The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-06-13
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Address.

FroW he IIaShlHg!oE itep0rteF. .. Zip. .....
In rising to address this audience upon
such MI occasion rs has called II together
to-day, | naturally ask myself what IL
civilian my appropriately say i'll the pres
cnCc Of those who urc here assembled to
pay a fresh tribute to the memory OF COM
radcs that fell in battle, or persisted by the
wavsidc, or died in the prisons and hospi.
tails during the war against the rebellion
Here arc many persons before me who
have practical understanding Of what
this day means, either through their own
personal experience during the war or
through the experience Of near and dear
friends, some OF whom lie buried in these
grounds, others in the grounds Of some
National cemetery, and others, pcrchancc,
in some lone spot in some far of region,
where no grave WAS ever made.
In the presence Of such experiences any
one who has lot been called to pass
through them may well hesitate Us 10 how
he should lin up his voice. =,
In u certain sense OF the word we oil
sympathize with suffering whenever We
sec il or hear OF il. There is scarcely any
heart so cold TINT II does not 90 out some
distance towards those who are in distress
or who have endured affection This COM
mon instinct of our common humanity is
the one touch Ofmturc that makes MI the
world OF kim Aud espcciRlyis this our
instinct towards those who have suffered
disintcrestedIy IN n ctEuse tllatwasnot per-
sonal To themselves. Alltheworld apprc'
ciates and participates in sympathy for
those who suffer or die for the sake Of 9th
crs. And since the day the human family
became separated into natiOnalities, pNtri'
otism has been esteemed the most disintcr'
ested cans0 in which men could suilcr OF
die. = And hence all people cvTyw hre
honor the dead who dir for their country.
But in the nearer and more sacred sense
Of the word sympathy there are only II
limited few, even Alter a great war like
ours, who can enter into the holy oihOliCs
and attempt to bind up the wounds Of
broken hearts with the consultations Of
speech. And these are they whose souls
have been ChaStcncd and disciplined by II
common experience in atlliCtiOn, or whose
lips have been purified from all earthly
dross hy near communion with that COM
mon Source Of Ill sympathy inthe heavens
above. II Is not for the common speaker
to more than alludc TO tho great bereaVo-
menls OF those who mourn their fallen in
the war. And yet It seems not implons to
think that il BY the shedding of any drop
wLats0ever'Ot lmimanlIlOod any intCrccs.
sion could be made ON high for these be.
reavcd ones, surely tho great sacrifice OF
so many precious lives onthe altar u their
couatrysfrdanplidti woaTu ailtOlight.
en- the burden OF their heavy hearts.
In the great Crrsadcs OF the middle ages
for the rescue. Of the Holy ScpulChrc
from the inhlcl SarNCcns, the men Of God
appeared in the ranks where Christian
Europe withstOOd, TIC shock of battle and
with grand appeals 10 the zeal Of the sol,
ders bore up on their holypalms us Il rich
propitiatiOn in the sight Of Heaven the
souls of their dead and dying comrades,
Tina; wus'a crusade on behalf Ofagrand
and noble idea. one that rolled back the
tide olSIOlammcdun harbarism beyond the
Mediterranean sca, md, lhlmNnly speaking,
it was fitting that IIIuSr who engaged in ii
should have believed themselves fighting
their way to heaven. In all ages the mar.
tyr's crown has been assigned 10 him who
falls IN the martyFscause. Andnone have
been so blessed with the prayers Of The
GOOD as .tlIORe,whO have laid down their
lives for their Country's liberties > Even
the Pagans orantiQuity believed flat smell
were transported direct from earth to hcav'
en- TO he conspicuous forever IN the society
oCthc blessed This was a Beautiful bdicI
and IN its origin and tradition brings down
10 us IN understanding Of the esteem in
which even n rude civilization held the
example ofthosc who sacrificed themselves
for the publicgood. We need not stop hero
to discuss thCth cory oft, bUtlcaVe the viz
tues oftho soldier, rs Of every one clSc
who falls at his post in the great battle OF
life, where they in
"Trrmbllng hope rcpOsc, - y..- 90.
Tho bos0uI OF his Father and his Cod" "
In this mixed audience, composed Of
those who served the country in various
capacities during the war, as soldiers ut the
front and friends at the rear, | shall speak
to no one class distinctively, but TO oil "a
the bcnefaCt0rs Of q common cause and the
recipients Of common benefits To ctcll
one perhaps his place was appointed in
order that the final result might he accom-
plishcd, hutwe Rll.by common consent, rs
Is most fitting and natural, award the
highest position to him who took his life In
his hand and exposed himself where danger
was most tobc expected All TINT man
has will he give, for his life, and therefore
the manwh0 6lltrS his lie offers nlorrthnr
any one else, and his is the better part in
public estimation. The man who gives
everything hut his lite, noble and disintcr'
estcd ms may be his sacrifices still retains
that which il the supreme test OfdcvOtiOr
to ANY cause The cause may fail but
still ltfs remains, and life under almosI
any circumstances is precious, according
to the great law OF our nature There,
fore il il that the people Of the United
States today honor the soldier more than
all others who had aught " do with thu
supnrcssiOn Of the rebellion. Because thu
soldiers OF our Grand Army Of the ltCpuh
lie, like the eatApostle Of the Gmtilcs
gave themselves to die daily for the Caust
and thereby gave n test Of devotion to I
that no civilian could give. And there
fore It Is that the political parties OF th'
day, recognizing and dcirrring 10 thi
well understood popular appreciation o
the soldier, make haste 10 Oulbid eaCl
other by selecting available names from
the late army rolls to place upon their re
spcCtive tickets.
| reCrr7to political parties, my felfqy
citizens, ia a non. partisan sGIlsc as lnucl
asI,oSSibIo to-day. I desire TO speak nc
ccptably to all classes OF citizens MS far IL
so doing belts tho history OF this com
mcmomtivc occasion. IrGjOicc to believe
that we can meet here at II scene like thi
with feelings sensibly sO(lcncd down b!
the lapse Of time since the close Of tn
war. Not that VIC hold less firmly to on
opinions regarding tic origin d tbe war
! ar tho ISSUES Tint lrYrlODrd during its DrO