New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-05-30

associations there. Christianity threw its
light on many dark and blood-stained
held. Perhaps no two great armie ver
met in the fearful onslaught of battle in
which so many Christians spilled each
others blood, and, strange to say, from
which went up to heaven more srdent
prayers. But war is always and every
where direful game. It was not all
good. Sin tramped steadily along. in the
trail of the warrior, and many soul
that had been pure before wars, clarion
sounded out left the field tarnisksd with
stains that were indellible.
We are here to-day not to read over
these darker pages, but rather to speak of
the brighter side and to lay the myrtle and
strew the bright flowers of summer on the
graves of these noble dead, whose faces
were often lit up into beauty by the twin
lights of patriotism and religion.
This is not the time nor the place to
discuss the great political questions of the
hour, nor is it the time to boast over the
victory which crowned the arms of the
Union-the army of the blue-it was VIC
tory over a brother, and you know our
kindred life forbids that we should now
add the least of poignancy to his helpless
grief, but we should treat him with
brothers love and feel for him with
brothers magnanimity, feelings that
should meet with the heartiest reciprocal
ton.
After the battle on one Of the hottest
fields, while yet the air was thick
with sulphurous smoke and the
ground was freighted with the
wounded and the dead, q soldier
of the blue saw lying at the root of tree
youth out from the ranks of the gray,
helpless, bleeding, dying. Then the blue
bent over the gray tenderly. All that dy-
ing boy could say was: 81 am so cold. -
It was not Confederate and Federal then,
but brothers. The stern soldier was sunk
in the tender man, and he of the blue
wrapped him of the gray closer in his
blanket, moistened his bloodless lips from
his own canteen, stroked the matted hair
fromihis manly face and sat by him till the
brave young heart was still and the spirit
of the young soldier had winged its eter-
nal flight.
o, would to God that the great sections
of this great nation, now that the battle
is over, might initiate this example.
Would that the blue and the gray might
blend in tenderest love, noisalone over the
ashes of their dead, but in all the walks
of life. Let us be kind; let US have a
genuine and lasting peace. Let the sol
dier be lost in the man. Let US be gen
erous and loving, for we can be all this
without yielding the principles we cherish
We can differ and argue over our differ.
ences; we can cherish and promul
gate our sentiments and still be bro.
thers. Let us twine our garlandl
about the tombstones of our dead
| ha fnnakbnr nd 81,
hearty hands in building a grande
temple, consecrating it to liberty, human
ity and religion. 0, brothers of the North
o, brothers of the South! as we com,
around the ashes of our great dead, if 81
) be that we can not strike out of our recol
lection the terrible and the awful past il
cur young nations life, yet let us prof
Q by the mistakes we have made; let u
J leave to our children and to the comin
9 ages o worthy record of truth, and
history which men shall read with pride
s How many of the great leaders on botl
sides of that contest have gone to thei
Q rest2 They are in the land where tn
g drum roll does not signal the dawn, ant
9 where no bugle note wakes up the though
of battle. l think to-day of Lincoln, tn
robust, the honest, the plain and blunt
but kindest man whose foot ever presset
American sofia character that shal
brighten with the ages as the vale
brightens when the mist rises. That on
immortal name will be wRtchword Rroun,
the camp fires of liberty to the end O
time. 1 think Of the great War Sec
retary-the broad-browed and deep-heart
:. ed Stanton. I gaze over the fields, an
= see in vision to-day the images of me-
= = whose names are immortal; Lyon, Baker
Reynolds, Mcpherson and others.
= look across the lines, beyond tn
. picket guard, where the sentinel PAGES hi
> lonely beat, and in tho columns of the gra
are "Stonewall'' Jackson, Albert Sidne,
johnson, Robert E. Lee. They, too, Ii
beneath the green turf with hands folded
), over still breasts. o how many of the me-
: from out the dusty ranks of blue and gra
went down along with their great leaders il
the awful crash of war It is fair an,
charitable to assume that many of thes
men have met where the crown of immol
tai life shall ever more decorate the broy
away yonder in the land of beauty and c
+ song.
From out the serried ranks of fame
Their shining plumes are waving.
I They have met the leader and the led
. the blue and the gray, they have shake
hands; no ennity stirs their immortG
! breasts now; all lies in the buried past
= = If they could speak to us, their living son
: and brothers, to-day out of the deep etel
= nifty into which they have gone, wha
counsel would they give? Itwould be t
!, sheath the sword forever more; it woul
6 be to take each other by the hand an
: henceforward be the truest of friends;
> would be to lay aside all sectional pride
: enmity and bitterness; it would be t
4 "bear one anothers burdens" to care fc
y the weak and sorrowing, and to join han
: with hand, heart with heart, and life wit
life, in making of this God-given land {
ours home akin to heaven.
4 | 'Unite these now discordant bands
To build aud bind freer State
Unite our hearts to cOnseorate
5 With love the labor of the hands
:, | 'Unite our hopes in heavenly mood,
To hail and kiss the coming light
" Our yearning for the true unite,
# Our loyal worship of the good.
'Unite our powers for noble ends
+ In the best ways our fathers trod
10 Unite the loves that look to God,
n And the kind thoughts that make US friends,
10 This is no gala day, but a day of sad
}, dest memories. 1t does recall bitter reco
's lections days of darkness aud fear, day
r ofanguish and woe, when the cloud hun
l. over us in fearful and sullen gloom
cloud so dark that even the eye of strong
u est faith could scarce discern the silvt
y fringe wrought upon it by Gods own 10y
n ing hand.