Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1884-05-29

nature ndS pT6ceeN0u us In Decorating
the sacred spots Of earth where our love,
and lost rspOse. And beside this in tn,
celebration upon this May day, W,
will remember the Mays of the war
how each new spring came in the mids
Of suspense and dread. The spriRg o
1861 brought the first trial of the veal
hands; the sacrifice of the noble life O
Ellsworth at Alexandria, and of Win
throp at Big Bethel. They marked th'
beginning of the long procession Of
those whom we watched as they passeC
to the other land. May 1862 found thu
army wandering ia tho swamps o.
ChickahOminy. In May 1863, it was
just drawing back from the great figh1
of Charlottesville with Gettysburg loom
ing In the distance. The May Of 1864
found them in the wilderness with
Richmond this tie before them, and
no backward ste. vas taken until they
reached 1t and the invincible represent
tat1vs u. S. Graut rood within its walls
The spriug of 1865 itnessed the multi.
tude that poured TIN ugh tho streets of
elevated and reg.i rated Washington,
and the struggle OF t'ie war was done,
But the wal is never done, for the prin-
ciples for which they fought remain to
be perpetrated.
But dismissing this thought / would
call your attention to the fact that the
celebration of Decoration day is but the
public utteraRcs of what is going on in
multitudes of homes in the country; in
deed the true cOmmemOratian OF the
soldier is in the home where he once
lived and where his memory is to-day as
fresh as ever. But will the time eyer
come when decoration day will not be
observed? AS we think of the %inspira-
tiOn of the personality Of the soldiers,
such as your presence gives to-day, we
may think that the time will come when
Decoration day will lose its value and
cease to be observed, that that will hap
pen when all such men as you who par
ticipated in the struggle shall have
passed into the unseen land and joined
those who passed through the richer and
greater gate before them. That time
must come and 1t is coming year after
year. This year there are fewer of you
than there was last year, and next year
there will be fewer still, for yOn with
the rest OF mankind are in the march to
the grave. But the perpetual value of
this day depends upon the principles
in the lives and deaths Of
these men, and letting these principles
take q deep hold upon the heart. The
soldiers, like all men who die a noble
leath after q noble life. leaves three in
;piratiOn behind them.
The first is the personal inspiration
which belong to the hand which you
grasped and to the eys In which you
lsod to look. This inspiration of course
Is fast dying out and will be past when
the men who were in service have pass
ed away.
But beside this and next to 1t, there Is
he sacred kind Of inspiration which
comes to any man who does a great deed
no Wattsr about the character of that
deed, we do not 30 much question the
cause for which men die as we do the
greatness Of their dying and this makes
~ honor them. Simple earnestness,
to duty is q source Of per.
petual inspiration, and demands contin-
honor in this service died in a great
But beyond tho simple friendship
which belongs to the individual, and be-
Vond the greatness Of theiI dying there
Is something more which must always
make the value Of our Decoration day.
refer now to the special principles for
which they died and to the special value
If the things which they won, and 30
.ong as those things are precious to us,
The memory Of u soldiers car never
pass away nor gratitude die out Of
And you a clearly see how
ivory one of these three elements IL in
yolved in tho celebration of Decoration
lay, and yet were it not for the last of
these we would not gather as We have
The thing which will make us
those who poured out their
lfs-bloOd for their country 10 u ever
asting gratitude for the special cause
or which those lives were laid dOwn,
he everlasting recollection that
through them and through them alone,
his country to-day has a uni
'ersal citizenship Of freedom and is
me from ocean to ocean, from north TO
IOuth, Therefore as we view the OBJ
ects and motives of the war and the
work which has been accomplished by
t, we may confidently say that never
,efOre was a war entered upon for
Iuch grand prizes, or such beneficial re-
ults attained as our own.
1t was a wal for freedom, In the inter
of humanity. IT was a war in the
interests OF human progress, wagsd to
cure human rights. 1t achieved tho
afety Of the American Republic. pre-
Isrved the Union, and saved our free
Constitution, while according to it's
pirit and teachings it emanclpated
rom bondage, to enjoy the privileges Of
rec men. four millions of slaves.
Ii will not therefore do my friends ia
'ur admiration Of the simple character
which our soldiers possessed, to forget
o see through that character the great
ause for which they lived and died; for
hey were men who If they could speak
ut OF their graves to-day would ask us