success has demonstrated
that a man can get along and be useful without it. Nor
was it his eloquence. He had great fluency of speech;
never seemed to hesitate for a word; but his style was
homely, plain, direct Saxon. Nor was it any novelty of
doctrine. His hearers were never startled by strange
fancies in theology. And yet twenty-four thousand eager
listeners heard him with delight every Sunday. George
Eliot could see nothing in his sermons but buffoonery.
"My impressions when I heard him," she writes, "fell be-
low the lowest judgment I had ever formed of him. His
method," she continues, "is utterly common, and empty
of guiding intelligence and emotion. I was shocked to
find how low the mental pitch of our society must be,
judged by the standard of this man's celebrity." But
there were others who were charmed by his oratory.
"When he mounted the pulpit," said Lord Houghton,
"you might have thought him a barber's apprentice; when
he left it, he was an inspired apostle." "There is not
thought enough in his sermons to fill a lady's thimble,
but devotion enough to float Elijah's chariot," exclaimed
the philosopher, John Tyndale. Many anecdotes are re-
lated of him. He raised a hornet's nest when he defended
C. H. SPURGEON. 407
smoking. "There is a Pharasaic system which add.s to
the commands of God the precepts of men," he said. "I
smoke to the glory of God. When I have found intense
pain relieved, a weary brain soothed, and calm, refreshing
sleep obtained by a cigar, I have thanked God and blessed
his name." I heard of a certain Church that gave
the collection to its pastor for his support; the collection
after Mr. Spurgeon's sermon was unusually large. "Dear
me," said the pastor, "what a large collection !" "What is
your usual collection?" "Last Sunday it was two pence
and a half-penny." "What is it to-day?" "Eight pence
and a half-penny," was the reply. "Woe is me !" said Spur-
geon, "for I gave six pence of it myself." C. H. Spurgeon
belonged to the English world. He spoke their language
with a simple and massive force which has only been
equaled by John Bright. The power, simplicity, and sin-
cerity of the man, and the flavor of a reliant personality
which ran through every racy sentence, remind us that
there is only one Spurgeon. When I first heard him he
was of medium height, with a round, beardless face. His
forehead was not high. It was his voice which was the
only personal instrument by which he acquired such a
marvelous power over the minds and hearts of his hearers.
Chapter XXVII.
PRESIDENT McKINLEY.
1 FIRST saw President McKinley in the summer of
1884, at Augusta, Maine, when he had made his open-
ing address for Blaine and Logan in that State. I was
returning from Bar Harbor, where I had spent the even-
ing with Blaine, receiving instructions as to the best meth-
ods of political campaigning. He spoke frequently of
Mr. McKinley, referring to his advent into the State, and
dwelt with enthusiasm upon his past services in Congress,
designating him as "brightest of the men of the country
who contributed to the political progress of the Nation;"
that "he was endowed with a high order of intellect, and
the destiny before him was grand and elevated."
President McKinley, from his tone of voice and from
his personal appearance, resembles the late Sir Robert
Peel ; his voice, like Peel's, has but the compass of a few
notes, within which he scrupulously keeps, maintaining
the tone of private conversation never rising above it,
never sinking below it. He is not as eloquent as Peel;
but in the weight of argument, the force and novelty of
ideas, the concentration of thought that rivets attention,
he has all the effects of eloquence, without being eloquent.
Measured and self-possessed in his delivery, and to out-
ward appearances cold and calm, yet his language is that
of a statesman who loves his country. He uses metaphors
sparingly, and his correct taste and sound judgment il-
luminate whatever subject he touches upon. What Ro-
land said of Louvet may be appropriately applied to
408
PRESIDENT MCKINLEY. 409
-\
President McKinley: "Courageous as a lion, simple as
a child, a good citizen, in the tribune he could make
Catiline tremble, and in the evening sup with the graces."
His army speeches teem with allusions to Lexington,
Concord, Fort Donelson, Gettysburg, Atlanta. He says
very little of Anglo-Saxonism, of the glory of the mother
country. Mr. McKinley has been censured and admon-
ished by some of his own political party as being too ex-
treme, going too far in the advocacy of a high protection
for his country. If these opponents search the past, they
will find that the American stands in illustrious company.
When Wilberforce was awakening the horror of the civil-
ized world, and shaking the walls of the British Senate
with his brave anathemas against West Indian slavery,
no doubt some candid friend was ready to say to him,
"Wilberforce, your motives are excellent, no doubt, but
do not be rash; you go too far." But Wilberforce per-
sisted in going "too far," and, in the burning words of
Lord Brougham, "The attention of the nation awoke,
then indignation kindled and descended in thunder, and
smote the traffic, and scattered its guilty profits to the
winds." When Henry Grattan stood up in the Irish Sen-
ate to plead the cause of Irish rights and Irish independ-
ence, no doubt a cautious friend said to him, "Grattan,
it is of no use; we are all delighted with your majestic
eloquence and your talents and earnestness ; you are quite
right in the abstract; but, really, in the present circum-
stances, you go too far." But Henry Grattan persisted
in going "too far," and Irish rights were won and Irish
independence achieved. When the early Abolitionists
commenced their agitation against slavery, their audi-
ences were small ; they were advised that their opinions
were too extreme. The wise men were scornful, but the
410 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
obscure agitators pushed their cause before the public
gaze. Then, when there were crowded audiences, the
floodgates of slander were opened. But they persisted,
and the pestilent manacles which oppressed millions were
struck from the fettered limbs of slaves. And William
McKinley, believing his cause to be just, would follow
that bright star of protection to the American toilers,
beaming from the heavens, whithersoever it might lead.
When I was in Italy William McKinley was running
for governor of Ohio, and his name, so extensively men-
tioned in the American papers, was frequently copied into
the Italian journals. Many of the Italians who were not
versed in the intricacies of American politics, would say
to me : "Who is McKinley? Do you know him? Will he
be elected?" Everywhere in the great cities and the
quiet villages, Americans would be confronted with the
inquiry, "Who is McKinley?" I had sent my resignation
to Washington early in the spring, and was impatiently
awaiting a reply and the appointment of a new con-
sul, in order that I might return home during the
summer to visit the World's Fair in Chicago {my re-
turn did not actually take place until in December, so
great was the delay in the matter), and the Italians in the
household knew that I was anxiously awaiting news in
regard to a new consul. One morning the portinai, or
portress, of the building in which the consulate was situ-
ated, rushed into the office, and announced : "O Signore,
I know who the next consul is to be!" "Indeed," said I,
rather surprised that any one in Italy should know it
before I did myself, "and who is it?" "McKinley!" she
shouted triumphantly.
William McKinley is a progressive and far-seeing
statesman. Only five years ago he was known as a strong
PRESIDENT MCKINLEY. 411
protectionist, and nothing more. At this time he stands
before the world commanding the applause of European
nations for his successful and magnificent leadership of
the Cuban War. He has shown himself a statesman equal
to every emergency. Festina lente, "Make haste slowly,"
is his motto. A statesman without apprenticeship, and
fame without probation, are equally unsound. There
were decided exceptions taken by many leading men of
his party against his theory of intervention in behalf of a
long-suffering people. But the results of the war have
justified his actions. His career in this campaign has
been a succession of great successes. In this and all his
undertakings there was an inspired grandeur, very natural
in a man who awoke one morning and found the world
ringing with his praise. His remedies for industrial de-
pression, a judicious tariff; his relief for the Cubans was
the abandonment of the islands by the oppressors; his
medicine for a monetary crisis was a sound currency ; his
encouragement to commerce was the return of American
prosperity. He always watches the progress of events.
When Sir Robert Peel submitted to the House of Com-
mons that measure of emancipation, he heralded his
change from his former views by a brief but remarkable
confession, "I have watched the progress of events."
When the Duke of Wellington recommended to the
House of Lords silently to acquiesce in the Reform Bill,
which up to that time he had stubbornly resisted, he also
had "watched the progress of events." When, still later,
Sir Robert Peel had for a second time sacrificed power,
friendships, and the associations dearest to a public man,
in order to achieve what he believed to be for the general
good of England, he justified his act upon the ground
that he had "watched the progress of events." He who
412 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
fails to watch the progress of events may enjoy a dignified
seclusion, but he will never feel the glow of pride and
satisfaction that accompanies the sense of public useful-
ness. He who lingers in the rear of his time, fondling his
the6ry like some poor lunatic in his cage, while the world
is marching on healthily active, may win the commiser-
ation, but will never have the confidence of his fellows.
To be abreast of the age is the first condition of the public
service. Who does not feel that President McKinley is
looked upon by his countrymen as the pilot into whose
hands the Ship of the Commonwealth was wisely confided
in this hour of storm and danger? And who is ignorant
that the universal confidence is founded on the simple
fact that throughout every plan of his life, through evil
and good report, in office and out of office, he has never
lost sight of the necessities of the Nation, or failed to
"watch the progress of events?"
To omit all mention of Mr. McKinley's religious char-
acter would be most unpardonable, and a ground for just
reproach. He is a devout Christian, an exemplary mem-
ber of the Methodist Church. His Christian home-life
appeals to the religious people of the country with an
unmatched freshness. He is seldom absent from church,
and is generally accompanied by his accomplished, high-
minded, and courageous wife. In the excitement of the
tremendous contest which he made for governor the last
time, when he spoke at the rate of three times every day,
an old comrade of the war, a minister of the gospel, met
him, and greeted him, saying, "Major, you look tired."
"Yes," replied the major, "I am tired; but there is not a
day that I do not ask the help of God."
There is not a taint of religious bigotry in his nature ;
he loathes religious prejudices. During the Harrison
PRESIDENT MCKINLEY. 413
campaign a committee of Republicans asked a pious but
narrow-souled Methodist bishop if he was a Republican.
The answer was, "I am a Methodist, opposed to Roman-
ism, and therefore I am a Republican." I saw McKinley
a few days afterwards we were both engaged in the same
campaign and called his attention to this fresh exhi-
bition of Burchardism. He was indignant, and said, with
feeling: "I, too, am a Methodist; but such utterances
are abhorrent to my soul they are un-American, anti-
Republican, and opposed to the letter and spirit of the
Constitution, an insult to the intelligence and liberality
of the century. I am sick and tired of being held respon-
sible for such atrocious statements."
Appendix.
THE NATIONAL CAUSE ITS SANCTITY AND
GRANDEUR.
A SERMON ON THE NATIONAL, FAST-DAY, DELIVERED IN THE METH-
ODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AT KEENE, COSHOCTON
COUNTY, OHIO, DECEMBER, 1861.
" If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pes-
tilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence,
and cry unto Thee in our affliction, then Thou wilt hear and help us."
2 CHRON. xx, 9.
A NATIONAL fast is a greater thing than the grand-
est spectacle of a National Thanksgiving. The one
is spontaneous, requiring no effort ; the other is a conflict
with the selfishness of the human heart. An act of thanks-
giving mingles with the gratification of our bodily serv-
ices; but an act of humiliation is the subjection of the
body and the elevation of the soul. Hence we affirm with
truth that a Nation upon its knees in the act of humili-
ation is a far greater thing than the most dazzling and
magnificent human exhibition of any public act of thanks-
giving. A whole Nation, with the President at its head;
senators, generals, ministers, soldiers, and people, are
joining with one accord to keep a solemn fast for the dis-
tinct recognition of an Almighty but Invisible God, as-
sembling in all the churches of the land, and in the groves,
God's first temples, confessing and deploring their sins;
supplicating for mercy in the midst of the Divine judg-
ments, and bowing down with humble submission to the
will of the Omnipotent ! How much more sublime and
moving a spectacle is this, than the most gorgeous cele-
bration of any earthly feast in the season of prosperity!
414
APPENDIX. 415
A Nation humbling itself is better than a Nation triumph-
ing; a people praying is, in reality, a more glorious sight
than a victorious army. O, how much brighter than the
most brilliant illumination for a victory! The duty of
fasting has been recognized in all ages. . . .
The skeptic, with a contemptuous sneer, asks why a
national fast has been proclaimed? Is it not time to pro-
claim a fast on account of the intense worldliness that
reigns in the land? Gold was becoming our supreme
national God. The creed of the masses was, that life is
the time to get rich; death is the time of speculation;
heaven is a mart with golden streets ; hell a debtor's prison
for unsuccessful men, the chief end of man is to glorify
gold, and enjoy it forever. Is it not time to proclaim a
fast when insubordination and rebellion at home have
raised their horrid crests? Is it not time to fast when
property and life are insecure? Is not a fast required of
us by God to bewail the sin of slavery, a sin which is
founded on diabolical wrong, and is maintained by an un-
relenting outrage of all the sacred rights of humanity and
a daring blasphemy against the laws of religion and of
God? Is it not time to proclaim a national fast when an
army of rebels, banded together by the most horrid oaths,
are threatening the ruin of the noblest superstructure of
civil government that Heaven ever vouchsafed its crea-
tures? Is not such a memorial due to the patriot dead?
The patriot martyrology is filling up its archives with no
mean names. The "seal of the living God" touches many
a brow, as noble victim after victim falls in this pro-
slavery rebellion. These dead heroes are patterns to be
studied. It is everything to point to their labors, great
and splendid. Rich triumphs of heroism have they won;
sweet and precious fruit have they yielded. We remember
them with delight, because vindicating that eternal love
of country, dear to every American heart. Who can
quote their names without feeling the swift blood passing
swifter through his veins? The youthful and heroic Ells-
worth; the quiet and beautiful Winthrop; the impetuous
Lyon; the illustrious Baker; the amiable Andrews, of
416 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Kenyon, whom the soldiers loved when living, and wept
when dead; the manly Haggerty, among the earliest to
seal with his blood his unquenchable devotion to the land
of his adoption ; the intrepid Kearney, the one-armed hero
of a hundred fights ; the lion-hearted McCook, who, in the
agonies of assassination, preached to his murderers the
gosepl of Union; Mitchell, schooled in philosophy and
science, trampling on the prizes of lettered ambition,
coveting only to be a soldier of the Union ; Cantwell, who
defied the giant power of Rebellion at Manassas; Cass,
O'Neil, Hogan, Donohue, Coney, Joyce, and Emmet,
all of Meagher's famous brigade; Perry, Weirich, Hes-
kett, a noble trio, laying aside the noble vestment of the
priesthood, died for their country; the veteran Sumner,
having his soul's life in this great cause, the one medium
of his thought and feelings, whose dying prayer was,
"God save my country, the United States of America!"
the ardent and gallant Lanning; the manly Patton; the
brave Winlepeck ; the names of Bechtol, Emerson, Craw-
ford, Smith, Shannon, Cross, Mulford, Campbell, Den-
man, McMichael, all gone! The memories of these
noble men will be held by their friends. Long is the necro-
logical list sad, yet magnificent. These men felt it was
sweet and glorious to die for their native land. The hands
that grasped the flag are now stiff ; the eyes that beamed
with patriotic fire are now closed; the ears that caught
the first sound of the advancing foe are forever shut ; the
voices that marshaled the men to action are forever mute ;
but the lofty spirit of patriotism that impelled them to
deeds of noble daring can never expire; like the word of
the holy man, it shall endure forever.
Should not such models of heroism and patriotism
be so contemplated and copied that the country may
never want defenders? The trophied Pyrgos of Milti-
ades on the plain of Marathon suffered not Themistocles
to sleep. The monster statue erected by his countrymen
to O'Connell, revived the expiring hope of Irish nation-
ality. The monument in the capital of Belgium com-
memorates the virtues of the three hundred martyrs of
APPENDIX. 417
the revolution. Amid the wild scenery in the valley of
the Tyrol, and by the soft blue waters of Lake Lucerne,
the glorious Swiss place the image of Andreas Hofer
and William Tell. On upland heath, in pleasant dale, on
polished Loch Katrine, the countrymen of Robert Burns
celebrate the heroism of William Wallace and Robert
Bruce. In Italy, in Poland, and in Hungary, the poets
of the people in immortal verse rejuvenate the patriotic
fires of these old nations, by pointing to the splendid
deeds of Savonarola, Kosciusko, and the illustrious Mag-
yar. Shall America be less grateful to her gallant sons?
Let shafts of granite in every country town, emblazoned
with imperishable sentences, picture the gallantry of the
soldiers of the second American Revolution.
This day's solemn proceedings teach us that the trials
we are now enduring are only a part of a great transitional
development. No nations, however prosperous, but have
had their adversities, sometimes resulting in their ruin.
We see this principle plainly dated in the pages of every
nation's history.
"Greece, lovely Greece,
The land of scholars and the nurse of arms,"
where Liberty first built her mountain throne, first called
the waves her own, and shouted across them a proud de-
fiance to despotism's branded myriads; Greece, the land
of poets, sculptors, philosophers, and matchless orators,
where and what is she now? It was believed that Ichabod
could never be written over this powerful nation, then
considered the university of the age, the eye of the world,
and the emporium of eloquence and commerce; but her
ruined altars, the fragments of her temples of snowy
marble, her lost arts, and her dismantled fanes proclaim
with emphasis that for two thousand years the oppressor
has ground her to the earth.
As we descend the roll of centuries, we find an empire
which surely will be indestructible. Rome, manly and
majestic Rome, baptized herself the mistress of the world,
and her eagles glanced on the rising and setting sun.
27
41 8 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
She boasted that she was the Ocean Queen, gave laws
to the world, and defied the mighty potentates of the
earth. But the classical Gibbon has sketched the rise
and fall of the Roman Empire. England, France, and
Spain have had their seasons, times when they arose, we
know how; when they seemed to gather strength from
every struggle, to rise superior to every competitor, to
wax brighter and brighter until they arose to meridian
glory; and times when they declined, we know why.
We, too, had our sunshine of prosperity. For years
our progress has been wonderful. Arts and sciences have
advanced beyond credence; the internal policy of our
Nation, its laws, organization, its justice, its liberty, its
commerce, its territory, its churches, and its schools. The
sun, I believe, has never shone upon a land for which the
Almighty has done so much as for Columbia her im-
mensity, her noble sea-line, her mountains, forests, prai-
ries; her valley-beds, whose fearful concaves seas must
once have filled ; her tremendous denudations, which seas
might fill again; her estuaries, which give navigation to
her inmost heart ; her sealike rivers, more glorious high-
ways than the proudest military or princely pass ; her out-
lets and embouchures, all exhibit nature on its grandest
scale. There the often tried experiment, over which free-
dom has sighed for ages, has suceeded. The most san-
guine anticipations of the men who signed the charter of
Independence is more than realized, when within the life-
time of the present generation of men their successors
are making laws for over thirty millions, covering an ex-
tent of territory stretching from the billows of the Atlan-
tic to the calmer waters of the Pacific main. The meta-
physical Berkeley sang:
" Westward the star of empire takes its way ;
The four first acts already passed,
A fifth shall close the drama with the day ;
Time's noblest offspring is the last."
During the lengthened period of peace, when the
aegis of Divine protection preserved us from the sleet of
APPENDIX. 419
foreign war, our country was making majestic strides
in the onward path of national prosperity. The whole
world was crowning us as the proud Queen of Nations.
Nature was pouring all her treasures into the lap of Free-
dom, and nothing was wanting to proclaim the grandeur
of the crisis; but while we were thus prospering, beating
our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning-
hooks, the Southern disunionists were planning this
frightful rebellion against the Constitution; and to the
amazement of the world, the aristocracy of the kingdom
of cotton had struck its first blow at American repub-
licanism. The head and^ front and backbone of this Re-
bellion is slavery. This is conceded by all the advocates
of the South. The Convention of South Carolina de-
clared that the blow aimed at the Union had been gather-
ing head for thirty years ; thus did they blaze their hypoc-
risy to the world. In addition to the guilty system of
slavery, the immediate cause of the Rebellion, is to be
found the pestilent heresy of State Sovereignty. This
theory of State Rights, upon which the revolted States
have planted themselves, is unconstitutional. After the
Revolutionary struggle was over our patriot fathers
formed a Union of the Colonies, under a compact known
as the "Articles of Confederation." As the Nation in-
creased, this compact was found to be wholly inadequate
to secure the efficient carrying out of the ends of govern-
ment. Experience taught that such a league was worth-
less. This led to the formation of our present Consti-
tution.
This instrument took effect in 1789, and never con-
templated the withdrawal of a State once entering. If a
State has the right to secede, so have the counties of
every State, and the towns of every county, and the citi-
zens of every town. We owe it to every citizen, to our
posterity forever, to the struggling nations of the earth,
to every friend of humanity, to every hater of monarchy,
to the precious memory of the slaughtered patriots, to
God and the world, to annihiliate the doctrine of State
Sovereignty forever. Mr. Stephens, the expounder of the
420 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
new order of things, says that slavery is the corner-stone
of the Confederacy. The like was never known before.
Revolutions have had for their watchword and war-cry,
"Liberty or Death !" To save the liberties of Rome the
imperial purple fell. For this Hungary agonizes; Italy
organizes ; Poland strikes ; Ireland pants to crush the per-
fidious aristocrat; and for this Jefferson wrote the im-
mortal charter. A government based on slavery can not
succeed. The throne of God is against it, and the uni-
versal cry of despotism's captive millions, "Down with
slavery forever!"
Great and splendid names may indeed be numbered
among the votaries of the Slave Confederacy, names
which have acquired high renown in the annals of philos-
ophy and genius.
The slaveholding Confederacy derives no luster from
the rank or fame of its disciples. The disciples are but
sunk by the vileness of the political heresy they have em-
braced ; and O, it is mournful beyond expression to think
of men whose talents might have advanced the noblest
of objects, and whose memories might have been perpetu-
ated in pure and imperishable fame, but who, by becoming
the advocates of such a monstrous Rebellion have dark-
ened their own glory and poisoned their own happiness,
and committed themselves to the execrations of mankind
throughout the world ! The systems of slavery and seces-
sion wretched compounds of every crime known in the
catalogue of depravity are, under all possible aspects, to
be held up to unmingled and unmitigated scorn. The
Catilines of the Republic have been educated at its ex-
pense ; been laden with its honors ; been fed at its treasury.
We may say, with the poet, over the stricken eagle,
"Keen were his pangs, yet keener far to feel
He nursed the pinion which impelled the steel,
While the same plumage that had warmed his nest,
Drank the last life drop of his bleeding breast."
In the day of judgment the bloody deeds of Nero,
Caligula, and Brant will be venial in comparison with the
APPENDIX. 42 1
perfidy, perjury, and savagery of the instigators of this
wicked insurrection.
" The common damned will pass them by,
And know themselves as fiends less foul."
Next to the South, the Union of these States has its
most formidable foes in the governing classes of England.
The able statesman and accomplished diplomatist, Will-
iam H. Seward, has said, had it not been for the sympathy
and national aid of the English aristocracy, this Rebellion
might have been subdued in three months. This incom-
parable Government has always been an eyesore to the
British Crown and Parliament. The steady and splendid
progress of the freest and most popular form of govern-
ment that ever was established in the world, struck the
most lively alarm into the hearts of all aristocrats, who
were anxious to have it established that the sovereign
people were not capable of self-government. .Before Eu-
rope and America I solemnly and deliberately charge
England with the tremendous crime of perpetuating this
Rebellion, and of widening the Constitutional Union of
these States. English intrigue, backed by English love
of gold, is trying to accomplish what English arms could
not accomplish in 1812, the destruction of the American
navy, to regain for herself her old maritime supremacy.
If the American Union is destroyed, England has a new
lease of power, she will have California and its golden
treasures. Our destruction is worth more to England
than twenty Waterloos. Well does the old hypocrite
know this; long has she labored, therefore, to effect the
ruin over which she now rejoices. The present England
does not remind me of the England of Clarkson, of Wil-
berforce, of Buxton, and of O'Connell, who proscribed
the foul traffic in human flesh, and threw down millions
as a ransom to extinguish slavery in her Colonies. But I
am reminded of the England whose deputies betrayed,
poisoned, stabbed, and assassinated Irish princes in the
good old days ; of the England whose generals slaughtered
Irish peasants by tens of thousands, or put them into
422 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
scuttled ships to sink at sea, or sold them to West India
planters ; of the England whose Clive and Hastings mur-
dered Indian kings, plundered their revenues, decimated
their people, and exposed their wives and daughters to
insult in the public market-place; of the England whose
officials butchered the Chinese because they refused to
consume the deadly drug of opium; of the England
whose hired mercenaries executed the heroic Emmet
for the simple reason that he could not learn to
chant the litany of slaves; of the England whose
packed juries forever ostracized from a land they
adored, the gallant Meagher and brave Corcoran; of the
England whose oppressive laws produce periodical fam-
ines, and which to-day fill the houses of Ireland with lam-
entation, mourning, and woe. The cheap policy of ex-
terminating the Irish, which England has adopted for
years, is soon to end; for the news now is, that all over
Ireland there can be heard the tramp of thousands drilling.
A day of reckoning is coming. Already Ireland is
awakening from sleep, and a flash of electric fire is pass-
ing through her millions. The refusal of the students
of the Dublin University to illuminate their halls in honor
of the Prince of Wales's marriage, and the immense meet-
ings held in all parts of the country to sympathize with
America, demonstrate that Ireland is preparing to strike
the grandest, meanest, falsest tyranny that ever deformed
the world.
It only remains to suggest a few of the bright features
developed by the present war.
What sublime lessons of wisdom may we have been
learning from that rude instructress, war! In reviewing
the past two years there are many bright lights in an
otherwise dark picture. Behind the darkest material
cloud there is still the sunlight that has shone on from the
earliest moment through ages of undiminished brilliancy.
In like manner the present desolating war has its bright
lights. The high-minded and Christian reluctance of the
Government to embark in the actual horrors of the con-
test, and their earnest, judicious, and honorable though
APPENDIX. 423
unsuccessful efforts to avert, by diplomatic negotiation,
an appeal to arms, is the first bright light in the conduct
of the Administration. If it be the rule of Christian duty
for an individual, it is equally so for a Christian Nation.
"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably
with all men." We could ill have spared the comfort of
that retrospective reflection amid the sad disasters that
have ensued. It was not until the eleven batteries manned
by eight thousand Confederates made the murderous as-
sault upon the gallant Anderson and his heroic crew that
the Government had recourse to the sword. The thunder
of cannon in Charleston Harbor aroused the Nation. Evil
as war is, it is still the less of two evils. Better the crash,
the fiery bolt ; better the wild torrent from the mountains,
sweeping away the corn and the vines, than the stagnant
pool, breeding deadly pestilence.
Another bright light is the patriotism of the people.
Patriotism is a virtue of the highest order. There is a
splendor about it which causes it to commend itself to
all men. It is a beautiful and glorious thing. The love
of country is a noble sentiment. It is this principle that
binds man to man; which associates with itself all the
sweet charities of home ; which speaks the same language,
recognizes a common interest, sits down under the pro-
tection of the same laws; which causes the Laplander to
prefer the eternal snows of his wintry life to all the splen-
dor and profusion of Asia, because it is his country. He
who would not dare and do for the land of his birth is
deficient in the elements of greatness, and deserves to be
a slave. More than seven hundred thousand patriotic
American citizens, faithful to the counsels and memory
of Washington, are under arms by land and sea, to de-
fend the Nation's integrity and life. In the records of the
world such a sight has never before been seen. Since
the day of Pentecost such a baptism has never fallen on
the world, the people are inspired.
The valor and splendid exploits of our gallant soldiers
is another bright light in the present war. How sublime
the lessons of heroism already given us by the noble
424 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Ellsworth! Already a race of heroes springs from his
blood. There has been illustrated in gory lettering on
many an ensanguined field the hereditary courage of the
heroic past. The story of the Pilgrims, of the Revolu-
tionary Fathers, is no more a dead victory, but a living
power. It is easy to speak thrillingly and rapturously
of deeds of human enterprise, and every tongue is ready
to swell the praises of Columbus, who went forth on the
waste of waters, burning to snatch a New World from
the grave of centuries; and to echo the fame of William
Tell, who bade the splendid land of lake and cataract and
mountain spurn the base yoke of foreign despots. Every
one admires, every one extols these daring purposes of
master and fiery spirits; but think ye that the sublime pa-
tience of the army exhibited in the bitter night watches,
in the trenches, and their unyielding valor in the con-
tested field, are not as equally deserving the applause of
every lover of free institutions? The man who would
withhold the laurel from our brave defenders is in mind
a fool, or in heart a traitor. If the pulse beats not high
at the recital of the daring deeds displayed at Lexington,
Antietam, Stone River, a kind of polar spell must have
chained the life's blood.
The war has brought out one fine result, it has
shown that the weaker sex, though born to wealth and
luxury, are ready to renounce every comfort and brave
every hardship, that they may minister to the suffering,
tend the wounded in their agony, and soothe the last
struggles of the dying. God bless the Sisters of Charity
in their heroic mission I had almost said their heroic
martyrdom ! And I might have said it ; for I do think
that in walking through those long lines of sick-beds,
in giving themselves to all the ghastly duties of the hos-
pital, they are doing a harder thing than was allotted
to many who mounted the scaffold or dared the stake.
Where did the Roman youth get their amor pa-trice so
that they came forth with eagerness to fight the battles
of the State? Daughters caught it from their mothers,
when they heard them speak with exultation of the ex-
APPENDIX. 425
ploits of their fathers in the field; sons caught it when
their fathers returned from the battle, as they doffed their
helmets and hung up their shields, and said that the first
duty of a citizen was to the State.
The matrons of America, baptizing their sons and
brothers with their tears, bade them grasp the gleaming
steel in defense of their 'imperiled institutions. These
heroic women are the inheritors of all the glory of Cor-
nelia, and they possess all the sublime self-sacrifice of
the Spartan who said : "Dear are these my children, dear
are the charities of home; but my country is dearer
than all."
The grand Union army is an impressive and beauti-
ful illustration of the profound affection entertained for
a republican Government by the foreign-born citizens of
the country. In the army of the Union are to be found
Italians, who fought under Garibaldi for the unification
of Italy; Hungarians, in whose ears linger the inspiring
tones of Kossuth's voice; Poles, who yet dream of an
independent Poland; Germans, whose love of liberty is
proverbial, the names of the gallant Sigel, the brave
Osterhaus, and the noble Stahls, are as familiar as house-
hold words. The Irish element in this war is significant,
and is suggestive of a few observations. Doubt was felt
in some quarters whether foreigners, especially Roman
Catholics, would respond to the Nation's call. This sus-
picion was groundless ; for they have furnished a splendid
percentage of the entire army.
In speaking so highly of the Irish regiments and their
leaders, I am not invidious; for the common glory be-
longs to all. All hail to the thousands composing the
Union army ! No matter under what sky they drew the
breath of life, they will receive, as they richly deserve,
the thanks of every republican throughout the world.
" From the vineland, from the Rhineland, from the Shannon, from the
Scheldt ;
From the ancient homes of genius, from the saintly home of Celt ;
From Italy, from Hungary, all as brothers join, and come,
To the sinew-bracing bugle and the foot-propelling drum ;
426 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
And proud beneath the starry flag to keep and to secure
The liberty they dreamed of by the Danube, Elbe, and Suir.
Here Scots and Poles, Italians, Gauls, with native emblems fight,
Here Teuton corps, who fought before, Fur Freiheit und fur Llchh
While round the flag the Irish, like a human rampart go,
They found Cead Mille Faillhe here : they'll give it to the foe."
In this union of races and beliefs I see an omen of
success. These bright features of the war are cheering
things in our destinies tokens that we are neither for-
gotten nor forsaken by God. But nevertheless I can not
conceal from you my conviction that we have arrived at a
momentous crisis in the history of our country. The
ruthless hand of Rebellion is making a powerful effort to
tear down this beautiful fabric of Christian civilization,
to undermine the splendid columns of our free country,
and everything we hold valuable is at stake. It is, hu-
manly speaking, for you to say in what condition the
future generations of this country shall be born whether
the new immortals, as they spring into life, shall find
themselves surrounded by the bulwarks of freedom, or
the untamed ferocities of a slave empire. I conjure you
this day to ignore partisanship, and imitating Themis-
tocles and Aristides on the plains of Marathon, unite and
repel the enemies of your country. There were two great
parties in the Roman Commonwealth when Hannibal
came down like an avalanche from the Alps and was
marching to the Capital. The Senate was confounded;
the venerable Sempronius exclaimed : "Gods ! which of
the two shall we choose, slavery or death? I am for
war!" It was enough; the timid became heroic, and
united to carry the war into Africa with triumphant and
swift success.
Let us 'imitate and emulate their action. I summon
you, by your sentiments of patriotism; your quenchless
spirit of liberty; the welfare of the 'Nation; by your alle-
giance to the Government ; by the memory of the heroic
dead, whose bones are bleaching on the Southern plains ;
by the smoking blood of your brothers and kinsmen;
by a slaughtered army, to place this day upon the altar
APPENDIX. 427
of your country such an offering of patriotism as will
prove to the world that this Union must and shall be
preserved. I bring, as it were, the banner of beauty and
glory, with magnificent emblazonry of stars, to the shrine
of this sacred place, and unfurl its radiant folds before
you. Lyook upon it as it waves in your midst. It has
floated in many a breeze; it has been borne in many a
battle ; many a fierce day has it waved ; over many a
battlement has it been made to float in triumph; many
a brave hand has grasped it; and many a warrior's eye
has kindled, and many a warrior's heart has throbbed,
as, looking upon it in all its bloodstained beauty, and
reading the motto, "By this, conquer!" he has followed
it into the scene of warfare and of death. When I have
seen this' flag in other lands and gazed upon its stainless
stars, my heart has melted within me, as I remembered
that under it Washington fought, Taylor planted it on
the heights of Monterey, and Scott over the halls of
Montezuma. That flag has been dishonored. The liv-
ing Jehovah; the brilliant group of patriots, reposing
in eternal peace; the spirits of departed worthies, bend-
ing down from their lofty dwellings; illustrious martyrs
of all countries; and Columbia, your country, address
you, and by a signal synonymous with triumph, conjure
you to lift up that banner, to advance that flag, until its
stars shall gleam from California's Gulf to Hudson's Bay,
and from the Queen of the Antilles to the domains of our
august friend, the Czar of Russia.
I have spoken of the first time I saw your splendid
banner. It was when the Green Isle was burdened with a
slaughter which excited a world's sympathies. As its
folds were waved over that ship with bread for the starv-
ing, I read your grand history. The past rose up before
me. A Nation's flag is a Nation's history. I saw Samuel
Adams, the prophet and the guide of the rebels, write the
immortal sentence, and fling it to the bending heavens and
to the listening earth, "Resistance to tyrants is obedience
to God." I saw that august body which Lord Chatham
declared the noblest assembly ever convened the Conti-
428 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
nental Congress, and I saw the tall and princely form of
Charles Thompson, its secretary, read the Declaration of
Independence. I saw General Washington, clarum et
venerabile nomen, take command under the old elm-tree
at Cambridge. I saw the Revolutionary soldiers, bare-
footed and weary, track the frozen ground with their
blood as they marched to Valley Forge. I saw the patri-
otic women of New Jersey, when the cartridges gave out,
invade the churches, fill their arms with hymn-books,
saying to the soldiers, "Boys, give them Watts; boys, give
them Watts." I saw the Liberty Boys of New York take
down the brass statue of King George, and I saw their
wives and daughters melt it into forty thousand bullets,
and send it back to the king in the bodies of his red-coated
soldiers. I saw the English army after Yorktown dis-
appear. I saw the gaunt frame and heard the sublime
oath of Andrew Jackson, when he swore "that this Union
must and shall be preserved." I resolved then and there
to become an American, to cast my lot with this people,
and the services I have rendered that flag have been the
happiest recollections of my life.
DEAD ON THE FIELD OF HONOR.
Delivered on the 3oth of May, 1896, in New Philadelphia.
VETERANS of the Grand Army! You are the ora-
tors of the day. Your bronzed faces, your shrunken
and withered forms, your white hairs, your flowers, your
tears, your glorified wounds, all speak more thrillingly,
tenderly, and eloquently to the human heart than any
words of mine at this sacred and memorable hour. It
is indeed a holy and a solemnly-beautiful scene. Lovingly,
in the midst of green leaves and the opening splendors
of the summer, assemble the pride and beauty of the
country to crown with sweet flowers the sepulchers, and
to keep green and fragrant the heroic memories of the
dead heroes of the American Republic. Decorating the
graves with flowers, grown in nature's virgin purity, is
APPENDIX. 429
a good old custom. In Virgil's splendid epic we read
that when the funeral pile of Marcellus was preparing,
the aged Anchises said to his son :
" Full canisters of fragrant lilies bring,
Let me with funeral flowers his body strew;
This gift which parents to their child do owe,
This unavailing gift, at least, I may bestow."
It was done for the Grecians slain at Marathon. But
neither in Greece nor in Rome was there ever such a
floral offering as takes place to-day throughout our broad
and magnificent land. Thirty millions reverently and
gracefully lay their tributes of pure flowers, sweet em-
blems of all that is beautiful and true, upon the dust of
three hundred thousand martyrs. O, sacred devotion to
duty! O glorious patriotism! Brilliant though this
scene be, it is only a small and insignificant part of that
mighty chorus which commemorates in speech and song
the gallantry and peerless courage of the patriot dead.
Throughout this vast Commonwealth there are songs
sung, fervent eulogies delivered, there are prayers offered
to the Throne, and there are tens of thousands of brave
hands and fair hands decorating every grave spot with
beautiful chaplets ! Upon the banks of great rivers, in
the valley of Sacramento, in the golden gorges of the
Yuba, on the red hills of Georgia, throughout the broad
plains of the Carolinas, and on the green hills of New
England, is this day hailed as the festival of the redemp-
tion of Liberty. The dead soldiers of the Union ! How
suggestive the text! They went to death with all the
radiance of true chivalry. In the honored graves in which
they sleep, they are far above the arguments of the living
crowd ; and though many of them have no grand mauso-
leum to enshrine their ashes, yet there memory is sweet
and their deeds, like the higher stars, shall shine forever.
That the land of Washington might be free, they laid
down their lives, and even with a patriotic rapture, im-
plored the stroke of martyrdom.
It may be justly said of them what an eloquent Euro-
430 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
pean said of those who fell before the walls of Buda, the
consciousness of doing right impressed upon their dead
features proved them to be the nameless demigods of
Liberty. Since that fatal April morning, rich with roses,
when the first flash of the traitorous guns sent the blas-
phemous challenge to the Stars and Stripes, many noble
and gifted soldiers have gone to a better and brighter
world! With souls unflinching and with hearts as brave
as ever beat, they died for their country. When the
illustrious French soldier, Latour d'Auvergne, the first
grenadier of France, as he was simply and honorably
called, fell in the service of his country, his name was
still retained on the muster-roll of his regiment, and when
called out by the commanding officer upon service days,
as if he were still present, the oldest soldier would step
out of the ranks, and, amid the solemn silence of his
comrades, reply in these touching words: "Dead on the
field of honor/' And so when the muster-roll is read
out to future generations, to their names shall be added
as their best and most appropriate epitaph: "Dead on
the field of honor." Long is the list, sad, yet magnificent.
The youthful Ellsworth, the quiet Winthrop, the heroic
Lyon; Mitchell, with his genial face and kindly heart,
schooled in philosophy and science; McCook of the lion
heart, breathing out his life, and preaching in the agonies
of death, the gospel of the Union; McPherson, having
his soul's life in the great cause, sinking beneath the can-
nibal blows of assassins! Who can recall that name and
not be impressed with a sense of stainless chivalry? His
was a master mind, his was a consuming zeal. There was
in him an assemblage of qualities which raised him to a
parallelism with the noblest confessors of freedom. How
does the wave of the Chattahoochie seem to redden with
his name and murmur with his blood! He was raised
to a higher command that of the celestials. Surely the
gallant soldier is there, listening to the harpers harping
with their harps. Lytle, of the brave loth Ohio, wield-
ing a power to which all difficulties yielded; great as a
soldier, but gentle as the flower which he loved to train !
APPENDIX. 43 1
Smith, the stripling commander of the 43d, who defied
the giant power of the Rebellion in its strongest de-
fenses, planting the banner of the Union where no power
can ever again trail it in the dust! Then those master
spirits, Sedgwick, Wadsworth, Kearney, Sumner, Cor-
coran, Reno, Rawlins!
The spectacle of our martyrology grows upon us!
Pale, dreamless sleepers, their memories are pious, glo-
rious, and immortal. The victories of the war were those
of the privates. I would not take one laurel from the
brows of the great captains who led our hosts to vic-
tory the persistent Grant, the Crichton of our armies;
from the chivalrous and* fighting Rosecrans; from the
accomplished McClellan; from the brilliant Sherman;
from the intrepid Sheridan, whose cavalry charges rival
those of Murat ; from the high-spirited and dashing Han-
cock; from the heroic Meade; from the great host of
generals who gathered around the "banner of beauty and
glory," as Napoleon's marshals did around the imperial
eagle; but, nevertheless, our success must be ascribed,
under God, to the stout hearts and iron arms of the en-
listed men of the army. We are here to honor them by
strewing their graves with these rare flowers. Would
that they remained of perpetual beauty, bloom, and fra-
grance! Their sepulchers by day shall be watched over
by the sun, and by night by the constellated stars ! Wher-
ever Freedom plants her standard, these deeds of mag-
nificent heroism shall be mentioned with devotion. The
trophied tomb of Miltiades, on the plain of Marathon,
would not suffer Themistocles to sleep. On the scene
of the battle was erected a spotless shaft of marble to
the memory of the fallen Spartan heroes, who sent back
the glorious answer to Xerxes when he demanded their
arms, "Come and take them!" and on that monument
was written an inscription by Simonides: "O, stranger,
tell it at Lacedsemon that we died here in obedience to
her laws." Their statues, in Greece stir the heart. Fiery
young Greeks often exclaim, "The trophies of Miltiades
will not let me sleep."
432 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Our honored dead, like the Spartans, felt it was sweet
and glorious to die for their country. Though the hands
which grasped the sword are now stiff, though the eyes
which once flashed with patriotic fervor are now closed,
though the ears which caught the first signal of the ad-
vancing foe are forever shut, their lofty spirit of patriot-
ism can never expire. Their fidelity, courage, brave en-
deavors, and self-sacrifice shall live forever.
" They shall resist the empire of decay,
When time is o'er and worlds have passed away;
Cold in the dust the perished heart may lie,
But that which warmed it once can never die."
This festival memory, of love, of truth, reminds us
of the undying devotion to Liberty which animated the
souls of the illustrious dead. It was the thrilling and mo-
mentous cry of Freedom endangered that caused every
light to burn with beacon fires. It was love of Liberty
which inspired your fathers, husbands, brothers, sons, to
face, with the composure of a summer's rain, the red hail
of death. For six thousand years tyrants have tried to
crush it out of the hearts of humanity. Their fagots,
their inquisitions, their star chambers have been in vain.
The half million of patriot soldiers who died during the
war splendidly vindicated the growth of Liberty against
dungeons, bayonets, starvation, and the battalions of
slavery. Our gallant brothers were driven to starvation
and death. But there was one blazing torch which could
not be driven away, which the prisons, the graves, and
oppressions of the Confederates could not extinguish.
It was lit when the sun darkened over Calvary. The
battle-fields of the South flowed with the blood of the
men in blue; but the immortal spirit of Liberty wafted
the red surge and foam, pointing the sinking spirit to
eternal rest. When the flag of Washington, the illumi-
nated scripture of the Nation, was assailed, a million men,
with the love of Liberty in their hearts, shouldered their
muskets. Noble and elect women, with tears in their
eyes, glowing with sacred enthusiasm, standing on their
APPENDIX. 433
thresholds, imparted their farewell benedictions. In the
name, of the Lord of Hosts, a charge, a grand charge,
was made for Liberty, dear Liberty lovely and sacra-
mental as heaven's wide rainbow ! Liberty, God's best
and costliest blessing ! Liberty, the oppressed's last and
fondest hope ! Liberty, the world's crowning and eternal
triumph ! Liberty, for which -Emmet proudly mounted
the scaffold ! Liberty, for which Henry pleaded ! Lib-
erty, for which Warren, Montgomery, and Pulaski died !
It was the last word stammered by the dying soldier as
the heavens opened to receive him. And so upon this
day of grace we go forth to celebrate with music, poetry,
eloquence, art, orations, and monuments the -sacred mem-
ories of heroes and martyrs to whose dazzling deaths in
the blaze of war a mighty nation owes its existence.
This beautiful festival also reminds us of the match-
less patriotism of the people ! Patriotism is a term sug-
gestive of the most charming memories. It is invested
with the rich and warm associations of that holy spot
that sheltered us in infancy, and where we imbibed and
exchanged some of the purest charities of the heart. Dy-
nasties may change, governments may be swept away;
but love of fatherland will be as tender in the world's
gray age as in its primeval morning. What can be sweeter
in its pathos than Virgil's tender sketch of Andromache
flying from the wrath of gods and men, and building up
in her new land a little image of her ancestral city of
Ilium? Lord Byron, the greatest poet of the English
tongue, in his splendid tragedy of the "Two Foscari,"
illustrates this principle. How often has the American,
wandering over the earth, said with poor Jacopo :
" Ah ! you never yet
Were far away from Venice, never saw
Her beautiful towers in the receding distance,
Whilst every furrow of the vessel's track
Seemed plowing into your heart ; you never
Saw day go down upon your native spires,
So calmly in its old and crimson glory,
And after dreaming a disturbed vision
28 Of them and theirs, awoke and found it not."
434 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
The Poles never forget their own beautiful land.
They cling to it with a rare and heroic devotion.
Through the broad streets of London they followed the
hearse of Thomas Campbell, and when he was entombed
they threw upon his grave some holy clay brought from
the fields of the Vistula. It is a tribute not less sacred
than the wedding ring to the genius which gave voice
to the dreams, the great conspiracies for Freedom which,
for centuries, had made Poland the worthiest of the
European nations. How grand the patriotism of our
own American citizens! Never on our soil was there a
prouder day. The march of the thousands to the seat
of war was a passage in our history never to be forgotten.
Glorious patriots, your bodies were the illustrious and
adamantine rock against which the overwhelming surges
of treason dashed in vain ! All classes responded with
lavish enthusiasm to the bugle call. Democrats and Re-
publicans, natives, adopted citizens, Catholics and Protest-
ants, fought with equal desperation. They stood together
in the same field of death; they scaled the same battle-
ments; they advanced in the same forlorn hope; and, to
use the fine expression of a gifted poet, they looked
proudly to heaven.
This fraternity of nationalities suggested to the poet
Scanlon the following spirited lines:
" Comrades ! around our campfires bright,
Here's to our starry banner,
That flies across the brow of night,
God's choicest blessings fan her ;
And while men worship Freedom's name,
They '11 man each deck and cannon,
And fight for Freedom all the same,
By Hudson, Rhine, and Shannon."
In the grand armies of the Union might be seen a
picture worthy of transference to the imperishable page
by Prescott's luminous pen ! There were the woodsmen
of Maine, the raftsmen of upper Mississippi, the farmer
boys of Vermont and Wisconsin, the factory hands of
APPENDIX. 435
Massachusetts, the mechanics of New York, the miners
of Pennsylvania and Illinois, the flower and chivalry of
Ohio, and amidst this brilliant gathering were the laugh-
ing voices, the kindling eyes of Erin's sons, and the Ger-
mans.
They marched to the music of the Union, as it swelled
forth in the grand measure of "Hail Columbia." They
victoriously carried the ark of the American covenant
through the fire and tempest of war, expanding the dome
of the temple of Liberty, perfecting it, and leaving it erect,
stately, august, and adored.
We are reminded by this sacred festival of the splen-
did bravery of our dead comrades. Their courage is the
admiration of the world. Infinitely bright are the halos
of glory which encircle the brows of these triumphant
warriors of Freedom. They marched to every battle with
high-crested spirits, and everywhere came out of it
adorned with the superior wreath of valor and morality.
When the lightning of war gave place to the divine branch
of peace these merchants, farmers, lawyers, mechanics,
ministers, returned to their former pursuits.
I wish to pay a tribute to those noble women who
gave their husbands, brothers, and sons in defense of a
Nation's life. Cornelia, the Spartan mother of fifteen sons,
gave them to the cause of her country, saying, as she
placed her hands upon their heads, "Dear to me are these,
my children, dear to me are the fruits of my home; but
my country is dearer than they." So American mothers
laid their hands upon their sons' heads and said, "Though
they are dear to me, my country is dearer than all." God
bless the American women and mothers! All over the
Union to-day there are women giving their time and
flowers to deck the soldiers' graves.
While decorating the graves of the Boys in Blue, do
not forget to drop a tear of sympathy into the graves of
the Southern soldiers. They proved themselves the most
masterly revolutionists of the age! They were Amer-
icans and heroic, though mistaken, men. Sprung from
the same stock, trusting: in the same redemption, believ-
436 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
ing in the same God, and candidates for the same immor-
tality, they were our brothers. Now that the war is
over, let their errors and follies be buried out of sight
forever. Nature draws no distinction between the Gray
and Blue. The grass is as green and the sun shines as
brightly over their graves as over ours.
The spirit of democratic government is everywhere
in the ascendant. Nation is answering unto nation. The
elder world is enacting dramas more brilliant than any
ever produced by stage or canvas. The very Cossack
has caught the sacred contagion, and has become the
champion of the oppressed. Turkey, that lair of savages
and laboratory of assassins, is doomed. God-speed the
Czar ! I kiss the hem of his garment. I bid you hearken
to the funeral knell of the Turk, the tolling out of the
message that his destruction is near! The night of Mo-
hammedanism, which has blasted the fairest portions of
Europe, is far spent. Already the Russian cavalry are
watering their horses in the sacred waters of the Ganges !
The tinge of gold on the mountains of a long-oppressed
world marks the coming of the Sun in his strength. I
hail as the dawning of truth, the awakening of the masses
from their long sleep, the coronation of liberty and the
glimpse of blue through the dark thick cloud. The spirit
has gone forth ! - It is the resolve of a great and outraged
people, uttering the accents of freedom in a strain of
majesty. Its echoes roll from hill to hill, catching the
response from every heart till in the swell of its mighty
volume it shall awaken the supine and arouse the dor-
mant energies of millions. Gladly would we see Liberty
crowned in every land. Gladly would we see it in Ger-
many. Gladly would we see it more prevalent in France
in France, made gay by nature and reflective by seven
heroic revolutions against despotism ! Gladly would we
see it combined with the pure and lofty enthusiasm of
Spain Spain, as it shall be when governed by her great
souled Castelar! Gladly would we see it in England,
when the men of England Bright, Dilke, Mill, and other
such shining advocates of humanity shall control the
APPENDIX, 437
destiny of that once mighty empire ! Gladly would we see
it in Ireland; and on the ruins of her desecrated and dis-
mantled temple of 1782, a glorious edifice arising, a
temple of independence, of freedom, and of peace ! Then
the graves of her murdered patriots would become the
stepping-stones to immortality! Gladly would we see
the splendid combinations of nationality, freedom, jus-
tice, blending with the peculiar characteristics of every
nation on the earth, and the triumphs of republicanism
announced in more languages than have ever been enu-
merated by a Barring or a Barritt.
Though thirty-six years have rolled into eternity since
I was at old Camp Meigs, I am still the same as when,
in the morning of life, I left the spot that sheltered me
in infancy and bore me across the waves. Still the same
as I was when for the first time I looked with admiration
and wonder upon the handsome cities, the merchant
princes covering the Atlantic with their fleets; the stately
buildings and grand opportunities of this magnificent
Republic. Still the same as when, in the earlier years of
my ministry, I commenced my work of a Methodist
preacher in your section. I miss the kindly hand and
hearty welcome of many old friends Judge Patrick,
Simpson, Harmount, and others. Still the same as when
the bugle call to arms rang in my ears, and I preached
a war sermon and a hundred noble men responded. Still
the same as when, with the gallant Bartilson and Robin-
son, I invoked the young Democrats and the young Re-
publicans of the country, and when, amidst the thrilling
acclamations of hundreds, we marched through the streets
of New Philadelphia to the war for the Union. Still the
same as though no hopes had fallen like withered leaves ;
as though no star had fallen from the heavens to which
I looked; as though my home had not been a vacant
place, voiceless, lampless, and hung with mourning; the
same as when joining with the surging chorus I called
the patriotic young men of this and adjoining counties
to arms, and from arms to liberty.
I might say to you, in conclusion, what a great poet
438 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
makes Antony say of Caesar when he pointed to the
wounds that had been inflicted on the Emperor's body,
"Show you sweet Caesar's wounds, poor dumb mouths."
So the dumb mouths of the dead conquerors of the Amer-
ican Republic have each a tongue, and plead with pierc-
ing and prevailing eloquence for the fine and magnificent
country in whose behalf they perished, and which they
loved so well. If I could call up to your view our glo-
rious dead; if I could crowd these sacred grounds with
the forms of those who in the somber years of war made
a rampart of their bodies against the encroachments of
slavery and secession, with what awe and veneration
would you gaze on the noble army of martyrs! How
would you gather fresh strength and patriotism from be-
holding Lincoln, McPherson, Mulligan, Ellsworth, in
withstanding every national sin which gave to death so
illustrious a group ! I know that their beautiful memo-
ries wake the pulse of a holy love of country, and that
the breathing of their names, like the trumpet peal of
a righteous war, sends the throb of a high resolve
throughout this brilliant assembly! Now, as you look
on this stirring spectacle, breathe forth a prayer as fervent
as any that ever passed from your heart for the land of
Washington, that the wrongs of the oppressed may be
redressed; that the soldiers' widows and orphans may
be cared for with no niggardly hand; that the ports may
open their gates; that the rusted machinery of toiling
millions, the steel armor of civilization, may once more
beat with the vitality of trade; that temples of industry
and religion may rise amidst the wastes of war; that the
lofty principles of equal and civil rights may continue in
every section of the Union as long as the sun endures;
that the deadly art of war may give place to the gentler
arts of peace; that American freedom may yet strike off
the world's chains; and that the future of the United
States, the country of our birth and adoption and love,
may be coeval with the advent grandeur of the Son of
God!
APPENDIX. 439
THE TRUE GRANDEUR OF A NATION.
BY REV. GEORGE W. PEPPER, CHAPLAIN 40x11 U. S. I., DELIVERED
AT RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, ON JULY 4, 1867.
MY COUNTRYMEN, This is indeed a brilliant and
beautiful scene. This is a propitious and consecrated day.
The summer sun in its journey to the west looks on no
more impressive sight; on no grander spectacle. Why
have assembled here in the shadow of these stately oaks,
gallant men and fair wonien the hope and struggle, the
glory and the joy of life? Should a stranger viewing this
grand assemblage ask, "Why is all this enthusiasm? why
these splendid banners floating in the breeze?" we would
tell him that the loyal masses of North Carolina were met
to celebrate the most august event which ever constituted
an epoch in the political annals of mankind ; not to cele-
brate the birthday of a despot, but the birthday of a great
Nation. No thunder of cannon, no roll of drums, no
blare of trumpets, no empty pageant of regal grandeur,
summons us hither. How simple, how sacred, how sub-
lime is the occasion of our meeting! The impressive
prayer that the God of our fathers would be with us;
the public reading of the great charter, the Declaration of
Independence, which has given a radiant immortality to
the day; the enthusiasm of this vast multitude; the in-
spiring strains of patriotic music; the presence of gal-
lant men and women, all these delightful surroundings
combine to clothe this anniversary with grace and
splendor.
All over the earth to-day, over the North and South,
on mountains and on plains, among the poor and the rich,
the natives of Columbia and the friends of liberty hang
out their banners the Stars and Stripes hold high festi-
val, and renew their recollections of the land of Washing-
ton, now made doubly dear and sacred to them because it
is the resting-place of the great and good Abraham Lin-
coln. Good man, he now sleeps in the grandeur of eternal
440 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
peace. Honor to his beautiful memory! Americans
everywhere at this hour are celebrating, amid the roar of
cannon and the pealing of cathedral bells, not only the
deeds of our Revolutionary fathers, but the greater glories
of the last few years. By the St. Lawrence, by the Hud-
son, by the Thames, by the Mississippi, by the Ganges,
by the Nile, by the golden shores of the Bosphorus as
well as on the banks of the Liffey, the Shannon, the Bar-
row, and the Suir there is good cheer to-day, a feast
of reason and a flow of soul ; one voice and one heart
animate the citizens of this bounteous land. This is the
holiday of the \vhole Nation. We find monumental struc-
tures raised to enliven the patriotic virtues of nations.
The patriarchal pillars of stone, and the Pythian, Nemean,
Isthmian, and Olympic games were institutions of this
character. The various feasts of the Jews were the evi-
dences of this principle. To those established by God
they added a feast of the dedication of the Temple and
also the Feast of Purim, to commemorate their wonderful
deliverances. Mark, too, the Heaven-ordained ordinances
of the Israelitish Passover and the Christian Eucharist !
Like a blazing line of fire, they perpetuate through all
time the infinite condescension of God. And so it is in
regard to this festive, joyful, glorious day. The 4th of
July, 1861, beheld the hardy sons of the North and South
brightening their armor for the combat. Their battle-
ground was a continent, their audience was the world.
The 4th of July, 1862, found the North in mourning over
the slain of the Chickahominy, the South rejoicing in suc-
cess. The 4th of July, 1863, and the North had shattered
into atoms the legions of the South at Vicksburg and
Gettysburg. On the Nation's birthday, 1864, both sec-
tions were ready for the final struggle. Ere another
anniversary, the North is victorious, the South is van-
quished, democracy and freedom have triumphed, rebel-
lion and slavery have died.
I need not review the struggle which preceded and
succeeded the Declaration of Independence. Your own
minds are familiar with the terrible privations of the Revo-
APPENDIX. 441
lutionary soldiers, who, amid the snows of Virginia win-
ters, amid the deadly malaria of the Carolina swamps,
amid the bleak winds that sweep our ocean shore, amid
the deadly heats of the Mississippi, confronted the merce-
nary men, butchers of Brunswick, and the ingenious mas-
ters of the scalping-knife and tomahawk from the banks
of the St. Lawrence.
See these undaunted patriots in their obscure caucus
gatherings, in their town meetings, in their provincial
assemblies, in their Continental Congress, breathing de-
fiance to the British Parliament and the British throne,
marching with their raw, militia to the conflict with the
trained veterans of the Seven Years' War. Witness there
a group of Colonies, extemporized into a Confederacy,
entering with a calm self-possession into alliance with the
oldest monarchy of Europe, occupying as they did a nar-
row belt of territory along the coast, thinly peopled, par-
tially cleared, hemmed in by the native savages, by the
Alleghanies, by the Ohio, and the Lakes behind them,
dilating with the grandeur of the position, radiant in the
prospective glories of their career. Contemplate this, as
Everett truly says, and you will acknowledge the men
of Seventy-six to have been the noblest men of progress
the world has ever seen.
We commemorate, in the first place, the greatness of
our physical and territorial advantages. In the perform-
ance of this sacred duty we have an illustrious model ; for
we find that Moses, when viewing the promised land, de-
scribed it as a good land; a land of brooks, of depths, % that
spring out of valleys and hills; a land of oil, olive, and
honey. Israel is compared to a valley full of fertility, and
watered by unfailing streams; to a garden by the side of
rivers, covered with beauty and luxuriance, and sustained
in perpetual fertility, a forest in which the trees are planted
by God; to the lion which, ever cunning, no hunter can
approach, but which terrifies the forest. All of which
images, though they may not affect us, yet to the Eastern
imagination unquestionably conveyed ideas of exquisite
loveliness, the most extraordinary power, and the most
44 2 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
singular fertility. In like manner we American citizens
might speak of the peerless position, of the rich variety of
plain, hill, and dale; of our productions, so varied, so
abundant, so valuable; of our lakes, rivers, mountains,
prairies ; of our cities, in wealth, population, and in mag-
nificence rivaling the oldest in the world. Where
throughout the wide-extended globe is there a country
more blessed by all the gifts of nature than our own?
Columbia is a grand and beautiful country a land of
unexampled fertility traversed with wonder by the
stranger who sees tract after tract of cultivated ground,
like one vast garden, courting his gaze in every direction.
The immigrations to the United States are without paral-
lel in the history of the world. From every nation they
are flocking to the West. They come,
" As the winds come, when forests are rended ;
They come as the waves come, when navies are stranded."
If the ratios of our past increase can be relied on,
the population of the country will be, in 1930, more than
one hundred millions. A step further in the calculation
presents a prospect still more sublime and wonderful. In
1960 this mighty mass of commingled races will have
swollen to the stupendous aggregate of two hundred and
fifty millions, one-fourth the present population of all the
earth. Where is that prodigious increase of numbers,
this vast extension of emigration, to end? Where will its
mighty boundaries terminate? They will crowd each
hemisphere, they will spurn both tropics. Its watch-
towers will shine on every shore, and be reflected back
from every deep. Nature has set no bounds to the round
growth of this mighty Republic a new world, swelling
upwards, cradling all the arts of life, and inviting rapid
immigrations. Ours is, indeed, a wonderful country
vast in the immense extent of its territory, vast in the
magnificent scale and grandeur of its scenery, vast in the
unparalleled riches of mineral resources, vast in its ma-
jestic rivers and lofty mountains. We realize on an ex-
READY TO DESCEND INTO THE MINE.
APPENDIX. 443
traordinary scale the splendid description of the orna-
mental edging of the buckler of Achilles:
" Now the broad shield complete, the artist crowned
With his last hand, and poured the ocean round ;
In living silver seemed the waves to roll,
And beat the buckler's verge and bound the whole."
There may be other countries where more of physical
beauty and variety charms the eye than in America ; where
less of variableness and gloom marks the atmosphere;
where softer gales fan and sweeter flowers perfume ; where
more enameled meads display themselves, and more me-
lodious waterfalls murmur on the ear; where more of the
luxuriance of nature is blended with a greater triumph
of art; and where, more glorious skies and constant
weather bestow elasticity and health to the human frame.
And there may be lands where the stream of philosophy
has a wider sweep and deeper flow; where learning finds
more devoted adherents; and where liberty, at least in
theory, is more highly prized. But there is no other land,
in either hemisphere, which, on the whole, can vie with
Columbia. She stands, as she has long stood, the fairest
form of Government ever known on earth.
We commemorate also to-day the civil and religious
liberty so largely enjoyed by the American people. There
are two different and somewhat inconsistent notions of
liberty prevailing in the world, of which one is of Greek
and the other Teutonic origin. According to the first,
liberty consists in a share in the Government, while the
Government itself demands from the individual the most
implicit obedience to its laws; in fact, according to this
theory, the subject was absorbed in the State. The work-
ing out of this principle in its extreme results has been
seen in Sparta and in the ancient Greek and Italian Re-
publics. This notion was carried into Gaul by the Roman
Colonies, and enters largely into that French idea of lib-
erty which is connected with submission to an absolute
Emperor. The Teutonic idea of liberty, on the other
hand, was that of freedom in individual action. That is the
444 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
best Government, according to this idea, which governs
the least. It was this idea of liberty which inspired our pa-
triotic fathers to raise the standard of revolt, and enabled
them successfully to defy the licentious legions of Eng-
land. Liberty is, then, the power of acting according to
our own will, and on our own convictions, in any manner
not inconsistent with the interests and well-being of the
community to which we belong, without hindrance and
without injury either from the public laws or from the
passions of individual men. The history of the race pre-
sents but one long record of efforts to secure this price-
less and splendid boon. It is the darling theme of every
freeborn man. To procure it, thousands have died on the
battle-field; to maintain and preserve it, thousands more
have bled upon the scaffold.
The watchword, Freedom endangered, inspires hero-
ism in every heart, nerves every patriot to gird himself
for the battle, and causes every height to flame with its
beacon-fires. The most brilliant epochs of nations are
the heroic struggles in behalf of civil and religious liberty.
The grandest efforts of mind, the noblest achievements of
arms, the most sublime ministrations of charity that have
adorned and illustrated the history of our race, have all
sprung from this principle. Liberty is the very fairest
flower that can grow upon the soil of nations.
Columbia's greatest glory does not consist in her po-
litical economy; in the number of her ships floating on
the ocean, her greatest glory is civil and religious lib-
erty. It is our inheritance to an extent and with a secur-
ity which we believe to be utterly unparalleled in the his-
tory of former times. The heresy of secession, which
sought to overturn this liberty, is the adversary of God
and of man, the murderer of all virtue, the parent and
nurse of impurity and vice, the progress of which can
only be traced in pollution and blood, and the triumph
of which can be celebrated only over the utter wreck and
ruin of all that is dear and dignified and holy, alike in the
life that now is, and also in the life that is to come. If the
legal right of secession had existed, it was a crime,
APPENDIX. 445
morally, to have exerted it at such a time. Our national
prosperity exceeded that of any other people. What a
grand spectacle did we present to the nations! A great
people, governing themselves by their own laws ; increas-
ing in all the elements of national grandeur. How re-
markable was the character of our Government then,
when compared with the most enlightened countries of
Europe! Take, for example, England. This Govern-
ment is said to be the most advanced in civilization of any
of the monarchies.
Facts are more valuable than arguments:
United States, the supreme power in a Constitution
clearly defined by a written instrument; England, the
supreme power in a queen, lords, and Commons, defined
by the laws of Parliament. United States, the executive
power in a President, elected every four years, having a
salary of $25,000; England, the king or queen, hereditary,
with an annual salary of $3,500,000. United States, sena-
tors chosen every six years by the States from the masses
of the citizens; England, House of Lords, composed of
the hereditary nobility, appointed by the sovereign.
United States, representatives elected every two years,
directly by the people; England, House of Commons,
elected during the sovereign's pleasure by privileged bor-
oughs. United States, the Church distinct from the State,
and wholly dependent upon the voluntary support of the
people ; England, the Church incorporated with the State,
independent of the voluntary support of the people, and
the clergy enjoying revenues varying from $150 to
$150,000 each annually. United States, the municipal
laws of the country enacted by State Legislatures, entirely
distinct from the General Government, the members of
which are chosen by the people, according to State con-
stitutions; England, the municipal as well as other laws
are enacted by the Parliament, in which the people are
only partially represented. United States, all the people
on an equality, in regard to power, privileges, and dis-
tinction; England, the Executive and senators irrespon-
sible to the people, having interests adverse to them.
44 6 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
United States, the Executive, senators, and representa-
tives responsible to the people, from whom they are taken,
and to whom they speedily return, and with whom they
have an identity of interest. United States, the income
of the people free from compulsory taxation for religion;
England, the income of the people taxed for the support
of that gigantic swindle, the Established Church. United
States, land and wealth generally equally distributed
amongst all classes, and no law to perpetuate them in the
hands of a few; England, land and wealth generally con-
fined to the aristocracy, and laws made to perpetuate them
in the hands of a few families. United States, a tendency
on the part of the Government to place every man on the
same level; England, a tendency of the Government to
make distinctions among the people, and to separate class
from class, and laws enacted to maintain such distinctions.
Taxation in England on every article is fourteen times
as heavy, and on many enormously higher than in the
United States.
It is no vain or arrogant boast which assigns to Co-
lumbia the first rank amidst States and Empires. I love
this Government. I love it in its origin. I love it in its
supremacy. I love it in its individuality. I love it in its
personal power. I love it in its determination and will.
It seems to me to have gathered the gems from all regions
to make this new, last crown of a great Republic. One
of the greatest difficulties in other nations is found in the
impediments to the general diffusion of knowledge. Edu-
cation here is free. In the United States there are over
two hundred colleges, from which issue 4,000 students
annually. The annual expense for instruction, including
board, is $150 yearly. In England there are few colleges,
in which the expenses average $800 per annum. The
people of this country voluntarily spend forty millions of
dollars to sustain education and religion. We publish
1,900 newspapers more than 150 daily. The number
of newspapers and periodicals published in this country
exceed the number published in all Europe, which, in pro-
portion to the population, gives the people of the United
APPENDIX. 447
States an advantage of thirteen to one. Let the stranger
appear when he may in all this land, he will never get be-
yond the pale of rational information.
We commemorate, also, the grand patriotism of the
loyal people of the North and South.
The American heart goes out with the rapturous lan-
guage of the Scottish bard :
" Breathes there a man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land?"
Columbia, the fairest and youngest member of the
great family of nations, seemed dying. The kings were
rejoicing over the prospective downfall of their only rival,
and the brilliant pen of Bulwer, deeply dipped in gall, was
recording the failure of the great democratic Nation.
But, blessed be God, the stalwart, young empire did not
die. The trumpet sounded, and a wild and unprecedented
feeling of patriotism dashed through the masses of the
people, which nothing could stop. The force of that sub-
lime enthusiasm nothing could measure.
Hark! what wild shriek pierces the fitful blast! It is
the mighty struggle of an outraged people, hastening to
avenge the shot aimed at the Nation's life. The blood of
Massachusetts soldiers on the streets of Baltimore sends
up the first wail of freedom's martyrs. From the old Bay
State, from ship-building Maine; from the Green Moun-
tains of Vermont; from Rhode Island, small but comely;
from New York, from Ohio, from Pennsylvania, brave
thousands rush to the defense of the starry flag of liber-
ation. The Nation rose up as one man. The husband left
his wife; delicate maidens, in their flushed and exulting
beauty, bade their brothers grasp the gleaming steel. Sol-
diers enlisted for the war, and parents consecrated their
children on the altars of liberty.
"Throughout the land there went a cry;
A sudden splendor fills the sky ;
From every hill the banners burst,
Like buds from April breezes nurst ;
448 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
In every hamlet, home, and mart,
The fire-beat of a single heart
Keeps time to strains whose pulses mix
Our blood with that of Seventy-six."
This glorious patriotism of the people was the sub-
limest passage in our history. Sight unseen before,
more than a half-million men standing to arms for an
undivided nationality ! Those splendid battalions marched
to no impudent Dixie, but planted ^heir measured tread
to the music of the Union, as it swelled forth in the grand
measure of "Hail Columbia," or waved in the flowing
strain of the "Star-spangled Banner," or accelerated the
double quick with the nervous thrill of ancient and homely
"Yankee Doodle."
The fidelity to the flag of the loyal men of the South
is worthy of all praise and commendation. I never meet
these patriotic heroes but with a brother's heart. Promi-
nent leaders of the foul Rebellion tell us that those Union-
ists were the scum of the country, and that they were rec-
reant to the South. If recreant to the South, they were
true to the Union. What care these devoted men and
women for the flippant assaults of miserable ingrates, who
would wade through slaughter to a throne? The ele-
ments of the Union party of the South were industry,
patriotism, and heroism. This gallant party moved under
no alien or doubtful standard, but they followed the glori-
ous flag of the Union, with its four and thirty flashing
stars. These brave Unionists, in standing by the Union
of the States, risked more than the loss of goods or po-
litical honors; for, sooner than raise their hands against
the old Government, they would have thought it happi-
ness to die. Branded as confirmed traitors to the Con-
federacy, robbed and plundered of their property, and
punished by the hired agents of the Davis despotism, yet
they never blenched at danger ; but were as true as steel, as
constant as the sun, in the discharge of every duty to the
Republic. Driven from their quiet and peaceful homes,
they fled to the mountains and to the caves of the earth,
saying, "Welcome confiscation, robbery, plunder, even
APPENDIX. 449
death itself; but we will stand by the Stars and Stripes
to the last drop of our blood, and to the last beat of our
hearts." All hail to the loyal men and women of the
South ! History, on her brightest page, will preserve and
perpetuate their honored names.
I remember, when passing through your noble State
with Sherman's army, that I met a Union woman who
was true to the flag. She was connected with one of the
leading families of the State. She did everything in her
power to prevent the secession of North Carolina, writ-
ing letters to prominent politicians, and using her per-
sonal influence to prevent the consummation of the
horrible deed. She had always preserved the Stars and
Stripes in her house, and when we reached her beautiful
mansion, there was flying to the breeze the banner of
beauty and glory. Howard's column halting, this de-
voted lady, going up to the flag of one of the regiments,
knelt down, exclaiming, "Flag of my fathers and of my
country, I bid you welcome ! welcome !" and she kissed
it, and bathed it with her tears. Among the most con-
spicuous and honored Union men of North Carolina,
stands the peerless name of W. W. Holden. Champion of
the poor, true patriot, gallant man, faithful friend, in the
name of the loyal millions, I greet you ! God bless these
full-souled Union men and women ! They had abiding
faith that the wicked Rebellion would be utterly subdued,
and that the Stars and Stripes would again wave in tri-
umph over the land of Washington and Franklin. The
valor and patriotism of the Greeks, whose message to their
enslaved country was, "Go tell the Spartans they are free,
for we died to deliver them," has made Thermopylae the
sanctified shrine of patriotism through all ages; the
patriotism of the brave old Carthaginian, who, hoary and
worn-out in the service of his country, took his child to
the temple, and on the altar made him swear eternal hos-
tility to the enemies of his country, these are beautiful
and thrilling evidences of heroism. If we look at the
battle-fields of the Union, we behold all the traits of an-
cient valor reproduced in the grand army of the Republic.
29
450 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
What tongue can tell, what pen can record the hero-
ism that has been displayed by the loyal soldiers of the
North and of the South? A host of brave men, who left
home and all the treasures of affection, ended their days
by the sacrifice of their lives. Grandly and peacefully they
sleep in their holy graves. May their memories be glori-
ous, pious, and immortal !
" They struggled, fell, and their life-blood stained
The cruel Southerner's hand,
They clasped their country's flag and cried,
1 God and our native land.'
Let Angels spread their wings above,
Let flowers forever bloom ;
Let bays, green bays, spring forth to mark
The martyrs' sacred totnb."
Dead heroes, may the flowers of the Sunny South
bloom over your graves ; may they be of perpetual bloom
and fragrance ! First, be spring there ; last, may summer
linger! May no factious word be ever spoken over
ground so holy! American, Teuton, and Celt, in the
honored graves in which they sleep in one red burial
blent they are far above the arguments of the living
crowd.
" On fame's eternal camping ground,
Their silent tents are spread,
And glory guards, with solemn round,
The bivouac of the dead."
There is another element of our greatness, which we
commemorate to-day; the number and variety of our
great and good men. In the original settlement of this
grand Commonwealth, God sifted three nations for seed
to sow on the virgin soil. There were such men as the
gallant Catholics of Maryland, the Quakers of Pennsyl-
vania, the steady and cautious Germans, and the fiery
spirits of the Emerald Isle, whose love of liberty was
kindled by the burning arguments of Grattan, of Curran,
and of Robert Emmet. The iron Saxon, the chivalric
Frenchman, the volatile Italian, the heroic Pole, and the
APPENDIX. 45 1
impulsive-hearted Celt, were all combined in the build-
ing up of this magnificent Commonwealth.
Nowhere on the page of history do we find such an
assemblage of full-souled men as those who laid the broad
foundations of this temple' of freedom in the Western
World. The councils of infant America present a brilliant
array of talent, piety, and patriotism. There is Thomas
Jefferson, the prophet and the guide of the Colonies.
There is Franklin, the savant, who tamed the lightning
of heaven and made the thunder sweet music. There
were the Lafayettes, the Starkes, the Pulaskis, the Mont-
gomerys, the Pinckneys, tr;e Hancocks, the Carrolls, and
the Lees, illustrious statesmen and brilliant orators.
There was John Adams, a colossus in debate; and the
noble Virginian, Patrick Henry, whose eloquence could
even charm the serpents of despotism. Byron pronounced
him the forest-born Demosthenes of the New World.
There, too, was the noblest Roman of them all, the illus-
trious Washington, whose fame, like the higher stars,
shall shine forever. It has been beautifully said that these
were the men who graved the deep lines of the Revolu-
tion upon the tablet of the eighteenth century, and bade
the clock of eternity pause, until they notched the cen-
tury with the imperishable lines of a mighty destiny.
Around their brows the Jaurels cluster that belong to him
who hews an age into a shape of moral beauty, and fash-
ions a huge fragment of time after the great models of
eternity. To express the moral grandeur of these illus-
trious men a Phidias, a Praxiteles, and a Thorwaldsen
might carve, a Raphael, a David, and a West might
paint. But they only fashion block, and breathe beauty
into tableau, but the men of American independence were
the creators of an age. They rolled back the dial of the
dark years, and wound up destiny to a better course.
It was in 1848, when the brilliant constellation had
passed its meridian in England, that Sydney Smith, in
the pages of the Edinburgh Review, asked the question:
"Who reads an American book, or looks at an American
flag, or beholds an American statue? What does the
45 2 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
world owe to American physicians or surgeons? What
new substances have their chemists discovered? Who
drinks in American glasses, or eats from American plates,
or wears American coats, or sleeps on American blank-
ets?" It is not forty years since these sneering questions
were flippantly propounded, and can we not now point
to a galaxy of names whose light is as clear, as large, as
bright, as strong, as any of those which shine in the firma-
ment of English literature?
In the field of illustrious lexicography, the fame of
Webster and Worcester more than rival that of Johnson,
Walker, and Sheridan. In history, Bancroft, Hildreth,
Prescott, Motley, and Godwin equal Hume, Lingard, and
Macaulay. By the side of her statesmen we may place
Madison, Hamilton, Calhoun, Hayne, Clay, Seward, Sum-
ner, Greeley, Stevens, Lincoln. As lawyers, our Marshall,
Jay, Kent, Chase, and Story will compare with Boyle,
Hooker, and Blackstone. In the sciences we have a Silli-
man, a Hare, a Morse, and a Mitchell, entitled to no ordi-
nary level in the niche of fame. In the sublime field of
oratory we can point to Webster, Prentiss, and Henry
Clay orators whose eloquence was like the tornado that
sweeps the pine-trees of a continent. During the last forty
years we have achieved wonders in the arts and sciences.
Confining ourselves to that period, we would ask our
transatlantic critics where are the Grimkes, Emmets,
Bascoms, Maffitts, Stocktons, Channings, Tyngs, Beech-
ers, Simpsons, Chapins? Where their authors, Bachs,
Liebers, Fields, Morses, Agassiz? Where their Whipples,
Gileses, Willises, Saxes, Reads, Carys, Longfeilows,
Holmeses, Bryants, Irvings, Coopers? Where their
Hugheses, Purcells, Choateses, Taylors, Everetts, Sum-
ners, Chases, Fessendens, Bankses, Trumbulls, Schencks,-
Wilsons, Binghams, Douglases, Langstons? Where their
Greenoughs, Hosmers? In the arts of war, where are
their Scotts, Grants, Shermans, Mowers, Coxes, Porters,
McPhersons, Kearneys, Corcorans, Mulligans, McClel-
lans, Howards, Rosecranses, Hazens, Hookers, Oster-
hauses, Farraguts, Logans, Butlers, Hallecks, Burnsides,
APPENDIX. 453
Thomases, Meads, Sickleses, Kilpatricks, or the young
and brilliant Miles, than whom a more accomplished and
gallant officer the regular army does not possess, and of
whose services the most martial and imperial nation might
well feel proud? Where a Stanton the tireless, earnest,
hopeful, unconquerable organizer of victorious men, eager
in sympathy for the right, nobly indignant at wrong, and
full of inspiration? Where, during this forty years, is the
boundless learning of Luther Martin? Where the silver
voice and fervid genius of W r endell Phillips, pouring itself
along immense) ore? Where the ripe and beautiful culture
of George W. Curtis? Where a Clay, with his electric fire
and impassioned eloquence? Where a Webster, calm,
grand, majestic, sitting on the loftiest peaks of Oympus,
darting lightnings and rolling thunders? Where the
splendid rhetoric and sparkling oratory of Thomas Fran-
cis Meagher? Where the equal of the daring, bold, and
unflinching Sheridan, chivalrous as Bayard and of colos-
sal brain like Kleber the intrepid outspeaker of truth,
the eager, impetuous redresser of wrong, and the pas-
sionate lover of the Union would to God that this gal-
lant soldier were at the head of his fiery countrymen on
the hill of Tara, that he might confront the mercenaries
of Britain upon the curragh of Kildare,
"With a hundred yards,
And England's guards,
Drawn up to meet us there,"
or their parallels to the hundred other names that have
spread themselves over the country and over the world,
blessing and delighting mankind by their works, inven-
tions, and examples ! In so far as we know, there is no
such parallel to be produced in the same time from the
annals of self-adulating England. The history of Britain
presents no parallel to the rapidity with which our present
distinguished Chief Magistrate has gradually advanced
from the humblest calling to the occupancy of the first
position in the world !
454 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
We commemorate to-day the abolition of the mon-
strous crime of American slavery. Thank God, the great
and guilty system of slavery has perished forever ! Let it
be buried with all its horrors and barbarities in the grave !
Let it fade forever from the recollection of man! The
proclamation of liberty to four million captives has rolled
away a great reproach from us, and withdrawn a most
serious obstacle to our progress. Let the world call it
the extravagance of charity, or the romance of equity;
it was a magnificent spectacle. It was a glorious day;
a day in which years of shame and oppression were blotted
out; a day in which a long despised and trampled race
sprung into the grand proportions of free men ; a day in
which the armies of the Union halted on their march,
looked toward the White House, and blessed the beau-
tiful prediction of a splendid era. That page of history
can never make us blush. That lofty deed can never
shame us. It was the resurrection of the great Nation
founded by the fathers. It was the awful march of jus-
tice; it was the majestic front of philanthropy frowning
down oppression ; it was the sublime embodiment of right
treading down the plots and schemes of the lords of the
cotton-bales and rice swamps: it was Freedom, clothing
herself anew with the robes of '76, making her stately
march through the arms and banners of a gallant people
to open the prison doors of the enslaved, and to conse-
crate a free Republic. No more will an English poet re-
buke us.
" United States, your banner wears
Two emblems one of fame;
Alas ! the other that it bears
Reminds us of your shirne :
Your standard constellation types
White freedom, by its stars ;
But what the meaning of those stripes?
They mean your Negro's scars! "
A man may be a serf in Russia, a peon in Mexico, a
slave in Ireland; but here he is redeemed, disenthralled,
APPENDIX. 455
and free ! Banded despots and kingly ruffians were taunt-
ing us that our power was laid low, that our voice was
to be heard no more in the hymn of nations. The old
empires were watching for the death, and had made ready
mourning weed and cypress wreath for the burial; they
said that our sun had set forever ! But Abraham Lincoln,
the brightest of the bright and the purest of the pure,
obeying the advice of the millions of the East and of the
great Northwest, lifting his head above the tempest, wrote
the immortal charter of universal emancipation. The
Bourses of Europe were lost in wonder when they heard
it. The crowned monarchs shook, and they talked no more
of Columbia's faded greatness and prostrate might. Land
of our fathers, land of benedictions, victorious hast thou
been in battle ; potential in negotiation ; fruitful in benevo-
lence ; distinguished in art ! But then was thy ascendant !
Thy palm lifted itself to its tallest growth; thy glories
culminated in that godlike act. The edict of freedom has
resounded through all nations of the earth. Millions have
gazed upon it with devout joy and rapture. It has shaken
the thronedoms of tyranny, and has made the minions of
slavery tremble. It has reverberated from empire to em-
pire, from continent to continent, from hemisphere to
hemisphere. The Laplander has heard it amid the regions
of eternal snow ; the European has heard it amid the fields
and crowded cities of a refined and civilized population ;
the Arab and the Hindoo have heard it amid the gardens
and spicy plains of Arabia; the peasantry in Wales, in
England, in Scotland, in old Ireland, in Germany, and
even the uncultured dwellers in Asia, have kindled with
delight as they read the Anthem of the Free. It is re-
corded of Flaminius, the Roman general, that when he
proclaimed, at the Isthmian games, that Greece was no
longer tributary to the Roman Empire, but free and in-
dependent, the hearts of the plebeians were so over-
powered with joy that they could scarce believe their own
ears, for when the herald proclaimed their liberty they
desired that the sweet word Liberty might be. repeated.
456 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
" O, catch its high import, ye winds as ye blow
O, bear it, ye waves, as ye roll
From regions that feel the sun's vertical glow
To the farthest extremes of the pole ;
And wherever the footsteps of man can be found,
May he bind the decree to his heart! "
What a splendid epoch does this grand deed consti-
tute in the annals of the Government ! The President was
called to a difficult and perilous position, his influence
extending over a broader land than the Roman eagle ever
swept in all the magnificence of his flight. By this crown-
ing act of moral duty the Springfield lawyer was silently
lifted up before the nations as God's greatest, noblest man.
His name hereafter will be emblazoned in the vast pan-
theon of Freedom's champions. How just and beautiful
the eulogy of Meagher in one of his splendid orations,
distinguished by a lofty eloquence, when he described the
assassinated President going to heaven, bearing in his
hand the broken shackles of four millions of slaves !
In our changeful sky, where so many glories at sud-
den intervals succeed the eclipse and the storm; where
crimson clouds for years and years will float over a wilder-
ness of martyr graves ; where sunshine comes by fits and
starts, chasing those clouds away, and, for a season, warms
the shivering earth below into fruitfulness and joy, in
this, our changeful sky, we call that name our brightest
star. On his brow it may be said with much more truth
than of the Roman general, "Annexit Africa Lauros"
Though destitute during life of art and pomp, yet his was
a radiant life and a noble death, and as he took his place
among the immortals one might say: "Way, there, for
the brave child of the people, the grand hero of to-day!
Servant of the Republic, well done ; take your crown and
harp, and enter into the joy of your Lord."
I am hopeful of the Republic. Struck down in the
morning of its bright career in the bloom and promise
of its youth yet it shall live, purified and strengthened
by the afflictions through which it has passed. The prin-
ciples of Liberty shall never die; but, like the words of
APPENDIX. 457
the prophets, they shall endure forever. It is not easy
to conquer a freedom-loving people ; it is not easy to tear
from a great Nation the honors which they have worn for
so many years. Our mission is not yet completed. The
dearest and most precious hopes of the race are inter-
woven with our ^existence. The predictions of prophecy
applied to us, demonstrate clearly and strongly that the
grand design of the Republic is to destroy all systems
of monarchical Government, and to propagate the prin-
ciples of liberty to the ends of the earth. The London
Times in 1861 gravely declared that the United States
was only suited for fair weather, and not for dark tem-
pests. The British Government was unmasked, driven
from her position of neutrality, and showed herself the
ferocious monster that she has always been. . The heart of
every aristocrat was glad. Since the days of Waterloo no
more welcome tidings reached them than when they heard
the mad secession of the Southern States. Rawdon de-
clared in the Commons, that the thunder-cloud had van-
ished that the bubble democracy had burst. Lord Rus-
sell stated at an agricultural banquet that the North was
fighting to enslave the South. 'fhe hoary-headed
Brougham averred that the object of the war was infa-
mous; and Palmerston, amidst the resounding cheers of
Parliament, denounced the slashing Butler the black
man's friend to be a monster. Have these aristocratic
ruffians forgot that republics are more vigorous in war
than in peace? It is prosperity and not adversity that is
most dangerous to them. It was not in peace that Hol-
land, from a community of clodhoppers, sprung up into
the robust proportions of a great nation, renowned in
art, in learning, in commerce, and in glory. The Roman
Republic endured for four hundred and sixty-six years,
during which time it ruled the world. Switzerland is now
five hundred and fifty years old, and still the Little Giant
of the Alps bears aloft above the haughtiest heads of Eu-
rope, amid the lightnings and the eagles of her moun-
tains, the excelsior banner of republicanism.
Already our success in the squelching of the slave-
458 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
holder's rebellion is finding a response in the hearts of
millions, who wait impatiently for the universal triumph
of liberty. The Irish uprising has taken place as a result
of our triumph. The present is the brightest period
which the history of Ireland has exhibited for a hundred
years. And it seems as if the hopes of the patriots of
Ireland are soon to be realized. The work of Irish eman-
cipation is gradually and silently going forward, and the
peculiar advantages for successfully realizing such an end
as the powerful Fenian Brotherhood affords, will tend
to a consummation so long desired, so perseveringly
sought by Wolf Tone and his compatriots.
" The splendor of her Emmet's fame
Is Erin's glory and her shame ;
Her glory that he loved her well,
Her shame that unavenged he fell ;
But soon or late that shame must cease,
Or Erin ne'er ag'ain may hope for peace."
Distant and beloved Isle the land of Grattan, of
Moore, of Sheridan, of Curran, of Corcoran, of Meagher,
and of the great-hearted Burke we hope to see thee
again in commercial grandeur; thy magnificent rivers
again white with the sails of trade; thy great warehouses
s\varming with life; thy manufactories, the laboring
places of thousands; and thy Green Flag flying in the
breeze, giving indications that Ireland is free!
I take hope from the generous sympathies extended
to us by the masses of Europe. Among the nations that
surround us, there is not one virtuous bosom that does
not beat for us; the prayers of downtrodden millions
followed our banners into the field; and the arms of the
patriot soldier was blessed by voices that never reached
his ear.
A dear and valued friend of mine, who served with
distinction through the first three years of the war, fired
by a love of liberty, crossed the ocean and engaged in the
struggle for Ireland, that fine old nation, for whose inde-
pendence Grattan pleaded and Emmet died. He was cast
APPENDIX. 459
into prison, and he assured me some time ago, that when
he heard the newsboys crying through the streets of
Dublin, "The North is victorious, Lee's army has sur-
rendered !" he felt the chains on his body grow a
little lighter. Thank God that generous voices in all
lands were with us ; from Ireland to Greece there was but
one national throb. It beat for us. Hungary, the land
of Kossuth, the beautiful and gifted Italy, noble Poland,
the emancipated serfs, they cheered us in the struggle.
Ireland, sitting like a widowed queen amidst the wreck
of former glories, fought our battle. The presence of her
Fenian men, drilling on^the hills by night, did more to
check the British. Lion than all the diplomacy of Seward
and Adams. I have said that the heart of every lord and
crowned ruffian wished our overthrow. Have their pre-
dictions been fulfilled? Is the Union gone? And has
that mighty Nation which the sword of Washington
evoked passed away? No, this splendid temple of free-
dom, having the Stars of the Union for its coronet, and the
Rock of Independence for its footstool, must stand until
the first growl of the gathering shall be heard announc-
ing the downfall of all thrones. The efforts of the rebels
at home and foes abroad fell short of their terrible aim.
They might as well strike against the heavens with their
arms as lift them against the American Union :
" As long as yonder cliffs shall stand,
Between the ocean and the land,
As long as yonder firs shall spread,
Their green arms round the mountain's head,
So long shall cliffs and mountains.be
The proud retreats for liberty."
And while inflexibly demanding that the Reconstruc-
tion measures of Congress shall be heartily and promptly
accepted by those recently in rebellion, let us also be mag-
nanimous towards a brave but mistaken people. They
have proved themselves foemen worthy of our steel ; they
stand before the world as the most masterly revolution-
ists of any age or history. Let us attach these erring
460 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
brethren to the Union, not by fear, but by the golden
links of gratitude. Any other terms than those proposed
by Grant in the surrender of Lee will overshadow the
national cause with opprobium, and cast a cloud on the
brilliant fame of the grand army of the Republic.
General Lee, with the truthfulness and independence
of a great soldier, as he unquestionably is ; General John-
ston, whose sword was invoked at the last moments to
save the drowning banners of the South ; Generals Long-
street, Beauregard, and Thompson these, and others
equally distinguished in the South, have heartily acqui-
esced in the issues of the late struggle, and, with the good
faith and frankness of brave soldiers, are now earnestly
and sincerely engaged in co-operating with the Wash-
ington authorities to repair the breaches of the war. In
behalf of the brave men who fought and conquered, I
vehemently repudiate all ideas of confiscation, of making
an Ireland or a Poland of the South; but, on the other
hand, rapturously hail and welcome the South as one of
the wealthiest and noblest sections of the American
Union. The war being over, let there be no thorns
planted where the olive has taken root. In a divine sac-
rament of forgiveness, love, and patriotism, let us dedi-
cate this beautiful and superb domain to the growth of a
stalwart democracy, to the everlasting brotherhood of
those who had been foes upon the battle-field, to the tri-
umphant reign of industry, and to truthful and glorious
peace. Let us indulge the hope that the erring stars, now
dimmed and darkened, will one by one reappear, until the
old constellation, flashing out in all its ancient splendor
on the night, again shall blaze, the pride and glory of
the sky.
When I look abroad I am encouraged, and when I
look at home my spirits are exalted. The Reconstruction
measures of the Thirty-ninth Congress, and the grand en-
thusiasm of the people for equal rights and unversal suf-
frage these are omens that better and brighter times will
yet break on our land. To the immortal honor of the
great Union party of the country be it said, in spite of
APPENDIX. 461
opposition from a thousand sources, it has conferred upon
the black man the inestimable and God-given right of
suffrage. You, my black friends, have voted in the past.
You voted in that golden era of the Republic ; during the
Revolution the illustrious Washington, John Adams, and
Thomas Jefferson walked up to the polls, and deposited
their votes in companionship with your fathers.
In five New England States and in New York your
race have been voting ever since. In such Southern
States as Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, during the years
of 1832, 1835, and 1838, Negroes voted.
Your enemies say that you are too ignorant to use
the ballot. There is one thing you do know the differ-
ence between a gray and blue coat. Well, this charge of
ignorance comes with very poor grace, from a party of
politicians who have always been connected with the most
uncultivated voters of the country. In Ohio, my State,
there was a shining apostle of the Copperhead Democ-
racy who was very much aroused when the Freedmen's
Bureau Bill passed Congress. He exclaimed to a Repub-
lican neighbor, "Have you heard the news that the Black
Republicans have passed a bill giving to every Negro a
bureau, and I have been married twenty-five years and
have none yet."
All the black man asks is an open field and a fair fight.
There is a story which illustrates his present position. It
was in 1776, when the American army lay encamped at
Morristown, that a young foreigner presented himself to
General Washington with an introduction from Benjamin
Franklin.
"What do you seek here?" inquired the commander-
in-chief. "To fight for liberty!" replied the young man.
"What can you do?" "Try me!" was the answer. Wash-
ington took him at his word. He was tried, and rose to
the rank of general. Having fought for our independ-
ence, he recrossed the ocean and returned to his home.
Americans, you can never forget him, for among the hills
at West Point, overlooking the Hudson, a marble ceno-
taph still stands to commemorate the gratitude of the
462 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
people he served so well. His name was Thaddeus Kos-
ciusko.
As he once stood before Washington, so now the
blacks stand before the United States and the nations
of Christendom, claiming recognition at their hands. To
the African race, recently emancipated, the same ques-
tions are put as to Kosciusko, and the same answers are
given. "What do you seek here?" "To vote, fight, and,
if need be, to die for Liberty." "What can you do?"
"Try me. By all my recent sorrows, by the wrongs I have
suffered, by the bloody agonies which I have endured,
by the fidelity with which I have preserved the immortal
hope of final deliverance, by my friendship for the Union
soldiers, by the fearful odds against which I have con-
tended, by what I have done and suffered, ye nations of
the earth, try me!"
This is what the black man claims. It is right that he
should enjoy equal rights before the law, as well as the
haughtiest slave-lord that walks the earth.
By their desperate fidelity to the fortunes of the Na-
tion in many a fierce tempest of the war, a fidelity all the
more heroic that they fought in chains, and with the devo-
tions of martyrs repaid with torrents of generous blood
the proscription and wicked bondage in which, under the
Stars and Stripes, they had been for generations held ;
by their desperate fidelity and splendid soldiership, such
as Fort Wagner and Port Hudson gave to their bayonets
an irresistible electricity, the black heroes of the Union
army are not only entitled to liberty, but to citizenship;
and the politician who would deny them the rights for
which their wounds and glorified colors so eloquently
plead, is unworthy to participate in the grandeur of the
Nation which these heroes did so much to vindicate.
Your rights and privileges as citizens, my friends, will
be most intelligently, vigilantly, and gallantly maintained
by the fearless commander of this district, General D. E.
Sickles ; who, on the field as well as in the legislative halls
of the country, has proved himself an accomplished sol-
dier and a wise statesman.
APPENDIX. 463
The black heroes are entitled to all the emoluments of
citizenship. It is for us to recall the devotion, the cour-
age, and the sublime heroism this proscribed race has
displayed during the Rebellion. Have we not all one
Father? The same essential elements alike of physical,
intellectual, and moral being enter into the composition
of his nature ; the same heavens are spread over him ; the
same moon measures his monthly periods; and the same
revolutions of the globe bear him onward to his future
and eternal destiny. Is he not, then, my neighbor, my
equal in all the essentials of humanity?
A word, and I am done. I speak to you to-day, my
respected auditors, in the interest of, and in behalf of,
that organization with which the proudest recollections
of the last five years have been identified.
This magnificent National party, though young in
years, is old in precious memories, hallowed associations,
and unfading glories. Stand by it, for it has sent eighteen
hundred thousand brave men to the field to fight for the
Republic.
Stand by it, for it has expended four thousand million
dollars to save our country from dishonor and death.
Stand by the grand army of the Union, the pride and
beauty of which are imperishably blended with the sudden
blaze of victory that arose above Fort Donelson, and then
traveled in unwavering lines of glory through the storm
that shook the earth at Chattanooga, at Atlanta, and at
Richmond. Stand by the Union party, for its triumph is
the triumph of patriotism, the triumph of heroism, the
triumph of democracy, and the triumph of that nation-
ality which the Stars and Stripes so splendidly symbolize.
Arise, then, ye loyal men, arise! This is the hour
when individual manhood is worth all the arts and science
of diplomacy. By your love of this great land, by the
stern memory of your wrongs, come and rally round the
grand army of freedom, whose standard breasts the
northern air, led on by the great captains of undying
fame.
The people are the millions, and irresistible. The
464 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
disloyal of the North and their accomplices in the South
are but the units to be scattered before us, like a single
hunter before the whole forest at bay. They can stand
before us no more than the grass before the lava, the
brushwood against the avalanche. There is no neutrality
in this crisis. You must choose your sides, and choose
quickly. If you love slavery, stripes, and dishonor if you
are prepared to abandon your liberty join the enemies
of the Republic.
If you love justice, if your heart warms at the mem-
ories of this dear land, if it swells with the hope of her
deliverance and her glory, God bless you! Your side is
with the country, your rank is beneath the Stars and
Stripes. We make our appeal in the name of your coun-
try, in the name of all heroic virtues, of all that makes
life illustrious and death divine, in the name of your dead
comrades, by your martyrs in prison-cells and felon-
chains, in the name of God and man, by the listening
earth and watching heavens, I call upon you to be
stanch, to be firm, to be united. As you listen to these
weak words of mine, and as your eyes grow dim with
tears as the memory of your wrongs rushes upon your
souls, even now lift up your right hand to Heaven, and
swear by your undying souls, by your hope of immor-
tality, that henceforth your services will be linked with
the party of universal liberty. Gather round the standard
of your chiefs ; one bold, one decisive move, one moment
to take breath, and then a rising, a rush, a charge from
the east, north, west, and south upon the enemies of
the Republic, and the country is ours. Do your eyes
flash? Do your hearts throb at the prospect? Be Union
men, and this fair land, which affrights the angels with its
misery, will be one grand temple, in which we shall kneel
as brothers children of one God heirs together of those
blessings purchased by the blood of gallant men a her-
itage of freedom, justice, independence, glory!
APPENDIX. 465
CAUSES FOR THANKSGIVING.
THANKSGIVING SERMON, DELIVERED BY REV. G. W. PEPPER, IN THE
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, WOOSTER, NOVEMBER 24, 1870.
TEXT Psalms xcviii, 6: "With trumpets and sound of cornets
make a joyful noise before the Lord."
AMONG the glittering gems of Thanksgiving utter-
ances, the one chosen to-day was the most univer-
sally admired for its beauty, comprehensiveness, and
significance. Wondrously beautiful are the Psalms!
They furnish sorrow w T ith words of sweetest melody, de-
spondency with expressions of hope, and gladness with
strains of triumph !
Thanksgiving is as old as creation. There was a beau-
tiful tradition among the Jews, that when God had cre-
ated the world he asked the angels what they thought
of the work of his hands. One of them replied that it was
so vast and so perfect, that only one thing was wanting ;
namely, the creation of a clear, mighty, harmonious in-
strument, which should fill all quarters of the world with
its sweet sound, day and night, to offer thanksgiving to
its Maker for his incomprehensible blessings. The an-
cient Jews were distinguished for grand outbursts of
gratitude. Their religion was not one of gloom. The
Jewish people were a nation of thanksgivers.
Behold that triumphant host marching through the
holy lands to appear before God at the annual feast!
They come from purple vinelands; they come from in-
vaded borders; they come from resounding victories.
In that illustrious throng might be seen prophets,
warriors, young men in the morning of their beautiful
dreams and sacred labors; maids of Israel, with the sum-
mer dawning upon their brows; little children, who be-
held for the first time the grand and beautiful image of
their native land.
Thanksgiving, as now celebrated, is five gener-
ations old.
30
466 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Hail to the stiff Puritans! See them standing upon
the ice-bound coast, and offering up their first thanks-
giving ! The grandest spectacle of a nation is its Thanks-
giving celebrations. Millions upon their knees render-
ing praise to God is a brilliant scene. A mighty Nation,
with its President, governors, senators, generals, admirals,
soldiery, and citizens, assembled in their churches, ac-
knowledging the Divine bountifulness, is a moving and
an august spectacle. Throughout this glorious land of
Washington bands of patriotic minstrels are singing the
joyous chant :
" Praise ye the Lord,
For His mercy endureth forever."
The service of this day is peculiarly one of gratitude,
and gratitude has been beautifully defined to be the mem-
ory of the heart.
It will do us good to forget the cares and businesses
of life to-day
" To leave dull earth behind us and take a flight towards heaven."
This Thanksgiving-day comes to us brighter and
greener than any preceding one. Our autumn is fuller of
sublimity; our mornings exhibit a boundless vista of
splendors !
The mill-wheels upon a thousand streams are silent;
the church-bells ring out their joyous invitations; the
marts of trade are quiet !
This day stands like some fair mount in the midst of
a rich and varied country, at the summit of which the
traveler pauses to look on the region he has left behind,
and forward to the prospect that lies before him. It is
Tabor without its dazzling brightness, and Sinai without
its terrors.
Can we ever forget New England? It is to the thank-
ful piety of her Puritans that we owe this delightful serv-
ice. Wherever throughout the wide world Americans
to-day are scattered, they will travel back in loving mem-
ory to the old homestead to the sacred spot that shel-
APPENDIX. 467
tered them in infancy. In a million American homes
gray-headed men and venerable mothers will repeat to
their children and grandchildren, that girdle them with
beauty, the touching story -of their early day; the priva-
tions, conflicts, and success. That mind must be dark,
and that heart must be adamant, which, in reviewing the
past year, can not behold the signal mercies vouchsafed
to the Nation, to the family, and the Church. Put on
your imperial robes, ye Christian citizens, and accompany
me up to the mountain of thanksgiving, and there offer
your praises to Jehovah for the blessings of the year.
Come forward, children of the beneficent Father, look
upon the bright lining on" the clouds, tune your American
harps to the strains of the Hebrew bard, and sing the
praises of the Lord and his majestic glory!
THEMES OF THANKFULNESS.
We should thank God for the extent and variety of
our grand national domain. Ours is a goodly heritage.
God hath brought us into a large place. Let us look
around and behold ! We have a land more extensive than
that of Alexander, when he thought the world lay at his
feet ; than of imperial Rome, when in the moment of her
highest prowess Trajan swayed his scepter from the
Tweed to the Euphrates ; than of Russia in our day. Our
glorious flag floats undisputed over an area of more than
three thousand square miles, or one billion nine hundred
million broad acres, a territory ten times as large as that
of Great Britain and France combined. The food-pro-
ducing States west of the lakes raised in 1860 about
642,000,000 bushels of wheat, and only one-fifth of the
territory is under cultivation ! Multiply these figures by
five, and you have the astounding result of three billion
two hundred million bushels of grain, the production of
which is only a pleasure, as the farmer has only to tickle
the prairie with his steam-plow, and it laughs and sparkles
with a splendid harvest. An angel whose eye expatiated
over the geography of a hundred nations, beholds no
heritage so broad, no lands so fair.
468 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
We can point with patriotic pride to a country where
the grand and the graceful, the awful and the lovely, the
rugged cataract and the smiling brook, mingle together.
Behold our splendid lakes, our fertile plains, our towering
mountains, our charming valleys, our sweeping prairies,
our entrancing landscapes, and our sky soft and blue at
times as that which bends over the faded splendors of
Italy.
That broad-thoughted French philosopher, De
Tocqueville, in his work on the United States, says that
"America is the most magnificent dwelling-place prepared
by God for man's abode." In fashioning this majestic
edifice of freedom for the oppressed races, the Creator
gave us not a barracks, but a palace ; not a desert, but an
Alhambra.
When Horace Greeley made his first visit to Europe,
he advised his countrymen to be sure, if they contem-
plated a trip to the Old World, to take a long, earnest
look at the sun, for the thing called sun in England only
shone occasionally, and bore little resemblance to its
American namesake. O that the crowned ruffians of Eu-
rope would come across the ocean, and behold the great-
ness of our national domain! America is the young ath-
lete in the world. The fruits and fleeces of our immense
valleys bid fair to rival the golden sands of our streams,
as well as the treasures of our enchanted rocks.
" Great God, we thank Thee for this home,
This bounteous birthland of the free,
Where wanderers from afar may come
And breathe the air of liberty.
Still may her flowers untrampled spring,
Her harvests wave, her cities rise,
And yet till Time shall fold his wing,
Remain earth's loveliest paradise! "
We should thank God for our system of representative
Government. To show the infinite superiority of a demo-
cratic Government, let us climb up the political standard
of the past, and compare the various forms of civil rule
which have existed from the beginning. The first form
APPENDIX. 469
was monocratic, corresponding with the monarchies of
Europe; the second form was theocratic, the rulers of
which were called hierarchs ; the third form was the auto-
cratic, the few governing the many; the fourth and best
was the democratic, God's great gift to our fathers. The-
ocracies, autocracies, and monarchies are founded on the
comic notion of a superiority of blood! How grand the
words of Vergniaud : "Nobility! That is, one class cre-
ated to rule, another to be ruled ; that is, one class to live
in palaces, another to dwell in hovels. The nobility ! The
very term is an insult to the human race." '
Right, eloquent Frenchman ! There have been two
widely dissimilar views of liberty in the world; one is of
Greek, and the other of Teutonic origin. According to
the first, liberty consists in a share in the Government,
while the Government demands the most implicit obedi-
ence to its laws; the subject w r as absorbed in the State.
The development of the principle is seen in the Spartan,
the Greek, and Italian Republics! This sentiment was
carried into Gaul by the Roman colonies, and enters
largely into that French idea of liberty which is connected
with submission to an absolute emperor.
That is the best Government which governs the
least. Dean Swift, the Irish publicist, has expressed
it in a brief sentence: "All government without the
consent of the governed is the very definition of slav-
ery." Democratic liberty, then, is the power of acting
according to our own will and upon our own conclusions
in any manner not inconsistent with the well-being of the
community to which we belong. It was under the in-
spiration of this great view of liberty that Jefrersqn wrote
his immortal charter : that Henry IV, born Demosthenes,
uttered his sublime challenge to the Lords and Commons
of England ; and which the artillery of Washington echoed
on every battle-field of the Union. It is this indestruc-
tible love of liberty which is inspiring the surging millions
of Old Europe to fling their naked breasts against the
murderous bayonets of villainous kings.
Columbia's greatest glory does not consist in the ex-
470 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
tent of her virgin domain ; in the gorgeousness of her un-
shorn forests; in the soldiers who have returned with the
laurels of triumph from every field which their heroism
has made magnificently famous; in her navy, whose flag
has floated upon every shore; in her Congress, the elo-
quence of which rivals that of Europe; in the harmony
and beauty of her Constitution, which, when the proudest
elevations of society were overturned, rode triumphant
on the storm, preserving for the world liberty, humanity,
and justice!
Columbia's greatest glory consists in her civil and re-
ligious liberty. Here the Jew, the Catholic, the Prot-
estant, and even the poor Infidel can offer his orisons
according to the dictates of conscience. The nurse of
freedom, the school of virtue, the home of the oppressed !
I love this Government. I love its origin, bought by the
blood of gallant men. I love it in its progress, the earliest
three, now forty millions. I love it in its personal power ;
thirty millions stand ready to guard its flag from insult
and danger. I love it in its supremacy; thirty-six States
and several Territories own the imperial sway of its
Congress.
I have met the representatives of this young and
splendid Nation abroad. I have raised my hat in homage,
and said:
Hail, brother of the West ! you have driven back the
savage, have swept away mighty forests, have built great
cities as if by magic, and built an empire in a few years.
Hail, brother of the North ! in the learned professions,
and in all the pursuits of agriculture, trade, and commerce
you have gained a proud pre-eminence.
Hail, brother of the South! you have preserved the
ancient hospitality, you have made your highlands bloom
with cotton, and your lowlands rich with waving fields
of rice and far-extending tracts of verdant, luscious cane.
Hail, brother of the East ! you have taught rulers how
to educate the many, and employers how to bless the
laboring poor. You have drawn wealth from snow-
capped mountains and naked rocks. Harvard, Yale, and
APPENDIX. 471
Princeton are the classic founts of your greatness, and
those are your ships that sit so gracefully in yonder har-
bor. And when I thought of the Nation's charms of
beauty, its broad, geographical unity, its brotherhood of
kin and caste, I have said with a full heart, "Hail, country-
men of Washington, partners in blessed memories and
precious hopes!" and a prayer as fervent as any that ever
passed from my heart ascended to the Throne, that this
free land might be endowed with perpetual peace, and
that its glory might remain until the coming grandeur of
the Son of God ! Contrast the so-called Christian Govern-
ment of England with our own.
American Christians," thank God in his temple for
your common schools, for the freedom of your press, and
for the great and splendid names which already adorn
the history of the Republic. Compare the British sover-
eigns with the illustrious men who have been honored
with the Chief Magistracy of our Nation, and how con-
temptibly small they appear ! With the exception of King
William III and Cromwell, the rulers of England were
a degraded and stupid race. How few were the states-
men and economists among the kings! Where is there
one among them possessing the sagacity, the multifarious
endowments, and the moral grandeur of the godlike
Washington? Where the extraordinary abilities, the elo-
quent common sense, and the gigantic brain of Thomas
Jefferson? Where, in the long line of these brutal kings,
can you find statesmanship and generalship like that of
the lion-hearted Andrew Jackson? We crown the splen-
did catalogue by the surpassing name of Abraham Lin-
coln! A brave, manly soul. With Cato the Censor we
look upon kings as creatures who feed upon human flesh,
regular cannibals. Our Government has its faults; but,
comparing it with those of Europe, it is like a comparison
of heaven and hell. Jefferson said that there is not a
crowned head in Europe whose talents would entitle him
to be elected a vestryman in any parish in America.
We should thank God for the patriotism and sublime
valor displayed during and since the war. The roar of
47 2 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
cannon in Charleston Harbor aroused the dormant pa-
triotism of the land ! All parties and nationalities entered
into a generous rivalry! Never, since the day of Pente-
cost, was there seen so grand a sight! Patriotism is a
beautiful and lofty principle; it binds man to man in an
august brotherhood; it recognizes a community of in-
terest; it makes the Laplander prefer the eternal snows
of his wintry land, because it is his country ! There is no
more noble answer on record than that which was given
by a famous chief of a savage tribe to some Europeans
who would have bribed him to give up his patrimony:
"We were born," said he, "upon the spot; our fathers are
buried here. Shall we say to their bones, Rise up and let
us go hence?" The sentiment of patriotism is universal
and indestructible. It matters not where we have been
born whether upon the sunny plain or upon the snow-
covered summit of the mountain cliff the feeling is the
same. The Scotchman is affected by the sight of a thistle
in a foreign land. It reminds him of the country of Bruce
and Wallace. The shamrock, the chosen leaf of bard and
chief, stirs the hearts of Ireland's children, suggesting
beautiful memories of a heroic past. The Frenchman is
aroused at a glimpse of the Heur de Us. It awakens pleas-
ant recollections of sunny France. This loyalty to one's
country is acknowledged and recognized by the fisher-
man as he sits by his cottage on the Atlantic or Pacific
beach, and by the wild hunter of the Western plains. It
is heralded in lands distant from each other, and different
in political institutions, in the praise of a William Tell, a
Washington, a Brutus, an Emmet, and a Mazzini. It
nerves the arm and fires the bosom in every scene and
vicissitude of life; and when the patriot's closing eye is
turned for the last time to the sun in the heavens, whether
amid the shock of steel, or from the victories of peace,
his last thought is his country, and his last prayer is for
its prosperity.
How grand the patriotism of our people ! More than
700,000 under arms to guard the flag from insult and
from danger! It is easy to speak thrillingly and raptur-
APPENDIX. 473
ously on deeds of high enterprise; and every tongue is
ready to swell the praises of Columbus, who went forth
on the waste of waters burning to snatch a New World
from the grave of centuries, and to echo the fame of Will-
iam Tell, who bade the splendid land of lake, cataract,
and mountains, spurn the base yoke of foreign despots!
Every one admires, extols these daring and fiery spirits!
But think ye the noble patience, the unyielding courage,
the unconquered devotion, exhibited upon the battle-
fields of the Union, are not as equally worthy of the ap-
plause of freemen throughout the world? The man who
would withhold the laurel from our brave defenders is in
mind a fool, in heart a traitor. If the pulse beats not high
at the recital of the daring deeds displayed at Lexington,
Stone River, and Antietam, a kind of polar spell must
have chained the life's blood ! Lord Brougham once said,
"That the American army was composed of the scum of all
Europe !" No, my Lord Imbecile ! The soldiers of the
Union were the nobility, the flower, the chivalry of the
land ! They were its bravest soldiers, and many of them
proved to be its sublime martyrs. Wherever they went,
they carried in their bayonets order, liberty, humanity,
and the loftiest example of stainless patriotism. Glori-
ous in battle, illustrious in death, they stand higher
than the crested lords of Europe ! Glorious men ! it is
not for me to do justice to your triumphs. May the
gratitude of your country be eternal ! May you never
have to say, with the Roman patriot, "I would rather
have it asked why Cato had not a statue than why he
had one !" Then our illustrious dead ! Ye sceptered im-
mortals, enthroned above the Nation's constellation, your
memories will be glorious, pious, and immortal !
All Europe is catching the inspiration of our success.
Freedom is everywhere advancing her dominions. She
is coming forth from the dungeons in all the gorgeousness
of a brilliant retinue, with the brightest diadem in all the
world glittering upon her unblemished forehead ! Before
she attains the meridian of that reign whose morning
looks so bright, she is hailed by the thrilling acclamations
474 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
of millions. Spain, the mother of Hebrew poets, looks up
to the immortal Father. She has signalized her progress
among the nations by taking 'down the statue of the de-
tested Isabella, and putting in its stead that of Washing-
ton. We hail her deliverance from the Bourbon dynasty.
Spain of Ferdinand has disappeared; the accursed In-
quisition that devoured the fair Andalusia, converting the
loveliest spot in Europe into a pandemonium, is abolished
forever. The pinnacles of monarchy have been shivered
into atoms by the lightnings of Castelar's grand elo-
quence ! Austria's surging millions are progressing I The
noble democracy of England are demanding, in tones of
thunder, greater freedom and additional rights. The
countrymen of Emmet are arming; they clasp their vir-
gin bayonets, like virgin brides, to their breasts; their
hearts beat with a holy palpitation; and when the great
day of Ireland's deliverance shall come, their gallant blood
will be poured out with a heroic prodigality.
In every region of the earth men are waking up as
from a nightmare. The Moslem of the old Mogul Em-
pire feels the scimiter stir in its scabbard, and he mur-
murs, "God is great." Japan opens her gates, and pagan
millions receive the gospel from American tongues.
China selects the gifted Burlingame as her messenger to
the nations. The spirit of Washington is marching on!
France, gallant, generous, polished nation ; the land of
quick thoughts, bright swords, and fair women; the
France of Lafayette honored name ! encompassed with
so much fame, has unfurled the banner of republicanism,
and has made her appeal to the God of Nations. The
hands of the splendid but detestable Bismarck are red
with Republican Frenchmen's blood. The French Re-
publicans are fighting for Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.
Against them are arrayed the Napoleons, the Bourbons,
the Orleanists, and all the remorseless, marble-hearted
tyrants of Europe. But despite of all opposition, despite
of perfidy, despite of fraud, despite of European hostility,
I believe that the Republic is unconquered and uncon-
querable. Be steady, Frenchmen ! Better that your
APPENDIX. 475
splendid city be burned to cinders than that liberty should
be extinguished in Europe. When I remember the mag-
nificent heroism of Lafayette and his thirty thousand
French warriors ; when I remember that the friendship of
France was a beacon-light to our fathers, every drop of
blood that warms my heart is in sympathy with the brave,
noble Frenchmen righting for hearth and home. My
voice is but feeble, and could I add millions to my own,
I would pray God-speed the Republic of France; for its
triumphs are the triumphs of democracy, the triumphs
of liberty, and the triumphs of civilization.
We should thank God for the abundant harvests. The
glorious promise of seed-time and harvest has been ful-
filled. Farmers, a few months ago with long faces, pre-
dicted a prolonged famine. The beneficent Father
watched the seed during its silent entombment in the
bosom of the earth. He moistened it with warm summer
showers, and shielded it from every destructive influence.
He fostered, protected it, silently, invisibly, uninterrupt-
edly, until it passed through its allotted stages of existence,
as first the blade, then the ear, and then the full corn in
the ear, till at last Jehovah seems walking visibly over the
smiling fields, dropping fatness and scattering garlands
of rejoicing over every succeeding season. It is to the
bountifulness of God we owe these harvest blessings. The
fires of heaven might have destroyed our cities; the hail
might have beaten down our fields of corn, as in Egypt
of old; the frost might have cut the tender blade; the
vapors might have spread the infection of a withering
mildew ; but, in the midst of all, mercy descends in the form
of an angel, pouring from the rich horn of Providence
blessings unnumbered over the land. How truly may
it be said, "Thou waterest the ridges thereof;" that is, by
the gentle exhalations of the dews or by the soft showers
of the early or latter rain. "Thou settlest the furrows
thereof; Thou blessest the springing of it," and watchest
over it in its tenderest estate when just appearing above
the ground, defending it from excessive heat or from the
extremes of cold ; till finally he bursts forth into the highly
476 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
figurative but still beautifully expressive climax, "Thou
crownest the year with thy goodness, and thy paths drip
fatness." With the sweet singer of Israel, may we not
again say: "Behold He giveth food for cattle; the little
hills rejoice together on every side; the valleys stand so
thick with corn that they laugh and sing: The joy of the
reapers, rejoicing in the harvest, is heard; the yellow corn
falls beneath the sickle; the sheaves are piled in shocks;
the graining train beareth its golden treasures to the
homestead; the spacious barn is well stored, and the
cheerful sounds of harvest home are wafted in repeated
chorus, and echo among the hills and valleys of the land?"
A few years ago, when the Atlantic cable was success-
fully laid, Cyrus Field, full of gratitude to God for the
triumph of his labors, sent five hundred dollars for the
benefit of the poor of his native town in Massachusetts
Stockbridge. The gift was returned, with the explana-
tion that the money was not needed, as there were no poor
in the place !
We should thank God for home and social blessings.
Home, thrice blessed w r ord ! For its pleasures it does not
depend upon the elegance which art creates, nor upon
the splendid pictures of the old masters which adorn
castle walls, nor upon the curtains of richest lace through
which the light streams by day, nor upon the golden
chandeliers suspended from embossed and gilded ceilings,
nor upon broad acres and magnificent apartments of crim-
son and gold. The best definition of home that I have ever
seen, was given by a child when asked, "What is home?"
Looking up at his mother, he answered, "Where she is. 1 '
" Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home."
Where love is, there is home. Among the bright and
beautiful creations of our religion is the charming spec-
tacle of a happy family, connected by ties of blood, and
having the same hopes, the same fears, the same interests,
and the same joys. Look at such a delightful circle!
There are the calm and the secret joys of the domestic
hearth, that bright and sacred spot, where, in bonds of
APPENDIX. 477
holy affection, husband and wife, parents and children,
brothers and sisters, mingle their purest thoughts and
their fondest hopes in unrestrained fellowship.
No chalice of earthly bliss is so sparkling as that which
passes from hand to hand in a million American homes
to-day. These homes are Eden's little inclosures, favor-
ite spots on earth's wide waste ! In such a home there sits
the father, the guide and protector of his household ; there
are the children climbing his knees, the envied kiss to
share ; and there in the circle sits the mother, radiant with
maternal pride. A home like this is only surpassed by
that Eternal Home, where the flowers never fade and the
crystal waters never cease tb send up their heavenly music.
" There is a land of every land the pride,
Beloved by Heaven o'er all the world beside,
Where brighter suns dispense serener light,
And milder beams emparadise the night :
The wandering mariner, whose eye explores
The wealthiest isles, the most enchanting shores,
Views not a realm so beautiful and fair,
Nor breathes the spirit of a purer air.
In every clime the magnet of his soul,
Touched by remembrance, trembles to that pole;
For in this land of Heaven's peculiar grace,
The heritage of Nature's noblest race,
There is a spot of earth supremely blest,
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest,
Where man, creation's tyrant, casts aside
His sword and scepter, pageantry and pride,
While in his softened look benignly blend
The sire, the son, the husband, brother, friend.
Here woman reigns ; the mother, daughter, wife,
Strews with fresh flowers the narrow way of life.
In the clear heaven of her delightful eye
An angel guard of loves and graces lie ;
Around her knees domestic duties meet,
And fireside pleasures gambol at her feet.
Where shall that land, that spot of earth be found?
Art thou a man ? a patriot ? look around !
O ! thou shalt find, where'er thy footsteps roam,
That land thy Country, and that spot thy Home."
47 8 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
THE PERORATION.
My Thanksgiving sermon would be incomplete and
graceless, did it make no grateful mention of the imperial
benefaction, the gift of Jesus Christ, who came from
heaven to be our Savior, and then crowned his mission
upon the cross! Jesus a balm for every wound, a shel-
ter in every tempest ! Give thanks to the Supreme God
for all the material, the rational, the physical, and the
spiritual blessings of the year ; for the extent and breadth
of the national domain, grander and broader than that
of Rome in its palmiest days; for the civil and religious
liberty so largely enjoyed by every class and color of the
Nation ; for the heroic patriotism and the triumphant dar-
ing of the gallant soldiers, whose grand deaths in the
blaze of battle shed immortal luster around the American
name; for the thousand battle-fields made magnificently
famous in our history, each one a Marathon or a Ther-
mopylae; for the gracious and abundant harvest which
waved and glittered like a golden banner; for the signal
prosperity of the Nation, the smoke of a million factories
glooms the air, and the glimmering of our unconquered
flag is gleaming upon every sea; for the iron band which
binds the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast, and belts a whole
continent with a golden girdle of strength and union : for
the joys of home, that magic and consecrated spot ; for a
free press, a free gospel, and a free land. The land of our
love and affection stands to-day majestic and unapproach-
able amidst the devotion of forty millions of fervid, daunt-
less, enthusiastic hearts. Every nation in the Old World
feels the fresh breezes coming from a country of freedom.
Bright as a sun-flash and glorious as the God of day
the radiant form of the Republic appears abroad. Think
of the shining paragons, the founders of our Government !
What a grand array of brilliant names! George Wash-
ington, an angel in human form ; Franklin, who tamed the
lightning and made the thunder sweet music; then the
brightest jewel in our crown, the consummate flower of
the century, Abraham Lincoln ! Think also of our lit-
APPENDIX. 479
erary glories ! We can point to such essayists as Emer-
son, Whipple, Holmes, Lowell ; to such historians as Ban-
croft, Irving, Prescott, and Motley; to such soldiers as
Sherman, Grant, Thomas, Meade, Rosecrans, and Mc-
Clellan ; to such statesmen as Trumbull, Sumner, Pendle-
ton, Seymour, Chase, and Colfax; to such sculptors as
Powers and Crawford; to such orators as the inspired
Simpson, and Phillips of the golden tongue. Shall not
the contemplation of these incomparable national bless-
ings cause to arise from our united hearts, as from a living
altar, the incense of adoring praise to the footstool of the
Majesty Divine? Sons and daughters of the Most High,
take down your harps from the willows, and break forth
into singing: "Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in
the firmament of his power; praise him for his majestic
acts; praise him and be exceedingly glad, men of the
South, for the poisonous snake of slavery has been chased
from your blooming plantations; praise him, ye Chris-
tians, for redemption, for a harp and crown in the eternal
mansions; praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is
within me bless his holy name!"
RESPONSE TO THE TOAST, GEORGE WASHING-
TON AND ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
DELIVERED IN PARIS, JUI,Y 4, 1882.
WHILE in Paris I was called upon by General McAd-
dras, a Hiberno Frenchman, who married an Ameri-
can lady of great beauty and wealth. He lived in great
style. He offered to drive me out to Versailles, where there
was to be a celebration of the anniversary of the French
generals who helped Washington. I gladly accepted the
invitation. He pointed out many of the historic spots
so dear and yet so painful, many of them, to every French-
man's heart ! I looked with admiration at many of the
peaceful glories, such as paintings, temples, and observa-
tories, erected by the last Napoleon to hide his perjury,
480 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
his treason, and his murder of its best people. He was a
perjurer in the deliberate violation of the solemn oath to
uphold the Constitution. He was a traitor, in debauching
the soldiers. He was a murderer, for he shot down three
thousand Parisians like wild beasts. Few, indeed, who
read his history w r ill envy the life of Dictator Bonaparte.
A poor Frenchman once stood over the coffin of a dead
despot, saying, "He is dead; let him remain dead." So
we say of the last of the Napoleons, "He is dead ! Let
him remain dead."
Having arrived at Versailles, the scene baffles all de-
scription. The woods, the flowers, the lakes, the ponds,
the fountains, bronzed by the sheen of summer, sparkled
as they never sparkled before. The beauty and quiet
splendor was to me a rapture; the aroma breathed from
golden blossoms, and the fragrance on which it was borne,
was a luxury.
But to return to our delightful trip. After riding
twelve miles through the most enchanting scenery, Ver-
sailles, with its magnificent fountains and statuary, bursts
upon us in all its glory. I was met by a committee, and
conducted to the statues, where a vast crowd had assem-
bled. Several Frenchmen spoke ; then my turn came, and
I delivered this address upon Washington and Lincoln.
The Paris correspondent of the New York Herald cabled
an account of the proceedings.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Not in words beautifully colored with the lights of
this brilliant scene, this festival of memory, this festival
of patriotism* this festival of Union, do I wish to speak
of the illustrious man, whose name is immortally associ-
ated with the proudest recollections of the last thirty years
of American history.
In responding to the part of the toast which your
great goodness of heart has assigned me, I must confess
myself humbled and exalted. Abraham Lincoln, the in-
comparable patriot, whose name is blessed in every land
where civilization is understood, whose immortality is
APPENDIX. 481
established and revered where heads decked with earthly
crowns are allowed to pass unheeded, his honored name
shall be a passport to every American journeying through-
out the world forever. The young generations of the
coming time shall rise up when his great achievements are
recalled, and the old shall be proud of his memory. Bless-
ings shall be eternally connected with his name. Flowers
shall pave the way of his children's children, and the dark-
browed race shall encircle his head as crowns of gold never
encircled the heads of emperors.
Greece had her days of glory; but her own Pericles
laid the foundation of that despotism around her, which
was consummated by Alexander. Rome mourned the
departure of her liberties, when her Caesar passed the
Rubicon. Carthage crumbled into nothingness from the
insatiable ambition of her chiefs. The Republics of Ven-
ice and Geneva sunk unpitied and forgotten into the
vilest servility before the blighting breath of a pampered
aristocracy. It is to the immortal credit of Lincoln that
he left the country stronger, freer, and grander than he
found it. He found it verging upon ruin ; he rescued it
from destruction. He found it full of perils; he left it
honored and respected. He found it cursed with slavery;
he left it free and glorious. He found it disunited ; he left
it united. He found it weak and crippled; he left it vic-
torious and triumphant.
Rise up, O Americans, and pay immortal homage to
the memory of Abraham Lincoln!
Let Germany, the land of gorgeous imagination and
of deep thought; France, the land of bright fancies and
of brilliant men ; Sweden, the land of the brave Gustavus
Adolphus; Denmark, England, and Switzerland, join in
the universal chorus ! Let not Ireland refuse to pluck
from her green bosom a rich shamrock, and place it upon
our martyr's grave. Let all nations eternally enthrone
the memory of Lincoln.
It is not necessary to speak of his acts; the grandest
was his Proclamation of Emancipation that New Testa-
ment of Freedom which shook the world to its center.
31
482 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
It was everywhere hailed as a signal of hope and as an
emblem of redemption. The African heard it upon his
burning sands, and he felt his chains grow a little lighter.
The Circassians, keepers of the gates of Asia, heard it
on their mountains and proclaimed it through their val-
leys, telling them that though the Czar was great, Abra-
ham Lincoln was greater. The Poles, generous and chiv-
alrous, heard it, and they buckled on their swords once
more to fight. Italy, by her vineyards and cornfields
beneath her sapphire sky, heard it, and her sons from the
white summit of ^Etna waved boldly the torch of Eu-
ropean revolution.
It was the immortal gift of freedom to the bondmen
of the world ; the same freedom which is implanted in all
hearts by the good God; the same freedom which is en-
shrined by ten thousand glorious memories; the same
freedom which nerved Brutus to drive out the Gauls ; the
same freedom that shines with heaven-born radiance in
the darkest prison ; that descends with the martyr into the
fiery furnace, whispering words of divinest melody into
his ears, and transforming the hot coals into flowers of
rarest beauty and sweetest fragrance.
Where shall I begin to estimate the elements of
his greatness? If his character were before me as a
chart, where shall I put my finger? Among his many
shining qualities, his honesty and sincerity were pre-emi-
nent. He was honest to the core ! The universal verdict
of friend and foe was the famous saying, "Honest Old
Abe."
The cunning artists of Italy boasted that they could
make those Venetian drinking-glasses that shivered at
the touch of poison ! So the transparent crystal of Lin-
coln's soul recoiled from the insincere and the dishonor-
able! Did honesty stand alone? No! He was coura-
geous ! Never was there a braver heart ! He would have
died with the three hundred at Thermopylae; he would
have fought to the last with Washington ; he would have
mounted the scaffold with Emmet. He was a statesman ;
a statesman who saw that his country could not remain
APPENDIX. 483
half free and half slave; a statesman whose memory will
be embalmed in the warm hearts of millions forever; a
statesman whose name will be a household word and
articulated in the first lispings of infancy; a statesman
whose image will be borne upon the brow of beauty; a
statesman whose life will be to the oppressed of Europe,
in their poverty, captivity, and chains, resurrection, lib-
erty, and glory. He was an orator of transcendent power;
his eloquence, while lacking the classic and imaginative
beauty of Sumner, the vigorous and commanding author-
ity of Webster, nevertheless charmed, subdued, and in-
structed multitudes.
Perhaps the finest displays of his oratory were those
debates with his illustrious rival, Stephen A. Douglas, an
American full of electricity, full of passion, and whose
dying message to his sons, "Stand by the Constitution
and the laws," has endeared his memory to every loyal
heart. He had much of the power foudroyante of
Mirabeau, the French orator, who exclaimed of his op-
ponents, "When right, I argue with them; when wrong,
I crush them."
Abraham Lincoln! I see him afar off, dwelling in
beautiful peace. He is where Miltiades, Tell, Hampden,
Bruce, Tone, Emmet, are before him.
Proud be the flight of America's eagle over his tomb !
May no foeman to the Republic ever plant a standard
there! May the soft, warm earth that holds him never
lack as honest and as patriotic a President ! Sing his dirge
in the words of Mrs. Ford, a true poet :
" Toll the bells, and speak in whispers,
For a hero lieth low !
Death has struck him down while hurling
Proud defiance at the foe!
But the life so steadfast, loyal
To its purpose, great and high,
In the land shall stay and triumph ;
For the faithful never die."
If it be asked who bound the United States and un-
bound the slave, the answer will be, Abraham Lincoln!
484 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
If it be asked who saved the Union, one name will an-
swer, Abraham Lincoln ! If it be asked who raised the
credit of the Nation and the prosperity of the Nation to
an unexampled standard, one name suffices, Abraham
Lincoln ! If it be asked who, with the world against him,
England against him, the devil against him, rescued the
drowning banner of the Republic from destruction, and
placed it so high that, like Mount Tabor, it is crowned
with an eternal sun, the answer will be, Abraham Lin-
coln ! If asked what conqueror ever exercised such gener-
osity, such friendship, such magnanimity to a fallen foe,
the perpetual warmth and brightness of the memories
and the hopes of the chivalrous North, millions answer,
"None so munificent to the conquered as Abraham Lin-
coln !" His was the task, and his shall be the renown. It
was said of one of the ancient saints, who died a hundred
years ago, that a votive wreath of flowers was buried with
him. Recently, when the good man's tomb was opened,
the body had moldered into dust, but the flowers were
beautiful and fragrant. So it will be with our martyred
President. All hail, thou greater than Washington !
Washington and Lincoln the one the founder, the other
the savior of the Republic. Immortal Lincoln ! Immor-
tal in the warm hearts of the oppressed millions, who felt
their chains grow a little lighter at the mention of his
name ! Immortal in the thanksgiving and cheers of the
emancipated Negroes, whose eyes moisten as they recall
his great Proclamation ! Immortal in the incorruptible
vitality of the Nation, the wealthiest and grandest, estab-
lished upon an imperishable foundation ! Immortal in
the disgust and anger of despots, who hated him because
the preservation of the Union meant their downfall ! Let
the oppressor die, let him be carried to the grave decked
with all the trappings of splendor ! I will visit the grave
of Lincoln, and repeat the spell-word of weak nations,
Resurgam! resurgam! Immortal in the glory of that flag
carried by our soldiers into battle, where the Eumenides
wave their torches and the trumpet of Alecto peals, nerved
and quickened by the faith that the sun, bursting from it
APPENDIX. 485
in a flood of storm and glory, will maintain its light as did
the sun of victory over the mountains of the Almonte!
Immortal Lincoln, I salute thy memory with all the fervor
of my soul !
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
Revolutions are the landmarks of history! As the
mountain springs from the dead level of the plain, so revo-
lutions are monumental records of the progress and pros-
perity of nations. Sometimes these upheavals are the
scourges and disasters of the race; but more frequently
they are the pioneers of those blessings of civil and relig-
ious liberty which follow the wars for right and justice,
when nations, crushed to the earth, rise with a heroic
grandeur, and fling off the superincumbent weight of
despotism. The Revolution commenced by that revered
man in whose honor we are assembled, was for the uplift-
ing and amelioration of mankind. Rising against a bril-
liant and powerful Government, Washington locked arms
with an enemy possessing boundless power. Rise up, O
Americans, and pay reverential homage to the fame of
Washington ! The birthday of such a man is a festival.
It is a festival of memory, a festival of love, a festival of
patriotism, a festival of truth. Brilliant and enthusiastic
though this assembly be, it is only a small and insignifi-
cant part of the mighty hosts who, at this same hour, com-
memorate in speech, sermon, and song the virtues and
deeds of the matchless and incomparable American.
Wherever the stars shine to-night, upon land and wave,
thousands and tens of thousands of liberty-loving hearts
will travel back to Old Virginia, where he first looked
out upon the grand and beautiful image of his native land ;
back to the banks of the Rappahannock, where he spent
his youth ; back to the wars against the French, where he
felt the buddings of military ambition; back to that his-
toric Congress in Philadelphia, where he was commis-
sioned as commander of the Revolutionary army; back
to Valley Forge, where his tears fell copiously as he
looked upon the sufferings of his brave soldiers; back to
486 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
that sacramental scene, where he bowed and partook of
those emblems which signify redemption; back to York-
town, where the sword of Cornwallis was surrendered,
and the banners of England went down in defeat; back
to the Hudson, where some foolish and disreputable sym-
pathizers with monarchy offered him a crown, but he
proudly repelled the infamous proposal, anticipating by
a hundred years the noble sentiment of the illustrious
Hungarian, that any honest' man would scorn to wear
a crown ; back to the splendid morning of freedom, when
he stood upon the steps of the Capitol, and took the oath
as President of the United States ; back to Vernon's hal-
lowed grounds, where his sainted dust sleeps in the gran-
deur of eternal peace. This is not an American celebra-
tion ; it is the world's. Everywhere throughout the conti-
nents, the islands, and the cities of the earth, wherever
there is a prisoner of liberty and a friend to humanity,
his eye turns instinctively to these Western States, where
millions, driven from their native countries by the rods
and bayonets of their oppressors, have found a refuge
and a home. For as one has beautifully said (alas ! whose
voice we shall never hear again !), that Washington's
was a memory which can not be effaced a bright and
imperishable fact which perpetuates itself in every clime,
in every season, year after year, with the promise that its
vitality shall be enduring ! In the fragrant land of the pine
and the palm tree, where the bones of Columbus lie, there
are hearts which beat fondly in the remembrance of this
day. Beneath the dome which spans the coffin of the
great soldier of France, the countrymen of Lafayette men-
tion with French devotion the name of Washington. Far
down the ocean, in those cities of the South, whose foun-
dations were laid by the cavaliers of Isabella, Spain, the
land of illustrious memories, in Castelar's thrilling tones,
hears the echo of that voice which we, a century ago,
heard declare to the desponding patriots: "I will raise a
thousand men, equip them at my own expense, and
march to the help of the men of Boston." By the Aus-
tralian mountain lakes, where the waters mingle with the
APPENDIX. 487
yellow sands, the flag of America floats from a miner's
home in that far-distant land. In Ireland there is not a
city nor a town, from Cork to the Giant's Causeway,
where the prayer does not bubble up in a million hearts,
that the Republic founded by Washington may be coeval
with the coming grandeur of the eternal Son of God.
Washington was born on the 22d of February, 1732,
in Westmoreland County, Virginia. The father died
when he was but ten years old. The care of the youth
devolved upon the mother, of whom he ever afterwards
spoke with loving tenderness. In his fourteenth year he
contemplated entering the royal navy, but God overruled
this arrangement. At seventeen he became a land sur-
veyor, making twenty dollars a day. At twenty-one he
was appointed aide to General Braddock in the war
against the French. At twenty-seven he married the
beautiful and accomplished Martha Custis, and settled
down to farming on the banks of the Potomac. In 1774
he was selected delegate to the Congress which met in
Philadelphia, when, at the nomination of John Adams, he
was made chief of the national forces. England had no
conception of the character of the men who inaugurated
the Revolution. Her own degraded and impoverished
subjects at home bowed the knee and bent the neck before
royalty, and received their kicks without a murmur. It
was expected that the Colonists would be as docile and
cringing. "They misunderstood us," said Washington.
Yes, indeed, it was a fatal misunderstanding. "We have
thrown a pebble at a sleeping mastiff," said Walpole. "It
can not injure him, but it may excite him to rend us in
pieces." The prediction proved a true one, for George
Washington snatched thirteen of the brightest jewels out
of the King of England's crown, and planted them in the
banner of American democracy forever. Americans
know, or ought to know, something of the causes which
produced the Revolution of our fathers. They know of
the Stamp Act, which imposed taxation without repre-
sentation, and that a man in Virginia said that the people
of the Colony would not obey any laws which were not
488 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
made by itself. They know that certain Bostonians got
angry at the taxation of their tea, and upon one fine morn-
ing they threw the chests into the sea. They know that
when the news reached England, the king and his min-
isters were thrown into a royal fit. They know that war
meetings were held, in which independence was boldly
advocated. They know that the citizens of Carolina met
in churches, and resolved to boycott those traitorous
Yankees who were for the king. They know that the war
came, and the result. They know of the Liberty Bell in
Philadelphia, on which was inscribed the legend, "Pro-
claim liberty throughout the land to all the dwellers
thereof !" They know that the Liberty boys of New York
dashed down the equestrian statue of the King of Eng-
land, and that the gentle women melted it into forty thou-
sand bullets, and sent it back to the stupid monarch in
the bodies of his red : coated murderers. They know that
Edmund Burke, the great Irishman, whose name renders
our praise superfluous, the equal of Plato in the Academy
and the peer of Cicero in the Senate, took his stand by the
immortal American rebel, Washington, and vindicated in
words of imperishable eloquence the claims of the Revo-
lutionary States to virtue and liberty. It is the glory of
Burke's countrymen that the first voice ever raised in the
Old World to lift up the drowning banner of American
Independence was that of their great countryman.
Time does not permit to review the deeds of Wash-
ington. The first important event of his soldier-life was
the capture of Fort Duquesne from the French. Its im-
portance has never been duly considered. Had the
French been successful, they would have acquired a lord-
ship over the entire West. Their customs and morals
would probably have been stamped upon the people whom
they conquered. It was in this campaign that Washing-
ton was first taught his faculty as a soldier ; the advantages
of natives fighting in the forests over foreigners ; the help
rendered by the swamps, the rivers, and the thickets ; the
utter helplessness of the most disciplined soldiers before
the shrewdness of the hunter upon his own ground. In
APPENDIX. 489
these skirmishes through the wilderness Washington
learned a lesson which he never forgot.
The second magnificent work of Washington was the
foundation of this stately Republic. There were repub-
lics, it is true, before his day ; but it was reserved for him
and his illustrious compeers to give form and sinew to
the new and better government of the people, by the
people, and for the people. Patrick Henry, with his great
Homeric eloquence, was a freshet in strength, a sea in
abundance. Thomas Jefferson, calm, collective, was the
brains of his age, and carved out of it the Declaration of
Independence. Washington, brave, wise, and reflective,
was the skillful master-builder.
The next and last labor of Washington was his Fare-
well Address, in which he laid down immortal truths for
our imitation and emulation. He warns us against sec-
tionalism, partyism, centralization, and military despo-
tism, as the great foes of our institutions; commends
morality, education, and religion as the safeguards of
republican liberty. It was the rare privilege of Washing-
ton, not only to lead the armies of his country to success,
but to give vitality to the idea of popular Government.
This fundamental truth had been the dream of the sage,
the song of the poet, and the theme of the orator. For
this Locke unveiled the mystery of philosophy. For this
Sir Thomas More reveled in bright visions. For this
Milton struck the harp. But never until the foundation
of our American Constitution was it made the basis of a
free Government.
Washington was the typical American. It has occa-
sionally occurred that a people has been incarnated in a
single individual. Pericles has been set down as the rep-
resentative Greek, Caesar as the representative Roman,
Hampclen as the representative Briton, O'Connell as the
representative Irishman ; and American, George Wash-
ington ! He is the foremost among the children of men.
Now, although our country, in the hundred years of its
existence, has many eminent names, yet before and be-
yond all others we rank the Father of his Country, and
49 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
him we would present as the consummate fullness of
manifold perfections, immeasurably the largest and might-
iest of all. Had he been among the old Greeks, he would
have been worshiped as a god, and the name of Washing-
tion would, with the name of Hercules and Theseus, have
taken its place among the eternal stars.
Washington was American in his patriotism. He
loved his country as the Roman loved the City of the
Seven Hills, or the Athenian the City of the Violet Crown.
Her vast mountains, her picturesque lakes, her magnifi-
cent prairies, and her splendid landscapes were all dear
to his heart. If Cromwell once said of Ireland, as he
gazed upon the Lakes of Killarney, "Truly this is a land
worth fighting for," so every American may be justly
proud of his country, the land of Washington the coun-
try of which Thomas Davis finely sang :
" There are lands where manly toil
Surely reaps the crop it sows,
Glorious woods and teeming soil,
Where the broad Missouri flows ; "
of which Charles Phillips grandly said : "The oppressed of
all countries, the martyrs of every creed, find refuge, their
industry encouraged, their piety respected, their ambition
animated, with no restraint but those laws which are the
same to all, in which so many Irishmen's fortunes have
been so resplendently redeemed."
The greatest element in Washington's life was his
transparent sincerity. As a friend he was faithful, tender,
and helpful. His private life was stainlessly pure. There
were no skeletons in his closet. He hated shams, and his
lofty soul recoiled from the appearance of anything like
hypocrisy. The cunning artists believed that they could
fashion their Venetian drinking-glasses that shivered at
the touch of poison ; and so the clear crystal of Washing-
ton's soul shuddered at the contact of the base and false.
It is said that he spent $75,000 out of his private fortune
to carry on the war, and that during his official life as
President and general of the army he never accepted a
APPENDIX. 49 1
dollar for his services. Compare the British sovereigns
with our Revolutionary fathers, and how insignificant
they appear ! Where among them all will you be able to
construct a character of such symmetrical proportions
and moral grandeur as that beheld in Washington?
Gather into one the mental strength shared by this long
line of contemptible creatures, and you could not con-
struct one brain of such gigantic proportions as that ex-
hibited by our imperial Jefferson. Glean from all along
the pitiable harvest of this long succession of crowned
heads all the statesmanship you can find, and there is
nothing to be compared with our two Adamses. We hear
much said by our dudes* toadies, third-rate preachers,
every callow student and boy statesman, rotten before
they are ripe, about the good Victoria. It might prove,
as a Methodist bishop Haven once said: "A more dif-
ficult question than that of the most abstruse mathemat-
ical problem to demand of those who are so laudatory
one solitary instance of real, positive goodness which has
emanated from that woman in her character as sovereign
during her whole reign." Negative goodness we may
allow her; just the kind of goodness we should look for
in a kitten. During her forty-five years' reign she has
stolen from the British people over one hundred and fifty
millions of dollars. With a salary of four millions annu-
ally, with fifteen hundred servants, with seventy chaplains
and sixteen thousand bribed parsons to pray for her royal
soul, she has never performed a noble and humane deed.
Where among all these female monarchs will you find
such a beautiful character as Martha Washington, or
Julia Ward Howe, or Mrs. Delia Parnell, the daughter of
our proudest naval hero, Commodore Stewart, and the
proud mother of Ireland's matchless and immortal Par-
nell. We hereby challenge proof of the first great nat-
urally beneficial act coming from any one of these royal
ciphers, who, in the words of Cato the Censor, are "crea-
tures who feed upon human flesh ;" that is to say, regu-
lar cannibals. There is more true refinement of feeling,
more resistless human tenderness, in any one of the moth-
49 2 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
ers, wives, daughters of soldiers and citizens, noble and
elect ladies, who served during the war as bridesmaids
at the marriage of Union and Liberty, and who own with
exulting pride that they are the daughters of such a land !
I remember when in Columbia during the war a ven-
erable woman, the Mother Superioress of a convent. She
knew many of the Revolutionary leaders, and while she
was giving her remembrance of those great souls, Wash-
ington's name was not mentioned. She was asked- the
reason, and if she ever saw him. She said : " Yes, indeed.
I was speaking, however, of the men of the Revolution;
he was an angel."
And now, before I conclude, let us look at the lessons
of Washington's life. First, he was the champion of civil
and religious liberty for all men. Despots hate it. It has
been denied by kings and queens, and they were ruffians.
It has been sneered at by eminent officials, and they were
bought by gold. It has been denounced by State-paid
preachers, and they were deceivers. The Russian, the
Polander, the Irishman burns to realize the dream of lib-
erty, which was the inspiration of great Washington's life.
The second great lesson was that no people can ever
obtain their rights without fighting for them. O'Connell
once said that no liberty was worth the shedding of a drop
of blood; and his eloquent American compeer, Wendell
Phillips, whom we have recently buried in tears and glory,
says in his famous lecture upon O'Connell, that "muskets
are the weapons of animals, but agitation is the atmos-
phere of brains." These eminent philanthropists ought
to have known that tyrants never let go their remorseless
grasp upon the throat of their oppressed serfs without the
application of gunpowder. Holland won her liberty by
the revolution in which she threw off the yoke of Spain.
Greece gained freedom and prosperity by a war in which
she shook off the Turkish and Mohammedan authorities.
France achieved her liberty by several revolutions, dur-
ing which she sent her pretenders to royal blood to the
scaffold, where every ruffian of them ought to be sent.
There are those who are disposed to condemn Wash-
APPENDIX. 493.
ington for his resort to the sword ; but there was no other
way to independence. This truth is finely expressed in
the words of an English poetess, the noblest poem upon
this subject in the English language:
" There 's a star in the West that shall never go down
Till the records of valor decay ;
We must worship its light, though it be not our own,
For liberty bursts in its ray.
Shall the name of a Washington ever be heard
By a freeman, and thrill not his breast ?
Is there one out of bondage that hails not the word
As the Bethlehem Star of the West?
He struck with firm courage the sword of the brave,
But sighed at the carnage that spread;
He indignantly trampled the yoke of the slave,
But wept for the thousands that bled.
Tho' he threw back the fetters and headed the strife,
Till man's charter was fairly restored,
Yet he prayed for the moment when freedom and life
Would no longer be pressed by the sword.
O, his laurels were pure! and his patriot name
On the page of the future shall dwell,
And be seen in all annals, the foremost in fame,
By the side of an Emmet and Tell.
Revile not my song, for the wise and the good
Among Britons have nobly confessed
That his was the glory, and ours was the blood
Of the deeply-stained fields of the West."
As the centuries roll on, his fame will brighten with
increasing splendor, shedding light upon the pathway
of the heroes, the martyrs, and redeemers of mankind.
As the old legend runs, St. Humbert died and was buried,
and a green branch was laid upon his breast. At the end
of a century the grave was opened, the saint's body had
dissolved into dust, but the fair branch, unwithered, re-
tained its perfect greenness. So with our Washington,
centuries hence, when his beloved America is crowned
like Tabor with an eternal light, his name shall abide im-
perishably green.
494 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
REMINISCENCES OF GENERAL SHERMAN.
THE first time I met General Sherman was at Pa-
ducah, Kentucky, when my regiment was ordered to his
command. He intimated his desire to have the officers
visit him. He was in his happiest mood, and inquired
from what part of the State our companies were recruited
and the name of the colonel. He spoke proudly of Ohio
having done more than its duty in filling up her quota
so promptly.
One of the captains thought he would take advantage
of the general's cordiality, and began to ask questions.
"Where is Buckner, the Confederate commander, and
when do you expect to attack him? We are spoiling for
a fight."
At this question Sherman lost his Christian serenity
of temper, and abruptly answered: "A very improper
question for you to ask, sir. You will have enough of
fighting. The war is not yet commenced."
This pleasant and interesting incident, which took
place after the battle of Chattanooga, shows General Sher-
man's knowledge of his men, his profound and touching
allusions to the memory of those who had fallen in battle.
It was at Resaca. The general visited the Irish legion;
the soldiers uncovered their heads as they rushed in hun-
dreds to catch a glimpse of their heroic commander, and
hear what he had to say. General Sherman introduced
McPherson, his successor in command of the Army of
the Tennessee, and also General Barry ; then inquired after
the different officers of the legion.
General Sherman "So the poor colonel was killed?"
Major Flynn "Yes, general; and our lieutenant-
colonel has not yet been able to join us."
General Sherman "Why, was he wounded?"
Major Flynn "Yes, very seriously."
General Sherman "How is your chaplain? Is he still
with you?"
Major Flynn "No, general ; poor Father Kelly died
in Chicago."
APPENDIX. 495
General Sherman "Have you many sick in the regi-
ment?"
Major Flynn "Not one."
General Sherman "That is very good; still the situ-
ation here does not appear healthful, although your camp
is very neat and clean. However, you will soon be leav-
ing here now. In what State is your transportation?"
Such questions as these show Sherman's knowledge
of and interest in his men.
In continuing the conversation, he said: "The road
from Nashville to Decatur is now open. I have just been
over it, and soon we will be ready to have another brush.
As quickly as I can establish some more depots and get
down enough supplies, we*will be at it again. By the way,
I had good news from Paducah this morning. The 'old
war horse,' Colonel Hicks, defeated Forrest, who has
about seven thousand cavalry up there with him ; but Gen-
eral Grierson is in his rear, and will be sure to bag him."
At this point the band struck up "Hail to the Chief."
The major made a neat little speech, congratulating the
general on his promotion, and added : "I have just been
reading in the Pilot that you are. all Irish."
"Yes, Irish blood courses in my veins," remarked Gen-
eral McPherson.
"And for me," said General Barry, "my parents came
from Cork."
"Well," said General Sherman, "I have never denied
being an Irishman ; and, besides, my wife is Irish. But we
want to see the paper."
I never saw such a sudden change come over the face
of any man as came over that of General Sherman
after the battle of Kenesaw Mountain. In that terrible
engagement several of the most brilliant officers had
fallen, among them Harker,who commanded the Sherman
Brigade, that had been raised by a brother of the general,
Senator Sherman. General Sherman was terribly
wrought up over this disaster. A Confederate prisoner
was brought into headquarters, a soldier of some Savan-
nah regiment. He was poorly clad, and looked wretched
496 I UNDER THREE FLAGS.
when he was brought before Sherman; and as he beheld
the stern countenance of the general he trembled with
fear. "Where are you from, sir?" asked Sherman. "Ire-
land, be jabers! Gineral; and I wish I wor there to-day ,1
sor," was the quick reply. Sherman laughed at the quick
wit of the fellow, and had him clothed and fed, and for
several days took a lively interest in him.
General Sherman possessed the true elements of great-
ness. He was ever true to his conceptions of duty. What
a contrast to Nelson, who, on the eve of the battle of
Trafalgar, is reported to have said, "To-morrow will give
me a peerage or a monument in Westminster Abbey."
General Sherman would have said, "To-morrow will find
me doing my duty to my country, or laying down my
body on the battle-field where I have fought." There
was about him another trait of character not often men-
tioned, his kindness and tenderness of heart. I have seen
him frequently dismount from his horse, and share with
a tired soldier the contents of his haversack. I saw him
at Fort McAllister, when the sun was going down behind
a magnificent grove of oaks, chastened by touches of
solemn sadness, his cheek wet with tears as he beheld
Hazen's brave division repulsed, and many a gallant soul
hurled into eternity by the bursting of the hundreds of
torpedoes which were buried in the earth. I have seen
him in his tent listening patiently to the complaints of the
private soldier, and never failing to have justice done.
The only time I ever saw him in one of his superb
rages was in the city of Savannah, at the princely mansion
of Charles Green. A British subject called and demanded
protection on the ground of the neutrality of his Govern-
ment. Sherman's face became white with wrath, as he
exclaimed : "Do n't talk to me, sir, of your Government's
neutrality ! My soldiers have seen your Queen's mark
upon every cannon and upon every gun of the rebels ; and
they can never forget it no, never!"
After the war I was a chaplain in the regular army.
My regiment was stationed in the Carolinas, where I had
much to do with the establishment of freedmen's schools,
APPENDIX. 497
and with the measures of Reconstruction. The colonel
of the regiment was a relative of Sherman by marriage,
an accomplished and gifted man, who had won distin-
guished honors in the War for the Union. When I called
upon General Sherman in Washington he was then act-
ing Secretary of W T ar I found him in a communicative
mood, cordial, sociable, pleasant. His first question was,
"How is - ?" referring to the colonel. I told him that
many admirers were anxious for the colonel to enter poli-
tics; that "he could have a United States Senatorship."
Sherman said: "That is impossible. Politics would ruin
him. Besides, it would disgrace and blot out his fine
record as a soldier. He must know, as every one knows,
'carpet-baggism in Southern politics is the very genius
of humbuggery.' '
I mentioned to him that when at Savannah General
Howard gave me a letter to a Methodist pastor, asking
the use of his church for me to preach in to the Union
soldiers. "Yes," said Sherman, "Howard is a Christian;
he possesses a combination of personal courage and purity
of character and Christian manhood seldom witnessed in
war. In the darkest and most trying hours I always found
him hopeful, cheerful, and ready."
Contrary to my expectations, he spoke in the highest
terms of Logan, remarking that General Logan's oratory
was not his only attractive quality. "I always liked him
for his patriotism, for his eloquence. That one sentence
of his at the breaking out of the war, 'The men of the
Northwest will hew their way to the Gulf with their
swords,' added thousands of soldiers to the ranks. He
was not formed of the stuff of which parasites are made."
But it was for Lincoln that he had words of warmest
praise. Lincoln was "the purest, the most generous, the
most magnanimous of men. He will hold a place in the
world's history loftier than that of any king or conqueror.
It is no wonder that the Parliaments of Europe, that the
people throughout the civilized world, should everywhere
speak of him with reverence ; for his work was one of the
greatest labors a human intellect ever sustained."
32
49 8 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
I asked him his opinion of Lincoln's eloquence. His
answer was : "I have seen and heard many of the famous
orators of our country, but Lincoln's unstudied speeches
surpassed all that I ever heard. I have never seen them
equaled, or even imitated. It was not scholarship ; it was
not rhetoric; it was not elocution; it was the unaffected
and spontaneous eloquence of the heart. There was noth-
ing of the mountain torrent in his manner; it was rather
the calm flow of the river."
During this conversation Sherman was full of en-
thusiastic admiration for the old soldiers. He was proud
to be the commander of such men. He told with what
a thrill of admiration the friends at home would speak in
the years to come of their sieges, their battles, and their
victories, and quoted Sir John Moore's dying words after
Corunna, "I hope they will do me justice at home."
I told him that his soldiers were equally attached to
their old general, and I gave him the following incident
as one proof : At Raleigh, North Carolina, when his treaty
with Johnston had been rejected, some of the professed
religious journals of the North had written extremely
bitter and untruthful articles as to Sherman's motives in
accepting the surrender of Johnston, going so far as to
say that the terms were inspired by Roman Catholic influ-
ences. These religious Cassandras scattered these papers
all over the country ; all the venerable old women believed
that the country was ruined. Bundles of these news-
papers were sent to the army; the soldiers at Raleigh
were so enraged that they collected the obnoxious sheets
in a pile, and set fire to them to the song of
"John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave,
But his soul goes marching on."
This was the only opportunity I ever enjoyed of a
long conversation with General Sherman, and my remem-
brance of him is as vivid and as fresh at this hour as when
it took place. He was a soldier cast in the mold of Ro-
man firmness, the very ideal of such a warrior as might
have commanded the Tenth Legion. He combined with
APPENDIX. 499
qualities renowned in war others not less heroic; for no
heart was more distinguished for kindly and generous
affections. Under that singular, wiry exterior, nature had
implanted a spirit of fire and an irresistible energy which
reminds one of the Italian exploits of Lannes or the vic-
torious intrepidity of Nelson.
" Free as he was in act and mind,
He leaves no braver heart behind."
A CULTIVATED MAN.
HE is DESCRIBED TO THE METHODIST MINISTERS AN INTEREST-
ING SUBJECT DISCUSSED BY REV. GEORGE W. PEPPER, AT
THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN CLEVELAND.
AT the Methodist Preachers' Meeting Monday morn-
ing there was a large attendance. The order of the day
was the discussion of "The Cost of a Cultivated Man," by
Rev. George W. Pepper. The subject was delightfully
handled by Mr. Pepper in his unique and inimitable way.
In his address to the ministers, Rev. Mr. Pepper said :
"There is in the palace of the Louvre a splendid picture,
of which the Siege of Troy, the living landscape of
Homer's song, is the scene. Paris is beheld in silken
dalliance with Helen, while his brother Hector is thor-
oughly prepared for the war. Contrast the disciplined,
the fully-exercised, the well-equipped Hector with the
softness, the self-indulgence, and the utter effeminacy of
Paris, and you have the difference between the cultivated
and the uncultivated man. He must pay a fearful price
if he would attain to eminence. The loss of health, the
self-denial of needful rest and comfort, isolation from so-
ciety, and the almost hopeless distance of success, these
and a thousand obstacles interfere ; but he may surmount
them all if he be as one of the Titan-souled storied giants
who, of old, heaped rocks upon rocks, and climbed upon
this strange ladder above the clouds.
"The cost of a cultivated man : in the estimation of
500 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
his value we must refer to what the Supreme Being has
supplied, the love with all its splendid capabilities. Every-
thing had been created but man; the earth glowed in
beauty and the heavens rolled over it in grandeur. The
Almighty said, 'Let us make man.' Then there are the
educational, philanthropic, and a thousand other appli-
ances which must be considered. In the cost of a well-
furnished man there must be the outlay of thought, the
concentration of all his powers, patience. Nothing dur-
able was ever improvised. What produced that wondrous
host of Italian artists, which rise upon the sight like a
golden cloud of beautiful spirits? What made Venice,
Rome, England great? It was sublime patience, then the
exercise of will. A man may be a good memorizer and be
a fool, a great scholar and be a theorist; but will is the
efficient factor in the production of a cultivated man."
The speaker described the cost of books, of travel, of
observation, of the mind being well stored with facts.
He said that matter was more important than manner;
that in education, geography,- history, and biography
should come before grammar, logic, rhetoric, philosophy,
abstractions, discussions, entities, and quiddities. These
served but to disgust the pupil. The most serious evil of
modern education was based upon a fashion. Debating
societies were the nurseries of orators, the rehearsals of
illustrious men. The most cultivated man he ever met
was Gladstone; the most cultivated woman was Ada Re-
han. She possessed a soul which was full pf enthusiasm
in all that is beautiful and noble. As an illustration of the
triumphs of a cultured man and orator, the speaker quoted
from Gladstone's address to the London preachers, in
which he placed Richard Lalor Sheil the last of the
rhetoricians as the greatest orator of the English Par-
liament. If Shell's genius had the eagle's flight, it had
the eagle's courage, too ; if it could soar to the loftiest
crag, it could wheel in the sunlight and pounce upon the
stealthiest prey. He married a great beauty without for-
tune. The son of a wealthy father, he would not hang
upon him for support. He would bake his own bread.
APPENDIX, 501
He had the honest daring to take the hand he loved,
though the white finger wore no jewels. The great evil
of modern culture is the cramming of memory. The
scholar, instead of finding the schoolroom a perpetual
feast of nectared sweets, finds rather an asinine feast of
thistles. Memories crammed, fatigue and weaken the
mind. As Humboldt says, "The finest fruit earth holds up
to its Maker is a cultivated man."
LECTURE ON IRELAND, DELIVERED IN ASH-
LAND, APRIL 25, 1888.
(From the Ashland Gazette.)
SUCCESSFUL in every detail and particular, was the
verdict rendered by the vast throng of people which
passed under the shadows and the many brilliant and
parti-colored lights of the new Methodist Episcopal
church on last Friday night, after the conclusion of the
lecture on "Ireland as It Is," by Rev. G. W. Pepper.
Never before in the history of our city was there such an
overwhelming ^outpouring of the people to listen to a
lecture, and never, perhaps, were our people better repaid
than on last Friday evening, by the admirable and elo-
quent orator and minister, Mr. Pepper. It was an event
of more than ordinary importance. The large window
which adorns the front of the beautiful edifice is sym-
bolical of the subject chosen by the pastor for his lecture.
Parnell, Emmet, Gladstone. Three names interwoven
with the struggles of Ireland for independence, right, and
justice, and representing truth, patriotism, and manhood.
These names will live in the memory of all Ashland Meth-
odists as long as the magnificent new structure stands
as a place of Divine worship. Long before the hour at
which the lecture was to commence, the seats of the audi-
torium were filled by Ashland's best people; it was an
audience typical of Ashland's society. The mellow lights
from the chandeliers reflected on the beauty of the fres-
502 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
coed walls and ceilings, the vast audience, the spacious
church, and, above all, the three names Parnell, Emmet,
and Gladstone which met the observation of all in their
lofty altitude, lent to the scene and the occasion an im-
pressiveness and interest rarely experienced by our peo-
ple. On the rostrum, supported by an easel, hung the
Harp of Ireland, adorned with greens and flowers. Back
of it was a large bower of hothouse plants, all giving
forth an aromatic odor, which contrasted strangely with
the chill April weather without. The chairman of the
evening was Dr. J. P. Cowan, who announced as the first
thing on the program, a song by the choir. The choir
was composed of the Misses Ella Greenamyer, Mary Mc-
Kean, Mary Curtis, and Messrs. Theodore McNeely, Har-
mon Grindle, and Ed Miller, who sang one of the Church
hymns with more than ordinary effect. Miss Mattie
Sprengle, as organist, and Mr. Frank Greenamyer, as cor-
netist, added materially and effectually to the splendid
manner in which the choir acquitted themselves. Mr.
Ed Miller then sang his solo, "The Wearing of the
Green." To an Irishman's heart this national ode awak-
ened all the memories of his Fatherland. Mr. Miller, with
his known musical talent, fairly excelled himself. He sang
as if impressed with the words which he uttered ; his tones
were clear, harmonious, and musical, and perhaps there
was not one in that large audience that did not breathe
with quickened breath, as he closed the splendid rendition
of "Wearing of the Green." Mr. Pepper then came for-
ward, and was greeted by great applause as he stepped
for the first time on the rostrum of the new Methodist
Episcopal church, the construction of which is owing, in
a great measure, to his untiring energy.
It is needless to dwell upon his lecture, as it is given
in full below. Suffice it to say, by way of comment, that
his old-time vigor, enunciation, and the lofty flights of
rhetoric for which he is noted, were displayed in their
strongest light and to the best advantage. For two
hours Mr. Pepper held his large audience; for two hours
he alternately produced laughter and sighs ; and when his
APPENDIX. 503
grand peroration was finished, we dare say that there were
none in the audience assembled, that did not pity the con-
dition of the Irish people, revere them for their love of
home and native land, and with the firm determination
to emulate their virtues and their patriotism in the future.
Mr. Dill Lamborn sang that grand old Irish ode,
"The Harp," as a finale to the night's proceedings. All
our citizens are familiar with Air. Lamborn's style and
eloquence, but upon this particular occasion he outdid
himself. His broad, fluctuating, and tremulous voice
lifted that grand old song from a few lines of words into
a living and moving being. He surpassed himself, which
can only be the verdict rendered by all.
The success of the Lecture and the credit of it is
largely due to the Methodist ladies of the Social Union,
the officers of which are : Miss Grace Hughes, President,
and Mrs. A. Jamison, Secretary. Miss Arbi Brown and
Mrs. Will Carter, both members of the Social Union, ma-
terially aided the success of the project, by their untiring
energy and application.
We can not close without mentioning one very essen-
tial and important feature of the night's entertainment
the charming lady ushers. But for them the immense
gathering would have jolted and jarred each other to
such an extent that all relish for the lecture would have
been lost. They were the Misses Jennie Waggoner, Net-
tie Krebs, Edna Brinton, Blanche Kunkle, May Mc-
Clain, and Annie Mason. After the audience was dis-
missed, Sheriff Flannery, of Mansfield, put seven dollars
in Mr. Pepper's hand, to aid Ireland's cause.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, It is the beautiful ordina-
tion of the Divine Creator that nations should each have
their characteristics. The Hebrew was mighty by the
power of faith; the Greek by knowledge and art; the
Roman by arms ; but the glory of the American is in his-
love of liberty. The pride of the Hebrew was in his re-
ligion; the pride of the Greek was in wisdom; the pride
504 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
of the Roman was in power. For the American, belief is
not enough ; ideas of liberty are not enough : nor is mere
work. The age is an age of freedom. Though the Amer-
ican covers the land with factories and puts a mill on every
stream; though he sifts the gold and silver of the hills,
these golden grains contain the seeds of empires. He
covers the ocean with ships, but every sail that shivers
in the breeze has the promise of freedom in the sound.
The lecturer dwelt at length upon the three Irelands
which he saw there five years ago, the southern Irish,
with red blood in their veins, who are unconquerably op-
posed to landlordism; the lords in Ireland, nine hundred
men, owning 15,000,000 acres, and taking from the land
annually $80,000,000.
The Scotch-Irish were eulogized for their republican-
ism, thirty of their best ministers dying upon the scaffold
for Ireland. Parnell was eulogized by the greatest living
statesman that he was raised up by heaven to dig up
the foundations of British despotism. The objections to
Ireland possessing a Parliament were reviewed and re-
futed. Here the speaker took occasion to denounce the
slanders of Ireland's enemies; that if the Irish Catholics
could, they would exterminate the Protestants. The lec-
turer declared that "Ireland did not want London rule
nor Rome rule, but home rule." This sentiment was
loudly and enthusisastically cheered.
The Rev. Mr. Pepper rapidly sketched the traits of
various nationalities. The German was thoughtful; the
Scotchman intensely national, carrying with him over
land and sea fond memories of the banks and the braes
which the genius of Burns has made immortal ; a land hal-
lowed by the deeds of Bruce, whose helmet bears the
scars of freedom's battles, and whose brow is blazing with
the glory of one thousand years. The Englishman was
characterized by devotion to duty; it was this love of
duty that invested English womanhood the world over
with grace and beauty. The speaker paid a high compli-
ment to the democracy of England, and predicted the
time was coming when young England would rise re-
APPENDIX. 505
splendent and glorious. He then spoke of the traits of
the Irish people as he saw them when he revisited Ire-
land. They were earnest, eloquent, patriotic, and brave,
.and a gallant race. After seven hundred years, Britain
is compelled to keep forty thousand sodiers there to pre-
vent the people from rising in rebellion.
History has written it as our proudest eulogy. Geo-
graphically considered, it is but a small island, with an
area of thirty-two thousand miles, and yet to most of her
sons, scattered over the earth's wide surface, there is an
indescribable charm and fascination in the very name.
There are so many delightful associations over which one
lingers in enthusiastic love, and which suggests to the
mind illustrious memories of a time when it produced
warriors, poets, saints, and orators. The climate is so
charming, the scenery is so full of noble beauties, the soil
is so fruitful, the men so brave, and the women so fair,
and the whole people so brimful of wit and of a generous
hospitality, that even the iron-hearted Cromwell ex-
claimed, while viewing the beautiful valley of the Nore
from the cupola of St. Canice, "Behold, here indeed is a
land worth fighting for."
Geographers tell us that the world may be divided
into hemispheres, one of water and the other of land.
Ireland is the center of the land hemisphere. A most
admired poet says "that her back is turned to Britain and
her face to the west," indicating that Ireland is favorably
situated to become the great entrepot of commerce be-
tween Europe and America. The Irish claim that the
glory of discovering this continent belongs to one of
their saints, St. Brenden, and that Ireland was the first,
as she is now, the most friendly and trusted ally of the
great Republic. That no other country visited by trav-
elers approaches Ireland in natural attractions, is the be-
lief of every Irishman. Where else do we behold so many
great and characteristic features? Where such moun-
tains as the magnificent chain of the Connemaras?
Where gardens so sylvan and lovely, with winding walks,
like those in forests, fountains, and springs? Where lakes
506 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
like those of Killarney, where savage wildnes.s ceases to be
terrible, because it is inconceivably lovely? Where ca-
thedrals and churches of such grandeur and awe-inciting
vastness? Where such a soil, fruitful enough to support
fifteen millions of people? Where else can we feel in every
air which blows the spirit of health, the freedom from the
world, the communion with one's self?
Glorious old Ireland ; the temple of nature where man
casts off for a time all thoughts but of her, and drinks
deep of the purest and loftiest source of enjoyment;
mighty and grand in thy unrivaled beauties; wonderfully
beautiful in thy enchanting loveliness, and thy mountains
noble and magnificent images of eternal power and
grandeur.
"The Niobe of nations! there she stands,
Childless and crownless in her voiceless woe ;
An empty urn within her withered hands,
Whose holy dust was scattered long ago."
Ireland is a heroic nation. The records of liberty
are full of the praise of Irish valor. Satirical Voltaire, the
cynic of the human race, may ridicule their gallantry, say-
ing they fight everybody's battles but their own. Can
Greece, Rome, Switzerland, Holland, or even America,
present more glorious fields, or more gallant struggles
.for freedom? Their sieges are so many eulogisms, the
most heroic are those of Derry, where the brave Walker
held out against pestilence, famine, death, until God him-
self fought for him ; and that of Limerick, where the im-
mortal Sarsfield splendidly defied the bullets of the enemy.
"Show me the man," said the Queen of Navarre, "that
tells the nations that I am beautiful, that I may shower
honors upon him." We love Davis for singing of Ire-
land's charms:
"O, she is a rich and rare land! O, she is afresh and fair land!
She is a true and dear land, this native land of mine."
The patriot Irishman loves to refer to the glorious
period of the United Irishmen producing a host of bril-
ATPENDIX. 507
Kant men, among them poor Emmet, the beau ideal of a
soldier, a patriot, and a man. Pity smiles through her
tears on the strange and checkered scenes of his life in
connection, not only with the scaffold, which he made
radiant and glorious as the cross, but also the tender and
touching separation from him of the young and beautiful
daughter of a well-known Irish barrister.
TRIBUTE TO EMMET.
It was the evening of a lovely day ; a young and beau-
tiful girl stood at the prison gate, and desired admittance
into the dungeon. She was closely veiled, and the keeper
could not imagine who she \vas, nor that any one of such
proud bearing should be a humble supplicant at the
prison door. However, he granted the boon, led her to
the dungeon, opened the massive door; then closed it
again, and the lovers were alone. He was leaning against
the prison wall, with downcast head, and his arms were
folded upon his breast. Gently she raised the veil from
her face, and Emmet turned to gaze upon all that earth
contained for him ; the girl whose sunny brow, in the days
of his boyhood, had been his polestar; the maiden who
made him think the world was all sunshine. The clank-
ing of his chains sounded like a death-knell to her ears,
and she wept like a child. Emmet said but little, yet he
pressed her to his heart. In a low voice he besought her
not to forget him when he was gone. He spoke of
bygone days, the happiness of childhood, when his hopes
were bright and glorious.
"Hark! the church-bell sounded, and he remembered
the hour of separation. The jailer entered, and, after
dashing the tears from his eyes, he separated them from
their long embrace, and led the lady from the dungeon.
At the entrance she turned; their eyes met; they could
not say farewell. The door swung upon its heavy hinges,
and they were parted forever. The next day, a pale girl,
with golden hair, lay upon the bed of death. O ! it was
hard for her to die in that beautiful Erin, where the flowers
508 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
bloom, and the balmy air comes freshly to the pining soul !
O ! no, her star was set, her heart was broken !
"When ties have been formed upon earth, what is
more heartrending and agonizing to the spirit than to
find the beloved is snatched away, and all our love given
to a passing floweret? Enough, she died, the betrothed
of Robert Emmet."
The muse of Byron has immortalized the maid of
Saragossa; why should the amiable Sarah Curran, the
betrothed of Robert Emmet, be denied equal honor?
COMPLAINTS OF THE IRISH.
The eloquent Gladstone, in his recent speech, ascribes
Fenianism and all the troubles of Ireland to the misgov-
ernment and oppression of England. Ireland complains
that her land for hundreds of years has been deemed legiti-
mate plunder for the rapacious and needy servants of the
British crown. She complains that the most cruel tor-
tures and the most savage measures have been used to
force on her people a detested Church, where its members
only form one-twentieth part of the population; that
Henry II put the people to death because they did not
want to be Catholics; that Henry VIII did the same be-
cause they would not become Protestants ; that Cromwell,
the saint, "the mildest-mannered man that ever scuttled
ship or cut a throat," put them to the sword because they
were loyal to the king. *
She complains that Elizabeth fomented revolts, mur-
dering a million of the Irish, in order that there might be
estates enough for each importunate courtier.
She complains that William of Orange, he of glorious
memory, turned out four thousand families to die upon
the road, and then established a penal code worthy of
Herod.
She complains that the second George disfranchised
five-sixths of her population, and drove a hundred thou-
sand to the army of France.
She complains that her clergy were hunted and
massacred.
APPENDIX. 509
She complains that seven millions of money, sup-
ported by a hundred thousand bayonets, united Ireland
to England.
She complains that, when the sword failed to extermi-
nate, England, the Christian nation, organized peri-
odical famines in the years 1817, 1831, 1837, 1847, re ~
ducing Ireland from a population of eight millions to half
that aggregate.
She complains that the frightful wars of 1644, the re-
volt of 1798, and the insurrection of 1858, were created by
England for the extirpation of the Celtic race.
She complains that confiscation, banishment, and the
gibbet have been used by the Government of England for
the speedy and complete destruction of the Irish people.
She complains that for five hundred years the flower
of every generation of Irishmen have been killed on the
battle-fields, or murdered on the scaffold, or driven into
desolate exile for love of Ireland.
She complain that the sacred character of manhood,
without which our life is lower than the dogs, is trampled
under the feet of her foreign lords.
Ireland, in the face of Europe, in the face of America,
in the face of the great Creator, is amply justified in enter-
ing upon a war with England. The people can do so
with a free conscience, and a full assurance that it is
heaven's work.
It is Ireland's last resource, long evaded, long post-
poned. The rights which she sought in vain to purchase
with her tears, she springs up at last to purchase with her
heart's blood. In the coming onset the Irish people will
have the sympathies of the true and good. The earth is
weary of their groans.
They fight for liberty to live. Hundreds of thousands
of Irishmen would again die in the tortures of famine if
they continue to bow their necks to the Parliament of
England. They fight for the liberty to retain the rights
of manhood; that, in common with every nation in Eu-
rope, they may possess arms to defend themselves. They
fight to resist outrages more grievous and dishonoring
UNDER THREE FLAGS.
than those for which an English king was brought to the
block; outrages which, in this hour, would cause the
swords of France to spring from their scabbards to strike
dead the audacious author. They fight because they are
denied peace, except at the price of dishonor; because
their hero leaders are doomed to the prison and to the
gallows. They fight because the honor, the interest, the
happiness, the necessity, the very existence of that ancient
nation depends upon the valor of the present time. If the
Irish at home cower, flinch, or falter, then the hopes are
gone for which their fathers gave their life's blood gone
in the stench of dishonor and infamy, that will cling to it
forever. In God's name, let the struggle begin. O that
my words could burn like molten metal through your
veins, and light up the ancient heroic daring which would
make each Irishman a Leonidas, each battle-field a Mara-
thon, each pass a Thermopylae !
American history is full of the Irishman's achieve-
ments.
Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, and Robert Morris, of
Philadelphia, were Irishmen. One-third of the Revolu-
tionary soldiers who defended New York, New Jersey,
.arid Massachusetts from the British hosts were Irishmen.
Chivalrous Montgomery was an Irishman. Thomas
Addis Emmet, the polished diamond of the New York
bar and attorney-general of the State, was an Irishman.
The Pennsylvania legion were Irishmen. Wellington, the
great military captain, was an Irishman. Curran was an
Irishman. The humorous, witty, and patriotic Dean
Swift was an Irishman. Edmund Burke was an Irishman.
Daniel O'Connell, mighty in eloquence, and whose com-
manding majesty of soul embraced within the circle of his
sympathies all religions and races, was an Irishman. John
A. Logan, the heroic commander of the Army of the
Tennessee, is a decidedly Irish name.
The Churches of the United States are under eternal
obligations to the Irish people. The innumerable Roman
Catholic cathedrals and churches are evidences of their
religious devotion. Philip Embury, the first preacher of
APPENDIX. 511
Methodism in the country, was an Irishman. Rev. Fran-
cis McKennie, the first Presbyterian minister, was an
Irishman, born in the romantic county of Donegal. Alex-
ander Campbell, the founder of the Church to which the
lamented Garfield belonged, was an Irishman, born and
educated in the county of Armagh. Charles Thompson,
the founder of the Sons of Liberty, and the first secretary
of the Continental Congress, was from the county of
Derry. Let the names of defamers perish; but may the
memories of the illustrious Irishmen who stood by our
magnificent country be glorious and immortal !
Mr. Pepper made an earnest appeal for American sym-
pathy. He showed that in every war for the Union Irish-
men were in the vanguard. In 1776 Franklin wrote a
letter to Thomas Gushing, of Boston, saying, "The Irish
are our friends." Lord Morentsjoy exclaimed in the
House of Lords, "You have lost America by the Irish."
Lord Chatham declared in his great speech, "Three mil-
lions of Irishmen are on the side of the Colonies."
In 1 86 1, when England was ready to go to war with
us about Mason and Slidell, when the entire press of
London was against us, Bishop Haven was then there.
He wrote a letter to the Methodist organ, the Watch-
man, defending our Government. The editor only pub-
lished a portion. He went to Ireland unattended, when
sixty thousand Irishmen "Resolved, If England goes to
war with the United States, Ireland stands by the Stars
and Stripes forever."
Goldwin Smith, in a letter to the London Times, has
asserted that Americans are against Ireland. I boldly
affirm that our great men in Church and State, of the
present and past, no matter to what party or to what
Church they belong, are with the Irish in this holy cause.
PRESIDENT McKINLEY'S WORDS.
Is not William McKinley, just elected President, an
American? Hear him:
"Get for Ireland what you can to-day; to-morrow get
what she ought to have. The United States was always
512 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
on the side of liberty, and the Irish people are always on
the side of the United States."
Hear the eloquent champion of the Methodist Church,
Bishop Simpson : "I thank you for your address on Ire-
land. God hasten the time when the oppression in Ireland
and the world will cease !"
Listen to Bishop Htirst, of the University of Wash-
ington : "I believe there is no danger to Protestantism in
the adoption of Home Rule for Ireland ; on the contrary,
I believe Home Rule essential to the extension and propa-
gation of Protestantism in Ireland."
Hear Charles Sumner, the pride and glory of the
American Senate, a few years ago, in a letter I received
from him: "J ust i e to Ireland is a British necessity. In
every effort for Ireland there is but one side for my sym-
pathies."
EULOGY UPON GENERAL MEAGHER.
Here the speaker reviewed the achievements of the
great champion of Ireland's cause, dwelling at length
upon that illustrious patriot, Meagher.
Thomas Francis Meagher, in appearance, was a fine
specimen of a genuine Celt. He was of medium height,
a captivating personnel, a florid face, brilliant eyes, glow-
ing with the fires of patriotism. His countenance was
thoroughly Milesian, large, open, genial, plump, and
ruddy. His voice was the music of freedom. Meet him
in sociable moments, he was overflowing with wit and
humor of the rarest kind, caustic and cutting against in-
triguers, speculators, and political charlatans; but genial
and flowing towards his friends ; full of buoyant vivacity,
wit, and historical lore, he was a genial, instructive, and
delightful companion. He was as pleasant a friend as
Lover ever painted in any of his novels; his strongest
weakness was a devoted love of the social pleasures. This
was the head and front of his offending. In the light of
his heroic sacrifices, we may well forget the errors
from which no mortal is free, and rank his name high in
the list of those who have deserved well of their country,
and made their mark upon their day and generation.
APPENDIX. 513
THE IRISH NATIONAL LEAGUE.
Its chief object is the resurrection of Irish nationality.
It advocates civil liberty, religious toleration, and edu-
cation, believing that a people to be free must be edu-
cated. Its grand principles are those of Swift and Jeffer-
son: "That all Governments, without the consent of the
governed, is the very definition of slavery." Its immedi-
ate mission in Ireland is the establishment of a Republic
based on that sublime truth, grand as the heavens
stretched over our heads, "That all men are created
equal." During the eight years of its existence it has
excited the sympathies of mankind everywhere for Ire-
land; it has spread its ramification all over the British
isle; has called forth the admiring applause of the Ameri-
can Congress; has shaken the wooden walls of old Eng-
land, and has created a sentiment in Great Britain and
throughout the world, which demands that justice be done
to Ireland. There is a grand battle impending in the old
land; but while Irishmen's sympathies are so contracted
and their hearts so full of prejudice, they will never
see it.
There may be a disposition to doubt the possibility
of accomplishing the freedom of Ireland. It may be con-
sidered as the promoting of a sanguine constitution, and
the day-dream of an ardent and vivacious fancy. That
there are immense difficulties to overcome, that to the
progress of liberty there is opposition such as no other
system can encounter, is instantly and candidly acknowl-
edged. There are religious divisions and long-continued
and deeply-rooted prejudices to be crushed. There are
thousands of foolish Orangemen who dance attendance
upon the landlords, who, for their own aggrandizement,
countenance the disgusting mummeries of Orangemen.
There are hundreds of English and Scotch peasants who
could wear the British crown. There is the aristocracy,
and an army of spies, detectives, and informers. In spite
of all these obstacles, I have a steady faith in the success
33
5H UNDER THREE FLAGS.
of our cause, and I affirm, without hesitancy, that the time
will come when, grandly as of yore, Ireland, released from
the grasp of remorseless Britain, will make her own laws,
and be governed by her own children.
This is an enterprise worthy of our most earnest and
indefatigable efforts. Strive to feel it, my countrymen,
in all its grandeur; let the aspiration breathe in every
scene ; be it in the buoyancy of health, and in the languor
of sickness, and in the closing agony of death, let your last
prayer be for the deliverance of the old land.
Ireland will yet triumph. She will rise again like a
young queen, proud and happy. Prosperity will run like
fresh blood through the veins of her people. The green
banner will be hailed in the port of Boston. Emmet's
epitaph will be written :
" O, the sight entrancing,
When the morning's beam is glancing,
On files arrayed with helm and blade,
In freedom's cause advancing."
THE IRELAND OF 1848.
The young Irish Revolution of 1848 gave birth to a
splendid crop of poets, orators, and patriots; was de-
scribed by -Thomas Francis Meagher, who was in point of
eloquence the most captivating orator of the period. He
was sentenced, like Emmet, to be hung, but made his
escape to the United States, where he rose to be the
brilliant commander of the famous Irish Brigade in our
late war.
Thomas Moore is universally regarded as the national
poet. Handel said he would rather have composed
"Aileen Aroon" than any of his great operas. Byron
wrote to Moore, saying, "I shall not suffer my daughter
to read your 'Lalla Rookh,' lest she discovers there is a
greater poet than her father."
Thomas Davis is more popular with the Irish than
Moore. He wrote the war songs of the people. How the
APPENDIX. 515
Americans were thrilled in the War for the Union by
singing his poems, such as :
" What rights the brave ?
The sword.
What frees the slave ?
The sword.
What strikes the crown of tyrants down,
And answers with its flash their frown ?
The sword."
And
" Whether on the scaffold's height or in the battle's van,
The fittest place for man to die is where he dies for man."
What can be sweeter in its pathos than these tender
lines of Brennan's? He^was losing his sight in New Or-
leans, and thus addressed his wife in Ireland:
" Come to ine, dearest! I'm lonely without thee,
Day-time and night-time I'm thinking about thee ;
Night-time and day-time, in dreams I behold thee,
Unwelcome my waking which ceases to fold thee.
Come to me, darling, my sorrows to lighten,
Come in thy beauty to bless and to brighten ;
Come in thy womanhood, meekly and lowly,
Come in thy loveliness, queenly and holy,
Come to me, dear, ere I die of my sorrow;
Rise on my gloom, like the sun of to-morrow.
Strong, swift, and fond as the words which I speak, love,
With a song on your lips and a smile on your cheek, love,
Come! for my heart in your absence is weary ;
Haste, for my heart is sickened and dreary ;
Come to the arms which alone shall caress thee,
Come to the heart which is throbbing to press thee."
These are but samples in recent years of England's vic-
tims in Ireland, her transplanted felons, her banished
scoundrels ; but like the conscript fathers of the American
Revolution, of whom Lord Hillsborough sneeringly said,
"They deserve no terms, those Yankee rebels, but ropes
around their necks," I say these Irish patriots and exiles,
like your own sires, are God's true nobility.
5'6 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
"The man dies, but his memory lives," exclaimed
Emmet, when, in the chains of a remorseless tyranny, he
pronounced that grand and thrilling vindication of his
conduct in trying to secure, as he says, for Ireland what
Washington obtained for America. Never was Demos-
thenes more eloquent; never was Paul more intrepid;
never was Sir Henry Vane, the pink of English chivalry,
more courageous ! Little did the lofty-minded patriot
think that in a Methodist church, nigh a hundred years
after his great soul had gone to God, his beautiful pre-
diction should be realized. "Let no man write my epitaph
until my country takes her place among the nations of the
earth," is among his last golden sentences; but as the
venerable Mrs. Welch, with ten generations of Presby-
terian Irish blood in her veins, said to me this morning,
"Emmet's epitaph is written in the hearts of the Irish
millions throughout the world." Her father was a mem-
ber of the United Irishmen ; took their oath, like every
Irishman of note at that time, near Derry, and escaped
to the United States. He, like the venerable Dr. Clokey,
a Presbyterian clergyman of this State, was engaged
in the same holy cause, and to this day "Remember
Clokey" is attested by the Irish. Yes, pure and chival-
rous soul, thy memory lives. As long as these sacred
walls shall resound with the divine truths of the Father-
hood of God and brotherhood of man; as long as this
pulpit shall be filled with the sons of Wesley; as long as
these magnificent windows shall be adorned with a splen-
dor reflected from the sun; as long as there shall be
a Methodist here, upon whose head I have poured the
crystal waters of baptism ; as long as the lawns surround-
ing this church shall wear the loveliest of green ; as long
as there is a heart to feel and a tongue to speak of patriot-
ism and chivalry, the eye will turn to yonder "Home Rule"
window, and lips will pronounce with emotion the name
of Ireland's martyred son, Emmet. American Democrats
will remember that Thomas Addis Emmet, the first attor-
ney-general of New York, and who died while pleading
the cause of a fugitive slave, was the friend of Jefferson.
APPENDIX. 517
American Republicans will not forget that the President
of the first Republican Convention ever held was Judge
Robert Emmet. American soldiers of the late war will
think with patriotic pride of the two brave young Em-
mets, who, in the beautiful morning of life, in Meagher's
Irish Brigade, poured out their blood, that the stars
upon our banner might shine with a more triumphant
splendor.
And now my last word is to Ireland. There she lies
upon the western borders of Europe, rising from the
ocean fair and beautiful as a dream in a maiden's breast ;
where the Shannon flows more grandly than the Hudson ;
where the mountains faint away from her embrace like
a fearful, willing womaji; where all nature is grand and
exquisite; for nature is always grand to the unhappy!
I believe that the sorrows of seven hundred troubled
years are about to end ; that Parnell will dig up the foun-
dations of Irish landlordism ; that the accomplished states-
man, the devout Christian, Gladstone, will unite the de-
mocracies of both countries; that Erin will soon rise up,
clothed in radiant health, and sacred peace, and solem-
nized with liberty, an eternal union ; and may these ladies
of the Social Union, under whose fair auspices this bril-
liant assembly has convened, yea, may all these ladies
present, live to be the bridesmaids at that festival of liberty,
patriotism, independence! It is told in Church history
that the mother of Augustine was alarmed at the wild
conduct of her son, and in her agony she cried to one of
the fathers, "Is there any hope for my son?" The good
saint replied, "The child of so many tears can never
perish." So liberty lifts her tear-stained face to the heav-
ens, and asks, "Is there any hope for Ireland?" The
voice of Eternal Justice replies, "Ireland will not perish !"
She will yet lift up her scarred but stately brow among
the commonwealths of the world, redeemed and resplen-
dent with the brightest crown in all the world resting
upon her unblemished brow, the crown of freedom. Send
it in my time, O Lord !
51 8 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
IRELAND'S MARTYR.
THE BIRTHDAY OF ROBERT EMMET CELEBRATED IN PHILADELPHIA
ELOQUENT ADDRESS BY REV. GEORGE W. PEPPER
O'CoNNELL RECITES EMMET'S SPEECH.
THE one hundred and seventeenth anniversary of the
birth of Robert Emmet, Ireland's patriot martyr, was
celebrated by the Irish residents of Philadelphia, March
4, 1895, as it was in almost every city of the country.
The chief interest of the day's observance centered in the
monster meeting at night at the Academy of Music,
where Rev. George W. Pepper, of Cleveland, Ohio, the
brilliant ex-chaplain of the United States army, and late
consul to Milan, Italy, delivered an eloquent address on
"Ireland! Liberty Springs from Her Emmet's Blood,"
to an immense audience.
A full orchestra played the national airs of Ireland,
and the songs of Erin were rendered by distinguished
soloists. Maurice F. Wilhere presided on the occasion.
It was the proud utterance of a great Greek that there
was a time in Athens when there was profound silence,
and the stranger entering within the gates asked the
reason, and he was told that Demosthenes was speaking
in the assemblies of the people. So to-night there comes
a voice to us across the waters of the Atlantic, speaking
more eloquently in death than it ever did in life the voice
of the patriot, the hero, and martyr the immortal Robert
Emmet. This is a consecrated and brilliant scene. Bril-
liant though it be, it is only a mere sprinkling of the Irish
millions who to-night upon earth's broad surface are
traveling back in living memories to the spot which shel-
tered the childhood and youth of our hero.
Let us travel back to the scenes forever sanctified by
the presence and patriotism of the man whose name to-
APPENDIX. 519
night rises to every Irishman's lips; back to that stately
and imperial city where his dying legacy has left his name
without an epitaph; back to that hospitable and elegant
home in which his youthful patriotism was stimulated;
back to that college where he acquired the eloquence
which afterwards shook the British throne to its founda-
tions; back to the Historical Society, where he made his
first speech in behalf of free discussion; back to that old
Parliament House, in whose galleries, when listening to
the immortal oratory of Grattan, he pledged his life to
the land he loved so well ; back to Thomas Street, where
he offered up his life; back to that venerable Episcopal
churchyard, where his sainted dust sleeps in the grandeur
of eternal peace.
Rise up, O Ireland, from the majestic Shannon to the
beautiful Lee, and pay reverential homage to the memory
of Robert Emmet! Let Spain, the land of illustrious
memories, behold in her great-souled Castelar the incar-
nation of Ireland's patriotic son ! Italy saw in him the
spirit and the fire of her republican Rienzi ! Switzerland
associates his name and deeds with her own Winkelried;
Scotland, the land of Bruce and Wallace and of Burns,
will not refuse to lay a wreath upon the memory of one
who was as brave and tender as her most honored sons.
Americans, from the waters of Massachusetts Bay to the
yellow sands of California, will, in speech, in sermon, and
in song, forever unite his name with her immortal rebel,
George Washington !
Let us, in the review of his brief but brilliant career,
contemplate the time, the cause, the martyrdom, the man,
and the lessons of his life ! Robert Emmet was born the
4th day of March, 1778, in Dublin, the noble capital of
Ireland. The old earth in those years was rocked by the
earth-throb of democracy.
It was the time of the American Revolution, when the
rebellious Colonists flung to the bending heavens and to
the listening earth the banners of revolt; when Sam
Adams preached the doctrine that resistance to tyrants
520 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
is obedience to God; when Jefferson wrote the Charter
of Independence, teaching that gospel, grand as the
heavens stretched over our heads, that all men are cre-
ated free and equal. It was the time of the French Revo-
lution, when the people rose in heroic grandeur, and sent
every royal pretender, who blasphemously called himself
lord, to the scaffold. Thanks to the brave Frenchmen
who took advantage of our young American Republic
to strike for liberty !
It was the time of the Irish Volunteers, when, in the
splendid dawn of her freedom, Ireland, without hesita-
tion, without comprehension, and without a thought of
reward, rushed to arms, and eighteen thousand of her
stalwart sons stood in line, with great and sublime defi-
ance echoed by Nappi Landy guns, demanding legisla-
tive independence. That act of the volunteers forms,
up to this day, the brightest jewel in her proud historic
diadem.
Emmet was only four years old when the battle for
Irish rights was fought and won. He must have heard
from his revered father about the story of the eloquent
war; how the majority of the inhabitants were disfran-
chised because of religious beliefs, which they deemed
essential to their eternal salvation ; how the prosperity of
the country was ruined by the acts of Parliament prohib-
iting the manufacture of woolens; how the felt hats
weighed heavier upon the Presbyterians of Ulster, exiling
forty thousand of them to these shores; how the French
appeared upon the Irish coast, and the British Govern-
ment could render no aid ; how the volunteers met in the
old Protestant Church of Dungannon, and proclaimed
that no power save the people of Ireland could make laws
for the ancient nation; that the ships of every nation
might enter the harbor of Ireland; that the infamous
Penal Law should be not overreached. But, speaking of
Dungannon, how many memories it suggests ! Whatever
may be the disgraceful condition of the Orange idols there
to-day, the past at least is secure. Never in the history
of poor Ireland was there a graver moment, and I indorse
APPENDIX. 521
with all my Protestant heart the patriotic words of
Thomas Davis :
" More honored that church of Dungannon is now
Than when at its altars communicants bow;
More welcome to Heaven than anthem or prayer,
Were the rites and the thoughts of the warriors then there ;
In the name of high Heaven, the delegates swore,
We 've suffered too long, and we '11 suffer no more !
Unconquered by force, we were vanquished by fraud,
And now, in God's temple, we vow unto God
That never again shall the Englishman bind
His chains on our limbs, or his laws on our mind."
THE IRISH PARLIAMENT.
Never in the history of Ireland was there a brighter
array of brilliant orators and statesmen than in the Irish
Parliament. There sat Henry Grattan, of whom Lord
Brougham said: "He was the first orator of his age, and
it was the age of orators." How grandly he advances to
the task of introducing his wonderful declaration of Irish
rights, and fifty thousand bayonets were brought to the
charge to enforce its passage !
"I will never be satisfied so long as the meanest cot-
tage in Ireland has a link of the British chain clinging to
her rags. He may be naked, but he shall not be in irons ;
the declaration is planted, and, though great men should
fall off, the cause shall live; and, though he who utters
it should die, yet the immortal fire shall outlast the feeble
organ who conveys it, and the breath of liberty, like the
sword of the prophet, will not die, but survive him!"
When these words were uttered, it was a great day for
Ireland! There was a spectacle of grandeur rarely wit-
nessed. Hark ! listen to that sound, heavy and deep as the
rush of the springtide upon the ocean beach! It is but
the rising to their feet of the Irish Parliament! Then a
crash, causing those venerable colonnades to reel as if an
earthquake shook them ! Ireland had won her independ-
ence ! There sat Henry Grattan, his white hair encircling
522 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
him with a crown of glory. When he rose to speak every
whisper was hushed, every ear was attention. When he
sketched the war in which the rights of the people had
been secured, tears sprang to every eye.
There was John Philpot Curran, the polished dia-
mond of the bar, whose eloquence was like the tempest
which shook the pine-trees of a continent. When he
asked in thrilling tones what shall be done in case our
liberties are again imperiled, the hearers bounded from
their seats, and in their hearts they felt like exclaiming,
like the ancient Hungarians, "We shall die for God and
our country."
There was Foster, the Speaker of the Parliament, the
faithful friend of his country, and proud of her prosperity.
There was Plunket, when all his words meant something,
who delighted all hearts by saying, "I will fling the con-
nection with England to the winds, and clasp the inde-
pendence of my country to my heart."
There was Harry Flood, whose defeat and triumphant
tribute to America is remembered : "A voice from Amer-
ica shouted liberty, and every hillside in Ireland answered
liberty. The echoes of Bunker Hill rolled over the At-
lantic, wakening Ireland from her disgraceful sleep of
centuries."
There was Goold, the Patrick Henry of the Irish Re-
publicans. He had held as with a scourge of fire the ene-
mies of his country. Listen to his defiant and lofty
periods as he denounced: "There are forty thousand sol-
diers in Ireland, and with forty thousand bayonets at my
heart England shall not plant another Sicily in the bosom
of the Atlantic! I want not the assistance of divine in-
spiration to tell me, for I am enabled by the unerring
demonstrations of nature to assert that our country was
destined to become free and independent. The patent
to be a State comes direct from heaven. The Almighty
in majestic characters has signed the great charter of our
independence. The God of nature never designed Ire-
land to be a province of Great Britain, and by the eternal
God she never shall."
APPENDIX. 523
THE CAREER OF EMMET.
Robert Emmet entered the University of Dublin in the
year 1798, and while there he became a member of the
United Irishmen. Auspicious event ! Memorable era ! An
event which marked him as one of the redeemers of his
downtrodden country. History will give that historic year
a conspicuous place in its imperishable page, and in the
coming years Irishmen, enjoying the blessings of it, and
grateful to the heroes who sacrificed life and worldly pros-
perity for the freedom of Ireland, will do justice to the
memories of those who have been its instruments. It is
extravagance to anticipate that when a national emancipa-
tion has been achieved, honors shall be done to their mem-
ories, and that spotless shafts of marble in the cities and
villages of Ireland shall proclaim the names of the leaders
of the splendid Protestant rebellion of 1798. Never did
the revolutionary period of Ireland present such a glo-
rious assembly of patriots, soldiers, and martyrs as that
of 1798.
I might speak of Theodore Wolfe Tone, the founder
of that splendid organization. His masculine sense, his
loving, fresh heart and powerful pen were a tower of
strength to the cause. With his persevering appeals and
diplomatic skill he rendered his country invaluable serv-
ice. He taught the great lesson that union was strength;
that when Catholics and Protestants were united, the re-
sult would have shaken Britain like a moral earthquake.
Thousands of great men of every religious persuasion
joined in a common brotherhood. Glorious day when this
unity shall again be seen ! Then will the morning dawn !
Then will appear the Irish Republic ! Then, I might speak
of the elegant and intrepid Lord Edward Fitzgerald. The
Almighty had raised him in the terrible hour of war, when
his influence was worth ten thousand men in strengthen-
ing and building a national republican spirit among the
class to which, by birth and ancestry, he belonged. Re-
markable both for his filial piety and courage, he was
a man of the most noble and disinterested heroism, whose
524 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
abilities fitted him to shine in any position had he not
chosen to cast his lot with an impoverished, heartbroken
people! Such was the love and reciprocal respect that
this lofty-minded man had for his countrymen, that it
might be said of them, as it was once said of that famous
Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, that it was hard to judge
whether he delighted more in having such a people, or
they in having such a chivalrous leader.
I might speak of Thomas Addis Emmet, who, con-
sidered simply as a man, was a rare and perhaps an un-
paralleled specimen of human nature. He was capable
without a struggle of taking the first place in nearly all
the highest walks of human greatness. By nature he
was a logician, an actor, and a consummate lawyer; in
philosophy and medical law he was a master. He was
equally adapted to shine on the judgment-seat in the
Senate House and at the helm of State. In my new home
here this wondrous combination of prowess, of beauties,
gifts, and graces was exercised in the vindication of jus-
tice. Is it any wonder that such a marvelous man should
die pleading the cause of a slave, and that New York State
should erect that monument to his illustrious memory,
which attracts the eye of every stranger as he walks past
St. Paul's churchyard?
I might speak of William Orr, a man of the same
class as those mentioned in point of talents, tact, energy,
patriotism, stainless purity ; he was not a whit behind any
of the United Irishmen. We admire his fidelity to re-
publicanism, and his virtues; his liberal and enlightened
views; his pre-eminent services to Ireland, and his tran-
scendent charity, as he was about to die upon the scaffold.
Nearest to him and by his side stood a Roman Catholic
servant man, faithful and attached, manacled and pin-
ioned. Orr directed this man to take from his pocket
the \vatch that he had worn till now that time had ceased
for him, and hours and moments were now no longer
to be measures of his existence: "You, my friend, and I
must part. Our stations here on earth have been a little
different, and our modes of worshiping the Almighty
APPENDIX. 525
Being, that we both adore. Before his presence we shall
stand equal ! Farewell ! Remember Orr !"
The death of William Orr is one of the noblest incidents
in history. Writers of all political parties agree in testify-
ing that his character turned into an unparalleled gran-
deur and solemnity upon the scaffold. He exhibited that
Roman fortitude which was the perfection of humanity,
and in addition to it the Christian fortitude which tran-
scends humanity. We will remember Orr! When we
think of the hallowed name of the United Irishmen, we
will remember Orr! When we think of the persecutions
which have deluged earth in the holy name of religion,
and which was the work of England, we will remember
Orr! When we think of the outrages perpetrated by a
brutal soldiery, we will remember Orr! When we think
of the howl of intolerance raised by the landlords to con-
tinue the foul demonstration of tyranny, we will remem-
ber Orr! When we think of the disgraceful bigotry and
virulence which would chill the warm hearts of the Irish
Presbyterians towards their Catholic countrymen, we will
remember Orr ! When we think that all popular modes of
coercion have been bred, the scaffold, the gaol, in famine
and exile; when we think of the horrible inhumanity in
the trial and execution of the gallant Manchester martyrs,
we will remember Orr !
The speaker then described the insurrection in Dub-
lin the arrest of Emmet, and his trial. The speech was
pronounced to be the most magnificent effort ever de-
livered; magnificent, eloquent, thrilling. It was a noble
defense of Ireland, a burning rebuke to the inquisition
and tyranny of England. It was clear in argument, ele-
gant in diction, and contained some of the most masterly
appeals to a jury that ever were delivered. It drew
tears from the head lieutenant, who exclaimed, "Justice
is too severe, and the sufferer is to be pitied." Lord Corn-
wallis declared : "Emmet is a lofty soul ; he has drowned
the ignominy of his rebellion by the magnanimity of his
conduct." Mr. Pepper then described the scene of the
execution, and his visit to the spot one year ago.
526 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
In closing his address, Rev. Mr. Pepper said : "When I
was in Westminster Abbey a year ago, there was a tomb
which greatly attracted my attention a masterpiece of
Italian genius. The doors of the sepulcher are partly
opened ; Death is represented as slowly but surely advanc-
ing to strike a female figure radiant in beauty and jeweled
robes, reposing upon a shaft of marble. I gazed and pon-
dered, and returned again to look at the significant monu-
ment.
"I was reminded that in every throne-room in Europe,
Death was concealed ; but the time was coming when out
of all of them the King of Terrors would free his way,
and that the old earth would shake like Sinai with the
resurrection of the nations to republicanism, to life and
health. The movement will be more stupendous and
more glorious than when the bones in the valley put on
radiant flesh. It shall come to Italy beautiful and his-
toric Italy locked in her sculptured sepulcher! It shall
come to Hungary, with the knife of Austria at her proud
and beauteous neck. It shall come to Poland, whose de-
votion to liberty is more sacred than the wedding ring!
It shall come to the African, whose greatest apostle,
Douglass, has been laid away in glory and in tears.
"Animated by this union of patriots in all regions, we
unite our aspirations in the spirit of one of the greatest
of those living Republican apostles, and say : God of Lib-
erty! Thou who didst lead the oppressed from Egypt
and didst entomb the proud in the waters of the Red Sea ;
O God! who didst proclaim the dogma of Equality on
the sublime night of the Last Supper, and anointed it with
Thy divine blood in the tempestuous Evening of Calvary !
God that didst evoke from the depths of unknown seas
a New World, in order that its virgin sire might receive
the confederation of youthful and progressive democ-
racies; God who didst through the obscure deep guide
that miraculous ship, the Mayflower, in which the Pilgrims
journeyed, and also the Catholics of Maryland, exiled by
monarchical England, to found a Republic in America;
God who didst shine with so much glory in the rotunda
APPENDIX. 527
of the Capitol in Washington when slavery was abolished
as on the peak of Sinai ; God of the Redemption, God of
the Washingtons, the Emmets, the Vanes, the Joans of
Arc we, too, place before Thee fettered Irish millions,
and implore Thee that Thou wilt not refuse them assist-
ance to this cause, which seeks to apply Thy eternal justice
to human society, and to realize Thy spiritual kingdom
on earth by means of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity."
PRESIDENT McKINLEY'S ANCESTORS.
After paying passing tribute to the memory of Lord
Edward Fitzgerald, Theobald Wolfe Tone, Thomas Addis
Emmet, William Orr, Henry Joy McCracken, and other
founders of the United Irjsh Society and moving spirits
in the stirring scenes of '89, who shed their blood will-
ingly in the cause of liberty and for the independence of
their country, Rev. Dr. Pepper continued:
"The same story may be told of Captain Francis Mc-
Kinley, who dedicated his youth and manhood to the
cause of Ireland. In his fresh and radiant youth he took
the oath, and was soon elected captain of one of the com-
panies. He plunged into the red sea of war, and fought
most gallantly for his country. He was tall and hand-
some, with so much frankness and vivacity in his nature
that everybody loved him. Two of his uncles, because of
their hatred of oppression, had emigrated to the United
States, and from one of these uncles the distinguished oc-
cupant of the Presidential chair has descended, and the
lofty deeds of his patriotic namesakes and relatives are
among the brightest glories treasured by the McKinleys
of Ireland the sweet remembrance that one of their num-
ber gave his life to make Ireland one of the common-
wealths of the world. Captain McKinley was arrested and
hanged, and his head was seen suspended from a public
building in Dervock. The patriot was buried" in Derry-
kigan churchyard, and for years pilgrimages were made
to his honored grave. During this centennial year hun-
dreds, if not thousands, of pilgrims from the United States
528 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
will visit his grave and the graves of other United Irish-
men of Counties Antrim and Down. It is such men that
kings fear, make life illustrious, and death divine.
JUSTICE FOR IRELAND'S CAUSE.
"O Ireland, my country ! the land of my birth, the land
of my affections, the land of my fathers, when will thy
wrongs be redressed, thy sufferings be ended, and the
crown of thorns blossom into a crown of flowers? That
auspicious day will come when thy children are united!
It will require time and patience, education and charity.
Remember that the temper of a people is not to be
changed by a wish ! The disasters of seven centuries in-
struct us that a new method must be tried! All Ireland
wants is justice. The application laid down for all ages,
'Do unto others as you would have others do unto you/
They would restore to her self-government. Many of the
English people have at length resolved to try it. Justice
to Ireland! This will give a power and a policy which-
England has never practiced, and it will carry Ireland into
the hearts of the English people a noble region where
England's conquerors have hitherto never trodden.
"There is the progressive and liberal England of the
democracy; this England we love and cherish. .And there
is the England of despotism ; this England we detest and
abhor. This is the England that has plundered Ireland,
robbed India, and fought against the United States.
Proud are we of the accession to our ranks of such men
as lead the Liberals to-day in England. What but the
justice of the Irish cause and a holy and irrepressible love
of righteousness could have induced these eminent men
not only to retire from the aristocratic association into
which they were born, honored, and beloved, and to
forego brilliant prospects, to link their futures with the
despised and persecuted Irish, representing a cause 'every-
where spoken against?'
ENGLISH BIGOTRY MUST DOWN.
"I hail their championship with unspeakable delight.
Down must come the frenzied bigotry of the English
APPENDIX. 529
classes against the Irish masses! Down must come the
prejudices that have so long interposed their dark and
baleful atmosphere between the two countries ! Down
must come the House of Lords, that for centuries has
listened in vain to the trumpet appeal of starved millions !
Let not the Irish cause, which in 1/98 and 1848, according
to Lecky, was largely Protestant, be sacrificed to the in-
terests of any religious denomination. No ! a thousand
times no ! No union between Church and State ! Let the
Irish remember England's old scheme to divide them on
religious questions. A hundred new universities, Catholic
or Protestant, will not reduce the rent of a single op-
pressed farmer, nor save the life of one beggar.
"Rather would I see the Irish race extinguished, and
I speak the sentiments of true Irish Nationalists, rather
would I see the ancient monuments leveled to the dust;
rather would I see Dublin a desert, the people outcasts,
and dear old Ireland a reproach, than that the land for
which Emmet died and Grattan pleaded, that her hopes
and expectations should be blasted by such treachery.
"Think of Charles Stewart Parnell being deceived by
such a trick ! O that he were living at this hour ! O for
his splendid leadership ! One blast upon his bugle-horn
were worth ten thousand men ! I love his memory !
"The great Napoleon gave it as his opinion, when
chained to the rock of St. Helena, that in one hundred
years Europe would be either Cossack or republican !
That imperial prophecy is being realized in our day. The
old earth shakes to and fro with the earthquake throbs,
of revolution.
"As one of the champions of European liberty once
said in a burst of eloquence, Tut it to a vote, and all Eu-
rope, by an overwhelming majority, would declare that
the only gospel preached by the heavens and the earth
is land for the landless, homes for the homeless, and the
fruits of the earth to the tiller thereof.'
"Ireland must rely on herself. She must watch the
hour, and strike, if necessary, for freedom! Her young
men must learn the use of arms ; they must drill, drill, drill !
34
53 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
An ounce of steel is worth a ton of eloquence! If all
Ireland were to go down upon her knees, and shake a
petition into the face of the House of Lords, it would be
absolutely useless. In union there is safety; in disunion
there is disaster! In union there is vigor; in disunion
there is imbecility ! In union there is victory ; in disunion
there is defeat and disaster."
CARDINAL MANNING AND OTHER CELEBRITIES.
THE death of Cardinal Manning called forth from the
London Times the comparison of Manning and Spurgeon
to the two bright planets which at the time appeared to
the eye of the observer to approach each other and almost
mingle their rays in the solemn evening sky. In like
manner two great Englishmen, whose religious orbits,
though acknowledging a common center, were as really
distinct and distant from each other as those of Jupiter
and Venus, the orbits of the two men, like those of the
two planets, were far apart, r^ut they derived their light
and heat from the same source. Both were true Chris-
tians ; both were philanthropists ; both had the confidence
of the poor. Spurgeon was the representative of a great
individual force; Manning was the representative of a
great and splendid hierarchy. Spurgeon was humorous,
shrewd, and practical, endowed with a fund of invincible
common sense. Manning's personality was equally re-
markable, and a man of high ecclesiastical ambition. He
was the flower of Rome after he became her champion.
He was, however, the heir, like Spurgeon, of several gen-
erations of men of plain lives and pious ways. Manning
was a ripe scholar, an accomplished writer, a fluent and
impressive orator, and a social power. In princely palaces
and poverty-stricken hovels his was a name to conjure
with. His habits were those of a hermit. Thousands of
the poor people, whose cause he pleaded, were better fed,
better clothed than he. The staple of his food was oat-
meal bread; his only drink, water.
APPENDIX. 531
I had only one opportunity of hearing this famous
man. It was a lovely summer day; the church was a
very common one, and the audience was equally devoid
of attractions. They were nearly all toilers, and con-
trasted sharply with the splendid robes of the preacher
and his environments. The cardinal would attract atten-
tion in a crowd by his imposing appearance. He was as
straight as a poplar, thin as a herring, hair white as snow,
his voice low but penetrating, his manner calm and con-
versational. He stood in the pulpit like a statue. But his
voice was his great charm ; it retained all the richness and
melody for which it had been renowned sixty years before,
when he was the star preacher at Oxford University.
Lord Beaconsfield, in his "Lothair," gives a portrait
of him, which can not be improved: "Above the middle
height, his stature seemed modified by the attenuation of
his form. It seemed that the soul never had so frail a
tenement. His countenance was of an extreme pallor,
his cheeks were hollow, and his gray eyes seemed sunk
into the clear and noble brow, but they flashed with irre-
sistible penetration."
I have spoken of Cardinal Manning's lack of gesture.
There was not the slightest movement of the body. There
was not a single break in the placid action of his hands
and feet. I was reminded of the incident which happened
the year before in Edinburgh, when an over-zealous
deacon remonstrated with his pastor, Dr. Dods, for his
want of gestures in the pulpit. "What shall I do?" said
the divine. "Stretch both your hands out over the con-
gregation." He did so, holding them there for two hours.
At first the audience was surprised, then horrified. They
thought his hands were paralyzed. He was left to pursue
his own way. No one ever remonstrated with him again.
An American critic speaks of the distinguished prelate,
that he is the ideal of a man who has just enough earthly
substance about him to engross thought. The mouth and
the eyes, as they speak, do the work of expression ; yet the
face is classic enough to charm a Greek sculptor. The
eye it is that withers with contempt, and it sends light-
532 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
ning from an ever-cloudless brow. What color have those
eyes! tenderest blue, steel-iron. The voice has a fine
range, and has been thoroughly trained. If there be any
one who imagines that the grand effects of oratory are
produced by lottdness, he ought to have heard Manning,
and' learn that such effects are produced by lowness. He
would have learned, also, that it is easier to hear low
tones by reason of their greater distinctness, just as we
can hear a violincello farther than the trombone beside it.
The tone of his discourse was liberal and broad. He
called Protestants "his separated brethren." There is a
fine passage in one of Burke's speeches, to the effect that,
as upon the spot where volcanoes existed, but have burnt
out, every fruit of the earth may be grown; so when re-
ligious animosities have ceased, everything lovely and
divine may be cultivated. Of Cardinal Manning's tem-
perance views many stories may be told. The fact is, that
he was not a teetotaler for years. Taxed with inconsist-
ency in Exeter Hall, he explained that he was under the
advice of his doctor when he took a little wine. "Then
why not change your doctor?" a voice inquired from the
meeting. "I did not think of that," was his reply.
We may apply to Cardinal Manning the words of
Aquinas, a great authority in his Church:
" Si doctus est, doceat nos
Si sapiens est, gubernat nos ;
Si sanctus est, oret pro nobis."
From the cardinal to Hugh Price Hughes, the great
Methodist philanthropist, the transition is easy. I never
saw a man of such energy. Day and night, from January
to December, in the city and in the country, his sten-
torian voice is heard in behalf of temperance, in support
of political reform, in defense of the poverty-stricken mill-
ions. He is now president of the Wesleyan Conference,
an event a few years ago which would be icgarcled as im-
possible, for Hughes has always been a radical of the
radicals. His election last year will be alv r ays r en?em-
APPENDIX. 533
bered as memorable. He has the sympathy and support
of the best men of England and Wales and of Ireland.
They love him for his bold and righteous protests against
wrong and injustice; they love him for his frank confi-
dence in his efforts to lift up the submerged classes; they
love him for the revival of the old Methodist chivalry,
which still lives in this intrepid preacher.
I heard him one afternoon in St. James Hall. The
rain poured in torrents; but the immense building was
packed. The occasion was the persecution of the Russian
Christians called Stunde the German word for hour.
These brave confessors met by the hour at stated places
to worship God. They were hunted, arrested, fined, and
imprisoned. It was a glorious manifestation, worthy of
the noble cause, and Hitghes was in the plenitude of his
glory. He first used his logic, and then his rhetoric; for
rhetoric without logic is like a tree with leaves and blos-
soms, but no root. That rhetoric is best which is most
seasonable and most catching. "Despots hate light," he
exclaimed. When the ruffians seized these Russian he-
roes at night there was a candle lighted. "Put it out,"
said one of the officers, "for God's sake !" "He ought to
have said," continued the fiery speaker, "for the devil's
sake; for God had said at the beginning, 'Let there be
light/ '
Hughes is a noble specimen of robust manhood. He
is not tall nor strikingly picturesque, but stout and rather
below the middle height. When on the platform he is
like a steam-tug of tremendous power. As editor of the
Methodist Times he did a brave and gallant act in the sup-
port of Gladstone's healing measures for the relief of the
sister isle. It was this fearless action, in the teeth of great
opposition, that first endeared him to Americans. He
was the first prominent religious editor to plant his British
colors and his British sympathies with the injured Celt.
He is a Welshman with all the fire of his race, and there
is no nobler heart than that which beats in the bosom of
Hugh Price Hughes. In the office of the Methodist Times
I met the assistant editor, Mr. Crook, the son of an Irish
534 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Wesleyan minister, a stanch and gifted Liberal, who fol-
lowed his chief through all his battles, and as secretary
of the Reform Club executed all his orders. The Liberal
party is deeply indebted to Mr. Crook for his indefatigable
labors ; they have been equal to a thousand men.
I was surprised and pleased to find that many of the
sons of Wesleyan ministers had risen to distinction in
Parliament and at the bar, refuting the common belief
that ministers' children are not successful. We have an
illustrious example in the city of Cleveland, in the brilliant
career of Dr. H. F. Biggar, to whom reference has been
made. He is the son of a Canadian Wesleyan clergyman.
When a mere boy he resolved that he would be no shallow
Cavalier nor a dull dilettante pedant groping lazily in
the rich storehouse of libraries without fixed purpose.
Aspirations after a loftier destiny and a higher utility
thrilled every nerve and burned all his veins. It was a
favorite saying of the sages of antiquity, that the just
man struggling with difficulties in the sight of heaven
is a noble sight. We are told that in northern climes,
amid the eternal snows, when travelers are overwhelmed
with the terrible cold of the frozen air, they are seized with
an uncontrollable drowsiness, to sink down and die. Dr.
Biggar never succumbed to adversity, but through all the
tempests and trials of early manhood he practiced the
wise old proverb, "Help yourself, and Heaven will help
you." His success as a physician has been great ; but dis-
tinction in this department has been thrown into the
shade by his mighty achievements as a surgeon.
I may be pardoned for recalling, in this connection,
a forgotten celebrity of our own country. Any one who
has had occasion to look into the stirring scenes of early
American Methodism, may have come across the name
of the bluff and whole-souled Dr. Charles Elliott. He was
an Irishman from Donegal, a scholar, a ripe and accom-
plished linguist, speaking Greek, Latin, and Hebrew as
if they were his mother tongue. In personal appearance,
he was not an Adonis by any means ; in height, five feet ;
a head like a mountain, eyes gray, and his carriage awk-
ward and ungainly. When preaching he would occasion-
APPENDIX. 535
ally, when tremendously in earnest, throw out one leg
over the pulpit, and the preachers sitting in the pulpit
where frequently in danger of being thumped by his
hands. He was an enthusiast for education, and he would
very often say at Conferences, when pleading for more
colleges and schools among the primitive Methodists,
"When the doors of Dublin University were shut in my
face because I was a Wesleyan, I vowed that I would labor
all my life to make Methodism have the best colleges in
the land."
He was editor, college president, historian, and author
of many standard volumes. He was a great student.
"Depend upon it," he used to say, "there is no such thing
as labor lost. Depend upon it, whatever branch of study
you pursue, and however recondite or remote its utility
may seem, a time may come, and when you least expect
it, that you will derive practical knowledge from it."
Dr. Elliott was once preaching to a country audience.
One of the officials said: "I think he is a smart man.
What a pity he has not received an education!" What
the prince of preachers, Robert Hall, said of John Foster
may be applied to Dr. Elliott, "He is a lumber-wagon
loaded with gold." He preached well, but scattered ter-
ribly.
Dr. Elliott could be humorous at times. He was once
asked if he were sanctified. "Yes," he replied, "in spots."
I have frequently heard Farrar, who preaches with
great simplicity and power. He feels in his own soul the
power of the truth which he preaches. Nobody ever looks
at his watch when he preaches.
But Stopford Brooke is the great orator of the London
pulpit, and many a delightful audience can bear splendid
testimony to his matchless eloquence.
I heard Stephenson, a Wesleyan; clear, evangelical,
and methodical. "What do you think of that preacher?"
"I did n't think of him at all, but of myself, and I thought
I was a most perfect rascal," was the reply of one clergy-
man to another.
Dr. Parker is the Beecher of England, and preaches,
even on week-days, to immense audiences.
536 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
A. FEW LETTERS REGARDING MY WORK ON
THE WAR, ENTITLED "SHERMAN'S
MARCH TO THE SEA."
LIMITED space prevents the publication of letters from
Ex-Presidents Grant and Harrison, the latter thanking
me most cordially for my services in his election.
YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, November 26, 1866.
CAPTAIN GEORGE W. PEPPER,
Wellington, Lorain County, Ohio :
My Dear Sir, I have read with great satisfaction your
book, entitled "Sherman's Campaigns," and find it to be,
so far as I am capable of judging, an impartial and reliable
history of the most prominent engagements and cam-
paigns under the leadership of General Sherman in
Georgia and the Carolinas.
If the merits of this work of yours are duly appreciated,
it can not fail to prove highly remunerative.
With my best wishes, I am
Very truly yours, DAVID TOD.
(Ex-Governor.)
ST. Louis, July 9, 1868.
CAPTAIN GEORGE W. PEPPER.
Chaplain of the 8oth U. S. Infantry,
Goldsboro, N. C. :
Dear Sir, I was unable to write you as I promised at
Cleveland, but I sent you a message that I would do so as
soon as I got to St. Louis.
Since my arrival I have cast my eyes over the volume
entitled, "Personal Recollections of Sherman's Campaign
in Georgia," etc., and am well pleased with it.
Personal recollections of events within the observation
of an author are very interesting, not only to the parties
themselves, but to the general reader, and I am sure hun-
APPENDIX. 537
dreds of officers and soldiers will peruse your volume, be-
cause it groups these events in a shape easy of reference,
-and with sufficient explanation to make them intelligible.
With great respect, your friend,
W. T. SHERMAN, General.
COLUMBUS, November 19, 1866.
REV. GEORGE W. PEPPER:
Dear Sir, I have found pleasure in looking into your
volume of "Personal Recollections of Sherman's Cam-
paign," and recognize in it one of the valuable aides
menioires, which can not be overlooked when the final his-
tory of the Great Rebellion is written.
It has all the raciness that personal experience gives,
and its full details of army life, added to its reliability as a
historic record, ought to make it a popular and attractive
book.
Though written from your standpoint as an officer in
the Army of the Tennessee, you have succeeded in mak-
ing it more full than could be expected in its details of the
movements of the other parts of Sherman's grand army.
Very respectfully yours, etc., J. D. Cox,
Ex-Governor of Ohio and Major-General.
FORT HARKER, KANSAS, August 9, 1869.
To THE REV. BISHOP JANES, Norwalk, Ohio :
Reverend Sir, I take pleasure in informing you that
Rev. George W. Pepper, a member of the North Ohio
Conference, was chaplain of my regiment for two years,
and that I had an opportunity of judging of his qualities
as a minister of the gospel and a Christian gentleman.
I can certify that he performed his duties fully in accord-
ance with the requirements of his station, and to my entire
satisfaction. He held service every Sabbath, and attended
the sick in garrison ; and in saying this much, I may add
that I know of no position where a minister is required
to exercise more faith and perseverance than in the army,
where they receive little or no sympathy from those
538 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
around them. I believe that Chaplain Pepper maintained
at all times and under all circumstances the respect of all,
and the dignity of his profession.
In addition to his official duties, he rendered great
assistance to the Government in North Carolina as editor
of the North Carolina Standard and as a public speaker.
The fruits of his labors in that State in the cause of edu-
cation will continue to develop long after our names are
forgotten.
As a man who possesses unusual powers of eloquence,
scholastic attainments of the highest order, and who is
zealously devoted to his profession, I earnestly recom-
mend him to your favorable notice.
I am, with great respect, your obedient servant,
NELSON A. MILES,
Colonel $th Infantry.
Brevet Major-General United States Army.
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA,
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
RALEIGH, March 29, 1869.
To CAPTAIN GEORGE W. PEPPER :
My Dear Sir, I regret to learn that, under orders, it
will be your duty to leave this State. My best wishes will
go with you. One of the first of Sherman's noble army
to call upon me after you reached the city, and having
expressed your confidence and friendship, I shall always
cherish pleasant recollections of our intercourse, and the
hope that your future may be as fortunate as your past
life has been true to the cause of liberty and Union. Our
Republican friends of both races will not soon forget your
efforts in the cause of Reconstruction, and the ability and
zeal which you have displayed as one of the editors of the
Standard. I trust a generous and just Government will
properly appreciate and recognize your single-minded
devotion to its interests.
Wishing you many years of prosperity and happiness,.
I am truly your friend,
W. W. HOLDEN.
APPENDIX. 539
UNITED STATES SENATE CHAMBER,
WASHINGTON, January 8, 1868.
Dear Sir, I have your note of the 7th, in reference to
the condition of Ireland and the rights of American citi-
zens abroad. The latter question has been, and still is,
the subject of discussion between this Government and
various foreign Powers, and it is to be hoped that a satis-
factory conclusion will soon be reached. It has already
been brought up in Congress, where I took occasion to
declare the absurdity of the claim made by England. I
regret the condition of affairs in Ireland, which is indeed
deplorable, and I am glad to see that the subject is begin-
ning to engage the attention of English statesmen.
Justice to Ireland is a.British necessity. In every effort
for human rights, there is but one side for my sympathy
and aspiration.
Believe me, sir, faithfully yours,
CHARLES SUMNER.
REV. GEORGE W. PEPPER, Goldsboro, N. C.
LETTERS FROM MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL
COMMITTEE OF THE POLITICAL
CAMPAIGN OF 1896.
CHICAGO, November 10, 1896.
REV. G. W. PEPPER, Cleveland, Ohio :
My Dear Sir, The Republicans of this State have
once more asserted themselves, and once again Illinois is
a State to be proud of. In the hard battle just over, we
feel that much of the credit of our success belongs to the
men who preached the gospel of sound money and sound
sense all over this State.
To you, as one of these speakers, the State Committee
tenders its sincere and profound thanks for services ren-
dered.
Congratulating you and all good citizens upon the
glorious victory, I am, sir,
Very respectfully, CHAS. S. RANNELS.
540 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
ST. Louis, Mo., November 21, 1896.
DR. GEORGE W. PEPPER, Cleveland, Ohio :
My Dear Dr. Pepper, Your good letter of the i
received. I feel as you do, that by concerted action and
perseverance we will eventually triumph; in fact, we in-
tend to keep up our organization throughout the State,
to the end that we may be able to change the complexion
of our Congressional representation in 1898, as well as to
carry the State in 1900.
I received many evidences of your oratorical abilities,
as well as of the high character of your work in Missouri,
and assure you the same is duly appreciated.
With sincere regards, believe me,
Yours very truly, R. C. KERENS.
MANSFIELD, O., November 25, 1896.
CHAPLAIN GEORGE W. PEPPER, Cleveland, Ohio :
Dear Chaplain, What shall I say? How shall I tender
you in words my thanks for your able services in the cam-
paign of good Government, sound money, and protec-
tion?
It was a glorious victory, and I am glad that you found
time and opportunity to participate therein.
One thing we know, the old flag floats, and our friend,
William McKinley, God sparing his life, is to be the
Executive head of the great Republic. And to you, and
the many loyal men like you, is largely due this happy
condition which is to come March 4th next. May you
live many years yet, Chaplain ! And I will know that you
will look back to 1896 with great pleasure. Many, many
thanks again. Yours very truly,
HENRY C. HEDGES,
With Speakers' Bureau.
APPENDIX. 541
EXECUTIVE OFFICE,
TERRITORY OF MONTANA,
VIRGINIA CITY, December 17, 1865.
My Dear Friend, I should have written to you some
time since indeed, shortly after my arrival here but I
forgot your address, and had to wait until Mrs. Meagher
sent it to me before I could write to you.
I write now a few lines only can't write more being
greatly pressed clown by official correspondence with
Washington, this being the busiest time of the year for
that kind of work.
I have n't time to do more, in fact, than cordially write
you to join me here as soon as you can.
It is a perfectly beautiful and delightful country
singularly rich and singularly grand. Americans who
cling to the Atlantic seaboard, or to the Mississippi Valley
even, have little conception of the wealth and grandeur of
the country they own. You can not realize it until you
traverse the plains or ascend the Missouri to its head-
waters, and look over it from the Rocky Mountains.
You, my dear friend, would exult in being here. It
is just the country for one of your temperament, your
intellect, your heart, and eloquence. . . . Come out
to Montana, take up and fence in your one hundred and
sixty acres, under the Homestead Act, in one of our won-
derfully fertile, abundantly-watered, and well-timbered
valleys and, my word for it, you will feel yourself a new
man, and an American citizen in full.
However, if you desire to follow your profession to
preach, attend the poor and sick, devote yourself to char-
itable, religious, and intellectual labors I promise you
that, so far from being disappointed and damaging your
condition, you would be most pleasantly surprised, and
your prospects brightened.
We want men of your stamp, your accomplishments,
your facility of writing, and attainments in oratory, out
here, and, with such solid capital as you possess in these
respects, you would soon find yourself a substantial man.
54 2 UNDER THREE FLAGS.
Mrs. Meagher, in writing to me the other day, and
giving me your address, begged that I would entreat you
to join me in Montana, and that, as she proposes to leave
St. Louis by boat for Fort Benton early in the spring, to
take up her home with me in this glorious young Terri-
tory, it would delight her extremely to have you and your
family as her companions in the journey. Open a corre-
spondence with her right away, and settle the matter with
her. I have two or three things for you to do, for which
I shall furnish you with abundant material and cordial
assistance. Write immediately, and say you have deter-
mined to come, and believe me, as ever, most affection-
ately your friend, THOMAS FRANCIS MEAGHER,
Governor.
ERRATA.
PAGE 120.
In mentioning my first pastorate in Wooster, I see I
have unaccountably omitted the names of many kind
friends. Among them were the Blacks, Taylors, Logans,
McClarrans, McDonalds, Saybolts, Marchands, Timmer-
mans, Lees, Frosts, Amsdens, Van Nests, Coffeys.
During my residence there as pastor of Trinity Church,
one of my stanchest friends and helpers was Mr. Alfred
Coover, the Church treasurer. I shall always think of him
and his gifted wife with feelings of gratitude.
PAGE 267.
Mrs. Alexander Sullivan does not remember the witty
remark ascribed to her here, and thinks it must have been
said by some other person.
On this page I see I have omitted the name of a friend,
Hon. D. C. Feeley, a ripe and accomplished lawyer, now
of Rochester.
PAGE 275.
Instead of the first McAleavy mentioned, the name
should be McAloon. I would like to insert here also the
name of Dr. Corrigan.
THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
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