Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-06-06
WHOLE NO. 1888.


might have inspired The rohort bro ken b
. that sacrifice, when his heroic body be can,
the self. opninted sheath for dozen wea pon
of the enemy, never rallied agains; the rag
which was born OF that holy death. As th
savior of that country he lives TO this hour i
the memory of mankind. with an i'm perish adj
glory, which must continue until the worl,
shall cease to assinsate true greatness; shal
fail 10 comprehend that trne life IS a DIVA
sacrament Emmett npon the scaffold, be
queathing his body TO a grave without an cpl
taph. until his native land had conquered ii
tyrants, savors of The death on Calvary, as d.
the last days of all men who have laid dowi
their lives for the race. With such reflection:
pressing upon US, this beautiful scene bear.
with it an unspeakable solemnity Occasion.
like the present enable us to comprehend that
with the men whom we assemble to honor
patriotism was no mere sentiment but an active
vital principle, The loyalty which they rem
! resent demanded the highest sacrifice ane
they answered with their lives They knew
as BYRON sung:
"'Ts sweet to know there is an eye doth mark on
And look brighter hen we o,me.,
But for them, the watchers on the hillsides
valleys and plains shall brighten no more until
the morning of the resurrection. Gathered
within these sacred precincts to take part in
this sacrament of flowers il is fit we should
remember that our assembling is not for the
behoof of the departed Their names are
| written in the book of life This ceremony is
an educational force which lifts the denizens
OF earth toward heaven and in that degree
brings us nearer to the men whose lives we
honor. In our own being and in the future
generations, whose destinies we mould, the
result of these national tributes will be found.
Even now, as we magnify the virtues which
their lives embalmed, the self-denying grace
and patriotic ardor which was manifested by
| the heroes whose deeds we commemorate de-
scends upon US, and will remain with
our posterity forever. Civilization may
| be measured by the honors accorded
| to the iustrious dead. Modern thought in its
worthiest innovation, DEGREES that the hero
| in the ranks may be as ilIustrious as the leader
| whom he followed The leader, az his greatest
| does but reflect the courage which sustains
him and his cause. The age forms and inspires
its heroes. Our homage is teadered to genuine
| worth, irrespective of rank and social standing
Our soldiers were representative men carrying
| with them the franchises of nation In the
| light oil their deeds, rather than by all beside
the historian will complete the faithful record
| OF our epoch. Assemblages like the present
| furnish the best evidence that the ma ton is
still worthy of their sacrifice and will transmit
| their spirit unimpaired We may well treas.
ure our opp ortunities, to preserve these holy
| memories in perennial freshness, with floral
| tribute; for these men are our teachers When
| nations cease to be grateful for heroism which
| has purchased a perpetuated freedom, thew are
| already numbered with the past The divine
| economy makes war the fruitful field from
which the highest virtues continually spring.
| phiiosophize as we may about the coming mil,
| ienlum, as society and man are at present con-
| sttuted, the trlumphs of peace are hnilt upon
| the prowess which has made battle>felds sub.
lime. The nation which is incapable of clay
| ing bare its strong right arm" is dead and its
TRADITIONS have been transferred to worthier
races. Nations rise and fall with the mutations
| OF time; peoples only are immortal The mod
| ern Greeks have forfeited their inheritance of
Saiamis to other and worthier men, whose
oeeos nave marked them as successors by
right divine to the student warriors of antiquity.
Ruskin, an acknowledged authority on the
aesthetics OF art and life, says "All the pure
and noble arts of peace are founded on war
no great art ever yet rose on earth, but among
nation of soldiers There is no art among n
| shepherd people IT ii remains at peace. There
Is no art among an agricultural people if il
| remains at peace. Commerce is barely con-
slstent with fine art, but cannot produce it.
| Manufacture Is not only not able to produce il,
but Invariably destroys whatever seeds of il
exist There is no great art possible, but that
which IS based on battle" A writer on the
| late war said: whether considered in it's
| physical or moral aspects assert that a great
| oaseie Is the grandest event that ever took
place on this globe" Those of you only who
have been part of that living panorama
| grand army rsovng onward to battle can re-
| afize the Impressive yet ecstatic experience of
such an hour. On either hand, far the eve
| can reach, IN front and in rear, beyond the
| range OF VISION, columns of men are marching
| by the flank IN parallel lines. ready upon com.
mand who never the enemy is found. to swing
| forward in battle array. The air is tremuIous
| with conflicting emotions, born of the supreme
excitement of the occasion. The slow. meas
| ured tramp of the columns, as they move with
martial elaboration to the front, instinct with
a consciousness of power, sends wave after
wave ofdeep feeling into every heart. Military
| circumspection, prepared for every emergency.
| has covered the whole front and either flank
| with line after line Of skirmishers 10 feel for
| the enemy and guard against surprise. The
| first shot is heard. The enemy is at hand.
Another and another until the firing becomes
| contir lous. The skirmishers consolidate to
| the front and are held in position to enable
the main body to form its lines OF battle. STAT
officers, full of the details to be observed. lash
with precipitation among the columns. directing
| the execution Of movements upon which the
| impending conflict must depend. The event
| thickens. Moments are laden with a lifetime
| OF emotion; for the brave soldier Is not insen-
| sible to the danger which he contronts He
holds his place with unwavering resolution
| but the physical phenomena inseparable from
| hope and peril cannot be denied expression.
| The warm blood has fled FROM his cheeks to
| reinforce his heart, the set teeth bespeak a
| strength OF purpose which can only end with
| life or victory; that shudder owes its strength
to courageous instinct which chases fear from
| his frame, with panoramic sharpness the vision
| OF the past becomes living picture:
And all life's ore seems newly wrought
| In the white furnace OF his thought
| The opposing lines are gradually closing up-
| on each other. The skirmishers are driven in.
| Face TO face the men sternly move, obedient
| to command, until the orders Ready Fire
are given; and, with the crash of the first vol
ley, the earnest work Of great battle begins.
| The artillery move into position with reck-
| less daring and impetuous hast. Great Issues
! nobly ubheld, depend upon the utmost posi-
bilities OF human endeayor. Continuous peals
OF musketry along the lines, herald the work of
| destruction and the stream of wounded al
/ iOody iuosilip W tuS rear, feEehl5 the nature
of the conflict. The deep believing of artil-
lery, the shrieking of shot and shell, the ozlin-
Gus buzzing of grape and canister, as they
pillow big gaps in the lines Of the steadtast SOL
diery, add their diapason to the imposing trag-
edy. The lines sway to and fro as the tide Of
battle surges onward and recedes and out Of
the deuse clouds of smoke which, ike pail,
covers the crimsoned earth, comes the shouts
OF the combatants, the groans of the wounded,
and cries unnumbered, compelled by SUPPRESS
ed aud fierce emotion, as the strong battalons
sweep their victims into eternity and bear
| their victorious banners onward across the
field OF death. A divine impulse lifts the SOL
der beyond fear or pain Duty, honor aud a
sense of responsibility engross his powers.
| With such inspirations great death has glory
| which seems eternal. There is no yindictive-
ness in the feelings Of that hour no hatred of
the foe whom he strikes down; the brave deeds
| of battle are wrought in spirit of holy sacri-
fee. The Haunting banner which affronts the
sight, stands as an emblem of wrong which
must be vanquished; and the convulsiye throe
which summons all his powers to win success
is itself rapture worth an ordinary lifetime.
Death, when it comes in the GROWING moment
| of victory, is not akin to the king Of terrors
| whom we dread in the bosom OF our families,
Halleck realized that fact when he wrote
| 10 ft1eh rid al eta,