The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-07-23
SPEECH BY GARFIELD.
What Monuments Mean and Teach.
GAINESVILLE, O., July 4.

PArNEsyILLE, o., July 4.
The following Ii the speech In full OF
General Garfield at the dedication OF the
soldiers' monument ut this place yester-
day;
FELLOW CITIZENS: cannot fail to re-
spond ON such an occasion. in sight oil such
n monument. TO such cause, sustained by
such men. While have listened 10 what
nv friend has said, two questions have
been sweeping through my heart. One
was, What does this monument mean ?"
and the other, What will the monument
teach ?' Let me try and ask you for
moment to help me TO answer what does the
monument mean. o, the monument means
q world ofmemories, a world Of deeds aud
n world Of tears and a world at Rlories.
You know, thousands know, what IL Is to
offer up your life To the country, and that
10 no small thing. as every soldier knows.
Let me put the question to you For q mo-
meut suppose your country IN the awfuily
embodied form Of majestic law should stand
above you and say, want your lite; come
up here and offer It," How many would
walk up bsiore that majestic presence and
say, Here | am; take this lie and use 1t
for your needs ?" And yet almost two
millions OF men made that answer, and
monument stands ycnder 70 commemorate
their answer.
That In one OF its meanings. But, my
friends, let me try you little further.
To give up life IL much, for IT IL to give
up wife and home aud child and ambition,
but let me- test you this way further. sup
pose this awiuliy m"jsstic torn should call
out 10 you and say: - ask you to give up
health aud drag yourself. not dead, out bali
alive, through a mIs rAble existence Tor
long years uutii you perish and die IN your
crippled and hopeless condition. ask
you 10 volunteer To do that, and IT calls for
higher reach Of patriotism and self 'sacrl'
flee, but hundreds III thousands OF your sol.
dIers did that. That Is what the monu
ment means also. But let me ask you 90
one step further. Suppose your country
should say: Come here on this platform
and In my name and for my sake consent
TO be idiots; 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 yeDturep And
yet thousands-and that with their eyes
wide open to the horrible cons quepces -
obeyed that call. And let me tell how lOO,-
0U0 Of our soldiers were prisoners OF war
and many OF them, when death was stalk
ing near, when famine was climbing up in-
to their hearts and idiocy was threatening
all that was left Of their inteilects, the
gates OF their prison stood open every day
IL they woald quit, desert their flag and Gu
list under the flag Of the enemy, and out
OF 10000 not two per cent. ever received
the liberation from death, starvation, idiocy
and all that might come TO them, but they
took all these horrors and all these safer
ings in preference to going back upon the
flag of their country and the glory Of its
truth. Great God was ever such measure
Of patriotism reached by any men on earth
before? That 10 what your monument
means. By the subtle chemistry that no
maa knows all the blood that was shed by
our brethren, all the lives that were devo-
ted, all the grief that was felt, at last crys.
talized into granite, rendered immortal the
great truths for which they died, and 1t
stands there to-day, and that is what yeur
monument means.
Now, what does IL teachs What will 1t
teachp Why, remember the story Of one
Of the oil coDquerors Of Greece, who, when
no had travelled 10 his boyhood over the
battle-f fields where MIltiades had won victo-
ries and set up trophies, returning he said:
"These trophies of Miltiades will never let
me Sleep" Why, something had taught
him from the chiseled stone lesson that he
could never forget, and, fellow citizens, that
silent sentinel, that crowned granite column
will look down upon the boys who will walk
these streets for generations to come and
will not let them sleep when their country
call them. More than the bugler on the
field from bis dead lips will go out a call
that the children OF Lake county will hear
after the grave has covered US all and our
immediate children. That is the teaching
OF your monument. That Ia its lesson, and
IL 10 u lesson OF endurance for what we be-
lieve and it Is o lesson of sacrifices for what
We think, the lesson of heroism for what
We mean 10 sustain. and that lesson cannot
be lost to people like this. 1t is not q les
son Of revenge; IL is not lesson Of wrath
1t 10 the grand, sweet, broad lesson Of the
immortality OF the truth that we hope will
soou cover as with q grand shekinah of
light and glory all parts Of this republic
from the lakes to the gulf. once entered
house In old Massachusetts, where over It's
doors were two crossed swords. One was
the sword carried by the grandfather Of its
owner on the field Of Bunker Hill and the
other was the sword carried by The English
grandsire Of the wife on the same field and
on the other side OF the conflict. Under
those crossed swords in The restored barmo-
nv OF domestic peace lived q happy aud
cUntented and free family, under the light OF
our republican liberties. thrust the time Is
not far distant when under crossed swords
aud the locked shields Of Americans, North
and South, our people shall sleep in peace
and rise In liberty. love and harmony under
the union OF our flag Of the stars and stripes.