St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1870-07-15
GRAFTON.


HY &. a. HUNKEr, An.
10 sorrow for the dead is common to
all mankind. The cpitaph of flowers
written in spring over cherished graves
the marble slab; the stately monu-
mcnt ; the massive mausuleum all
proclaim how deeply this principle is
implanted in the human heart. In
obedience 10 this Heaven. cugcndercd in
silnct of our nature, We have met to-
day, fellow citizens, 70 perform services
commemorative of the scf-abandonimg
devotion and Vicarious suffering OF those
dear 10 the hearts ot this people. and
which shall. | trust. be crcditahlc to the
generosity, the patriotism. and the nr-
prcc.alion oi Us who have been 50 ben
lifted 10y the brave conduct ot our glori-
"u>l heroic soldier dead. 1t i cminc.Ily
fitting that we should do this When
We remember the fearful sacrifices OF
those brave men who went forth from
among u~ - chccfiuiiy and gave their lives
80 willingly to re-c~!abii>h and perpctuatc
for ". religion, liberty and law, it Ger
t"in'y nccomcS duty. IL well rs a priv
lIr@e am! pleasure, thus t. remember
their gallant daring and sublime devc-
ton to principle.
Oi all The noble acts tlat man Is ca
pablc Of performing, there are none that
80 challenge the respect AMI reverence of
hl- kind as ricu5ouS suffering. From the
creation Of the world this noilcSt at:ri-
butte Of man had been developing until ii
cuImin 1tcd upon the Gross. and the Gross,
Tor more than eighteen hundred wears.
has stood a. an example TO all mankind,
urging them TO this highest and noble,t
principle of human action.
In order to Il proper appreciation OF
the sacrifices of those TO whose memory
we lave met to pay homage today, let
rs dwell tor few moments upon tie
oITgi" AZ ar gor0uDseid, it. bcacfcnce TO
A""0"ity, and lie b.mfts yc>uitmg Jjom
H'e "on Jor IT'S pc'pct"ay, in the confident
assurance that such Il review will lead
u 10 a more sensible knowledge of tine
-utierlngs endured, TO a lofiicr patriotism
and more thorough cCn>ccralion TO the
work OF maintaining intact those ma-
iltnal Institutions secured to Us by our
patriotic dead.
Oar goodiy form of government, the
prldc-and justly tou-yl every American
citizen, securing 10 lis subjects blessing:
nnumerabIe, protecting tEeir most pfcc-
ICu~ rights, i, but the normal develop
mcnt OF thc pasl,-an epilome of all that
Is excellent IN government and religion
Sincc the creation of the world The
conflict OF which our legislative s;Slcm
is the Grand polite i con,umma,ion, be
gan iar back IN the wurlI'> history. in
the garden Ul Eden. 1t was when Satan
''>quat like toad close to thc ear of Eve
Whispered "Thou shalt not surely
die, That the contest between truth and
error, virtue and vice. light and wrong.
liberty and despotiSm, commenced ON
earth, and the contest has continued with
varying fortune up through the creeping
centuries. To the desperation of the
conflict and tierCcness of the strife the
bloody annals OF antiquity are sad but
truthful witnesses. Th. struggle has
been perpetual between the rich and
poor, the strong and the weak, the pco-
pie and fortunes favored few, on the one
hand Tor power, and on The other for
Natural Rights all because man has
neglected to learn by healt, those moi lest,
trucsi, sublimc,t words, ever uttered by
lips human or divine. ''Whatsocver yc
would that men should do to you, do We
even 80 TO them" In mans attempt to
establish systems OF government upon
prcccpiS different from those cabodied in
these divine words, it Is interesting and
instructive to witness his failure Where
are those mighty governments of antiq-
uity that failed to apply this principle in
Their theories, Thebes, with her hun
/ dred gates, her multitude of chariots and
her million warriors, has passed away.
/ he kingdom of the Ptolomies, the nur-
scly of the arts and sciences, great in
/ literature and civilization, has become
the dwelling place of rude barbarians.
Greece, once SO mighty i'll all those ele-
men;s That make Il nation great, the land
Oi Dcmo,thencs and home Of the csthetic
aris, Is to-day Il weak and puerile ma
ton. Rome, the scourge and glory OF
mankind, everlasting monument Of hu-
man greatness and Gods torbearance,
after a few years of her existence, forgot
this essential maxim in her civil polity,
and the sun Of her past glory went down
in '.drapcry crimsoned with her own
blood" The failure Of all these govern
menls resulted from the same cause
They all alike refused to recognize the
truth of those words | have betor, quo
ted, "Whatsoever ye would that men
should do to you, do ye even so tc
them 1t was not until our Puritan
forelathers, after unlimited prosecutions
III the Old World, conceived the happy
idea ct government by the whole peo-
pie that the Legitimate end of human leg,
lsiation was answered. The Pilgrims
thoroughly imbued with the doctrine o
Il government 'by the people and for the
people" in the wilderness Of newly dis.