The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1879-06-17

Il
voted to uphold and maintain the in
tegrity Of our country, OF our national
government, our national union, and
that the government we now enjoy "of
the people, by the people, and for the
people" should not perish from the
face OF the earth; that our land should
not perpetually present the spectacle
Of States, discovered, discordant, bel
| ligerent, land rent with civil feuds
and drenched in fraternal blood. The
maxim that II was sweet TO die for
ones country could never have obtain
ed in land where ones country and
its defenders were not only appreciated
and gratefully remembered, and that
country has great reason TO be proud
when il can point to the graves of its
dead heroes, by whose valor and pat
riotism its existence and freedom have
been preserved and its free institutions
perpetuated for the peace, prosperity
and happiness of succeeding genera
tions. Nations, like individuals, have
their periods Of infancy, development,
maturity and decay. and, like individ-
uals, their development, their strength,
vigor, influence, prosperity and useful
ness are determined by the virtue, in
telligence, wisdom courage and patriot
ism of their people.
A healthy state of society can hardly
exist under a popular government with
out manifesting itself in the increased
prosperity and development of a nation
and its free institutions.
History has been said TO be philoso-
ply, teaching by example. We en-
deayor 10 encourage patriotism and
love of liberty by annually on each re-
curing Fourth OF July holding up be-
fore our people the example OF our
forefathers in the revolution. III such
manifestations Of veneration and re-
gard are proper to be annually exhib-
tied for the founders Of our national
government when we were in our young
aud feeble condition, is ii not also
equally appropriate and important on
this day as il annually returns to man
ifest eur regard for the memory Of
those who in our day when the govern
ment IN its peace and vigor was assail-
cd by rebels in arms and its very exis-
tence imperiled rushed 10 the rescue
and on the bloody field OF battle over
threw and defeated the hosts OF armed
traitors and saved and preserved our
country and its free institutions and
vindicated our national flag, our ma
tional integrity, our national honor,
while manv with sickly sentimentality
are saying "burrv the past and let by
cones be by-gones, and sneer about
the bloody shirt as il the late rebellion
was only a "little unpleasantness"
which ought not 10 be alluded to or
kept in mind. We cannot but consid-
er 1t a more serious matter and our
dead union soldiers as martyred heroes
in the cause OF liberty, in the cause
of our country, in the cause OF free
government and free institutions
throughout the world and worthy TO be
kept in lasting remembrance as are our
forefathers Of the revolution. IL was
the greatest occasion and event OF this
century when you forget our revolu-
tionary fathers and the cause for which
they fought, and fear TO breathe their
names or recall their mem0ries-then,
and not till then, may you forget the
union soldiers in the late rebellion and
the cause for which they fought, and
fear 10 speak of the blood which they
so lavishly poured out in defence OF
their country-then, and not till then.
may you annually cease 10 observe the
ith Of July and the 3Oth Of May.
The brave and faithful union soldiers
living or dead, needs not 20 apologize
for his conduct or for his cause. and
his relatives aud friends have no occa-
sion 30 blush for him but have reason
10 be proud OF and 30 honor his name.
OF them it may be said as was once
written OF the soldiers Of New England
in the revolution:
Our country's dead. our c0untrys dead,
On every hill they lle
On every field of strife made red by bloody
victory
The land is holy where they fought
And holy where they fell;
For by their blood that land was bought,
The land they loved so well.
Then glory 90 that valiant baud
The honOrcd saviors of our land
The Great Teacher, when on earth,
| in speaking of the nature of human af-
fairs, recognized the fact that il was
impossible, but that offences would
come, but at the same time pronounced
n woe TO those from whom the offence
should come.
Let then the wrongdoer, the traitor,
in every ago Of the world take heed and
suffer so long as be preserves in his
wrongdoings and treason, but when he
manifests sincere repentance and re-
gret, let the vail Of charity cover his
past misdeeds and the reception of the
/ prodigal son be heartily accorded him,
True merit, il has been said, consists
not in n mans never falling, but in ris-
ing as often as he falls. But you can
not obliterate moral distinctions, you
cannot whitewash treason into patriot
ism. The difference is as great and
permanent as between vice and virtue.
In our manifestations OF sympathy and
regard for the union soldiers LET us
not forget also the patriotic sons and
daughters Of America who encouraged
them on their heroic achievements, aud
who, though not in the army, vet IN
their respective fields OF labor were
working and aiding in the proud work
OF supporting the union armies and up-
holding loyal action in their respective
States in favor Of the union during the
great struggle. All we're alike necessary
TO secure the final triumph OF the loyal
cause and that they were fellow-labor.
/
aud no party lines for the time being
divided them.
Death levels all distinctions. As the
ancient Hebrew poet has said: THE
small aud the great are there and the
servant is freed from his MASTER" and
in medieval times the Spanish bard
has sung:
There all arc equal, side b. side
The poor man aud The son Of pride
LIE calm and still
But ''that life is long which answer,
/ life's great end, no matter how brie
the period Of iis earthly existence. n,
have not lived in vain is one of N,
proudest Of human epitaphs. and Il
cherish, commemorate and keep befor,
us the worthy lives and examples o.
those who have gone before US to IN,
silent land" is one Of the greatest in
centive 10 right human action. Tn,