Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-06-18


tombs where their ashes lie.
"Strew blossoms from valley and hill,
From prairie, and meadow, and lawn;
Festoon with the garlands of beauty
The green shclter-tents of the brave.
They live, though tleir pulses are still,
And the souls from their caskels arc gone :;
Our brothers are only "Oif duly
Redeemed by the ransome they gave"
S'Bring flowers from the forest and field,
And wreath. for the dear ones who died :;
Eor their daring and dying has won Us,
70 welcome each one a. II guest
To-day is their presence revealed
In flowers they return to our side
For the kingdom of Heaven is within US,
About us the field of the blest."
"Why mourn we The death of the living,
0'ershadoWs the life Of the dead !
We bring .her lilies and roses,
The fair eXhaaIion of May;
And HE giycrS sre blessed III the giving
Funeral darkness has tcd,
And The eye Of OF the spil5t dlscloscS.
Our loved ones around Us to-day y
We believe in the immortality
of the soul. Some Of our friends
tell US it is an error. We love that
error, If error it be, because Of the
comfort It affords us i'll our pilgrim
age on earth.
We shrink from the idea of clos
.ng our career as we step down INTO
the dark and gloomy graves from
the chilling idea Of an eternal sleep /;
from the idea that our eyes are
never again to rest upon those loved
ones We have SO tenderi y laid away,
that We shah never again meet those
dear friends who have gone before.
Oh no, my friends. Nature aud
revelation alike show the mystery
and teach us that the soul is immor-
tai. The agony in the garden OF
Gethsemane, the crown OF thornS
and the sutl'erings on Calvary have
opened to us n pathway to a taIrer
and better land, and reveals to US
our friends, whose spirits are hover
ing around and whispering to us this
day.
But my friends let not the war
of the rebellion, let not this oppor-
,unity pass unlmproved. Let these
ceremonies, let tie commemoration
Of this day, let the graves in this
and yonder cemetery, and III the
cemeteries from the Lakes TO the
Rio Graude, let the vacant places
atour hearths, and the aching hearts
all over the land t.ach us that no
nation, no individual can afford to
do wrong; that every man is our
brother be his nationality or color
what it may; that when we trampe
upon the rights Of the humbleSt
OF our race we establish proceed
cedent, we plant thorn that will
tear our own flesh.
That to take what is not ones
own is stealing, whether it be the
Services of the poor or the property
OF the state.
The Credit MobIier and back,
pay mauoeuyreS and legislation can
not repeal the commandment thou
shalt not steal"
"Ihoe shalt not steal is as much a
law of God to-day, as 1t was when
Ills finger made 1t on the tablet Of
stone amid the lhun derings and
hghtniugs Of Mt Sinai.
This fiery ordeal, these lessons
should teach US that there can be
no national wrong without indlvld-
ual sln; that men in tn cir public, AS
well as their private, lives must be
pure; that the two are inseparab,e ;
That our political action must be Ill
accord with the morality Of our So
cal relations.
Ii, as individuals and as a nation,
we tan to do as we would be done
by alike IN public and private; if
we do not impress this upon our
children, 50 surely as God rules and
rcIgns on high 50 surely Will the
boys OF to-day who ride their sticks
Tor horses aud carry their toy mus.
kets III sport, tue men of tomorrow,
as Their fathers have done before,
carry their muSketS and ride their
chargers where lead will be king aud
amid iron hail in the defense or j, :
sTnctlonot the equal rights Of man.
II becomes nS then, on this sacred
occasion, OH TIL, day consecrated to
Tic IupuNtrp q r aur ia .riotic IaaI