The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-07-15
GENERAL GARFIELD
Assists i'm Defeating Soldiers
Monument at gainesville.
Brief Patriotic Speech and Great Enthu-
SiaSm.

CLEVELAND, o., July IA mOnu-
ment at Painesville, to the Lake coun-
ty soldiers, was dedicated to-day III the
presence of an immense gathering of
people. Speeches were made by May
or Burroughs, E. V. Smalley, Of the
New York Tribune, Hon. T. W. Har-
vey, Hon. J. D. Cox and Gen. Garfield,
who was accompanied from Mentor to
dy, of New York, and others, Gen.
Garfield dined with eight hundred SOL
diers, and was received with great
cheering. He spoke as follows:
FELLOW CITIZENS applause i can
not fail to respond a voice, Bravo
on such an occasion, in sight Of such
a monument, to such cause, sustain
ed by such men: Applause and
cheers. While I have listened to
what my friend has said, two ques-
tions have been sweeping through my
heart. One was. "WRat does the
monument mean?' and the other,
'What will the monument teach 2"
Let me try and ask you for moment
to help me to answer what does the
monument mean? Oh, the monu-
ment means a world of memories, and
world of deeds, and world Of tears,
and world Of glories. You know
thousands know-what it is to offer
up your life to the country, and that
is no small thing, as every soldier
knows. Let me put the question to
you for moment, suppose your coun--
try in the awfully embodied form of
majestic law, should stand above you
and say, Il want your life, come up
here on the platform and offer it." how
many would walk up before that ma
jestic presence and say, Here | am,
take this life and use it for your great
needs" applause, and yet almost two
millions Of men made that answer
applause, and a monument stands
yonder to commemorate their answer.
That is one Of its meanings.
But, my friends, let me try you a
little further. To give up life is
much, for it is to give up wife and
home and child and ambition. But
let me test you this way further.
Suppose that awfully majestic form
should call out to you and say, Il ask
you to give up health and drag your
self, not dead, but half alive, through
a miserable existence for long years,
until you perish and die in your Grip
pied and hopeless condition. | ask
you to volunteer to do that, and it
calls for higher reach Of patriotism
and self-sacrifce;" but hundreds Of
thousands of you soldiers did that.
That is what the monument means
also.
But let me ask you to go one step
further Suppose your country should
say, Come here ON this platform, and
in my name and for my name and for
my sake consent to be idiots; voices,
''Hear, hear" consent that your very
brain and intellect shall be broken
down into hopeless idiocy for my
sake" how many could be found to
make that venture? And yet thou
sands, and that with their eyes wide
open to the horrible consequences,
obeyed that call. And let me tell
how 100000 Of our soldiers were pris-
oners of war, and many Of them, when
death was stalking near, when famine
was climbing up into their hearts,
and idiocy was threatening all that
was left Of their intellects,- s,-the gates
Of their prison stood open every day
if they would quit. desert their flag,
and enlist under the flag of the enemy;
and out Of 100000 not two per cent.
ever received the liberation from
death, starvation, idiocy All that
might come to them, but they took all
these horrors and all these suferings
in preference to going back upon the
flag Of their country and the glory of
its truth. Applause. Great God!
was ever such measures of patriotism
reached by any man upon this earth
before? Applause.
That is what your monument
means. By the subtle chemistry that
no man knows all the blood that was
shed by our brethren, all the lives that
were devoted, all the grief that was
felt at last crystallized itself into gran
ite. rendered immortal the great truth
for which they died applause, and
it stands there to-day, and that is what
your monument means.
Now what does it teach? What
will it teach? Why, | remember the
story of one of the old conquerors of
Greece, who, when he had travelled in
his boyhood over the battle-felds
where Miltiades had won victories and
set up trophies, returning he said:
"These trophies Of Miltiades will nev-
er let me Sleep Why? Something
had taught him from the chiseled
stone lesson that he could never for
get, and, fellow citizens, that silent
sentinel, that crowned granite column
will look down on the boys that will
walk these streets for generations to
come, and will not let them sleep
when their country calls them. Ap-
plause. More than the bugler on
the field, from his dead lips will &C
= out call that the children of Lake
county will hear after the grave has
covered us all and our immediate chill.
dren.
That is the teaching Of your monu
ment. That is its lesson and it is the
lesson Of endurance for what we be
lieve in, and it is the lesson of sacri
flee for what we think, the lesson O.
heroism for what we mean to sustain
= and that lesson cannot be lost to
people like this.
It is not lesson of revenge; it i
not lesson of wrath; it is the grand
, sweet, broad lesson of the immortalit,
of the truth that we hope will sool
cover, as with the grand shekinah o
light and glory, all parts of this Re
: public, from the Lakes to the Gull
Applause.
e once entered house in old Mas
3 sachusetts, where over it's doors wer
two crossed swords; one was the swor