Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-05-31
Did you hear the distant drum
And the peoples shout, They come
n with me you then had stood
Seen the city's multitude

On their front, their rear their tanks
Pressing in their very ranks -
Gods ! methinks you would have spared
Half a lifetime to have shared
All the swelng thoughts that then
Met the swathy battle.men T.
Unless that be wild, poetic panegyric,
such an army of men belonged not to
America alone, and they fought not for
her alone, but for humanity, for the
world II this be so, then Decoration
Day, while it is a memorial especially
dear to Americans, belongs not to them
alone, but to the race And it should be
sacredly observed, not only throughout
America, by Americans, but by Ameri
cans and those who love liberty and
equality everywhere.
Standing here tonight, 1000 miles
from America, and after the lapse of
more than two decades, we can look
calmly on that great historic struggle.
We can impassionately, impartially in
terrogate the patriotism Of 1861, which
called forth the Union Army. What
was its motive' Was the north right ?
Was it justiiable in going to WARP Has
it justified itself to the conscience Of
Christendom and to the judgment Of
history! answer eyes, abundantly p
Were the Pilgrim Fathers justified in
enduring the hardships and in making
the sacrifices which it cost them to lay
there the foundations of that nation ?
Has the Declaration of Independence
justified itself to Christendom1 Has
the battle Of Bunker Hill justified itself
to history By the answer to these
questions we may settle the one before
u.s. If the patriotism Of 1916 was
right, then the patriotism of 1861
was right. For what the former
established the latter preserved. 1t
was the uprising of the children
to preserve the legacy of the father.
More specifically the rebellion sought
to accomplish two things, both OF which
were wrong in principle and utterly in
defensiblc in method. The first was
the preservation of the institution Of
slavery--an institution inconsistent not
only with the spirit of the age, but with
the foundation principles of the Amer
lean Republic, and one which the
Christian conscience Of the world con-
dennis and which the nation had al
ready began to curtail and threaten to
overthrow. The second-(which was,
indeed, but means for accomplishing
the first)-was the dismemberment of
the Union. The substitution in the
place of one strong, self-consistent gov
eminent, of two rival governments, with
the way open for just as many more, as
there might be found factions to rebel,
and ambitious men to lead. In other
words: it was nothing else than the
destruction of the nation, and this for
the sake of saving from extinction the
unhuman crime of slavery Against
----i--'- r. r--''.-' mara hound h,l every
solemn obligation to oppose our ut
most power of resistance.
The history of America from the Ian
ding of the Pilgrims to 1860 was a series
of divine providences bywhich Godhad
committed to us the sacred trusts which
the rebellion sought to betray--the pre-
cious treasures which it sought to de-
stroy. Much as we abhorred war
and shrank from ii, we abhorred base
nessand disloyalty more, Not only with
conscience void of offense, but with {
profound conviction of the approval Of
heaven, we took up arms and forth tC
battle for righteousness, for home, TO
country and the future.
Then came four years of terrible war
The patriotism of 1861 proved o
what stuff it was made, when, outlastinl
the defeats and disappointments, anC
the spontaneous enthusiasm of the frs
few months of the war, it settled resolu
tely down to its work, and became tn,
patriotism of 1862, and Of 1868, and o
1864, and of IS65-never flinching o
tagging till its task was done.
Then came Appomattox and peace
But after all, what did the patriot
ism of 1861 accomplish 1t wa
heroic, it was self-sacrihcing. /
! was persevering. 1t fought with
noble courage. 1t shrank from no toll
or danger, or injury. 1t suffered bravely
!, 1t bled freely 1t died gloriously. Blu
, did the results justify the stuper
dous sacrifice ? What are the results
1. In the first place, the Union wa
! preserved. We kept the trust comm
, ted to us. And that is result past a
i computation.
t a. In the second place, we freed tn
, slave. We did not mean to do it. Bl
y God so ordered. 1t was one Of tn
s Incidental results of the war. 1t is a
!. the more valuable because so manifest
S providential. If we look at the enormit
Q of the sin which emancipation brougl
i, to am end, the blood and the treasui
h expended in four years of war was nj
h too costly an atonement for the Grim
n of 200 years. II we look at the benefi
d of liberty to four millions Of our fello,
; men, the price paid is not too high.
a 3. In the third place, we have reape
S new benefits to ourselves. What woul
IS America be to-day If, instead of co
II qucring we had been conquered
n America is free and prosperous matte
|, to-day, and we owe it largely to Il
:, patriotism Of 1901.
d 4. In the fourth place, we have d
S. monstrated to the world, and to :
!, coming ages, that free people c:
IS maintain their government against ;
le enemies without and within. III
Union ARMY did not fight for Ameri