The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1878-06-18

4 hlILsDALr. June Z, 1873.
osoAR A. JANIS +. X. PRocToR aud Others
Soldiers OF the Loyal Army
Dear Sirs:-Gatcfully acknowledging your
| appreciation of my services on FDecoratloI
Day. expressed Ia your favor OF May 3lsL
herewith hand you copy Of my address
which you are at liberty To publish.
Truly thine, & CRANE.
The voices OF the dead ara the inspi.
ration of the living. The memories OF
the past are woven into all the actiyi.
ties OF the present. To-day is evolved
from Yesterday aud from all the days
that have gone before. We are rAdi
we are. largely by virtue OF the inhuen-
ces that have come down TO us from
former generations. We stand at the
end OF mighty cable of forces that
reaches back 10 the morning OF the
world. Tho first man joins hands
with the second and so on down through
all ages. The noble deeds. the gener-
Gus sentiments, the patient sacrifices,
the heroic achievements Of those who
have come and gone, go 20 make us
what we are--to furnish the capital of
the world, with which the great bust.
ness of life is now being done.
III the later generations are moving
onward with astonishing rapidity, il is
because they are impelled by the vast
momentum OF all the generations that
have gone before. IL we stand little
higher than our ancestors, il ia because
we stand on their shoulders. The pro-
gress OF which we boast 80 much is
very little Of il ours. We are enabled
20 make this progress simply because
We have entered into the labors OF our
fathers. They toiled and sacrificed
and We are reapinR the reward thereof.
The vast foundations Of our temple
were laid by the toiling millions Of
whom the worlds history makes no
record. The civilization OF to-day is
the heir OF all the civilizations that
have come and passed away. Egypt,
Assyria, Palestine, Greece, and Rome,
contribute to enrich the veins and red
den the blood Of our civilization. In
dying, they beJueathed the best part
Of them TO the world and il became the
com mon property OF the race. The
science OF the East, the law Of Rome,
The art OF Greece, and the religion OF
Palestine, are among the vast treasures
that go To mako up the worlds wealth
to-day.
The remains OF the dead past are the
riches OF the living present. The pyra-
mid OF humanity is built up like the
coral mountains Of the sen. out Of the
remains Of the dead toilers in the
march Of time. One generation does
its work and lies down cheeriully upon
the growing pile, that the incense of
%. sacrifice may inspire another to no.
bier deeds and Its inundated form fur
nish il the pedestal for higher attain
ments. and so the mighty fabric grows,
glory that crowns the whole.
These considerations, my iellov-citi-
Zens, seem TO justify this floral festival
IN honor OF our heroic dead and inter
prtt the cause OF our coming here to-
DAY. We are here, take II, not mere
ly to mourn, not merely TO weep for
those who went down in our late great
struggle for tie rights Of man. True il
! can but be, that there shall be sadness in
our thought to-day. The festival
songs Of this occasion must for a long
time yet be pitched more or less in the
minor key. An undeTcurrsnt Of grief
miugles with our JOY.
Many heart must be sad to-day -
| Loving tears will consecrate the flowers
laid on many a grave. Many a mother
| will wipe her glasses and peer into the
vakt unknown "a she thinks of her no
ble boy, who, with a mothers blessing
went out never to return. Indeed, the
| cords Of affection, which are the grace
and glory OF our nature, will be smit
| 81 ln n
dear ones read with fearful eyes al
over our land. II must be that the hu
mnnity Of our nation will mourn OF
this occasion.
But il is not for this alone, or chiefly
that we are here to-day. The signifi
cance OF this festival lies not in the op
portunity il furnishes for the renewing
u our tears. The lessons we are her
to learn are not tho lessons OF sorrow
Something more and better are we &
gather from this occasion, II we night
ly interpret its significance and feel th
inspiration OF its power. No more ar
We here 20 eulogize the dead, 20 Te
count their deeds Of heroism and Pill
mp their glory on their graves. "r
garuish the tombs Of the prophets
merely is not our business. True, W
would not allow a heroic deed TO b
forgotten. The slightest act OF sell
sacrifice we would keep green in on
nations memory, The meanest sci
vice Of the poorest private we would O
sacredly cherish in our country's hear
as the noblest deed Of the creates
captain.
Bot il il not for their sake that "
would do this. They cannot be belpe
z by our eulogy. Their lives cannot /
enriched by our praises. Their grea
ness and glory do not depend on ii
!, illusions of our rhetoric. The
achievements are recorded ia IL
e archives OF our national life, and the
sacrifices have been taken mp into Il
q living pulses Of our common human
", and what we say cannot Rlori
}, that record or sop the flow OF that Gu
rent Of influence which is bearing the
, inspiration 90 nations vet unborn.
IL Neither are we here to revive the
sues Of that great strife In which the
heroes fought and bled. The gre
d moral, social and political question
I that entered into that contest snd er
bittered the war. we are not here
v discuss. We are not TO employ tl
occasion 10 fight over again the bsttl
"a Of that time which "tried mems souls
10 lash ourselves into foam and IA
ir over the wrongs or rights OF tho
days; 90 revive the aBimosities al
= kindl0 anew the fires OF political l
"A tired and social venom, which ever ~
dep a civil war one Of exception
es cruelty aud bitterness.
Indeed, our war was n war Of idel
he the impinging Of systems; the coll
ion OF forces that are "a old as our
,iy ligion. As we move away from
great struggle, as the smoke and fla
ID Of the contest are blown away by
na breath Of time aud We begin 90 stu
the history OF that event with mil
unclouded by passion and prejudi
and 90 sec something Of its pbilo
en- ply. we fad that we were but fight
" over again tbs worlds great bait
81. that the old and the new, the Pas
ed aud the Christian civilization met OF
at more in deadly strife on the plains