Life — June 2, 1887 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

306 ~ LIFE - UNACCOUNTABLY OVERLOOKED. i i my travels I have met with a great many individuals who are full of information about a war which they say took place in some parts of this country about twenty- five years ago. It is queer that nothing about it ever got into the papers. It occurs to me, also, that some steps should be taken to preserve some of this information for future use. Our children, if we have any, or if not, our grandchildren will want to know something about this war, and it is time that some sort of a history of it was committed to paper. Some of the men who know all about it are very old, and all of them are aging rapidly. Soon they will leave us, and take with them their rich stores of reminiscences. if they cannot be induced to convert them into a substantial form as a legacy. We cannot depend upon oral tradition in this age as people were obliged to do in the hoary past. The rising generation is too much engrossed*in baseball and other educational matters to permit of sitting at the feet of the sages who know all about the | late conflict, and learning by heart their recital of its battles, its marches, its sieges, its campaigns, and the important parts they took in the stirring events. I will mention one incident I deem worthy of preservation. A friend of mine, Major Baggs, told me one day all about the battle of Gettysburg, in which he was an active participant. attributed to Major Baggs’ gallantry. This was clear from his own statements. On another occasion I happened to mention the siege of Vicksburg to the Major, whereupon he gave mea thrilling account of the whole affair, as he was attached to General Grant's staff at the time. Now, Vicksburg fell on the same day that decided the conflict at Gettysburg, and as the two localities are somewhat removed from each other, Major Baggs must have traveled very fast in his earnest desire to put down | the war. Such glorious deeds as these ought to be recorded for the emulation of coming generations, and I hope they will be. Major Baggs’ exploits are only samples of hundreds, and all ought to take their place in history. Perhaps, if the matter were brought properly before some of our magazine publishers, they would consent to print these reminiscences, accompanied by maps of battles and pictures of the writers. I think it would pay, too, The only imaginable reason why it has never been done is that the magazine editors have never thought of it. I make no charge for the sug- gestion, valuable as I believe it to be. It is made solely in the interest of history. Wm. H, Siviter. “ AY I help you to alight?” said a young man to a lady about to leave her carriage. ‘* No, thanks,” said she, “I don’t smoke.” HOW RETRIBUTION OVERTOOK A WICKED Indeed, much of the Union success of the third day can be | THE NEW POISON. Would-be Suicide: GIMME THREE | CENTS’ WORTH OF MILK, QUICK! Dealer: VERY SORRY, SIR, BUT I CAN’T LET YOU HAVE IT WITHOUT A DOCTOR’S PRESCRIPTIO A HINT FOR VICTORIA. IGGINS: I see by the morn- ing paper that the Celtic and Britannic have come together with a crash in mid-ocean. WIGGINS: That's nothing won- derful; the two nations have been at loggerheads ever since I - was born. HicGins: But the funny part of it is that the British Queen came to the rescue, and helped to bring the two safe to port. Wonder if the Old Lady won't look on this as an omen? EE the man hold up the post! Is the post loose? No, the man is tight. comicbooks.com