Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1870-11-23

ness. All the Republics OF ancient Greec
thus paid their tribute of gratitude to th'
patriotism of their sons. On the field o
Marathon where the Athenians encountered
the hordes of Persia. threatening to sub
merge Europe in one general deluge of uni
verssl despotism, and victOriOusly stemet
that fearful tide OF subjugation, their admi.
ring fellow citizens built mound inscribed
with the names of the fallen,-a mound
which still stands to remind the scholar and
the western lover of liberty of the gallant
men who fought upon that day. There each
succeeding year, so long as Greece main
tanned her freedom. a panegyrical funeral
Grafton was delivered and thus the fires o.
patriotism were kept burning bright, by re.
counting the incidents of that wonderful
fight. Through every epoch of Greccian
history, up to the very pinnacle OF her great
ness, and down through the long olympiads
of her decline and fal! the youth OF Greece
repaired to Marathon TO renew their patriot
ism as the Moslem in long succeeding ages
made their pilgrimages to Mecca To Invigorate
their faith.
$50 stranger and to listening Sprrtans tell,
That here Obedieat to her laws we fell"
is the modest, yet suggestive inscription on
the column erected at the pass of Thcimopylae
consecrated to the memory of thar glorious
band of three hundred, who, animated solely
by sense of duty and alteration of freedom
resisted to the death the myriad of the Per
sian invader. What Greek could ever pass
that sacred spot, and read that simple record
without feeling his blood tingle through his
veins, without thrill of exultation that
here the sword of Hellas hal carved its way
through eastern barbarsm anil preserved a
civilization? what Greek could 70 thence
without an honest pride of the place and the
occasion, elevating him almost to the height
Of the heroic souls WHO there gave up their
lives. In ancient Rome the instinct of ma
tionality inspired their Bards, who in verse
recounted the herOism of an Horatius, Coolies,
the sacrificing patriotism of Mutius ScavO
Ia, the self devotion an immolation of a Quin
titus Curtius, and the unselfsh martyrdom
OF Decius. These songs, recalling the great
ness OF their ancestors, animated the hearts
of the Roman citizens to increase the great
ness of Rome and extend her dominions
throughout the entire civilized world
France has not been Ingrateful to her deser
wing children; those who have devoted life
or limb to the glory of the ''trl color" Visit
her queen city now beleagurrd as it is, and
you will find the debris of the veterans OF
guard over the ashes of their
military idol ia the Hotel Des Invalides,
where in comfortable quarters. with com.
missaiy well supplied by their grateful
country they recount the glories of 1.-The little
Corporal" and pray for the presence of his
genius in this the hour of their military dis
grace,
Cross the channel and there we find
that England who has owed so much to the
patriotism of her sons, is not unmindful of
the respect due to the dead whose valor has
borne the fiery cross of Saint
George TO the most remote regions; nor of
The duties she owes to the survivors of the
many sanguinary fields on which, at the
close of day, when the sun went down,
hat same fiery cross imperialy blazed, radiant
with victory. Tielsnd is stutl>lcd over with
monuments which gratitude has raised to the
memory of her land and naval heroes. Wool.
1ich is noble sister of the Hotel Des In.
ialides. There the worn out veteran, with
Ill his wants anticipated and supplied, be-
yuiles the day with stories of the Iron Duke,
,r tells how he and his comrades in the far
'H realms of the once imperial AurungZebe
net and overcamc the desperate valor Of the
ierce and hitherto unconquered Sikhs. In
Greenwich the shattered hulks of England's
naval heroes are moored safely in harbor for
ite. Here Jack spins his yarns of storm and
aim, and the many wonders of the deep
gain he engages broadside to broadside at
Aboukir or Trafalgar recOunts the glories
If Nelson and of Colingwood, and chants
With unabated ferver and undoubting mind
Britannia Rules the Wave" am rem inded,
Whilst we dedicate this shrine to the memory
# those who laid their lives upon their
Ounlry's altar, that some of their surviving
rlppled comrades are now begging their
read through the country, the life and uni |
y OF which their valor has preserved. There |
5 tongue, my friend, in every gaping scar
i these wounded, manned men, living mon |
ments as they are. crying aloud to you of |
he ingratitude of the nation in not procur- |
lg homes where these wrecks OF war could |
nd their days IN peace, content and plenty, |
Ike the remnants OF the defenders of the |
of which have spoken. Are |
republics always to be ungratcful? 1 hope |
ot in this instance. 1t is true, however,
hat our great Commonwealth has made an
dvance in the right direction 10y its muni !
cent endowment of the schools for the
lantainance and education of the orphans of
hose who fell in our great civil strife. The
violence of this great charity IS before us to-
=
yed children, the death of whose fathers
pom the battle field has bequea,hed to them
n heritage of honor. Being helpless in
heir childhood, the State says-I will adopt
ou as my wards; / will nurture and edu-
ate you; will instil into your mind the
reat principle, the defence of which made
ou fatherlcss, ana when you arrive at man.
ood you will be ready and willing to de-
md the soil of your State and the honor of
ne flag OF your country and should the Oc-
lsion require, which God forbid, follow the
,ad and emulate the example Of your patri-
tic sires In the old world, monarchies have
rected monuments, not to the rank and file,
OF to the soldier whose valor and privatiOns
on victory, but to the privileged few, whom
le accident of birth had invested with au-
lority. You my friends, erect this mOnu-
ent upon no such principle, you do not de-
On to perpetuate the memory the p-ivileg.
1 few, hut you recognize the merits of the
lizen soldier And never in the worlds
istory did citizen soldiery deserve better of
country. Cast your eyes backwards for
w years and take a retrospect Of our strug-
C for national existence consider the i'm
ensity of the danger to which the nation
as exposed; consider the magnitude of the I
terests at stake, and conceive the awful I
II the nation bad proved untrue
itself Upon .he determination of the
sue depended not only the integrity of our
rritory, the union of the States and their
greatness, the liberties of our
Ives and all Who should come after us,
1t also the welfare of the millions of the
d world who look to the United States as
cir future homes where they, too, could en-
Y the liberty they so much admire and 6
vet Free government itself was upon
al. Free government, which, like another
oah's ark was sailing over the waters of q
ne, freighteG with the hopes of mankind, q
d carrying in her bosom those vital prin-
)les of freedom which are eventually to
We life to the world. Truly then this was
struggle for national existence-a struggle
reed upon us by portion of our fellow c
liens, who held firmly in their hands and
der their control two of the three |
apchps IF hn al 1.u;,