San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-03-05

less grandeur, "divinely tall, and mos
diyinely fair" the noblest tribute u
the noblest man.
The six thousand which composed
the civic and military procession, and
who were out from 10 A. NJ. until
T.. NJ, standing for most OF the time
massed in a square about the monu
ment, had a foretaste OF the horrors
OF war 1t was bitter weather, and
many, chilled TO the bone, were prost-
rated with cold.
The procession from tho monument
TO the Capitol was we'll ordered and
imposing. 1 have seen many pro
cessions move along Pennsylvania
avenue, but never before have l seen
the police succeed in keeping the
streets clear, and their success on this
occasion argues well for the much
larger procession which will move
along the same route next week, on
the 4th of March. The side walks
Of Pennsylvania avenue are very
wide, but the spectators have been
disposed to encroach upon the street,
TO crowd the column in procession,
and break the view from all but the
from line. By q successful DISPOSE.
ton of mounted policemen, the ave;
nue. was kept perfectly clear, and all
were enabled to enjoy the spectacle.
Major Dyer, the chief of police, re-
ceived a letter OF thanks from the
President for his success in manag-
ing the crowd.
First came General Sheridan in
full uniform, mounted on q black
horse. He was followed by four aids,
and a large body of mounted men.
Next in order came the U. S. infantry
and artillery, and then the volunteer
military and civic organizations.
These were followed by a long line
Of carriages, decorated with the stars
and stripes, in which were members
of Congress and Justices of the Su-
preme Court. The President sat in
a carriage drawn by four horses.
Conspicuous at the head of the
southern visiting military companies
was Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, mounted on
a superb dark bay stallion.
The ceremonies at the monument
were very brief. The weather was SO
cold that not even the speakers un-
covered their bald heads, and the
audience sat with their hats on and
moved their benumbed feet constant
ly. At the Capitol, from which all
but favored two thousand were ex-
cluded, the ceremonies were protract-
ed, the speeches were longer, but
were endured by the audience with
fortitude. The first grafton was
written by Mr.. Winthrop, who was
the orator thirty-seven years ago,
when the cornerstone was laid. 1t
was in the somewhat heavy and re
dundant style of rolling periods that
was considered fine rhetoric forty
years ago. Mr.. Gladstone, Monsieur
Glmbetta, Lord Macauley, or MIR.
Villas would have said more in half
as many words. The grafton was
read by Mr.. Long, of Massachusetts,,
the writer being too feeble to be pres
ent.
The Grafton of Col. Daniels, of
Virginia, was fowery and brilliant,
sophomorical and pretentious. The
The best orators of the day practice
different style, and the orators OF
the future will not find models in the
orations of last Saturday, except OF
some faults they should avoid. Life
is too short, and modern common
sense and culture is too practical, to
be cheated and tickled by words,
words, words. This view does not
exclude eloquence, but it does ex-
clude grandiloquence, which yaunts
itself and substitutes gaudy sentences
for chaste and simple expression of
thought. If old Mr.. Winthrop and
Young Mr.. Daniels will take care to
revise their orations before delivery,
and carefully cut out all the fine
things they have dotted on, they may
yet make pretty good orators, but
the old style of soaring the American
eagle until she is out of sight, and
making the larks sing at the gates of
Paradise will not do for these times.