The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-29
Decoration Day-The Memorial Ce-
remOnies at Arlington Heights
An Eloquent Address by
Hon. Samuel s. Fisher,
Commissioner Of
Patents.
Attack Of the Savages on
Western Settlements.
Financial and Commercial
FROM W:ASHLyNG TON.


Address by Hon. =. =. Fisher.
Despatch to The Epening telegraph
WASHINGTON, May 29.-The impressive ceremonies
of decorating the graves Of our dead soldiers at the
Arlington Cemetery took place to-uay, in the pre-
sence of an immense concourse OF people. The Hon.
S. S. Fisher, OF Ohio the Commissioner of Patents
delivered the following address on the occasion -
year ago these mounds, beneath which dead
heroes sleep, were strewn with garands by loving
hands, and watered by tears from loving eyes The
flowers that we scattered have long since withered;
away; summer and autumn and winter have come
and gone. Each grave has been wrapped in wind
ing sheet OF snow, and bleak winds have sung drges
over the spot which the living had deserted.
But nature never forgets the dead. From her lap
she brings forth green blades and leaves and modest
wild flowers, and herself decks their graves with
beauty We only add her gifts us to her gifts
to them. She does more than this; for II there be
any tomb unknown to us, or that we have forgotten
any peaceful sleeper in some village churchyard i'm
the lonely wood by the roadside, the ford on the
picket line, or tenting still on the old camp ground"
She has found the spot where he lies and hung over
him her mantle Of beauty.
II these graves be dear to her, by how much more
are they dear to u.s.
We read, in old familiar story, that one day in the
Roman forum the earth opened, and great gulf
yawned in the very midst. The augurs said that
this gulf would never close its hOrrid mouth until it
had been fed with the most precious thing in Rome
There was doubt as to what the most precious thing
might be, when young soldier, armed and
mounted rode boldly forward and plunged into
the ChaSm declaring tnAt there could be nothing
precious life given for ones country.
One day in our own land stretching from side to side
from ocean to desert, a great gulf yawned, dividing
in twain families communities, States-yea the very
nation itself Into this widening chasm we have cast
most precious possessiOns-the youth, the
strength the talent the virtue the patriotism OF the
land. From homes where grey-haired grandsres
still spoke of Washngton-from cabins which shell
shores that he had left in search of freedom"from
the lap of luXury-from cramping poverty-from the
waysde forge of the blacksmth-rom the broad acres
Of 10 IN from fOp pIa aurip
pioneer-from the jewelled cave Of the miner-from
the halls where pale students gathered-from the
marts of trade where busy merchants thronged-
with the bounding step of youth-with the sober
walk of manhood-ay, and with the halting of age,
nation and its foes. Life dear to them as to
others, death not more welcome; but life must end,
and death must come and they sang the song of the
old hero ''who kept the bridge so well":-
Then % out sPakes brave Horatius,
To every man upon this earth
Death cometh, soon late;
AF6 F6an GoS fsSns c&m mSn faSrfn %le o5ds SsEter
For the ashes of his fathers
And the temple of his godsg"
The gulf is closed, but seams and scars like these
remind MS how imminent the danger and how great
the sacrifice. The storm has passed, but many giants
of the forest laid low, and many trunks torn
and twisted, and mamed and blasted.
We can never chant in too lofty strains the praises
of those who saved the nation. No body of men
were ever more unseldsh, more truly patriotic,
actuated by noble motives, less led by the love of
gain, less goaded by ambition less deluded by the
phantom OF glory Glory! Why here in our presence,
beneath yonder monument, rest more than two regi-
ments OF your countrymen whose very names are
unknown, yet whose deeds were noble whose
loss is as keenly felt whose places as hard to f
and for whom as many teardrops fall, as for any
whose titles are cut in enduring bronze or scuptured
marble
these. Fire no minute gun their graves-toll
funeral bell Rejoice rather that the nation mas
given birth to such Deck their tombs with the
crowns and garlands and laurel wreaths of victory
Bid their children and ours mark well their exam
ple and for ourselves let draw fresh inspirations
OF love for our land and for liberty, and seek from
them lessons of deiverance from narrow party
spirit, greed of gain, and lust Of power.
And, first among these lessons these graves remind
us that we have country. This seemed once to be
doubted. We were told by unfriendly nations, and
ourselves repeated and half believed the charge that
we were such worshippers OF gold that we had lost
the love OF country-that the very form Of gov
ernment had fostered State pride and destroyed
pride in the nation-that men loved party but not
their native land-that they hated their political OPP
ponents, but not their counrys foes-that boasting
Of our liberty, were nation of slaves-that our
coin was a circulating falsehood, and our flag
haunting lie.
This reproach has been taken away forever; but
the answer TO the foul slander is found not much
in the great uprising when Sumter fell-not so much
in the nag OF Barbara Fretchie and the thousands of
waving banners that ioated from loyal housetops-
not so much in the gathering bands OF armed men or
in the treasure freely profered IL is found here II
any man snail hereafter ask, "DO Americans love
ther country, "Have we q naton?" From these
mounds snail the question receive its final, con-
elusive, eterlat answer; for, If these men had no
country, why are they here?
Another lesson which we review to-day is the Oft
told tale OF history that nation can live that IS
Iounded upon wrong. There was time when we
refused 10 heed thls warnings stilled the voice OF
conscience and dehed the voice of God we sought
in the virtues Of fathers to find excuse for their
errors; we put union before right and with the
memory OF dead compromises sought to shut out the
knowledge OF living wrongs. We failed. Not until
we STOOD squarey upon right and liberty did success
follow our banners Repentng of our sin, we live,
WINE our Zoe, VINO chung To IT, has pershed. But we
were SLOW 70 learn TINS lesson aud the teaching was
sharp and terrible. How the young the brave, the
noble, the good upon either side, were mady saor-
nced tnat we might learn that
"Rlght Is might, and truth is God" For how
many weary DAYS and months and years the war
dragged slowly n,while upon both sides prayed
WIN equal unctlon Tor Divine assistance! Both
sides were wrong, and no help came TO either When
we became right the fight was over We were fight
ing Tor Unloni they were lighting for slavery. God
meant that we should fight for liberty and whatever
statesmen may plan or armies strive to execute,
His truth goes marching on"
II Is but little while since these hills were great
iorlncaton, resounding with the notes OF war.
here, III lohg-eAtended chain, around the seat OF
| government, stood the men who now rank upon
rank rest behind the battlements which they built
ana manned. Then their living bodies protected
the capltal OF the nation from the grasp OF those who
would nave seized upon it with unhailoWed hands,
VINO would nave withsood the will OF the people and
perverted the Iree Institutions of the land Those
| nVlhg lines were never broken; the city over which
they rest from their labors and hardshlps but they
remain at the post OF duty. They sleep, but they
sleep in line or battle and sleep upon their arms.
IL seems as II IN the grey OF morning the long roll
might break their Hlumbers, and that mighty host
would fall into line and stand again 10 their guns;
wall OF defense