National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-07-05
A MONUMENTS LESSON.
Speech of General Garfield at Its
Dedication.
A Tribute to the Soldiers of the Late War
Sacrifices Made FOR the Union-nevotion
Under the Most Trying Crcum-
stanccs-Jheir Blood Crys-
taliized in Stoue, "A Les-
son to Posterity.
A world of Memories and of GIorics.

A World OF Memories ana OF Glortcs.
PAINEsvILLE, ONO, July 4.-Tho following
is the speech in full Of General Garfield at the
dedication of the soldiers monument ycstcr.
day:
FELLOW CITIZENS: caunot fail to re.
spond on such an occasion in sight OF such Il
monument to such cause sustained by such
men. [Applausc and cheers. While have
listened to what my friend has said two ques'
tions havc been sweeping through my heart.
One was, What does the monument mean ?
and tho other, What will the monument
teach 2 Let me try and ask you for a moment
10 help me to answer what does the monument
mean, Oh, tho monument means world OF
memories, and d world of Deeds aud II world of
tears and n world of glories You know,
thousands know, what il is to offer up your
life TO the country, and that is no small thing,
MS every soldier knows. Let me put the
uuestion to YOU: Fora moment suppose your
country in the awfully embodied form Of
majestic law should stand above you and say,
Il want your life; come up here on the plat
form and offer it, How many would walk up
before that majestic presence aud say, Here
am: take this life aud use it for your great
needs [applause.l Aud yet almost 100000
of men made that answer lapplhuscl. aud II
monument stands yOudcr to commemorate
their answer. That is Que OF its meanings.
But my friends, lot me try you little
further. TO give up life is much, for it is TO
give up wife and home and child and ambi'
tion, but let me test you this way further
Suppose this awfully majestic form should call
out TO yuu aud say, i ask you TO Civ up
health aud drag yourself not dead, but hall
alive, through IL miserable existence for long
years until you perish aud die in your crippled
nnd hopeless condition. ASK you to vuiun'
Il lie i,,,t lt,,l,. Il,
of patriotisln and self.saCrlicc, but hundreds
of thousands of YOU soldiers did that That Is
what the monument means also. But let me
ask you TO 10 one step further Suppose yOul
country should say, Come here on this
platform and in my name aud fur
my sake consent to bo idiots lNoice--"hem!
hcaI!"l Consent that your very brain and in
teliect shall be broken down into hopeless
idiocy for my sake. How many coud be
found to mako that venture? And yet thou
sands, and that with their eyes wide open to
the horrible CONSEQUENCES Obcycd that call.
And let me tell how 100000 OF our soldiers
were prisoners Of war and many OF them, when
death was stalking near, when famine was
climbing up into their hearts aud idiocy was
threatening all that vas left of their intclleCs,
the gates of their prison stood open every day
il they would quit and desert their flag and
enlist under the flag of the enemy,
and out of 10000 not two per
cent. ever received the Liberation from
death, starvation, idocy aud all that might
come to them. but they took all these horrors
and these sutIrrngs in preference to going
back upon the flag of their country aud the
glory of its truth. [Applausel Great God
was ever such measure Of patriotism reached
by any man on this earth belurcI lap
pluuse.l 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 crysiallizod itself into
granite aud rendered immortal the great truth
for which they died lappausel, aud il
stands there to-dny-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 couqucrcrs OF
Greece, who, when he had Travelled in his
boyhood over the bHttle-felds whore Miltiados
had won victories and set up trophies, return.
ing he said These trophies Of Miltiados
will never Let me Sleep Why, something had
taught him from tho chiseled stone II lesson
that no could never forget and fellow.cti.
zcns, that silent sentinel, that crowned gran
ite column, will look down on tho boys that
will walk these streets for generations TO come
and will not let them sleep when theil
country calls them. [Applausel Moro than
the buglcr on the field from his dead lips will
20 out Il call that the children of Lake county
will hear after the grave has covered us nj
and our immediate children. That Is The
teaching of your monument. That is its les
SON aud it is tho lesson of endurance for
what we believe and it is the lesson of sacr
fce for what We think aud the lesson of hero
ism for what we mean to sustain, and that
lesson cannot be lost to people like this. Il
is not lesson Of revenge, ii is not
lesson of wrath; it is the grand, sweet
broad lesson of the Immortality o
the truth that We hope will soon cover, a
with the grand Ghckinah Of light and glory
all parts Of this republic from the lakes to tn,
gulf Applause l once entered n house II
old Massachusetts whoro over its doors wer,
two crossed swords. One was the sword car
ried by tho grandfather of its owner ON til,
field of Bunker Hill aud the other was tn
sword carried by the English grandsire Of th
wife on the same field aud on the other sid
of the conflict. Uudor those crossed sword
in the restored harmony Of domestic peac
lived happy and contondcd and free Glmil,
under the light of our republican liberties
[Appause.l l trust the time is not far distan
when under the crossed swords and the locke,
shields of Americans north aud south ou
people shall sleep in peace and rise in liberty
love and harmony, under the union of ou
flag Of the stars and stripes"
GRANT ~ THE TEST.