Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-08-10
HONORING THE HERO.
HOLLANDS MEMORIAL SERVICES.
a Mastery Funeral Grafton Delivered
b, hon. ~. c. 6Urch Before a
Large Congregation.

church. AT the church KEY Mr. andef
Msnhn delivered short aud eloquent sd-
dress IN the Dutch language and Hon. NJ. G.
Burch, OF this city. followed NTH OGe Of has
best efforts. D: which the following L. a
ssnOpsls:
II vas part of the faith OF the ancient
Egyptians that after period of from three
10 ten thousand years had elapsed. the soul
which al death had departed from the body,
would return 10 II sgaln aud, reunited with IL
Ia form, the man would thencefOrth be I'M
mortal For tins reason aud from
this faith II was their custom To preserve by
wonderful and now long lost art Of
embaln'ing, the principal portions OF the
human structure and place them within
marble ssrcapagus to the end that II might
be ia readiness 10 receive the returning
spirit, a. We are wont 10 receive the beloved
and long absent. Creods change, beliefs are
altered, but faith ever remains the same.
IL has come To be our creed. our belief, yes
our faith that dust returns TO dust. spirit
returns 10 it, original source. aud that moth
Ing mortal can bo preserved by mortals ey-
cept as IL - embalmed ia the memories of
man and enshrined ia the sarcapbagus We
call history.
When a man becomes truly great-few bo-
come so-he l. no longer owned by a family
circle, a nation, or a generation, but 10y the
whole world and 10y all time. 30 this a. no
common day, these no ordinary obsequies,
for a nation mourns ana world pauses To
reflect IN sorrow, that one has passed away
who has left the imprint of his individuality
upon the most enduring landmarks of hnman
society and organized government. Where
| he was born or where ne died Is unimportant.
| Ii is the work he did that arrests the
| attention of his fellowmen, that merits
| their enduring gratitude, that causes him To
| be mourned ia death and that has bespOken
| his ~,
a. q 10 H. INN. IL
| That were not born To die.
We are not concerned with the details of
| his early life The life of the Great Master
was quiet and unremarkable, till his time
had come, and his mission work on earth
was crowded into three short years. And so
with Grant. His life was of slight interest
! until his time had come, but from that time
| il was of interest to all mankind. As great
| ideas are born III solitude 40 great men are
| commonly reared in obScurlty until emer-
| gency calls them forth TO eminence.
From the earl est authentic history the
| rights of man have been constantly men
| aced; the liberties of man constantly en-
dangered. The most momentous. the most
! heroic struggles of the ages have occurred
| in the endeavor to establish and preserve
| them. The best blood has been spilled and
| the noblest lives given tn cause. and so IT
| may ever continue 10 be. We may not
| pause TO consider the CAUSES, the events nor
4
a. the latest, the surest. the best attempt at
| enlightened popular government: but il may
| not be properly so regarded as the result of
| chance or the exertlons of Its found
| ers, but rather as the product
of all the freedom-lo loving people of all times
| past. Ii Is the result of the evolution of
right: the apotheosis of equality and frater
nifty; the application of the Golden Rule TO
| Governmental science.
There came upon us time when the
| national existence was threaiened when the
| welfare of the result of all the struggles of
years past for the light and right was en-
| dangered. As when the artistic skill and ap-
| Piled effort of an inventor, have for long
years been employed III fashioning some
| marvel of beauty or utility for the benefit of
| himself and his fellowmen, stands by the
| shapely mechanism In WEAKNESS and the
| CRIME of toll, enjoying IN anticipation
| the glory of success, some evil suddenly I'M
| pending threatens destruction to himself
| and the result of his efforts; fear seizes upon
| him and he stands breathlessly awaiting the
result. So stood this country, so stood those
who believed in and loved freedom and se
| government in lS6l-when the quiet tanner
of Galena felt that his time had come. Four
| thousand years Of wrong, oppression and
misrule. four thousand years of struggle for
right, four thousand years os undecided con
| test. Yet failing of the full fruitiOn of free
| dom. looked down upon the danger, and
world stood waiting and watching for the
result.
Weneed not fight over again the battles of
| the internecine war. III II had been merely
a strife for territorial acquisition; if il had
| been but for the redress of some fancied
wrong or real wrong of ordinary moment, il
would not have been memorable in history
but the strength of a system and the preser-
vatiOn of a principle were at stake and il
| was not strange that every artery of the ma
| sson zvpilan xrlth hot blood
Gle strained, every nerve braced for the con
| test. Half a century of peace had left Us
| without leaders, and to follow those hastily
| called into action was like the blind following
the blind. IL was IN this emergency that
| Grant came out OF his obScurity upon the
theater of action. Quiet and unassuming to
| n remarkable degree. II was not until success
| followed success IN his efforts that he began
TO attract universal attention. and to be con
sidered leader worthy Of following. From
the siege and surrender of Fort Donelsou.
where the frnness OF his will would admit
Of no halfway result, bat required
an unconditional surrender, all his
career in the We-. was indicative of rare
foresight. large resources for sudden
emergencies. fortitude IN danger. co-olness
in action and a perseverance that seemed
| matchless. In the East where the flower of
the army had first been gathered and where
the interest vas most centered )ur leaders
had met with disaster and disappointment
| repeated until the most confident had
grown skeptical a. to the result. General
! after general bad failed Of the prize
| -columD after column had moved
| forward only 20 be forced back again
his chagrin and disappointment. and North
ern Virginia had become one vs=t graveyard
: 81 soldiers and the Union heart seemed
! | destined 70 become a graveyard Of buried
/ hopes. To such a scene. under such trying
! circumstance. Grant vas called - take the
command.
There we're 10 more etrograde nnovemen ents
every battle. every march. every sieEe bOrs
the impress of his indomitable viii and hi.
ability - commend.
He never seemed 30 halt or hesitate For
ward ras the word al along the line. Hf
hss been criticised for reckless waste o'
iifa and blood. hut Il Il undoubtedly tr1e ~
situation AZ the tine EFF him no other alter
native thar that - Sighting nth All ~.
: strength of his forces n var the loss o
Efe must generally ~ greatest - those whs
~ssur7e and maintain the offensive. ard y
aur var the operations n orr armies snr
the purpose fo~ winch they we're IN tke &c
rendered offensive operations 4 necessity
And it sss "a the srrinz - I-t4 WIEN 10 ~
=r7rned general -suarnani question - Cnsol
Z bard work a. teavT cost, oT hnzerinz rss.