Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-08-04
Deatcatso.. ofa Soldiers, Monument.

CLEVELAND, Aug. S.-A soldiers monument
was dedicated to-day at Geneva, Ohio, with
imposing ceremonies. Speeches were made by
Gen. Garfield, Congressman Orth and Harrison,
Gen. etreight and others. Gen. Garfield s
speech, as reported in short hand for the
Cleveland Herald was as follows
Citizens: These gentlemen had no right to
print in newspaper here that was to make
a speech, for the types ought always to tell the
truth and they have not done it in this case. But
| cannot look out upon great audience mash
tabula county, recognizing SO many old faces
and old friends, without, at least, making nv
bow to them and saying good bye before 1 60
l cannot either hear such a speech as that to
which l have just listened without thanking
the man who made it and the people who en-
abled him to make it. For after all no man
can make speech alone. 1t is the great power
that strikes mp from thousand
minds that acts upon him
and makes the speech. 1t originates with
those outside of him, if he makes one at all,
and every man that has stood on this platform
to- day has had speech made out of him by
you and by what is yonder on your square,
That is the way speeches are made, and if l
had time to stay here long enough, these forces
with you might make one out for me.
Ideas are the only thing in this universe that
are immortal. Some people think that soldiers
of the cheapest aud commonest qualities. We
ahare it with the brutes. can iud you dogs
aud bears and lions that will fight and fight to
the death and tear each other. Do you call
that warfare? They are as coura-
geous as any of these soldiers,
if mere brute courage is what
we are after. The difference between them and
us ia this. Tigers never hold reunions to cele-
brate their victories when they have eaten the
creature they have killed. That is the only re-
union they ever hold. Wild beasts never build
monuments over their slain comrades. Why ;? Be-
cause there are no ideas behind their warfares.
Our race has ideas, and because ideas are i'm.
mortal, if they be true, we build monuments to
them. We hold reunions not for the dead
for there is nothing on all the earth that you
and can do for the dead. They are past our
help and past our praise. We can add to them
no glory and we can give them no immortality.
They do not need us, but forever and forever
more we need them. The glory that trailed
in the clouds behind them after their sun had
set falls with its benedistion on us who are
living, and it Is to commemorate the i'm
mortality of the ideas for which they
fought, that you assemble to-day and dedicate
your monument that points up towards the
God who leads them in the glory of the great
world beyond, and around those ideas under
the leadership of the immortality of these
ideas, we ASSEMBLE to-day reverently to fol-
low, reEeIently 10 acknOWleuSe Tue glory Lney
achieved and the benediotion they left be-
hind them.
That is the meaning of an assembly like this,
and to join in it, to meet you, my old friends
and constituents, to share with you the memo
ries that we have heard rehearsed, and the in
SEPARATIONS that this day points to, that this
monument celebrates, is to me joy, and for it
am grateful. Before go want the pleas
ure and to give the pleasure of hearing
a few words from some distinguished gentlemen
who are on this platform. 1 would had
time to introduce them all tc you, but ask
you to hear for moment what you will,
know, be delighted to hear. A word from the
descendant of that great Ohio man that we so
honored forty years ago this year. ask you
to listen to Gen. Ben Harrison, of Indiana