Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-07-14
Garfield, on War Memories.

Monument was dedicated. The event OF
the day was the following inspiring, pat
riotlc address by Gen. JAMES Il. GAR
FIELD; it should be read by every loyal
man and woman, for the noble lesson of
unadulterated patriotism which it teaches,
as well as for the fact that its eloquence
is of the pure and classic type:
FELLOW CITIZENS ii cannot fail to re-
spond on such an occasion, in sight of
such monument to such a cause, sus-
tanned by such men. Applause and
cheers. While / have listened to what
my friend has said, two questions have
been sweeping through my heart. One
was "What does the 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? On, the mon.
ument means 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 country, in the awfully embodied
form Of majestic law, should stand above
you and say, 81 want your life; come up
here on the platform and offer it," how
many would walk up before that majestic
presence and say, "Here I am take this
life and use it for your great needs" APP
plause.l And yet almost two millions Of
men made that answer [applause], end q
monument stands yonder to commence
rate that answer. That is one OF its mean
ings.
But, my friends, let me try you little
further. To give up life is much, for 1t is
to give up wife and home aud child and
am bition. But let me test you this way
further. Suppose this awfully majestic
form should call out to you and say: I" I
ask you to give up health and drag your
self, not dead, but half alive, through q
miserable existence for long years, until
you perish and die in your crippled and
hopeless condition. I ask you to volun-
teer to do that" 1t 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 60 one step fur
ther. Suppose your country should say:
Come here on this platform and in my
name and for my sake consent to be i'd
lots" A voice-Heari Hear! "Con.
sent 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 thous-
ands, and that with their eyes wide open
to the horrible consequences, obeyed that
call. And let me tell how 100, 900 of our
soldiers were prisoners 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
| ,off of hoi inf nf
their prison stood open every day if they
would quit, desert their flag and enlist
under the flag of the enemy, and out OF
1870 600 not two per cent. ever received
the liberation from death, starvation, i'd
iocy, all that might come to them; but
they took all these horrors and all these
sufferings in preference to going back
upon the flag of their country and the
glory of its truth. [Applause] Great
God was ever such measure of patriotism
reached by any man on this earth before?
Applause That is what your monu-
ment 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 crystal
ilzed itself into granite, rendered immor.
tai the great truth for which they died
Tapplausel and 1t stands there today, and
that is what your monument means.
Now what does 1t 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 bait ef1elds where Miltades had
woR victories and set up trophies. Re-
turning, he said: "These trophies of Mill
tiades will never let me sleep" Why?
Something had taught him from the CHS.
elled stone lesson that he could never
forget; and, fellow citizens, that silent
sentinel, that crowned granite column,
will look down upon the boys that will
walk these streets tor generations to come,
and will not let them sleep when their
country calls them. Applause.] More
than the bugler On the field from his
dead lips will go out call that the chill
drcn of Lake County will near after the
grave has covered us all and our immedi-
ate children. That Is the teaching
of your monument. That is its
lesson; and it is the lesson of
endurance for what we believe; and 1t
is the lesson of sacrifices for what we
think; the lesson of patriotism for what we
mean to sustain; and that Lesson cannot
te lost to people like this. 1t is not q
lesson of revenge; it is not a lesson of
wrath; it is the grand, sweet, broad lesson
of the Immortality of the truth that we
hope will soon cover as with the grand
shekinah of light and glory all parts of
this Republic from the Great Lakes to the
Gulf. Applause
I once entered house in old Massa-
chusetts, where over its doors were two
crossed swords. One was the sword car.
ried 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 ofthe conflict I'm
der those crossed swords, In the restored
harmony of domestic peace, lived happy
and contented ard free family under the
light of our Republican liberties. APP
plause
/ trust the time is not far distant when,
under the crossed swords and the locked
shields of Americans, North and South,
our people shall sleep in peace AMI rise