The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-01-23
MARATHON AND 0ErTYsBuRou.

MARATHON AND 0ETTysBURon.
Gentlemen ofMe Society; Ladies and
Gentlemen TO ono born and reared
among northern hills, the winter journey
from the vacllating temperature and fog
gy atmosphere of the Potomac, to the
region of Mansfield and Camel's Hump,
is delight in itself From the land Of
yellow water, to that Of the blue. From
the oozy stream, half cove, that swels
and subsidies in weak imitation of the
great ocean, to the cold true river of
mountain land and from the forests of
the south, whose chief Characteristic, if
it may oc so called, is want of character,
to tho steadfast glory Of our northern
woods, green forever, and clad. in winter
time, with the panoply of the 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 visible
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
.xcuse to leave for few days even, the
embarrassing tolls and large solcitudes
which surround, as with constant cloud,
he life of every public man, who strives
without fear and without art, to do his
luty, and to come homo to you, my own
nome friends. and to speak to you touch
Ing subjects which are not only interest
ing to all thoughtful men, but peculiarly
50 to an association Of the survivor. 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-iar apart in re-
spect to time aud space but very similar
III their principal characteristics each
illustrating the opposing principles rep
resented 10 the contest, and each furnish.
ing pre.eminent instance of the mighty
consequences sometimes depending upon
one battle.
Did time allow, many Of the "decisive
battles of the world" yielding the def
mite product Of, sometimes, years OF war
fare, would be subjects of most interest
ing consideration, as furnishing both com
parisons and, in some respects, parallels
with our own, and showing the progres:
from age to age, and from country tC
country, of that march by the human race
towards its ultimate goal, which can on )
terminate, however much it may seem tC
retrace its steps. when "Shioh come; ant
into him shall tho gathering of the peo
plo be-"
Two however, must suffice. | vii
take first, that one among the earliest o
which we have any account, which is
perhaps, most familiar to us through th,
story of the herosm Of its actors, as wei
as that somo of its essential incident
much resemble those of one of our deci
sive battles in which many Of you, gen
tlemen, were also chiefs.
Two thousand three hundred and six
ty years ago, tho flower of the army o
the Persian Monarch Darius, probably 1
descendant of the Darius under who's,
mild sway tho sacred city of Jerusalem
had been rebuilt, centuries before, la,
encamped on the small semi-circllar paiI
of Marathon, upon the eastern shore o
Attica. 1t numbered 100000 men, in
fantry, artillery was then unknown. |
had crossed from Asia into Europe, il
) its ships Of war and transports, whicl
were drawn up on the yellow beach, owe
the tepid and quiet waters of the Egia
sea. 1t represented the power and tn
polity of the greatest monarch Of tn
world, whose despotic sway extende
over the whole of Central and Wester
Asia, aud who described himself as "Da
, rius the great King, the King Of King
the King of many peopled countries
the supporter also of this great world"
His rule was absolute. 1t embodle
, the principle, and fed the progress of il
equality Of rights among men. 1t W
aeld caste. 1t made education too 81
. cred for the people and kept it for tn
priests. 1t degraded woman. 1t wa
d. organized and aggressive barbarism.
= vas to set up, if successful, its hideo,
dominion npon tho ruins Of the AtheniaI
md other Greek Republics, and carry i
! backward triumph (if one may so speal
over all Europe, and to destroy forcve
= the germ Of that measure of liberty an
:. progress which the world has since attai
ed.
Seated on a throne Of ivory inlaid vii
gold and sapphires, the supporter
the world clad IN purple, wearing II
S emblems Of supreme authority, and su
rounded by slaves who on their knc
minstered to his wishes, held in h
> hands the practical issues of the life
death, of liberty and rights,-of evel
thing that belonged to man. This va
array of his forces was to complete h
supremacy, so that he should, indeed,
the ruler Of the world The constitute
- of this army illustrated the character al
extent OF his rule The almost max,
Indians of the farthest north, with the
rude weapons Of wood and stone, mi
ged with the soldiers of Ph0nicia clot
ed in silks, bearing hand weapons OF 8
steel-thc citizens Of Babylon with the
. ,hort swords aud battle axes, stood si
by side with tho forest born Parthiar
armed with great bows, and arrows who
-harpness has become a proverb; VIII
the horses of the central steppes, t
,amels of Bactria, and the elephants
the Indus combined to make up the ca
airy Of the great array. And among t
chief leaders of this army was the trait
tyrrnt Of Athens, whom the people b
expelled, when, unable longer to be
his rule, they had formed tho Republ
Against this wondrous host, backed
the power of this mighty empire, was
rayed the little handful of Greeks, nu
bering less than IL 900 men, who co
posed the whole military force of
g Athenian Republic
The idea aud value of nationality b
not then become manifest to the lii
groups OF states lying in south east