, 1865-06-14
Il AEIROSPE3T.

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man, in plain Uniform, came to the mont Of q
psoscenium box and looked upon the brilliant,
compact and e1pectant audience At Crosby's
new Opera House. Cheer after cheer arose
from parquette, dress circle aad balcony.
Great Waves and bursts Of joyous welcome,
the hump Of canes, the patter Of glored
palms like peltlug rain, the waving Of hats,
handkerchiefs, librettos, and lo1gne:tes- All
this the calm browed MAI in the pnoscenlum
box ga1ed upon an instant, acknowledged
1t by an inclination Of the head, and took his
seat, while the curtain rose and the artists
came down to the footlights. It mattersd
little what WAS the opera Of tn. evening. It
WIS to prove but the slender thread carrying
the wreathed enthusiasm and thronging as.
sociations Of the hour. The singer sang well,
but mnch as unnet might pipe above
Niagara, very sweet but only innet. Te
the thousands ptesent, 1t was the first wreath
ing OF the sword with the white cmblems Of
peace after victory. The heroes of this war,
Grant, Sherman and Hooker, aItting down
among lorgnettcs and laces and the flutter OF
fans-perfumes and not gunpowder seeming
the air. The real opera of the evening Was
Peace, though not underlined By Imp-essstio
G1su. A strain Was fosting through the
minds Of the audience, swccter than any Of
Donjzettrs set for the hour.
In these hours OF Triumphant rejoicing, and
they are many, now that our boys are coming
home, the yislons they recall Of the dangers
past, will blend with the festivities OF vel
come and the greetings well earned by those
who have won the boon Of Peace under Lib
crty. It lis not easy while clingiog with
worn feet and weary fingers upon the rug
ged ascent to realize how the mountain looms
In the landscape. Its grandeur is seen when
Its rocks, and sleeps, md devious ways melt
into blue, \ mass pulpy in light md shadov
in 1he distance, while the full outline and
comparison with other peaks, tells upon
what high places the feet have lately trod.
That night ut the opesa WAS like = spangied
mead at the base Of the mountain, glimpse
Of Beulah in plain sight Of the hill Difficulty,
from which one could look back to tho crags
and rugged peaks ACROSS which our national
journey has lain.
A brief four years space encloses It. -Four
campaigns won back the national life, for all
the leading events are included between the
fall and the restoration OF the old fag at
Spmter. Four summers ago with eleven
States in rebellion, the capitol beleaguered,
the Potomac and Mississippi closed treason
psralyzing the power Of loyalty in Kentucky,
Missouri and Maryland, We began the Work.
Europe, willing to be deceived where sympa-
thy and faith could Keep company, believed
In the mapped breadth Of the Confectionery.
They compared the Northern States WITH thear
own Ema1!cr Ge1manlc Kingdoms and advised
MS 10 aEoid bloodshe3, and accept our destiny.
We did accept it Fifteen hundred miles OF
hostile land front, thirty five hundred nhes
Of rebel coast bounded the Territory II was
our destiny 10 eare for Freedom. 1t was QUE
destiny to call million fighting men from
civil life and they came and to repsat the
call and the response met victory hs'i way.
It was our destiny to wait through gloomy
months for leaders and they came In Gods
time, and grew as His purposes developed.
Slowly came success, as We zeckoncd 1t, to
whom the shadow scarcely moved upon the
dlal, but rapidly, as the historian will viewit,
who studies the difficulties Of path to be
cut through adsmentinc error, aud the