The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-08-15

the air IN CnarleSUOn harDoT. III
was borne over the waves, flashed
upon the wires, and hurried upon
the bounding train, until its echoes
resounded throughout the world. Its
mighty voice proclaimed to christen-
dom that the disputes of half CEN
fury, in the greatest of Republics,
which had defied craftsmanship and
patriotism, was now to be settled by
the arbitrament of arms: that the
greatest civil war in history had
burst forth in fury, and that the
millennium of arbitration must await
settlement by force. All about
me see the veterans of that contest,
and by the fire which still burns in
their eyes, dimmed as they may be
by the gentle touch of time, 1 read
the remembrance of those stirring
times. Soon the fierce contest, like
prairie fire, consuming all within
its reach, burst forth. The men who
fired the gun at Sumpter marched
their battalions upon Washington,
the first battle of the war, and would
have reached their goal had their
knowledge been equal to their valor.
Battle after battle came, each fol-
lowed by cry of distress and rage
from those who loved the Union, for
in each contest the stars and bars
were triumphant. The Confederates
had prepared for the strife and the
Republic had not. But soon cheer
came to us from the beautiful Cum
berland. Fort Donelson, the key
to the stronghold of the rebellion,
had surrendered, and the world was
introduced to the young man who
was to carve the road to victory and
achieve place in history by the side
of the military colossus of the
world-Ulysses S. Grant. Vicks-
burg, Mission Ridge, and the innu-
merable trinmphs which contributed
to the chaplet which encircled his
brow, followed, and then he led the
children of the Union through the
Wilderness, into the promised land,
where the eagles perched upon their
banners, and the emblems of rebel
lion lay abiectly at their feet. 1t is
trite saying that circumstances
make men," The history of the
world has furnished veriication.
From Joshua to him whose memory
we to-day embalm, events have de-
veloped merit. But nowhere has
there been so marked an instance as
in the career of the late General of
our armies. Who, in. the early
months of 1861, would have looked
upon the worn and disappointed
middle-aged man officiating as clerk
in a Galena leather store, and by
the most exhaustive stretch of
fancy depict him as victorious
General of armies, as President of
the Republic, which in this instance
was at least grateful; as the honored
guest of all the civilized nations on
the earth, and as the hero and idol
of free people? If arbitration had
settled the questions of the war,
Grant would probably have gone to
his grave as thousands of waiting
men have gone. But events pre-
scented his opportunity and he was
equal to it. Providence had reserved
him for his nations emergency. But
the lesson has still further value, as
evidence of the advancement of the
age. This unknown man of Galena
became the hero of his time because
the opportunities of development
were given him. The cramped spirit
of the past is obsolete, and the
times demand the recognition of
merit rather than dependence upon
class or race. Remarks to-day
should be too brief to allow any
analysis of the character of the
great General whom our nation
mourns. Neither is it necessary, as
he was as open as an open book. If
too much frankness is fault he
possessed it, and every trait of his
character was as transparent as
crystal. His patriotism was the
absorbing element of his character.
The perpetuity OF the Union and
honor of his Government were the
ruling motives in his action. The
grandest human virtue was his chief
weakness--an attachment to friends,
so fervent as to blind him to their
faults. To this, more than all else,
may be attributed such just grounds
of criticism as attached to his adj
ministration. But the nobleness of
the act of placing himself as shield
between his friends, whom he be-
lieved to be pure, and calumny, is
one which true men must always adj
mire. 1t would have been impossi-
BILE for him to conduct two admins
trations through those troublous
times without mourning the penalty
of abuse and criticism. The purest
characters are often obscured by
calumny. The beautiful evening star
. 4. ~ I I 4