passages from an old volume of life-第3节

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ttle　comparatively　do　we　hear　at　such　times　of　the　dogmas　on　which　men　differ；　very　much　of　the　faith　and　trust　in　which　all　sincere　Christians　can　agree。　　It　is　a　noble　lesson；　and　nothing　less　noisy　than　the　voice　of　cannon　can　teach　it　so　that　it　shall　be　heard　over　all　the　angry　cries　of　theological　disputants。

Now；　too；　we　have　a　chance　to　test　the　sagacity　of　our　friends；　and　to　get　at　their　principles　of　judgment。　　Perhaps　most；　of　us；　will　agree　that　our　faith　in　domestic　prophets　has　been　diminished　by　the　experience　of　the　last　six　months。　　We　had　the　notable　predictions　attributed　to　the　Secretary　of　State；　which　so　unpleasantly　refused　to　fulfil　themselves。　　We　were　infested　at　one　time　with　a　set　of　ominous…looking　seers；　who　shook　their　heads　and　muttered　obscurely　about　some　mighty　preparations　that　were　making　to　substitute　the　rule　of　the　minority　for　that　of　the　majority。　　Organizations　were　darkly　hinted　at；　some　thought　our　armories　would　be　seized；　and　there　are　not　wanting　ancient　women　in　the　neighboring　University　town　who　consider　that　the　country　was　saved　by　the　intrepid　band　of　students　who　stood　guard；　night　after　night；　over　the　G。　R。　cannon　and　the　pile　of　balls　in　the　Cambridge　Arsenal。

As　a　general　rule；　it　is　safe　to　say　that　the　best　prophecies　are　those　which　the　sages　remember　after　the　event　prophesied　of　has　come　to　pass；　and　remind　us　that　they　have　made　long　ago。　　Those　who；　are　rash　enough　to　predict　publicly　beforehand　commonly　give　us　what　they　hope；　or　what　they　fear；　or　some　conclusion　from　an　abstraction　of　their　own；　or　some　guess　founded　on　private　information　not　half　so　good　as　what　everybody　gets　who　reads　the　papers；never　by　any　possibility　a　word　that　we　can　depend　on；　simply　because　there　are　cobwebs　of　contingency　between　every　to…day　and　to…morrow　that　no　field…glass　can　penetrate　when　fifty　of　them　lie　woven　one　over　another。　　Prophesy　as　much　as　you　like；　but　always　hedge。　　Say　that　you　think　the　rebels　are　weaker　than　is　commonly　supposed；　but；　on　the　other　hand；　that　they　may　prove　to　be　even　stronger　than　is　anticipated。　　Say　what　you　like；only　don't　be　too　peremptory　and　dogmatic；　we　know　that　wiser　men　than　you　have　been　notoriously　deceived　in　their　predictions　in　this　very　matter。

　　　　　Ibis　et　redibis　nunquam　in　bello　peribis。

Let　that　be　your　model；　and　remember；　on　peril　of　your　reputation　as　a　prophet；　not　to　put　a　stop　before　or　after　the　nunquam。

There　are　two　or　three　facts　connected　with　time；　besides　that　already　referred　to；　which　strike　us　very　forcibly　in　their　relation　to　the　great　events　passing　around　us。　　We　spoke　of　the　long　period　seeming　to　have　elapsed　since　this　war　began。　　The　buds　were　then　swelling　which　held　the　leaves　that　are　still　green。　　It　seems　as　old　as　Time　himself。　　We　cannot　fail　to　observe　how　the　mind　brings　together　the　scenes　of　to…day　and　those　of　the　old　Revolution。　　We　shut　up　eighty　years　into　each　other　like　the　joints　of　a　pocket…　telescope。　　When　the　young　men　from　Middlesex　dropped　in　Baltimore　the　other　day；　it　seemed　to　bring　Lexington　and　the　other　Nineteenth　of　April　close　to　us。　　War　has　always　been　the　mint　in　which　the　world's　history　has　been　coined；　and　now　every　day　or　week　or　month　has　a　new　medal　for　us。　　It　was　Warren　that　the　first　impression　bore　in　the　last　great　coinage；　if　it　is　Ellsworth　now；　the　new　face　hardly　seems　fresher　than　the　old。　　All　battle…fields　are　alike　in　their　main　features。　　The　young　fellows　who　fell　in　our　earlier　struggle　seemed　like　old　men　to　us　until　within　these　few　months；　now　we　remember　they　were　like　these　fiery　youth　we　are　cheering　as　they　go　to　the　fight；　it　seems　as　if　the　grass　of　our　bloody　hillside　was　crimsoned　but　yesterday；　and　the　cannon…ball　imbedded　in　the　church…　tower　would　feel　warm；　if　we　laid　our　hand　upon　it。

Nay；　in　this　our　quickened　life　we　feel　that　all　the　battles　from　earliest　time　to　our　own　day；　where　Right　and　Wrong　have　grappled；　are　but　one　great　battle；　varied　with　brief　pauses　or　hasty　bivouacs　upon　the　field　of　conflict。　　The　issues　seem　to　vary；　but　it　is　always　a　right　against　a　claim；　and；　however　the　struggle　of　the　hour　may　go；　a　movement　onward　of　the　campaign；　which　uses　defeat　as　well　as　victory　to　serve　its　mighty　ends。　　The　very　implements　of　our　warfare　change　less　than　we　think。　　Our　bullets　and　cannonballs　have　lengthened　into　bolts　like　those　which　whistled　out　of　old　arbalests。　Our　soldiers　fight　with　weapons；　such　as　are　pictured　on　the　walls　of　Theban　tombs；　wearing　a　newly　invented　head…gear　as　old　as　the　days　of　the　Pyramids。

Whatever　miseries　this　war　brings　upon　us；　it　is　making　us　wiser；　and；　we　trust；　better。　　Wiser；　for　we　are　learning　our　weakness；　our　narrowness；　our　selfishness；　our　ignorance；　in　lessons　of　sorrow　and　shame。　　Better；　because　all　that　is　noble　in　men　and　women　is　demanded　by　the　time；　and　our　people　are　rising　to　the　standard　the　time　calls　for。　　For　this　is　the　question　the　hour　is　putting　to　each　of　us：　Are　you　ready；　if　need　be；　to　sacrifice　all　that　you　have　and　hope　for　in　this　world；　that　the　generations　to　follow　you　may　inherit　a　whole　country　whose　natural　condition　shall　be　peace；　and　not　a　broken　province　which　must　live　under　the　perpetual　threat；　if　not　in　the　constant　presence；　of　war　and　all　that　war　brings　with　it？　If　we　are　all　ready　for　this　sacrifice；　battles　may　be　lost；　but　the　campaign　and　its　grand　object　must　be　won。

Heaven　is　very　kind　in　its　way　of　putting　questions　to　mortals。　　We　are　not　abruptly　asked　to　give　up　all　that　we　most　care　for；　in　view　of　the　momentous　issues　before　us。　　Perhaps　we　shall　never　be　asked　to　give　up　all；　but　we　have　already　been　called　upon　to　part　with　much　that　is　dear　to　us；　and　should　be　ready　to　yield　the　rest　as　it　is　called　for。　　The　time　may　come　when　even　the　cheap　public　print　shall　be　a　burden　our　means　cannot　support；　and　we　can　only　listen　in　the　square　that　was　once　the　marketplace　to　the　voices　of　those　who　proclaim　defeat　or　victory。　　Then　there　will　be　only　our　daily　food　left。　　When　we　have　nothing　to　read　and　nothing　to　eat；　it　will　be　a　favorable　moment　to　offer　a　compromise。　　At　present　we　have　all　that　nature　absolutely　demands；we　can　live　on　bread　and　the　newspaper。






MY　HUNT　AFTER　〃THE　CAPTAIN。〃

In　the　dead　of　the　night　which　closed　upon　the　bloody　field　of　Antietam；　my　household　was　startled　from　its　slumbers　by　the　loud　summons　of　a　telegraphic　messenger。　　The　air　had　been　heavy　all　day　with　rumors　of　battle；　and　thousands　and　tens　of　thousands　had　walked　the　streets　with　throbbing　hearts；　in　dread　anticipation　of　the　tidings　any　hour　might　bring。

We　rose　hastily；　and　presently　the　messenger　was　admitted。　　I　took　the　envelope　from　his　hand；　opened　it；　and　read：


HAGERSTOWN　17th

To__________　H　______

Capt　H______　wounded　shot　through　the　neck　thought　not　mortal　at　Keedysville

WILLIAM　G。　LEDUC


Through　the　neck；no　bullet　left　in　wound。　　Windpipe；　food…pipe；　carotid；　jugular；　half　a　dozen　smaller；　but　still　formidable　vessels；　a　great　braid　of　nerves；　each　as　big　as　a　lamp…wick；　spinal　cord；　ought　to　kill　at　once；　if　at　all。　　Thought　not　mortal；　or　not　thought　mortal；which　was　it？　　The　first；　that　is　better　than　the　second　would　be。　　…〃Keedysville；　a　post…office；　Washington　Co。；　Maryland。〃　Leduc？　　Leduc？　　Don't　remember　that　name。　　The　boy　is　waiting　for　his　money。　　A　dollar　and　thirteen　cents。　　Has　nobody　got　thirteen　cents？　Don't　keep　that　boy　waiting；how　do　we　know　what　messages　he　has　got　to　carry？

The　boy　had　another　message　to　carry。　　It　was　to　the　father　of　Lieutenant…Colonel　Wilder　Dwight；　informing　him　that　his　son　was　grievously　wounded　in　the　same　battle；　and　was　lying　at　Boonsborough；　a　town　a　few　miles　this　side　of　Keedysville。　　This　I　learned　the　next　morning　from　the　civil　and　attentive　officials　at　the　Central　Telegraph　Office。

Calling　upon　this　gentleman；　I　found　that　he　meant　to　leave　in　the　quarter　past　two　o'clock　train；　taking　with　him　Dr。　George　H。　Gay；　an　accomplished　and　energetic　surgeon；　equal　to　any　difficult　question　or　pressing　emergency。　　I　agreed　to　accompany　them；　and　we　met　in　the　cars。　　I　felt　myself　peculiarly　fortunate　in　having　companions　whose　society　would　be　a　pleasure；　whose　feelings　would　harmonize　with　my　own；　and　whose　assistance　I　might；　in　case　of　need；　be　glad　to　claim。

It　is　of　the　journey　which　we　began　together；　and　which　I　finished　apart；　that　I　mean　to　give　my　〃Atlantic〃　readers　an　account。　　They　must　let　me　tell　my　story　in　my　own　way；　speaking　of　many　little　matters　that　interested　or　amused　me；　and　which　a　certain　leisurely　class　of　elderly　persons；　who　sit　at　their　firesides　and　never　travel；　will；　I　hope；　follow　with　a　kind　of　interest。　　For；　besides　the　main　object　of　my　excursion；　I　could　not　help　being　excited　by　the　incidental　sights　and　occurrences　of　a　trip　which　to　a　commercial　traveller　or　a　newspaper…reporter　would　seem　quite　commonplace　and　undeserving　of　record。　　There　are　periods　in　which　all　places　and　people　seem　to　be　in　a　conspiracy　to　impress　us　with　their　individuality；　in　which　every　ordinary　locality　seems　to　assume　a　special　significance　and　to　claim　a　particular　notice；　in　which　every　per