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


own minds canvass, nor array with paltry
| speech, those sure glories which are marching
| TO our realization as q nation, and upon which
10 me t 10 Ssaeh tbsi aee Which leans
upon the staff and seeks the grave in the simple
| trust of second childhood.
For this realization, now past ali question Sc
| cured, the FIRST the decisive, the indispensable
| condition was united country, n one free peo-
| pie Shall we pause and gratefully survey the
land these dead men gave us? Shall we lift our
| eyes from contemplating the harrow limit of
| individual ownership or ambition long enough
| to see for ourselves. as other peoples see, and
| covet the greater legacy of our national great
| ness and glory2
What is there within the range of the widest
| wish that is not ours What resource, ft for
| handY From ocean to ocean spread the pillows
| of mountain and valley, of lake and river; from
the frozen North, through Temperate, to Tor
| rid Zone humanity, in all its varied types and
forms, finds climate, food and soil in exact ac-
cord with each recurring want. Multiforin as
| are mans wants can we not supply them all ?
| If at some future day, moved by the impulse of
| patriotism, there should be gathered at your
capital an assembly from every varied section
Of our land, to make offering from THEN stores
! they would ring upon your altar every metal
known to ornament or use; build new sanctu-
| airy with stones more marvellous, and woods
nore precious than the Tyrian ever saw hang
IS walls with cloths finer than the purple of
-Arabia offer for the sacrifice every clean beast
ft for an obation, and fill its stores with every
| fruit and grain and drink known to the hungry
of the earth. Whilst gathering at the altar the
| children of one country should be found the
masters of every trade and profession, the type
and best representative of every civilized race
| The fathers who laid for us the foundation on
which the national structure is builded, saw with
no uncertain eye that their legacy to us had its
chief value in the cement of union, and so over
| that structure we call the Constitution" build
| ed for beauty and for glory'-they set in shining
| words the beacon. n
4 more perfect Union ~
| Our brethren sleeping here, turning at the first
signal of war with reverent eye toward the hope
of the fathers, for the fathers work and for the
futures heritage, gave the life which was theirs
| to give-gaye it gladly-courted the last sleep
| eagerly, and having found it so, do they not
| sleep well-aye2
For freedom hallows with her tread
The silent cities OF the dead.
And beautiful in death'a they
And soon, Oh. Goddess may we be
Forever more with them and thee"
| Mr.. Chairman--When the beloved Sarah,
we'll stricken in years, rested from her labors,
the Patriarch not content to lay her in the val
common stream, sought among the sons of Heth,
| in Hebron, resting-pace, and with his shekels
| of silver, bought the cave of Machpela and the
| fields and the trees round about, that he might
| bury there "his dead out of sight"
I We choose our choicest spots, our sunniest
| hillsides-some OF us near to our doorstep, UNI
der the shade of the door-yard tree, dig the
grave of the child or the wife who, when living
| rested under its shade The Indian savage lin
| gers around our fields, not for the purpose of
hunting game, but because the graves of his faith
| ers are there. And SO from ancient days humans
ty has borne testimony to that better part of aec
I tion--that divinity which holds up the soul
| above the clay. We choose resting-place for
l the dead. envy those who dwell in this ST.
lence. / envy them their everlasting compan-
ionship of hill and dale, of greenest field and
brightest flower. | envy them the watch and
| ward of people the fame of whose patriotism
| has filed the land; and well know that howl
ever much neglected or forgotten may be other
National burying grounds. that no spring-time
1 shall ever come in the most distant tomorrow,
4 when the daughters of these mountains shall
forget to spread the garland or drop the tesc.,
know not why it is, but it was ever Sc that
| among the jewellers of the mountains have ever
been found those virtues of patriotism of social
| excellence of religious freedom, of God-fearing
devotion, which added to our stores of history
1 their most illustrious examples. Perhaps 1t is
that the clear, pure breath of heaven you
breathe, the rushing streams, the rugged land
seape and the towering peak reveal in clearer
! view the greatness and goodness of the Master.
l confess that unprepared for speech, was
tempted, with my colleague, to undertake a
journey here that | might look into the faces of
this far-famed people-to see the old men whose
unyelding devotion to the Union during the
terrible struggle was a beacon-light to the loyal
army; to see the noble women whose hands
minstered to the last wants of the heroes who
sleep in these mounds to-day; to see the young
men whose strong arms and stout hearts lent such
material aid to our noble cause, and from them
learn the eloquence Of patriotic action. l came
not here to instruct, but to learn how to love
my country better; came to the Mecca yea, to
the very Jerusalem of patriotic worship, to re-
new the spirit of devotion TO country and free
dom's cause. And now have duty to per-
forn-a message of thankfulness to deliver.
There are buried here, no doubt, citizen soldiers,
the children of the people among whom have
found hospitable home. For them, l thank
you that you have not forgotten to bedeck the
graves of Missouri soldiers. Free Missouri, re-
iocing in the blessings of freedom, and free
from the curses of the past, sends greeting to
the brave sons of East Tennessee, and in the
name of her brave men and women, L thank
you for your patriotism and respect for the
brave dead we all honor and love.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Burdetts remarks
Capt A. j. Kicks introduced Col. s. S. Boyd
member of Congress from Missouri, and by
birth Tennesseean. Col Boyd was comman
der of the celebrated Lyon Legion, and created
a reputation excelled by few officers of his ranl
! ia the service His remarks were listened tt
with great attention
49,. COL. BoYD's SPEECH. ~
} The Grand Army of the Republic, prompted
t | by brotherly love- has fttingly appointed anC
designated this as an annual commentator
| May-day, dedicated to the honor and memor.
of their sleeping comrades