The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-11-21

the dark banner of Asiatc despOtsm and slavery
on the free soil OF Greece Heaven forbid
And could | prove so insensible to every prompt.
ing of patriotic duty and affection, not only
would you, fell w citizens. gathered, many of
you from distant States, who have come to take
part in these pious Offices of gratitude-you, re-
speced fathers. brethren, mat rons, sisters, who
surround me, cry out for shame, but the forms
of brave and patriotic men who fill these honored
graves would heave with indignation beneath
the sod.
We have assembled, friends, fellow-citizens,
at the invitation of the Executive of the great
Central State of Pennsylvania, seconded by the
Governors of eighteen other loyal States of the
Union, to pay the last tribute of respect to the
brave men whs, in the hard thought battles, of
the first, second and third days of July last, laid
down their lives for the country on these hill
sides and the plains spread out before us, and
whose remains have been gathered into the GEM
etery which we consecrate this day. AS my eye
ranges over the f-lds whose sods were SO lately
molstened by the blood of gallant aud loyal men,
| feel as never before, how truly it was said of
old that it is sweet and becoming to die for
ones country, | feel, as never before, how
justly, from the dawn OF history to the present
time, men have paid the homage Of their graft.
tude and admiration to the emory Of those
who nobly sacrifice their lives that their fellow
men may live in safety. And if this tribute
were ever due, when--to whom-could it be
more justly paid than to those whose last resting
place we this day commend to the blessing Of
Heaven and of men,
The orator then recounted the movements of
the two armies preliminary to and during the
great battle. Afterward he pays the following
tribute to the brothers and sisters of charity,
who blessed the battlefield with their ministra-
| ton
| must leave to others, who can Go it fl ON
personal observation, to describe the mournlul
spectacle presented by these hillsides and plains
at the close of the terrible conflict. 1t was the
saying of Duke of Wellington, that next to
defeat, the saddest thing is victory. The hor
rors of the battlefield, after the contest is over
the sights aud sounds of woe--let me throw
pail over the scene, which no words can ade-
quately depict to those who have not witnessed
it on which no Que who has witnessed 1t, and
who has heart in his bosom, can bear to dwell
One drop of blam alone, one drop of heaven
ly, life-giving balm, mlngles IN this bitter cup
of misery. Scarcely has the cannon ceased to
roar, when the brethren and sisters of Christian
benevolence, ministers of compassion, angels of
pity, hasten to the field and the hospital, to
noisten the parched tongue, to bind the ghast-
| ly wounds, to soothe the parting agones alike
of friend and foe, and to catch the last whls-
pered messages OF love from dying lips. " Carry
this miniature back to my dear wife, but do not
take it from my Jsom till | am gone" '' Tell
my sister not to grleve for me, am willing to
die for my country " Oh, that my mother
We're here" When, since Aaron stood between
the living ard the dead, was there ever min
istry like this 1t has been said that it is char
acteristic OF Americans to treat women with
de- ference not paid to them in any other coun-
try. will not undertake to say whether this is
So bur will say that since this terrible war has
| been waged, the women of the loyal States, if
never before, have entitled themselves to our
highest admiration and gratitude alike those
who at home, often with fingers unused to toll,
often bowed beneath their own domestic cares,
have performed an amount of daily labor not
| less than hers VIII works for her daily bread,
and those who, in the hospital and tent of the
Sanitary Commission have rendered services
which millions could not buy. Happily the la
Dor and the service are their own reward
Thousands of matrons and thousands of maid
ems have experienced delight In these homelY
tolls and services, compared with which the
pleasures Of the ball room and the opera house
are tame and unsatisfactory. This on earth is
reward enough, buta richer is in store for them.
Yes, brothers and sisters of charity, while you
bind up the wounds of the poor suferers-the
humblest perhaps that have shed their blood
for the country, forget not who it is that will
hereafter say to you +" lnasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of these, my breth-
rem, ye have done it unto me-"
We are obliged to omit Mr.. Everett's conclu-
sive argument against the rebellion, and con-
tent ourselves with copying the following ap
propriate peroration
The people of Loyal America will never take
to their confidence or admit again to share in
their government the hard-h hearted men whose
cruel lust of power has brought this desolatine
war upon the land, but there is no pereona bit
terness felt even against them. They may live
if they can bear to live alter wantonly causing
the death of 50 many thousand fellow men they
may live in safe obscurity beneath the shelter OF
the government they have sought to overthrow
or they may fly to the protection of the govern
ments of Europe-some of them are already
there seeking, happily in vain, to obtain the aid
1 OF foreign powera il furtherance of their own
treason. There let them stay. The humblest
dead soldier that lies cold and stiff in his grave
before us is an object OF envy beneath the clods
that cover him in compa ison with the living
man who is willing to grovel at the foot OF a
foreign throne, tor assistance in comprising the
ruin of his country
But the hour is coming and now is, when the