The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-02-02
LINCOLN MEMORIAL.
U1TelliHg the lincoln Memorial and
Soldiers MOHUment-RemaFkS OF
Hon. Samuel Galloway.

UnTeiliHg the lincoln Memorial and
Soldiers MOHUmeHt-RemaFks OF
Hon. Samuel Galloway.
On Thursday evening last, the cere-
. mOny Of unveiiing the Lincoln mem
Orial and Soldiers Monument occur
red in the rotunda Of the Capitol
building az Columbus. Remarks were
made by Hon. Samuel Galloway,
General Durbin Ward and General
. EnOchs. We have only space for the
eloquent remarks Of Mr.. Galloway,
who said:
We have met this evening to cele-
brate the cOnsummatiOn of a patriotic
purpose, and to express our grateful.
remembrances of men and events
which have made the last decade Of
American history the grandest epoch
not only of this age, but of the ages.
In April, IS65-that memorable
mOnth-when the popular and patri-
Otie heart, exultant with joy and
triumph, was suddenly stricken with
sadness by the assassination of the
great Commander, around whom its
fOndest affections had fOndly gathered,
our generous and grateful people be-
came sOlicitOus to peTpetuate the
name and fame Ofthe illustrious dead.
Our people, aglOw with the general
enthusiasm, resolved that Ohio, whose
Sous had borne so conspicuous a part
in the thrilling scenes and gallant
achievements in that era of strife and
suffering, could best express her live
ly appreciation of the merits Ofthe Ia
mented President, and of the renOwn-
ed heroes who had fallen on the field
Of battle, by erecting monument on
Capitol Square which would COM
mand the admiration and enliven the
patriotism Of the present and coming
/ generation. To accomplish this pur-
pose, the "OhiO Monumental AssO-
ciatiOn'' was organized. it was
our fault that this lofty purpose was
not fulfilled. We Tepressed the
large add liberal flow of generosity
by limiting the donation to one dol
lar to each subscriber; hence we slow
ly gathered but q few thousand dol
lars, whilst we might have secured
tens of thousands by a more enlarged
scheme of operation. The committee,
I it Is believed, have made the most ju
diciOus appropriation of their cOmpar-
atiVe small funds and have caused to be
constructed by the genius and skill of
a sculptor of whom our State may just
ly be proud, Lincoln memorial and
soldiers monument, which will soon
be unveiled to our gaze, and which we
trust will satisfy your taste and win
your admiration.
There is no monument of genius or
of art however large and lofty, and
! there are no words and thoughts of
/ language of literature which can ade-
quately portray and describe the gall
/ lantry and matchless heroism of the
Ohio soldiers who fought and fell on
Freedoms battle fields. Ohio claims
large share in the glory which has
/ been won by the triumph of Ameri-
can ValOr which now gilds the page
of the histories of the civilized world;
which animates and enlarges our
conception of duty and destiny, and
which to-day sheds its quickening in
/ fiuence upon the aspirations of the
/ people of other lands who are strug-
Cling to be free. On that monument
/ but one of the many brilliant scenes
of our cOnquests, the surrender at
! Vicksburg, is represented. How WV
]
OF that scene recall the enthusiasm
which thrilled US when the tidings of
that triumph flashed upon our people. |
II is within your grateful remem-
brance how on that night of joy and /
rejoicing, the air was made vocal
with the notes of thanksgiving and
/ the shout of triumph-hOw the clouds
of doubt and despair were rolled away !
and the light of a brighter day
I gladdened your vision. You felt
all felt-that signal victory was pur-
chased at great price and with cost !
ly sacrific9s-with blood precious, very /
/ precious to many bereaved hearts and
saddened homes. And yet there was
mingled with the sadness of the most
afflicted the cheering and consOling
tE0ught that the fallen had fulfilled
life's highest purpose, and that
"Whether on the scafold high,
Or in the battles van,
The fittest place where man can die,
Is where he dies for man."
1t is eminently proper that the
memorial should crown the mOnu-
ment-that the master mind of the
majestic monument should be promi-
nent on this masterpiece of art. / pro-
pose no eulogy of that model man,
and I would not willingly utter a
word that would abate the fervor of
any patriotic heart, or mar the har-
mOny of an hour dedicated to peace
and fraternity, Lincoln never magni=
| fed himself nor his mission. He rev.
erently expressed the true sense Of
his position in his farewell or leaving
/ his home in Illinois, in these memOT-
able words: "a duty has devolved
upon me greater than which has de-
vOlved upon any other man since
| Washington. He never would have
succeeded except for the aid of Divine
] Providence, upon which he at all
times relied. On the same Almighty
/ Being place my reliance. Pray that
l may received divine assistance,
without which I cannot sUeeeed-but
with which success is certain"
And he profoundly felt on all
! his movements, and in the marches
of the Grand Army, that the Lord by
his providential dispensatiOns, went
before him and them "by day as a
pillar of ciOudn to lead him and them
the way, and by night as a pillar Of
/ fire to give them light. 1t was this
reverent, trustful, humble spirit
which filled his heart with sympathy
and now robes his memory with the
most attractive charms, and which
/ gushed forth in that precious senti-
ment ''with malice toward none and
! charity toward ALL" All, Lincoln is
one of the few immortal names that
were not born to die. That memorial
may crumble and the mausoleum
where repOse his remains may perish
/ but the elements of his his higher and
nobler nature will be enshrined in the
choicest recollections of earth's truly
noble as long as hearts beat with graf
itude and love.
/ "For dust though art, to dust returneSt,
Was not spoken Of the soul"
Let me briefly advert to one or two
| lessons which will ever be taught by
! the view of that memorial.
One is-That ours is the land-and
ours pre-eminently the institutions
where the endOwments stamped by
Divinity are fully recognized, and
where the fullest and freest are given
to human aspirations. From this
memorial you can easily trace brief
MISUNDERSTANDING in an humble cab
in in Kentucky wildeIness-thes son
of a mother who could but read and
of father who could neither read nor
write, and with no light of literature
except as it family glimmered from
az old spelling book; and it Is from
that vale of poverty and Obsourity
that he rose step by step, until he at
tanned the highest summit of earthly
distinction. What but our free air,
our free schools, our freedom Of
thought and our freedom OfcOnscience,
nutured and expanded the noble ele-
ments of his nature into such full and
glorious developments. Had Lincoln
been born on any other soil but this
dedicated to humanity and its high
est and best attainments he might
have lived and died "unhOnOred and
unsung.n With the increasing light
of our enlarging civilization, the time
is rapidly ne3ring when the TesuTrec-
ton voice will be heard throughout
the land, and over ell the grave of
ignorance, ''come forth"-and there
will come up a race Of men who give
even additiOnanal lustre and expan-
sion even to the great renOwn achiev-
ed by the past and present generation
of our race. Another impressive les