The National tribune., 1879-06-01

fearful tide Their admiring fellow-citizens b asod
inscribed with the names of the fallen, mound yl h
still stands to remind the scholar and the WNte VI
liberty of the gallant who fought upon tha} lsv
There each succeeding year, SO long Greece maintained
her freedom, the men, women and childreo of Athens
gathered and strewed flowers upon the graves M phtv
dead and panegyrical funeral oration was delivered
Thus the fires of patriotism kept burl,ng bright
by recountng the incidents of that wono ffn fnht
Through epoch of Grecian history up TO the very
pinnacle of her. greatness and down through the long
oympads OF her decline and fall the youth of Greece
repaired to Marathon their patriotism as the
Moslem in long succeeding ages made his pgremages to
Mecca to invigorate his faith.
That obedient to her laws We fell"
is the modest yet suggestive inscription the column
erected at Themopyl@, coDsecraed to the memory and
covering the bones of that glorious band of three hun
dred, who animated solely by of duty and adora-
Persian invader What could pass that sacred
spot and read that simple record without feeling the blood
tnge through his veins without thrill of exaltaon that
here Helas sword had carved its way through Eastern
barbarism and preserved civilization? What could
go there without an honest pride of the place and the
casion, eevang him almost to the height of the heroic
souls who there gave up there lives? In the Old World
monarches have erected monuments aud paid testimony
OF respect such you doing today not TO the rank
and e not to the soldiers who the victory to
privileged few whom the accident of birth had invested
with authority. The governments were but governments
of the privileged few while Government is govern
ment of the people, by the people, and for the people,
You my friends perform your pleasing duty of to-day
upon such principle you do design perpetuate
the memory of the privileged few but you recognize the
merit the private soldier Nevern the worlds history did
ward for few years aud take retrospect of struggle
for national existence Consider the mmensty of the dan
ger consider the magnitude of the interest stake and
consider the awful consequences we had been untrue
to ourselves Upon the determination of the issue de-
pended not only the integrity of territory, the Union
of the States and their consequent greatness the liberty
of ourselves and all who should after but also
the welfare of millions in the Old World who look to the
United States their future home where they could
enjoy the liberty they much admire and covet Free
government itself upon trial. Free government,
which like another Noah's Ark was sailing over the
Nyatp wit N ms
rying in her bosom vital principles of freedom which
eventually to give life to the world Truly then this
struggle for national existence.
Countrymen when the hour of trouble came when the
fearful peril impended the future of the nation and
the cry went out, The country is in danger what
noble what wonderful response the citizens of the
ton gave how they gathered together from every ham
let in the wideextended land and poured in ever-swelng
streams their countrys Nor Pennsylvania
second in her devotion in the great to any of her
sister States Her sons few of whom had the
camp fire. animated solely by love of country, unhesa
ngy devoted themselves TO endure all the privatons and
dangers of From every State came the quota,
bracing the skilled artisan and the sturdy farmer while
from the mountains and forest hardy backwoods-
man. all volunteering do battle for the maintenance of
these States under the Constitution framed by our Revo
tionary The student of history reads and the
orator grows eloquent the battles of Alexander of
Hannibal of Caesar and of Napoleon but these all will
pale their Intellectual fires before the history of
our great rebellion when it shall have been written. Ac
company army the Army of the Potomac, in your
minds eye, through four years of bloody strife. Com
with the historic days before Richmond in
1862. Their bones bleaching in the swamps of the
Chicahomnys on the plains OF Manassas amid the rug
ged gorges of South Mountain by Antietams and
the steep heighths of Fredericksburgh The winds
that whistle through the pines of the Wilderness sound
their requiem there When the tide of invasion entered
our State and the northenmos of rebellion had
rolled its bloody crest upon the slope of the Round Top
at Gettysburgh tencountered your military rock CO which
was shaken, the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps
which dashed it back in shattered spray, to be
unted or advanced again On the natal day Of your in
dependence 1868 this sanguinary field the national
salute fired that not only made this Union permanent
but tolled the death knell of the Confederaey.
Who describe the terrific grandeur of this battle and
do justice to the subject? No onel Yet how vivid is the
recollection of the zip of the Minnie and the whistle of
the she the yell of the stubborn and gallant foe, and
the sturdy hardy cheer in reply? the elbow touch of the
comrade you pressed boldly forward in the headong
charge? All, all is over, and many noble man there
sfought his last fight and won his last battle Who
greater than hethan he whose monument stands there
the gallant noble Reynolds? He whom you all delighted
honor whose image you cherish your hearts with
feeling strong the first love of budding womanhood?