The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-01-23

Ulpul uldho tuVtH uh S"o'i H'Ny "
should they, doubly armed in the glory
of a cause sublime, sweep down like the
OF Jove upon the Persian
army, and trust to the gods who loved
tho valiant, for victory2 Doubt hung
yer the deliberations of this earliest
council of war, until the great spirit and
bravo words of MItiades prevailed. He
appealed to the love of country, the love
of liberty, and tho love Of glory of his
companions, as well as to certain militia
ry considerations, and concluded by ex-
pressing the feeling that provided the
gods will give fair play aud no favor"
success would crown their cause. This
speech would serve as model for many
modern occasion; and it illustrates
how, in tho far off dim twilight of the
historic morning Of the world, the mo-
tives and modes Of thought of men were
especially identical with those -four own
time. The stars, indeed, as they run
their steady courses through the heavens,
are not more constant to their appointed
spheres, than is the high spirit, longing
everywhere for freedom, that at once
typifcs and demonstrates the unity and
brotherhood of men. In the words Of
one Of tho oldest of the Greek writer's, to
whom the battle of which | speak gave
the right to be historian of the Greeks:
"Liberty. and equality OF civic rights are
brave and spirit stirring things; and
they who while under the yoke Of u des-
pot, had been no bettor men Of war than
their neigh bors, as soon as they were free,
became the foremost men OF all for
each felt that in fighting for common
wealth, he fought for himself"
Towards the close Of day, soon after
the council-perhaps on the llth Of Sep
tember-a day on which our fathers
fought both on land and water, almost
within sight Of the spot where now stands
this free hall of one Of the cities Of our
own free commonwealth-the Athenlar
army dashed from its encampment in the
olive and chestnut groves Of the hills,and
ia au extended line, weak IN the center
but strong in its hanks, swept at rur
across the curved plain, upon the hastily
forming line of the 100000 Persians
There were neither cannon nor musketry
to make with their horrid roar and luriC
smoke new terrors for the front Of war
or to dull aud soften with their shielding
cloud the dreadful majesty of the battle
field. But in the still and open light o
the descending sun the uncertain contes
held on. The gods indeed, as tho Gre
clan loader had desired, gave "fair pla,
aud no favor" At last as the hanks o
Persian line were pressed nearly to tn,
sea, the center of the tired Greeks CAV,
way and retreated to the hills, and atte
them in the fatal excitement of a fanciet
victory, never to be real, poured the grea
masses OF the Persian center, when In
stantly and under an inspiration like tha
of leader of our Vermont troops Get
tysburgh, there turned upon them tn
battalions Of the Grccian wings, an'
striking them upon both sides at once
changed their seeming triumph into ;
rout. The invaders fed to their ships.
"Thc flying Mede, his shaftess broken bow,
"The fiery Greek, his red pursuing spear,
Mountains above, carth's, oceans plain be
low,
| Death in the front, destruction in the rear,
"Such was tho scene
The low surf of the tranquil middl
sea drank of the blood OF the wounde
and dying Persians and its waters Dor
the defeated invaders in their half burn
ed vessels, away from the land. Th
spirit of despotism turned again its bal
fled wings backward to the shelter OF it
barbaric home.
Think of the sad yet radiant glory @
that autumn evening. Tho setting su
shone alike upon the living and the deac
and gave its soft and purple light equal
ly to the victor and the vanquisnec
Many of the brave defenders Of the lit
critics OF hundred generations had falle
on the field, but "liberty and equal civi
rights" were secured from that total d,
struction which must have followed
Persian victory. The Grecian Reput
lies lived long enough to nourish into
perpetual life the principles Of the rigf
of men to govern themselves, aud to equi
privileges The right, as it may well b
summarized freely to labor, and to pray
and to give in some sense, aud to SON
degree, the form Of those free institution
which now. wherever they are best d.
! veloped and conducted, bless our ow
lair land.
: The next day there arrived at II
: Athenian encampment 5000 Lacedcm
uian allies, who had waited to begin the
no vemeut. for the full moon, aud wi
lad marched $50 miles in three day'
,ut who, like many others whose hero
Intentions are made to wait for moons
p tides, came day too late.
. They asked aud received permissi,
b to view the field of this miraculous
! chievament, covered with the dreadtI
relics of the battle. aud having seen ii
place Of deeds - great, returned to the
homes.
p Contrary to Athenian custom, Il
bodies OF their illustrlous dead were, as
0 mark Of highest honor, buried on the 6e
t If their great exploit; and the mouI
;. Shich contains their bones is, after lap
I Of twenty-five centuries, still visible
t he traveller, on tho plain of Maratho
I The Republic for which they especial
j fought, has with its sisters long since pa'
= cd away. But the same sea still sen
t is free and gentle music over their sc
u ulchre, and the same sun, morning u
d evening, marks by their monument,
u with dial, the rolling years upon t
c plain, making, as it were, a perpetr
y record Of their patriotism and their g
T. ry.
l. The Significance Of the decisive cont
l. which | have thus imperfectly describe
lie can scarcely be over-estmated. I
power of the Persian despotisln
ID the eliminating product Of many cen
le ries spent by many tyrants in the bu
m ness Of repressing and blottiug out