National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-11-20

It'll earth and sky with clad refrain
Revcrberate thy honored name.
Hosannas on Hosnnnas rAlsol
Te Deums chant with symphonies,
In everlasting hnrmonies.
Hosanna in Excelsisl
General Garfield then introduced the orator Of
tho day, Hon. Stanley Matthews, saying, "The
society will now listen TO tho orntion OF tho
Hon. Stanley Matthews whom / present to
you"
Senator Matthews then delivered the follow
Ing
ApDnrpa,
According 70 the mythology Of the ancient Greeks
Memory was the mother OF the Nurses so that as
Plutarch tells, the completed Sistcrhood Of Nine
was included under the common name Of Remem-
brnnces
The truth in the fiction is that history Is the par.
ent of art. And as Nature is the art whereby God
constitutes and governs the world because II Is the
revelation Of the invisible and eternal, in forms OF
sublimity and beauty to the mind Of man so
human Art, in all It's varied forms-poetry, clo-
quence. music. painting, sculpture. architecture
is but the Interpreter and expounder of the Divine
art, and fixes In Us express and admirable forms
whatsoever that is Divine, which II discovers in
Nature or In Man. Thcheroic In action and suffer.
ing must precede, because 4 inspires, the heroic
in representation. Man must become conscious OF
the noble and the good before he can express It,
and he can become conscious OF II only IN his OK !.
perience. Gods and heroes walked the earth. and
wrought their wonders In action and suffering be.
fore Phldas and Praxiteles could embody them
. Arcmlles. first; afterwNrd, Homer. And Art Is
Therefore. II prophecy nevertheless, only because
II Is memorial; for II is on the prepared and re.
eeptive background of the past that it paints or
carves visions Of the glory II foretells Lord Bacon
Eaid :" As statues and pictures are dumb histories
SO histories are speaking pictures.'
The name Of George Henry Thomas-soldier and
patriot-has already been inscribed OH that scroll
ofhonorabe fame which pnstcrity will revcrently
guard in the archives Of our National history To-
the dignity and majesty Of his person rs the SO.
eiety OF the Army of the Cumberland, 10y these pub
people of the United States the form and presence
of its beloved commander.
Surely this was
a NOBLE suBJECr
for the mOdeers plastic handl What dignity and
power, what flrmness and selfposesson, what i'm.
mobility, and yet what quiet Praciousness. what
gravity and what bengnty, were set together in
the manly proportions of his physical frame A
presence tn inspire respect but winning confidence
and trust He was large, firm planted, and peter-
nal like sturdy ork striking its roots deep In the
earth but with outsprending branches offering pro.
lection and shelter from fierce heats or ferccr
storms. Large and weighty, his movements were
easy and quiet his postures and gestures unobsru.
sve, so that his port and mien suggested reserve
OF strength not called into action Thus his phy.
scal power seemed To be mRgnifed. and yet there
was nothing IN him ponderous, overwhelming or
boisterous, and he breathed and spoke gently and
IN soh tones liRe woman or child. In fine, he
"A combination and form, indeed,
Where every god did seem TO set his seal
To give the world assurance Of man"
inc Proportions OF his physical frame were in
harmony with those of the spiritual body which
inhabited and animated It. The internal, as well
as the external, man was statuesque massive. mon
umental Nigor and endurance were qualities
alike of his material and his mental constitution
Strength was the base and pediment on which was
grounded and built up the LOFTY structure of his
character capped aud crowned with simplicity
whole in hiniself"-R shaft and column Of Doric
style and beauty
Rich in saving common sense,
And as the greatest only are
In his simplicity, sublime"
20 good gray head, which all men knew,
iron nerve to true occasion true,
fall'n nj length that tower of strength
which stood iour-squareto TO all the winds that blew
There was nothing in him iluctuating mercural
or eccentric He was set, inhexibe, Underwriting
steering steadyby the stars upon the arc of great
circle. lie was rcsone, unyieding, with fortiiude
incapable of intimidation or dsmay, and yet with.
out pretention, boosting, sefnssertion, or noisy
demonstration. He was conspicuous for modesy
ana dignity, ana was altogether free from aiecta.
ton or envy.
lie did not lack In proper solfesteem; but did
not think more highly of himself than he ought
Better than any other man could, he took the
measure of his own dimensions and never wor
ned lest he might be overlooked or neglected not
uOuDtng that sooner or later lie would grayitate
by his own weight and power 10 his predestined
place over all opposition and contradiction.
But he was not coarse vular and impassiye-
careless Of the good opinion good MON rather on
The contrary, he was quick in his sensibiliues keen
70 detect the seishness ofothers and smarted under
Yet 10 personal consideration ever warped his
Judgment or clouded his sense of duty. lie was
genial and frank In his communications, yetTeuoent
and seli.contained rs % all that related TO himself
neither inviting nor volunteering condolences. AS
he had nothing TO conceal his whole character
was So transparent that he never opened himselfto
mlsconstructoGs. He did not lake refuge from
susplci0ns OF ignorance in an alfectation of the
mystery ofsllcncC; for he was as
LIVING EPisTLE
known and read of all men. No conspicuous man
IN our recent history is better known as TO his in.
most most elalactGr' more thoroughly understood or
more correctly appreciated; so that there is no
reason TO believe that the Judgment OF posteriy as
To- his place in history will be other than q record
0i contemporary opinion. There lies buried with
him IN his grave no mystery to pluck the heart
out of which viii require that he should ever he
disturbed IN his rcsting.plGco.
1t is not too much to sny ofGeueral Thomas he
was a model soldier. Arms was his chosen pro.
iession The whole period Of his life, from youth
TO ms ulllmely death, was spent IN It's study and
practice. lie had no ambition outside of H. Ills
only ambition ~ It's was to attain the rewards il
held out 10 merit lie enyied no superior his rank
He was in no haste 70 rice upon the misiortuues Of
others ne recognized but one way TO glory-the
lie perfected himself By patient paInstnkinp in
all its details. He carefully learned the duties of
high command by thorough practical experience
OF those OF every inferior and subordinate fosponsI
bllity. lie became, thus, an adept in the knOw.
edge aud use OF every arm OF the service and
learned as an apprentice TO handle and work every
part ol the great machinery aud cnginery OF war.
Al the age of twenty, IN 1886 he entered the Mill.
tary Academy In 1910 having graduated, he WAS
bbn'hlsnpllNA uh "a gtNOnhslAtultnhnl, ana rose,
suCcohyely, through every intermediate grade
until, ON December 49, 1861, the date of the first
day battle at Nashville, he was promoted 10 be a
hujOr.General IN the army Of the United States
In Zach stuge in his military history lie saw active
service appropriate 10 his rank receiving his first
brCvCt Wine Second Lieutenant for gallautry
aud good conduct IN lSil, in the war against the
Florida lndiansi IN tho war against Mexico In 1876
and 1913 at Fort Brown, Monterey and Buena
Vista; again in Florida in 1919 aud 1850 against the
bemullcs as an Instructor Of artillery aud cavalry
in the Military Academy from 1851 10 1854; OH
hOnlier duty in California and in Texas, until the
breaking out Of The civil war IN 1861 found him a
Lieutenant Colonel Of the Second cavalry, Of which
he then became Colonel.
These were the days and years Of PREPARATION Of
the study ana practice Of military ART the iorna-
ton OF military habits, The education and training
Of the military character The development and
cultivation VI the military instinct And the seed
soWu during this season bOru It's llnple fruits In due
time
At riE BEGlNSlSG
Of lhe rebellion, M 1861 he had attained the forty.
NTH year OF his ale, The fun age OF maturcd and
upencd manhood. lie was no longer in the lush
and hey-day Of impelnuus youth. He had grown
10 his stature gradually nnd slowly, Us always
grows timber cluse-graIed and Of iine fiber WHAT
he Nus capable otdpiuc he had learned 10 10 IN the
usual exercise and natural processes Of his under.