Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-06-01

! pose ana one thought.
! From ocean to ocean, from lake TO gulf, by
common consent of the American people, this is
! decoration day--commemoration Of the heroic
| deeds of the fallen braves who lie entombed in
| these cities of the dead
The nation to-day, clothed in the solemnity
of mourning, bedeeks these graves wherein
| sleeps in consecrated burial, the martyred sol
der of equal rights to all men, the culnuination
in fact and in truth of a perfect government
| among men.
| This votire celebration inaugurated at the
close of the war by fathers, mother, sisters and
| brothers. widows and orphans, will be rs eternal
and as life long as the principles Of freedom it.
self. We will cherish with our bruised hearts
the virtues and manly heroism of the American
| soldiery who are buried in this reverential
| sepulchre as long as the memories ofthe war are
fresh, whose fires are to be eternal No spirit of
anger actuate, no revenge prompts no detormed
pride ofan impudent victor directs the soelmn
ceremonies, the floral exercises the songs and
| musicin this national decoration; no unbecoming
allusion in word, action, or even thought to
fallen foe lost cause, in all this grand patri-
otto assemblage of Tennesseeans is heard, seen,
| or felt.
We cherish their virtues, their deeds we
freely give this, poor and humble offering as it
is of our love and our faith in the legacy which
cost them their existence and as an annual COW
enant renewed that we will perpetuate protect
and defend that old flag even at the noble sacri-
flee which you, American soldiers, made--will
we likewise make. We do not swear to do
more than you did to maintain the honor of that
old banner but by the recoleetions of the ter
rible conflicts of the past in which you were all
heroes, and the fruitful antcipations of the grand
future, we swear to do no less; and the spirit of
| each green mound we name as witnesses to this
our covenant. To cherish, to hold sacred your
memories is heaven-born and God-given. Our
duty to do so was additionally enjoined, begin
ming with the primal annual commemoration by
and under the inspiration of the Grand Army Of
the Republics and once year we will come
down from our mountain and valley homes for
all time to come and count one more day in
these V0tive exercises under the waves of this
same old flag, with garlands, green and spring
emblems of love and affection, with patriotic
fire in our hearts, llndled with cherished rccol-
leclions of these heroes in the Egyptian dark
ness of our country throes, bedeck the graves
known and unknown-the nations chill
dren-our comrades; demanding, too, in
this golden covenant for the unknown child
of the Republic lying yonder, in his name
and by his memory, a bar rier to prevent
another recurrence of n rebellion in this,
now mourning and yet prosperous coun-
try. And, comrades, with these fond recolec-
tionsof our martyred comrades, we here, as in
our camps and posts, swear to unity of States
permanency OF government, and paramount al
legiance to single sovereign government pro-
lection and care to and for the widow and or
phan of those who will no more forever come
| home to cheer the desolate hearthstone and fire.
circle-te dry up and wipe away the tears of
gloom and loneliness, and be q national COM
forter for losses irreparable.
lzed and Christian people, all indoetrnated into
| one common cause, one common country one
common end and destiny should be solemnly
observed through all future time.
1t may be political, as distinguished from des-
potic government; it is not partisan, and never
can be, because of its national and universal
dorsement because it is the spontaneous out
pourings of the heart and soul; it is the elo-
quence of inspiration painted on the canvas of
| time as beautiful, grand and sublime as the
drawings of the matchless Raphael, and as
demonstratiye and perfect as the illustrations of
| the illustrious Angel on the blue canopy of the
| armament. 1t imparts the all-absorbng and
consuming patriotism of great and powerful
people to the rising generation, planting in their
| hearts love of country, to the exclusion of all
private ends and selfish aims; it fires their souls
| to deeds of greatness and ennobling acts of
Christianity It blights nothing, but enriches
| all; it erects church spires and educates the
| mind it concentrates the enthusiasm of the
! youthful man to one single cyclopean object the
development of this Government, in its human
izing career in the car of progress such as no
! people ever before set in motion, and against
which no opposition can in the least obstruct or
mislead. Such is the invaluable lesson taught
| to the rising generation by these solemn duties
| to the memory of a nations dead.
| The rpdiments of empire here
| Are plastic yet and warm,
| The chaos OF a mighty world
| Is rounding into form"
This beautiful and lovely exercise of to-day in
the strewng of flowers whose pefumes are watt
| ed by the zephyrs heavenward so should the
| earnest prayers of men and women rise to the
throne of the one eternal God for eace-glorious
peace--and war--r0vage war--may never again
| be visited upon this favored land, and may
| such ardent invocations presented to the Most
| High, by that angelic army Of mediators from
1 these national heactombs, bring showers of
peace, heavenly grace, and blessings of saliva
| ton to us a nation May il be of such power
| and force as to blot out forever, the sophistry
| of Shakespeare when he taught in poetic tyre,
| ''that the white man rnlos the day, and the
black man rules the night and that other
| too-true saying of Golriel that the law rules
| the poor man, and the rich man rules the law J"
| and that our aim, purpose and destiny is a
] government of homogeniety, were it possible
| with our frail human natures to draw lines of
demareation and distictioh as between the
military organization ofthe spiritual city as i'd
| dicated by the inscriptions, above all others the
| inner veil of our hearts turn with fondest afec-
| ton and sprng-time caresses TO those centuums
bearing the sign of the unknown If one
sarchophagus is entitled TO floral discrimina-
| ton in this mausoliuEi, 1t favors without argu-
ment that comprehensive unknown The great
antedeluvian law giver-the God ike Moses,
who, upon Mount Sinai, face to face, commun-
ed as no man born of woman. He who thnn-
dered forth deicts to a world is in the land OF
Moab, but none except seraphims can indicate
the place of burial, unknown is a sepulcral
Specification awakening the love and sympathy
and challenging the excigrapher for recon
ciiabe definition. With Moses are these spir-
its cataIogued amp enrolled in the great Book
| ond rouiafor of time and IN rs will he 'un-