Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-05-12

It is one of the proofs OF thaantinite
superiority of spirit over matter, that
this Immortality Of a name is not the
accidental dropping of a material force.
1t is the conscience, the will Of man,
that clothes with endless life the spot of
earth, and forms it's syllables into i'm
mortal speech. That spot is consecrate
to fame or infamy on which the human
spirit has done some great act for good
or evil. And, of all the good deeds
that men may do for their race, there is
none that speaks to the heart like vol
untary sacrifice. It is not the blood of
warriors, but the blood of martyrs, that
is the seed of the church. It is written
in the very constitution of human
nature, that without the shedding of
blood there is no remission of the
bonds and penalties which the pride or
the lusts of men have laid upon even
the most innocent. It is not SO much
the field of ever so just a battle, as it is
the block, the scaffold, the burning fag-
OTIS, the cross, of voluntary intelligent
sacrifice, which speak most effectively
to the heart. Of all the voices that call
to men, none so stirs the soul as the
voice of the blood of martyrs calling from
the ground. And, of all martyrs, SO it
is that, whether always justly or not, it
is the first martyrs who are longest
known and most widely honored. In
the first centuries of the new faith, there
were countless heroes, saints, martyrs
and confessors, and armies fought in
just and necessary self-defence. But
the world turns to one name, the first
consecrated and the longest remember
ed, for he was the first martyr. He was
a young man of whom we know moth
ing but that he WAS one OF seven Or
dained to the lowest order of the
ministry in the church at Jerusalem.
The chance came to him first, and, like
ali such chances, it gave only an Oppor-
tunity. A word of retraction, hesita-
ton to testify at the instant, and his
name would have died with his natural
death. With brave and willing heart
he met the issue; and for eighteen hun
dred years the until-then unknown
name of Stephen has been honoreu by
The dedication of thousands of churches
and chapels over Christendom to his
memory, day in the church's calendar
is set apart for the study of the lesson
of his death; and at this moment his
name is borne as baptismal designa-
ton by no small percentage of the hui
man race.
Now, fellow citizens, let us never for
get that the men of Lexington, on that
morning, were martyrs-intentiona
and inteuigently martyrs. Let us con-
slider this aspect of martyrdom little
more closely.
That was a strange sight upon which
the morning of the 10Th of April broke.
Some sixty men of your militia COM
pany, minute men, stood III line, under
their officers, on the open village green,
equipped. and with their loaded mus
kets in their hands. A force of British
regulars which was twelve times, and
was reported to be twenty times, their
number, was to pass by. It was a time
of legal peace throughout the land.
The regulars and the militia were citi-
zens of one empire, and subjects of
common sovereign. Our militia had
fought side by side with British regu-
lars against French regulars on many
field, joined In the same cry Of battle
at Quebec, Ticonderoga, Grown
Point and Louisburg, and in the West
Indies. They had fallen side by side
in battle, lain side by side on the beds
of hospitals in the malarious Sugar
Islands, and been buried in common
graves on the frontiers and the torrid
zones. Men of Lexington had so served
and fought and died, in no small num-
bers. The same hand that bore your
standard that morning on the village
green, had borne it through the smoke
and din of the assault at Louisburg;
and the same drums that rolled the call
at break of that day, ad beaten their
notes of assurance to the English, and
of defiance to the French, in more than
one encounter. The regulars were not
enemies yet. These we're not unwel-
come as transient visitors, and most
welcome in common cause.
Were these sixty men there by acci
dent? Were they surprised there by
visit from the regulars? On the con-
trary, they assembled because the regu-
lars were coming. They dispersed
when the alarm was thought false, and
came together again as soon as it was
known that the troops were close at
hand. Were they there to obstruct or
lSSlOU b1lC uldICA vi UAC DIlUlSu. luSy
threw up no breastwork, however sim
pie. They were not posted behind stone
walls or houses, Or in the thick woods
that fanked the highway. They stood
alone, in line, on the open common, a
force twelve times their number march
ing upon them. They were ordered to
surrender their arms and disperse by an
officer who was entitled to disarm and
dispense them, under the new order of
things. if they were an armed band I'M
known to the law. The regulars came
out in part to do that very thing, if
they met any such organizations in
arms. Our men refused to surrender
their arms, and refused to dispense.
Must they not have expected the result?
The yolley came, and one-quarter of
that little band fell killed Or wounded.
They fell where they stood, their arms
in their hands. They were powerless to
resist, but they would not obey. They
fall rr1111vor xiof ,,orfv,.c NV Jofar,