Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-05-30
TWO CENTS.

Do tie drummers ever beat,
Neither ever sounds the hugle,
The advance nor the retreat.
Ard 20 skirmishers on 4u+v,
For no toCu IN lurS about,
And all the picksts have come in,
AEd al the lights arc cut.
Upon the conclusion of the reading OF the
poem, followed by a religious sndsnte by the
Marine hand, the orator OF the dsy. General
los. X. Hswley, Representative from CJnaecu-
-Ut, was introduced and OpOke a. follOSs.
General Rawiey's Remarks
We. the comrades and friends Of the dead
lave come away from the tolls, cares yeNa-
ions, tumults, lahors, distractions. even from
the pleasures of our daily lives, 70 spend quiet
hour smolg these graves. Striving 70 give
words as simply, clearly, briefly a. I can TO the
me mCries, and, II may be, the renewed VOWS
that the place and the occasion call forth I
have not come TO argue any cause. I challenge
no debate, DO not throw down my glove;
ses k no controversy over old or new themes.
Nor have I a speech, nor an address, nor an
grafton. We have been among our brothers
graves strewing nOwCrs upon them, and we
have gathered on this beautiful spot 70 talk
Il over a little. We are glad 90 see
that this custom is creating a new national
holiday. IL lie good 70 specially de
vote an hour 10 recalling the names and
deeds of these men, and rejecting upon the
beauty AID glory OF obedience ana self-sacri-
tee; and TO wing again. under circumstance
that make Us serious ami sincere, that we will
owe oar country and labor for It's honor an!
prosperity. These obSeryances will not fan into
a
eTal. perhaps unanimous support. "FOr every
man il accustomed 10 praise the man who is no
more" said PeTicles, ia that memorable AMI
aycr-tO- be quoted Grafton. sFor the living are
exposed TO envy in their rivalry: but those who
are In no ones way are hOnored with a good
will free from all opposition" We hope ~ Is in
he plans of God that the Republic shall live
and continually grow in goodness and strength;
and If this is 10 be so, We believe men Will come
more ard more TO see that our brothers 50 tfered
and died in very good aud very great cause.
. hAr -AaNF frth a a. I'll,
and comrades, dead brothers, sons, fathers ana
husbands; yet We are not sad and sorrOwing.
lnceed We mourn, vet we eNuuBgly rejoice.
We come TO decorate the graves Of men who
went out TO deeds of violence and who died bv
violence, yet we were never 50 proud Of any
men as OF these-neyer so ready with hymns OF
praise. They laid down the implements of
peaceful industry and went forth in the uniform
Of war, with the gittering weapons OF death m
their hands, in strong swinging ranks led bv
rhe "clash and the clang aud the roll of stormy
var music" They babe farewell 20 mothers
sisters, wives and children, uncertain OF MANY
thipgs, hut sure Of thls-they were doing their
duty.
With our soldiers went all the inspirations o.
eur northern hills and valleys. The traditions
OT our early struggles as feeble colonies OF our
indian and French y sTs, OF our grand, historic
-eyO!gtion and our later struggle with Great
Britain; all lessons OF patriotism Learned
AT the mothers knee OF in the old brown
school houses, went with them. IL was
-mpEaucaly peoples WAT; nothing was or
tDTed or done that was not first decreed in the
peoples councils, a. IL Trey all sat a senate o!
millions IN vast ampithestre about the field
Of strife. And thus the cause, though some
times moving slowly, moved with an indOmit-
able awful certainty. No such contest could
be wRged without a general ana most profound
conviction that the cause was just; that Goa
himself would help.
Not all oar soldiers reasoned long or deeply
upon the moral causes and necessities under
living the great movement. But they had been
veil taught that next TO our duty TO God is oar
iuty T. our country; and many youth, thought
les OF Heaven before lie went 10 battle, felt AZ
east one strong comfort and support-that ne
Sas then, II never before, performing his full
iuty 10 God and his county. 50 long had we
consecrs'ed our energies TO peaceful pursuits
hat We thought the spirit OF chiyalFy had well
night died ont among u.
Sharp satirists earned their Bohemian wages
anu amused Us aIl by dwelling upOn our NJ am
mon worship, aud we had come to half believe
hat he dollar was GeareT to us than nationali-
Y, or justice, or liberty. Dearer to Us nov than
life shall he the memory OF the beloved deaf
who demonstrated that among our brown,
rough, sturdy men OF the farm, and our beard
less, gentle boys, and our men of these wbiz-
ztng, rafting, ciamOring factories ana fOunde-
Ties, dImly seen through black smoke and dIst
were bright, clear souls glowing with a sub
lime love Of liberty, and law, and justice; aud
he old flag symbOllZing all who suffer as pa
uentiy, Fight as sJubbOrny, charge a. galautly,
Conquer surely or die, as splenfidiy a. tie
noblest il history. These were our jewels; thess
our heroes; these cur aristocrats AMI princes.
upon whom beauty smiles and poetry and ora
tory lavish their treasures.
No. Ii was peoples war, in a Just cause. II
was 10 quarrel about questions of national
etiquette; no fight between selfish and reckless
rulers for personal revenge, or 70 extend bound
Hies, or 10 gain precedence in International
councils. For such our young men would not
nave marched out: our women would not have
given their first born. with tears and cOnse-
Grating prayers, DOr would they have followed
'uch armies with their thousand thou htfuI
tenderrdsses.
So here We meet in honor of the men who died
Tor liberty and their country. Their perishable
dust is widely scattered about; their spirits are
near us. They are forever 81 eut on earth aud
Who shall speak for them. They felt sure that
their memories would be respected; that their
honor would be safe in the hands of the sur
TivoTs.
This coucourse of Old comrades, true friends,
and uue-hearted women proves that they
counted truly. They are silent: but every
thoughtful, patriotic citizen hears voices louder
than uumpets, more emphatic than great can
non, pleading tor justice and honor to the dead.
Our first duty, even coming before monuments,
poems, and orations, is 10 those orphans and
Eidows and mothers whom they left 70 our guar
tianship. To ali these let every honorable SOL
.iier prove a son and brother. They are 70 be
uccored in distress and hOnOred for their fidelity
snd their sacrifices. Abraham Lincoln spoke
or us all when he wrote to the New England
mother. Mrs. Bixbee, who lost all her sons in
\ he service: al pray that or Heavenly Father
may assuage the anguish of your bereavement,
md leave you only the cherished memory OF
4 he loved and lost. and the solemn pride that
| upon the altar of freedom"
| Yes, we shall honor them in word and in
| deed. We shall make many books, whereupon
l finished and elegant writers shsll labor long
| and the cunning engraver and the skillful
l binder also, in which shall be treasured pic
cures OF camps and fields and forts and full
chronicles Of their long marches and battles,
1 heir songs and their jests, their wounds and
hen sickness and their deaths, their weary i'm
/ prisonments and horrible starvations, and their
many heroic words. With these books sh all the
children grow up, and all be taught that these
heroes died for the honor of their great country
lied to make il sure that a republic can live:
lied to make il truly free, to keep il united to
4 make IL q home for all suffering and oppressed
peoplC-a refuge where mans inalienable
lights TO life, liberty and the Pursuit Of happi-
4 less stall be forever held sacred.
Call all the beauty of poesy 10 sing the praises
Il these men, and OF their sisters, wives, moth
ers and daughters, who in their noble works
1 md lsbors in the hospital, on the field, and by
/ heir struggles with poverty at home, by their
| ears and their prayers did bear 50 giorionsly
heir full share OF sorrow, and now shall have
their full share OF honor.
There Ia nothing in the cause or the manner
l N which our brothers fought and died which
hall ever make their praises an obnoxious topic
That assembly or church or social circle Is not
| Tor their old comrades which excludes honor 20
1 these dead men. But the same justice ~ the
departed requires that all malignant, revenge
l tut passion be kept from this sacret spot. They
hated the crimes OF treason, but they loved their