Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-01-18
MARATHON AND eETTYsBUReH.

10 one DOru ana feaIeu Among Aol III
ern hills, the winter journey from the
vacillating temperature and foggy at
mCsphere of the Potomac, to the region
of Mansfield and Cameps Hump. is a
DELIGHT in itself. From the land of yell
low water to that of the blue. From
the ooxy stream, half cove, that Swells
and subsidies in weak imitation OF the
great ocean, to the cold true river OF a
mountain land, and from the forests OF
the South, whose chief characteristic,
if it may be so called, is want OF char
acter, to the steadfast glory OF our north
ern woods, green forever, and clad in
winter time with the panoply of snow
the transition is sublime.
must thank you, then, at first, that
| am here at all, in the old Green Noun
tain State, where nature herself in yisi-
BILE forms, bears perpetual witness that
her people must be brave and true. But
| must thank you more my friends, that
your honorable invitation has given me
excuse to leave for a few days even, the
embarrassing tolls and large .solicitudes
which surround, as with acOnstant cloud
the life of every public man who strives
without fear and without art, to do his
duty, and to come home to you, my
own home friends, and to speak to you
touching subjects which are not only in
teresting to all thoughtful men, but pc
Culiarly 50 to an association of the sur
vivors of, perhaps, the greatest war
like struggle the world has ever seen. |
shall, then, ask your attention tonight,
chiefly to two great events of war
far apart in respect to time and space,
but very similar in their principal
characteristics each illustrating the
opposing principals represented in the
contest, and each furnishing a pre-emi-
nent instance of the mighty consequent
ces sometimes depending upon one bat
tie.
Did time allow, many of the "deci-
siye battles Of the world" yielding the
definite product of, sometimes, years of
warfare, would be subjects of most in
teresting consideration, as furnishing
both comparisons and in some respects,
parallels with our own, and showing the
progress from age to age, and from
country to country, of that march by
the human race towards its ultimate goal
which can only terminate, however
much 1t may seem to retraCe its steps,
when "Shiloh come, and unto him shall
the gathering of the people be
Two, however, must suffice. | will
take first, that one among the earliest Of
which we have any account, which is,
perhaps, most familiar to us through
the story Of the heroism of It's actors,
as well as that some of its essential in
Cideuts much resemble those of one of
our decisive battles in which many Of
you, gentlemen, were also chiefs.
Two thousand three hundred and six
~ years ago, the flower of the army Of
the Persian monarch Darius, probably a
descendant of the Darius under whose
mild sway the sacred city of Jerusalem
had been rebuilt, centuries before, lay
encamped on the small semi-circular
plain sOf Marathon, upon the eastern
shore Of Attica. 1t numbered 100, 900
men, infantry and cavalry-artillery was
then unknown. 1t had crossed from
Asia into Europe, In its ships of war and
transports, which were drawn up on the
yellow beach, over the tepid and quiet
waters Of the Kgean sea. 1t represent
ed the power and pOlity Of the greatest
monarch of the world, whose despotic
sway extended over the whole of Cen
trail and Western Asia, and who des-
cribcd himself as Darius the great
King, the King of kings-the King of
many )ttIlltN COUNTRIES lllt supporter
also Of this great world.
Ills rule was absolute. 1t embodied
the principle, and fed the progress of in
equality OF lights among men. 1t up
held caste. 1t made education too sa-
cred for the people and kept it for the
priests, 1t degraded woman. 1t was
organized and aggressive barbarism. 1t
was to set up, if successful, its hideous
49,, - A ~
ian, and other Greek Republics, and
carry its backward triumph (if one may
50 speak over all Europe, and to des-
troy forever the germ of that measure
of liberty and progress which the world
has since attained.
Seated on a throne of ivory inlaid
with gold and sapphires, the supporter
of the world, clad ia purple, wearing
the emblems Of supreme authority, and
surrounded by slaves who on their knees
ministered to his wishes, held in his
hands the practical issues of the life or
death. Of liberty and rights, of every
thing that belonged TO men. This vast
array OF his forces was TO complete his
supremacy, 50 that he ShOuld, indeed, be
the ruler of the world. The constitu-
ton of this army illustrated the charac-
ltI anu tAltli OI his RUE. L 1T dlIilOSL
naked Indians of the farthest north,
with their rude weapons of wood and
stone, mingled with the soldiers of
PhGnica clothed in silks, bearing hand
weapons Of fine steel-the citizens Of
Babylon with their short swords and
battle axes, stood side by side with the
forest born Parthians, armed with great
bows, and arrows whose sharpness has
become prOvcrb; while the horses of
the central steppes, the camels of Bac-
tria, and the elephants of the Indus COM
bincd to make up the cavalry Of the
great array. And among the chief lead
crs of this army was the traitor tyrant of
Athens, whom the people had expelled,
when, unable longer to bear his rule,
they had formed the Republic.
Against this wondrous host, backed
by the power of this mighty empire,
was arrayed the little handful of Greeks,
numbering less than 1000 men, who
composed the whole military force of
the Athenian Republic,
The idea and value OF nationality had
not then become manifest to the little
groups of states lying in southeastern
Europe, which were just beginning to
try the first experiments in republican
government, and although a common
danger, threatening to extinguish for
ever the lamp Of liberty, animated all,
the means of concerted and concentrated
action were wanting. Upon this little
Athenian army, therefore, lying among
the rocky hills that rose above the plain
Of Marathon, fell the whole burden of
the momentous contest. On the after
noon of a September day the Athenian
ommanders-eleven 10 number-held
high council. Should they await in the
hills the attack of the Persians, when
the slow attrition of want and disease,
and possibly treachery in the city, %
miles away, might make them an easier
prey Or should they, doubly armed in
ting glory of a cause sublime, sweep
down ike the thunder-bolts of Jove
upon the Persian army, and trust to the
gods who loved the valiant, for victory?
Doubt hung over the deliberations of
this earliest council of war until +bo !