The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1871-06-17

row, suffering, anguish--these are
the coins with which we are to en-
ter the worlds market. with which
to buy learning, religion, liberty,
any thing. Providence could have
arrested prosecutions in the old
world. but then there had been no
homeless exiles wandering west
ward across the sea to found
great Republic. Providence might
have turned to foolishness the
the rebellion and spared the nation
these days Of mourning. But He
loved US AID our children too we'll
for that He did not mean to teach
US sloth, supineness aud seifsh
ease by sending an angel to scatter
our crucifiers. He meant that we
should meet this wild storp-- He
meant that we make this great sac
rifce that we might have some
standard by which to estimate the
worth of liberty ana national life
And great az is the sacrifice,it may
help to dry our tears to-day if we
realize the grandeur of these foun-
dalton truths. No, not in vain have
these died. Had mothers been I'M
willing TO give up sons, and wives
refused to become widows, and
sons and husbands refused to 60 to
war for the Government, these
graves we decorate to day might
have been dug elsewhere, and later,
perhaps, but then we had not been
as we are, nor the nation what it is.
nor liberty, nor the world, even.
If John the Baptist had not said
to Herod, ut is not lawful" he had
not gone to prison and a too early
grave. But truth is greater than
the life Of IL man. While, then, we
say not in vain this sacrifice, yet
we can not forget the sorrow that
has through it deepened on many
households. The warrior sleeps
honorahly, but bereaved hearts are
lonely, and tears fall like rain-the
tears that only time and God can
dry, let US bear in mind. Yet war
does not CREATE DEATH-it does not
originate the grave. 1t adds, in
deed, and adds greatly to the sea
of anguish that deluges society fol
the time, but it does this, chiefly
by gathering grief from the future
years, and hurting all from oul
hearts at once.
These soldiers who with upliftei
hands made a covenant with tn,
nation, and for her sake agreed t.
die, if need be, few years soone
than nature would take them of
we would have buried them all 'er,
long under the regular operation
Of the law of death. The war has
tened their death, but did not pro
duce it.
Human anguish and bereave
ment lie all along the pathway Q
time, burdening every momen
with its portion. War gathers II
much of this that lies along in tn
future, and baptizcs us with it a
once. But it is only in this way tn
hour and the moment are mad
sublime. Let us not forget to ia
those to whom these dead ar
doubly dear; if it is ours in a mes
sure to share the purchased pos
session, let it also be ours, so ia
: as we may, to strengthen and chez
those on whom is fallen the burde
and heat Of the day.
The great principle for whic
they gave up their lives could nc
know that q soldier has a wife, tn
: an orphan needs father, that ii
!, rifles ring and lannon's roar woul
give place to the minor keyed mt
sic Of broken hearts that woul
!, echo and re echo long througho,
the land. The storm that gathe
in the heavens will purify the al
refresh the earth, feed the rive,
and carry life in its great powe
= but it thinks nothing of the lam
= that gather under the oak whit
: the lightning strikes, or the Gotta!
" by the stream side that is borl
: away by the swollen and resistle
- current.
= But let ours, to day, be the Sc
" tim ents of peace, love and svmr
. thy, Let US not forget the nam
:. of those fallen braves throu
!, whose death we, as nation, ha
y attained our present peace a
y safety, nor those wives and Oh
= dren whose tendeIest atfectio
!. were then rudely snapped asund
: nor those who for the time our e
lo emies, were also at the time c
~ brothers, and are our btothers st
= We will remember all the sw,
y charities and kind and tender OIL
~ ces, and great and good endeavC
- belonging to US as citizens Of
- blessed q nation, and by our Ii,
of fidelity and love show that
~ do not entirely fail to appreci
Ill what has cost so much.