The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1877-06-07

frdads aad IeNosc Citi.ta&.
We all As individuals have days
which we might call rei-letter days,
a marking an epoch in our lives or
a. euliveninc our recollections of such
past events. To-day j. enc of these
red-letter days of our Nation. 4 few
weeks later we may be called togeth-
er to celebrate with f,stivity and re-
ioicing the occurrence of our Nation :
birthday. But to-day our hearts beat
to another tune- the. funeral dirge
rings in our ears. To-day we are eel
ebrating great national memorial.
Ten thousand cemetery gates open,
not that men may lay a fellow man
away in the earth, but that we may
stand by the mound that covers what
was once "a brave heart, and strong
man. Away EAST, an the hillside, in
the valley, beneath The mountains
shadow, or by thc ocean shore, mourn
Grs lave come. Away in the South,
in orange groves, under the palmetto,
in city cemetery or country church
yard, thc mourning dirge walls forth.
Here in the very bosom of our coum-
try. and away out beyond. under the
rays of y setting sun, people are gath
cred, wreaths are -trewn upon graves,
monuments are covered with floral
tributes, te@r~ flow to water many
a grave in these God acre-"-fath-
ers "omc with flowers, sister, come
with the choicest and iairest of MAY
blossoms, mother, with sore and ach-
ing hearts offer their tribute of love to
the memory OF the brave dead. Com
radeS in arms, in memory climb the
hill of the past and looking down on.
the landscape beneath. find 80 place
there that does not breathe some gra-
cious memories of the Slain. To-day,
with mutfied drum, with measured
pace, with lowered flag, the living
soldier has come to do all honor TO the
memory of patriotic men whose lives
were counted even hy themselves ~
cheap in comparison with the Princi-
pies for which they fought. From
the st. Lawrence TO the Rio Grandc,
from ocean To ocean Il wave of tender
ness sweeps, and nation with un-
covered heads stand by the graves of
our soldier dead.
We have come not To rc-cnkinale
the fires of prejudice, 10 awaken the
half forgotten animosity of a past gen
Grafton, 4not to invoke jfrom their
graves the ghostly presence of the
great questions Of those Gays that rent
in Twain mighty nation, but we
have rather come that by our acts
and words we may express our high
estimate and appreciation as well as
our tender recoliections of the sacri-
fees, the services and the patriotism
of those men who went out to drive
back the unholy hands that would
have torn TO pieces the ancient cove
nant of American Liberties.
We look back with gratitude to the
heroes of l776 and to the veterans of
1872 with pride; we can trace our an
ceStry back, not To William the Con-
queror. but to the brave men of Valley
Forge, Yorktown and I.undy's Lane.
We celebrate in prose and verse. in
sermon, speech and song the virtues
and patriotism of that day. But on
the tablet of the nations memory,
side ny side with those who founded,
let Us inseribe the sacrifices and the
patriotism of those who bave defended
and given freely of thsir treasure of
life and blood to preserve liberty.
Those whose graves arc to-day COW
cred with chaplets and flowers, those,
who, surviving that mighty struggle,
are in our midst bearing its marks,
those, who escaping, were yet ready
to lay down all upon our country's al
tar, merit our imperishable regard.
With sad, but sternly resoiutc hearts
they went by thousands, from every
calling, from every place, from every
family. Every nation sent its gift Of
blood and life. Side by side, Saxon
and Celt, German and American,
white and black, they fought. that the
rights of labor and the claims of hon
est industry might forever be ac-
knowledged; that amidst the revolu-
tions of European politics. away from
that seething caldron Of strife between
castles and races, away from the re-
lnnAlons rarr AZ kinna and nrinx.As