Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1870-06-11

Ths storied urn, The stately Msusoleum,
The marble shaft rising 10 1he Sizes o'''
zing from summit TO foundation s,o"e'
with The glorious record of their oeeu'
should III ark The resting place Of our dead.
But alas such is not our conoihon'
Upon the issue Of our late struggle We
s,aked and lost all, and now broken IN
spirit and in fortune, we ind II ou' OF ou'
mower 10 testify as nations are want 10 co.
our respect for the memory oil our ueau'
l. i, not then our duty 10 devise some
manner bei!lng our altered condiiion'
and commensurate with our means 10
nav this tribute of respect And could
we have fallen upon anything so simple.
and vet so beautiful. so unsssumlng ana
We. so eloquent Mighi not a more im'
posing and preientious display be consId.
cred a hollow and soulless form designed
rather to show nations msgnlhcence
than its tender regret, the mere conn'er-
fei, OF genuine sorrow, and IS not thIs
ceremonial free from such suspicious !!
Does il not tell in touching language OF
Our ruined condition. and of the esuma-
tion ~ which we hold our slaughtered
friends and klnsmen, and do not The very
flowers which we scatter on these graves
,sine themselves into a prouder ePIaph
than any Ihal the heart OF affection could
conceive or the hand OF inspiration pen.
From lime immemorial, flowers have
DacnlIa,lv THAR nwn and
in that dim and shadowy period. the very
twilight of civilization, ere yet The print
Ing press dnused knowledge wide
spread. and when even The simple art Of
writing was confined to the cIolster, flow
ers bore a distinguished part as q medl-
um for The conveyance Of thought.
And may not we, when language fails
US TO express The emotions OF gratitude,
Of sdmirston and affection which hIl our
hearts, and when the results OF a dlsss-
lrous " ar have deprived us OF the means
OF doing public and formal and imposing
honor TO The memory Of our dead, call
upon the flowers 10 speak 10 US in their
own chaste and beautiful language As
they fall rom our hands upon these silent
mounds, they, seem thus 10 hold con-
verse uilh our hearts. The red rose
with IT, crimson dye reminds Us of the
precious blood which was poured out as
lbalion for the cause OF freedom. The
azure hue of the FOrget-menot. the i'm
mortal color Of truth, symboIlzes the ruth
of The cause for which our heroes died and
reminds Us that we should be true 10 their
memory, forgetting not the glorious and
undyi ing past. The Lily from the i'm
msculsle purity Of its bloom is emblem
attic OF the purify Of motive with which
our fallen comrades went forth 10 do bat
tie, and Of the spolless reputation which
they left behind. while the Evergreen
whose never fading verdure makes II
the mos, expressive emblem OF lmmoit4i-
ily, whispers tie sweet hope that the
spirit. of those whom We loved and hon
ored in life, are wandering now through
the green pastures aud beside the still
waters OF Paradise.
But we are here my friends 10 perform
still other duties. The grave, Of our lost
friends are not the only ones that claim
our attention. But We should come to-
day with loving hearts and gentle hands
to stew The flowers of memory on the
grave where our banner is furled and our
cause lies sleeping. We should remem-
Der when we meet 10 do honor Ia our
dead that they are insepsrably united 10
T. 81 b., -
and if we fail to DO honor TO the one We
thereby reflect upon the other. They
believed that the cause was right We
believed that The cause was right, and to
the maintenance Of that Cause We pledged
"our lives our fortunes and or sacred
honor" And now though the the scale
has inclined against Us and the hopes
once cherished are fed, does This fact set
lie any principle or adjudlcale any right ?
Never, never ! Thank God we d. not
now, as did our supetslIIlous ancestors,
decide questions OF right and justice BY
The brutal wager OF battle" and the dog
ms that might makes right" is regarded
but as relic Of past aud almost forgot
ten age. Right Is something too subtle
and intangible to BE- overcome by mere
brute force. 1t is one of the divine al
tributes, and as such inn portal, and though
the human means Of enforcing IL may be
overihrown. the right sull survives and ~
its own good time will reassert ilseII II
our cause al lis beginning vas that Of
truth, Justice and humanity, then nothing
that has since occurred can dIvest il Of
those characteristics. II we cherished it
then why should we not cherish iIs mem
crate. So much the creatures Of expedl-
ency and policy. So welded TO selfish
and ingiorIous ease that Tor the sake Of
immunity from the petty persecution Of
ungener0us yiclOrs, We are willing to sd.
nit that we were traitors and our l,ruggle
fof freedom rebellion. Heaven forbid
We we're freemen fighting IN holy
cause, and now that that cause is lost lei
us like devoted sous kneeling around The
grave OF sslnled mOlher, mourn The
stroke hat has beresved us. Not as
those who mourn without hope. Not
with seihsh and unreasonIns grief, neg
Letting The lhIngs Of the present and Ieav.
ing TO posteriIy ruined and impoveri,h.
ed land, while We waste The precious and |
swIIy passing time in useless Sepinngs
for that which has flown from us forever.
But while with iirele,s and sleepe's en-
ergy we labor 10 build up our waste
places and to restore our fair land TO lis /.