Forward march: through battle to victory

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Introduction

O make palpable to young people the im- ^-D portant fact that life is a battle which can only be won by the brave and true ; to show, in the most forcible manner, that to those who exhibit these qualities victory is a foregone conclusion, but that the wicked, the worldly, the cowardly, and the indifferent can expect nothing save defeat ; and to demonstrate, at the same time, that this fact of life being a battle, is one which, far from arousing fear or causing discouragement, should inspire us with enthusiasm and incite to the noblest efforts, — such are the purposes of this book. It is intended, in a word, to link arms with the young people's societies of the day, and to help these in preparing the rising generation for valiant service in the grand army of the future.

The military idea has been adopted, not only

6 INTRODUCTION.

because it correctly expresses trie facts in the case, but for the additional reason that, to young people, it is always pleasing, and is very likely to prove impressive and convincing. One feature, which is sure to be welcome, is quite unusual in books of this kind. We refer to the notes, which, on almost every page, indicate so plainly what topic is under treatment. Another interesting feature is the illustrations. These are sure to be enjoyed ; and when it has been observed that the renowned men whose portraits are given are held up as models, not in any general sense, excepting in a few instances, but only in the particular things to which distinct reference is made, we can safely leave the pictorial parts of the book to tell their own story and to teach their own stimulating lessons.

"Forward March" is similar in both style and aim to our other work, " Life's Golden Morning." The latter, however, deals chiefly with manners and conduct ; whereas this, though no less practical than that, treats more fully of character and destiny, and shows in clearer and stronger light what is necessary to success in the highest meaning of that term.

INTRODUCTION, J

The author flatters himself that there is

nothing in the book contrary to either divine

truth or human reason. Yet it was not written

for theologians nor for profound philosophers.

It was written for young people, our aim having

been to adapt it in all respects to the tastes and

needs of that interesting class. If these shall be

attracted to it, and if, in reading what has been

written, they shall be led to better views of life

and duty, we shall have gained our object, and

shall be deeply thankful.

THE AUTHOR.

CHOOSING SIDES.

INTERESTING Situation of an Ancient People — What it means to live — The Period of Moral Helplessness — Human Incapacity covered by Divine Mercy — Starting out for Ourselves — The Choosing and Formative Period — Self-made Men not Exceptional— Does Opportunity make the Man ? — The Chisel of Destiny — The Greatest Thing on Earth— Why Life is a Battle — Moral Neutrality not Possible — Choice limited to Two Sides — How Two Great Armies are recruited — Life's Dangerous Undertow — Importance of turning the Switch — Drifting toward the Rapids — Necessity of a Fixed and Worthy Aim — The Proper Time to Enlist — Importance of Right Beginnings — Of Two Courses, Which ? — God's Service a Reasonable One— Urgent Call to Decision — An Ultimatum from Head-quarters —True Motives of a Worthy Life, Pages 17-38

II. The Flag We Follow

An Ancient Battle-hymn — A Sweet Singer and his Chief Musician — How Battle-hymns stimulate to Valor — Times which try the Soul— Victory only by doing

IO CONTENTS.

Duty — Use of Flags at Sea — Some who carry Satan's Flag — Two Flags which never harmonize — The Eloquence of Flags— Principles represented by the Flag we follow — A Flag which stands for Honesty, Purity, and Benevolence — The Standard of Moral Progress — The American Flag in 1812 — How the Flag we follow has extended its Conquests — A Flag with a Mighty Future — Destiny of the Dark Continent — The American Flag in Siberia — What it means to have Heaven's Flag Above us — His Satanic Majesty and the Czar of Russia — A Flag which symbolizes Hope and Help for All — What we owe to the Flag we follow — "Don't let that Flag go down " — One who died for the Flag — Advantages of keeping our Colors flying, PAGES 39-62

III. The Foes We Fight

The Great Opportunity of a Great Man— How Opposition should incite to Heroism — The Circus Maximus and its Lessons — What it means to be at Life's Threshold — Prizes offered in the Arena of Existence — Reputation Determined by Character — How to win a Commanding Position — A Grand Prize which is Possible to All — The Great Prize at the End — Victory only through Battle — Our Mightiest Foe, and his Methods of Assault — Lesson from the Great Bonaparte — A Fighting Chance to win — Why General Lee failed — How Industry discounts Genius — The Most Common Vice, What is it? — That Insidious Foe, Dishonesty — The True Way to Get on in Life — Awful Consequences of Impurity — Tenacity of Youthful Habits — Appalling Effects of Intemperance — Pledging the Modern Hannibal s — How to achieve the Most Brilliant Conquests— Bright Side of the Battle of Life, Pages 63-87

CONTENTS. 1 1

IV. The Allies Who Help Us

An Inspiring Panorama — Anxious Question of a Trembling Youth — Wise Words from the Lips of Experience — First View of Life, What it reveals — An Eye-opening Prayer — Allies in Life's Battle whom we can not see — Lesson from the Sad Fate of Maximilian— The Mighty Government that backs us — Help from Angels, May we expect this? — The Great Question, How?— Celestial Forces on Terrestrial Battle-fields— Angelic Help not Adequate to Human Need — Our Chief Reliance in Life's Battle — Advantages of having God with us— Comparative Estimate of those for and against us — A Winning Battle-cry — What is Necessary to put God on our Side — The Great Strategic Point in Life's Battle— A Memorable Campaign, What it teaches — After Conversion, What? — Earthly Alliances which offer Help — Why we need the Church — Sterling Advice of an Old Sea-captain — Lesson from the Johnstown Flood — Another View of Life's Golden Morning — Helps to Success in Life, Pages 89-112

v.

THE CAPTAIN WHO LEADS US.

The Divine Purpose in Human Life— Earthly Honors in Contrast with Heavenly — The Chief End of Existence — Our Imperative Need of Jesus Christ — Prizes we may win by our Own Unaided Efforts — Success which means only Failure — Two Notable Lives, and what they teach — True Success only by Self-denial — What it means to enter the Army — Shouldering the Musket from Principle — First Requirement of the Captain who leads us —

12 CONTENTS.

Three Inspiring Examples — Noble Resolve of a Burmese Boatman — What our Captain has done for us — The Great Blot on Bonaparte's Escutcheon — How Battles were directed in the Late War — Peter the Great and Christ the Greatest — Advantage of Rising from the Ranks — Qualities of a Perfect Commander — Alexander and Hannibal — A Leader who is always in Front — "There's the Duke, God bless him"— Of Two Commanders, which shall have us ? — How an Ancient City was saved — Contingency in which Life must be a Failure, Pages i 13-138

VI. The Weapons Of Our Warfare

NECESSITY of a Good Equipment — Dreadful Foes whom we can not see — A call to Manfulness — That Noble Drummer-boy — Life's Emergencies, How to meet them — Decisive Moments in Great Battles — .Why Some Days are Evil Days — How Evil Days may be made Good — Snatching Honor from the Jaws of Danger — Putting on the Armor — What our Helmet signifies — Valor in Battle, How to secure it — Stirring Address of a Wise General to his Troops— A Sure Antidote to Discouragement — Evil Thoughts, Two Methods of treating them— The Breastplate of Righteousness — Guarding the Steps, Why and How? — The Uses of Gospel Foot-gear— An Interesting Paradox — Moral Security, How obtained — The Shield we are to carry — How to resist Temptation — The Best Weapon in the Universe — Significant Conduct of Two English Rulers — Necessity of Watchfulness and Prayer — How a Memorable Battle was won — What it means to be fully equipped for Life's Warfare, Pages 139-170

CONTENTS. 13

VII. Qualities Of A Good Soldier

Advice of a Veteran to Young Recruits— The Universal Desire of Young People—" Plenty of Room at the Top" — The Highest Form of Excellence — Striking Contrast between Two Kinds of Fame — Paramount Requirement of the Good Soldier— The Divine Methods of Recruiting — Hardships and Sacrifices of Army Life — Sublime Instances of Youthful Heroism — Life's Greatest Battle-field, Where is it? — Appeal of Pizarro to the Castilians — Facts to be remembered when Choice is exercised — The Soldier's First Lesson — Consequences of Failure in Life's Battle — The Only Path leading to Happiness — Nature and Effects of True Courage — The Quality we most need — Analysis of the Courage of Luther—The Martyrs and the Great Martyr— How to fit Ourselves for Hazardous Duties — Heroism on the Field of Battle — An Old Adage improved upon — Why Some People get on in the World — The Sad Consequences of not having Grit and Grip — The Strong Pull not Enough — Characteristic Remark of Abraham Lincoln — Great Lesson taught by a Great General, . Pages 171-203

VIII. The Victory

After-thoughts of the Glorified Christ— Small Things compared to Greater — Looking Backward — A Golden Thread of Encouragement — Duty and Destiny Linking Hands — A Mechanical Certainty, and what it suggests— The Trick of an Ancient General— An Augur we can trust— Battle-fields that are Sacred— The Greatest Conflicts of History— Christ's Triumph the Pledge and

14 CONTENTS.

Model of Ours— The "Big I" and "Little You" People- When the "Big I" is Proper— Discriminating Testimony of a Dying Minister — The Scene when the King comes in — Looking Forward — Pictures of Heaven by an Bye-witness — Significance of Some Striking Metaphors — The Glory which excelleth — Thoughts which should thrill us — After Crosses, the Crown — Things worth Remembering — At Life's Threshold again — The Divine Visitor — How to treat Him — Last Words. Pages, 205-239

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Page.

Starting Out, Frontispiece.

The Two Ways, . Facing page 16

Taking Good Aim, 26

Steering by the Chart, Facing page 32

The Flag we Follow, Facing page 38

The Sign of Triumph, 49

A Brave Standard-bearer, „ 55

Julius Caesar, -58

In the Circus Maximus, Facing page 62

Advancing to Battle, 70

Napoleon Bonaparte, . . . 75

Serpent in the Glass, 83

Hannibal's Vow, 85

Sunrise at Dothan, Facing page 88

The Outlook, 94

John Wesley, 102

Oliver Cromwell, 104

General Grant, 107

Perfect through Suffering, Facing page 112

The Unnoticed Visitor, 118

David Livingstone, 126

At the Front, 129

J 5

1 6 ILLUSTRATIONS.

Page.

The Iron Duke, 136

The BatTeE of Hastings, Facing page 138

A Nobee Drummer-boy, 145

The Triae, 148

The Triumph, 149

Greek Warrior, 158

Sword and Bibee, 165

Queen Victoria, 167

Ready for Action, 169

A Knight of the Cross, Facing page 170

Pizarro, . 184

A Wreck, 189

Luther at Fourteen, 194

Abraham Lincoen, 201

The Vision of Constantine, Facing page 204

The Soedier at Home, 226

The Ark, 228

Looking Forward, 232 i i i

I.

Ghoosing SiQes,

INTERESTING Situation of an Ancient People— What it means to live — The Period of Moral Helplessness — Human Incapacity covered by Divine Mercy — Starting Out for Ourselves— The Choosing and Formative Period — Self-made Men not Exceptional — Does Opportunity make the Man? — The Chisel of Destiny — The Greatest Thing on Earth — Why Life is a Battle — Moral Neutrality not possible-tChoice limited to Two Sides — How Two Great Armies are recruited — Life's Dangerous Undertow — Importance of turning the Switch — Drifting toward the Rapids — Necessity of a Fixed and Worthy Aim— - The Proper Time to Enlist — Importance of Right Beginnings— Of Two Courses, Which?— God's Service a Reasonable One— Urgent Call to Decision— An Ultimatum from Head-quarters— True Motives of a Worthy Life.

I.

CHOOSING SIDES.

| HE last shall be first. We draw our opening appeal from Joshua's final words to the Israelites. Like Washington, at a similar crisis, the chief concern of this ancient commander was that his countrymen should ever remember and ever illustrate the great truth that the only possible road to national exaltation was the broad highway of national righteousness.

These Israelites had been settled recently in a new land. Egypt, with its awful bondage, was behind them. Safely delivered were they also from the perils and the tedious marches of the wilderness. What had been so long only a promise, and sometimes, to their clouded vision, only a dim promise, was now a reality. Hope deferred had found its fruition. They were in Canaan.

Occupancy of this new land entailed new responsibilities, and of these their departing leader interesting sit- does not fail to remind them.

uation of an Ancient People. Much had he to say, and every

word, coming from such a source, must have been to these people like an apple of gold in a picture of silver. Summarized, however, the duty he urged was that, simply, of prompt and firm decision in favor of God — an intelligent and whole-hearted choice of the service of God — the precise duty which, beyond all others and before all others, presses upon all young people.

That which makes your duty the same as theirs, is the fact that your situation is similar, what it Means Had tne Y entered Canaan but re- 10 Llve " cently? So have you come re-

cently within the sphere of moral obligation. You have been living for years ; but now, as never before, do you begin to realize what it means to live. The tutelage and discipline of youth have led you at length to that momentous period in which responsibility presses, and opportunity

CHOOSING SIDES.

invites, and temptations assail, just as these Israelites, after their training in the Wilderness, were settled at length as a separate and responsible people in the land of Canaan.

Upon yon, therefore, as upon them, does there rest now, with extraordinary force, the great duty of religious decision, that to which Joshua summons us when he says : " Choose you this day whom ye will serve."

In the earlier part of our existence the task of

The Period ot choosing does Moral Helplessness, not trouble

us much. At that period

others choose for us. They

choose where we shall

dwell, what we shall learn,

what we shall be, what we Joshua.

shall do. And most fortunate is it that such an

* arrangement exists; for of all animals man is

the most helpless at his birth and for a number of years afterwards. Not only are we physically helpless at this period, but we are morally so as well. Not morally dead, for all children have some virtuous inclinations and some power of conscience. We affirm simply that we are morally incapable, during this period, of making a firm and intelligent choice of the course in life which would be best for us.

Happily, too, has our moral, no less tlian our

physical, helplessness been provided for in the

Human inca- divine economy. Our fellow-beings

pacity Covered by

Divine Mercy. choose for us in other matters, and, within this realm, until we are able to choose for ourselves, God chooses for us. He chooses, too, that we shall be his children, with his redemptive love as our portion while we live, and his own presence and glory if we die.

Later, however, as the will strengthens, as conscience develops, as the judgment becomes starting out for enlightened, and as the moral perourseives. ceptions widen in their scope, our

Heavenly Father severs these moral leadingstrings, and sends us adrift, like an outgoing.

ship, which is towed by a tug while it is in the shallows near the shore, but which, when the shoals have been passed and the great stretch of old ocean rises to view, is left to carve out its own course, and to make what progress it can by the use of its own powers of locomotion.

At this momentous crisis are all those whom we distinctively call young people. As regards both your temporal and vour spirit- The choosing

and Formative

ual destiny, this, pre-eminently, is Period. your choosing period. Be assured, too, that within both realms your own individual choice is that which will determine what you are to be. We hear men spoken of occasionally as 44 self-made men," and such cases are emphasized as though they were exceptional. Self . made Men Let me tell you, however, that, in not Exce P tional - a very important sense, all men and all women are self-made. Parents may help to make us by the educational advantages they provide. But who could hold that education makes the man, in presence of the fact that so many who are educated fail in life, while some who are not educated, or are only partially educated, win for themselves a magnificent success.

Something may also be done toward making

us by the openings which a kind Providence

Does opportu- affords. But, spite of the fact that

nity Make the

Man? some one has had the temerity to

say it, who can seriously believe that " opportunity makes the man," when we all know that many who are born to great opportunities barter their birthright for a mess of pottage, and that many others, who have only the advantages which they carve out for themselves by hard blows, reach the highest places of usefulness and honor?

Nor is the question of what we shall become determined by our mental endowments ; for, as the slow tortoise, by keeping at it, will often outstrip the fleet-footed hare, so, in many cases, do those of moderate intellectual powers outstrip the more gifted in the race of life.

No, my young friends, none of these make the man, though each, if properly used, should con- The chisel of tribute to this process. But that Destiny. which really makes us — the sharp-

edged and all-potent chisel by which every man, out of the block of marble that is placed before him, brings forth the angel or the demon — is that man's own will. Greater this than all learning ; greater than all the advantages of birth ; mightier than brains ; more potent, in one sense, than even the grace of God ; for divine grace is never forced upon us, but is bestowed only where the will is used in seeking it. In other words, that which determines character and fixes destiny, is this stupendous prerogative of personal choice.

You talk about the power of kings ; but let me tell you that the most absolute monarch on this earth is the king within your The Greatest own breasts. Not only does the Thing on Earth - Almighty himself respect the sovereignty of the will, but he has so arranged matters that all his creatures are compelled to defer to it. Were it possible, our parents, in most cases, would see that we turned out well. But in all the father's counsels that ever fell in golden nuggets from devoted lips, and in all the mother's tears that ever dampened a sleepless pillow or fell in scalding drops upon the cold cheek of youthful obduracy, there is not force enough to save a single soul from death, nor to turn the steps of one perverse mortal into the way of honor and

FOR WARD MARCH.

renown. Thus we are all self-made men. at last, and that which makes us what we are is

Taking Good Aim.

this sublime, this inviolable prerogative of personal choice. To every one of us in early life comes the appeal to choose.

We present life to you as a battle, and the figure is aptly used. It is a battle; God has made it so. The mixture of good Why Life is a and evil in our own natures makes Battle - life a battle. The clash of opposing forces all about us makes it a battle. The din of conflict fills this whole universe. All intelligences are engaged. The Almighty wars against Satan, and Satan wars against God. On opposite sides are massed the good and bad angels. The great principle of wrong constantly antagonizes the mightier principle of right.

These aspects of the conflict we do not see ; they are spiritual and invisible. But enough of this tug of war we do see to make Moral Neutral . the battle intensely real, and the ity not Possible - necessity for taking part in it both clear and urgent. As regards the fact last named, it is as when, a generation ago, the crisis of war sent a line of division through this great Republic. Everybody then took sides. The heart in every case went one way or the other. Those who seemed to be neutral were not so in reality, and some of these had a harder time, with less to compensate them, than those who stood up boldly for their convictions. So in the battle of life. Our first duty, upon entering the arena, is to determine which side we will espouse.

That each must serve on one side or the other,

is beyond question. Not only must the heart in-

choice Limited cline toward one or other of these

to Two Sides. twQ sides> but tQ Qne or the Qther

will the service of the life be given. Here the analogy between the war for the Union and the conflict of which we are now speaking is lost. In our great National conflict thousands gave sympathy who did not don the uniform. But here, in every case, is service rendered; necessarily so, for this conflict is not confined to a few localities ; it is raging constantly all about us, and, whether he will or not, every man has a part in it.

Not only must we all take sides in this battle,

but ail who would be upon the right side

how Two Great must enlist. The government of

Armies are Recruited, heaven, let us remind you, never

resorts to the draft. It holds out inducements ;

it offers large bounty ; it promises ample rations,

splendid pay, a complete equipment, and it

sends everywhere its recruiting officers, whose

special business is to persuade men to enter the ranks. But beyond this God does not go. All his soldiers must be volunteers. He never has recourse to the draft.

With Satan, however, it is different. The draft is his normal process, and that upon which he mainly relies to keep up his forces. Only the few, only the most depraved and hardened, enter Satan's service from choice, the simple reason why he has so large a following being that all who refuse to enter God's army ally themselves with him of necessity ; for so tightly in all directions are the lines of moral combat drawn, that he who is not with God is against him, and that he who enlists not of his own free will under the banner of moral progress, places himself, by his indecision, on the other side in this great conflict.

The undertow of life is toward evil and ruin. To lose the good and secure the evil, you need only neglect to choose the good. Life , s Danger . The sad wail of all lost souls, and ous Undertow - of all ruined lives is like the never-ceasing lament of that man who lost his reason because one night, as the express came dashing along, he neglected to turn the switch, and thus allowed the train, with its living freight, to dash forward to an awful destruction, his bitter deprecation, until lie died, being, "0 that I had! that I had !" Yes, it would indeed have been better had he done his duty, inestimably better; but he had not, and hence the frightful consequences.

So, my young friends, does everything, in

your case, depend upon whether or not, at the

The importance right time, you turn, or fail to

of Turning the

Switch. turn, the switch of that sovereign

will with which God has endowed you ; for to turn this from its inclination toward evil, so that it shall open the track of righteousness to your steps, will mean salvation for both worlds ; whereas to neglect to turn it will be, without the need of any further choice on your part, to leave the express train of destiny with no alternative but to dash forward on the road in which all danger lies, and the end of which is present and eternal destruction.

We repeat, therefore, with added emphasis, that the undertow of life is toward evil. To go up stream, one must pull vigorously ; to go down stream, all you need do is just fold your arms and let the boat take her own course.

A number of gentlemen started on a certain occasion to cross the broad river running past Thun, in Switzerland, and one of Drifting Toward them relates that in the middle of the Rapids ' the stream they became involved in a controversy as to the point toward which they should make on the opposite shore, and this discussion, he says, continued so long that, before they knew of their danger, the undertow had carried them so far toward the rapids that it was only by the most Herculean efforts that they w 7 ere able to bring the boat back, and thus save their lives.

And what a warning does this afford against the insidious undertow which ever surges 'neath the placid stream of life ! O young people, let us plead with you to regard this warning! Instead of parleying or playing or trifling in any w T ay, after your boat has been fairly Necessity of a

Fixed and Worthy

launched upon this stream, the Aim. true course is, to pull, without delay and without cessation, for the shore on the opposite side. In other words, have an object in life. Fix your gaze upon a point of destination ; let it be a worthy one — no other than the arms of Christ and the service of Almighty God ; and then, your point of landing chosen, bend all your energies to the task of reaching it ; for be assured that, unless you do this, the current of the stream will bear you upon its treacherous bosom to places below, where the landing will be more difficult, and may possibly carry you into the rapids, where hope of being able to disembark will be still further removed, and, these passed, may finally plunge you over the cataract, and thus add one more to the millions of misguided souls who, because they did not choose to serve God, have been drafted into Satan's service, and ; because they would not come to Christ for life, have been carried forward, of necessity, by the force of their own passions in the way which leads to death.

From these observations we shall surely be convinced, not only that it is our duty to enlist,

TheProperTime but that {t is 0Ur dut Y t0 d ° this

to Enlist. immediately. This was the chief

point in Joshua's appeal to the Israelites. Further delay, he felt, would be at once unreasonable, ungrateful, unwise, and unsafe. They could not doubt that it was their duty to serve the Ivord, nor could they question in which direction

STEERING BY THE CHART.

their own interests lay. The sad consequences of departing from the living God they knew well, from both observation and experience; and equally were they apprised of the blessedness which must result from being true to him. Obedient service, they were fully aware, meant life and prosperity ; it meant national greatness and perpetuity. And just as fully did they know that disobedience meant national weakness, discomfiture, disintegration, and, if long persisted in, national destruction. They did not need any more light, nor could they reasonably ask for any additional discipline. They knew the way perfectly. Why should they hesitate another moment to walk in it? It was Joshua's conviction that these people were without excuse, not only for any further rebellion, but for any additional delay. Hence his fervent appeal to them to choose at once whom they would serve. He must have felt also that an immediate decision was called for by the peculiar situation in which they were placed. Brought Importance of by the good hand of God into a new Ri & htB ^ inni ^ s - country, and newly invested as they were with national responsibility, what more fitting than that they should at once acknowledge God as their king, and begin immediately to serve him? An important epoch was this ; it was the beginning of a new era, and Joshua, well knowing how much the beginning has to do with the continuance and the ending, did all he could, in his closing address, to prevail upon these Israelites to begin their new life in that new country by choosing to serve — to fully serve and to constantly serve — him whose right hand and outstretched arm had delivered them from the bondage of Egypt. These were the grounds of Joshua's urgency in the appeal he made to the Jews, and upon similar grounds do we base the appeal we are making to these young people.