The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-05-30
THE DAY.

of the least OF these my brethren. We have
done it unto me" So Christ taught, and
so we believe. This, too,w believe to he, in
another sense, the key note of the solemn
and beautiful tribute to be paid our dead
heroes to-day. We honor not the man so
much as our country which was served
the principles which called so many from
mountain homes, from the office, the store
and shop. from the small rural hamlet and
the crowded mart of trade the idea, now
a reality, liberty and union one and inscp
arabic "A liberty restrained by law, and an
Union founded upon mutual love aud for
bearancc and cementcd by the blood of
martyrs innumerable. There is, TO be sure
II blending of IDEAS We remember the in
dividual dead, how he was an hungered,
athirst, a stranger, naked, sick and in pris
on with no one to minister to him how,
and in how many ways, he risked his life,
might have in store for him whether he
should die amid comrades ON the field Of
battle in prison, of starvation and neg
lect, or be permitted to return home only
to pass hence. but surrounded by kindred
and friends we remember all this, but af-
ter all, it seems TO us that the central
thought will be- this was endured and suf-
fered for us. for the country. They, each
and every Of them, represent our national
ity in something of the same way that our
flag does. What is our flag \ mere piece
of bunting, an inanlmate object, but it
represents the Union, it is the symbol of
nationality. Storms and exposure cannot
injure, shot and shell cannot destroy it cap
ture does it no harm. Yet many life has
been gladly given up TO sage it from cap
ture many wound has been received
that ii might not he trailed in the dust :;
many soldier returning from captivity,
many citizen returning from foreign
lands, have warmly greeted it, yea, shed
unbidden tears on or tenderly kissed it,
If bunting, if an inanmate object can
inspire these sentiments, can rally around
it thousands of defenders to preserve it
from fancied insult, because it represents
country, how much more do those men
who give their lives for their country rep
resent their country? More than the flag,
did our gallant army represent the cause of
the Union. They were the Union, unless we
say that they were greater than the Union
Can, st. Paul asks, the things created be
lao Al, Al.
idea, we may ask can the thing preserved
be greater than the preserves? They are
not greater, because they are one and the
same. The people saved the people, the
representatives of the Union saved the
Union. 1t seems to us, therefore, that
every dead soldier represents the country
and the principles for which they fought
1t is not, it seems to us, the individual that
is honored to-day, but the country. We
think that this will become more and more
the central idea OF the commemora,ion
Now and for some years to come, the
blended idea of individuality and, the
causc-that is the Union--may actuate
some, perhaps all. But if we understand
the origin of the CUSTOM even in the coun-
try, it was mainly to keep alive the fires of
patriotism, to impress the feeling of na-
tlonaity on the people, to keep ever green
the fact that we had country worth liv-
ing and dying for and to demonstrate that
those who represented Us ON the field of
danger should ever be held in grateful re-
membrance, not only by their comrades in
arms, but by all classes Of their felow-citi-
zens. Bring flowers, then, bright fresh
flowers, and with them bedeck the graves.
thereby honoring them and the country.
So long we may be sure that the Union
will never fail of defenders. The flowers
will fade, but they will keep alive the love
of country in every American heart. When
the sun goes down tonight every soldiers
grave in the land will be strewed with
Hover and evergreen. and the thought will
be that not individuals but the whole
country had been remembered mas
much rs ye have done it TO one of the least
of the defenders of national honor. ye
have done il unto the Union.