Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-06-01
Mr.. BURCH'S GRAFTON.
4 fitting TRiBUTE TO ThE DEAD
A. Aaarass Delivered before the Craa5
Armg o. me Republic ARD Clfszens
On Memorial Oaf

"a e. klreh 80 SATURDAY
Among tie feeolleesioas ~ by bod dag
~ tA. r-etefl village. FeEy FIFl1 are those u
the t11aai ilselilae ~ the veterans ~ ths
s4E ~ l-lz. ines sars fe2 Ia DEHlber a1l
every seaf gle esana greE sl1aliert theii
lluhs Fens ftebla zEd esery year grew ulors
sl a. -Heg eLiieAForet - 1areh g. the .hrill
lreut4lo qf tle tlelslt lle and tee unaeFfsin Z
ff1ifla sf ihe tlil4Daied drum. yet that u, 1sil
never fltied - lhfIl tae boys 0f tbaf lsg III
1sef uDsr ~ their being. sazeniuz IL fheil
stllis r-spousiFe echo ~ every feeble hur-
fil- ard tle boys were accgsloned e. Vene-
'ite t11 believe il those veterans as the an
sAent- we're accustomed 80 Felerate and be
iieFe ~ tne fulal9rt.als. tI sas their wont a.
iile 4t tae siilafs tavern and partake ~ 5
a1elAl glass and then gather o. recount
sasfte- ~ ttelr MARCHES, fatigue. -kirrui.hs-.
battles and e-cal es zni iu these they often
1i-Nhlled the deEssnersey sLd effeUlnaey OIL
tHe modern loltl Who 10 tl-if opinions we're
att better ntted roe such scene ~ they had
pa.ssed lhroush than the maI.iens 0f TIE y0Jd
ohi tags
Worthy bat ken old uen, Endurance.
( bravery nrroism. are confined 60 no age or
7 e-me' itnln the sound " their voices and
/ flliy believing ~ they saii were youth Who
Z Eotlgnt, Lied, ,lcaeled and died amid or
/ surviving, returned from scenes of warfare
-ueh as bad noE visited those veterans Ia
[ treauls- since Jehovah raised az 20 the
I cnidren of Israel the andauntsd Moses a.
7 lcaii ihem f-om degradation o. national en-
meaee, az peoples cf aN times have found
1 PATRIOTS Tor trying EMERGENCIES. strong men
I foe their country $ weakness. hves and blood
Y Tor their national sacFliees; and however de-
I generated states mag have become, IN their
lowest 1sph- oi misery We may see az times
I irola them that
'oometnlng immortal ,till survives"
And such endurance, patriotism and sacri-
Tee seem tO be essential elements ia the
moulding of national character. The work
I oi UGlldns -uca a character l. OF necessity
slow one. 10 requires time, changes. and
a variety OF Influences to acconplis.l any
talug approaching perfection IN 20 great p
~ork Had the rebellion been precipitated
uron u7 thirty years earlier 10 l. doubtful
whether the result would have been the same
the country WAS not then far enough ad-
v1niad 20 have withsloOd the shock. A. II
was the soldiers who went into the
eCnllct were not orsidored a- such by the
military leaders 0f Europe The European
sotliifr l7 ordinarily q mere man -fnachiue-a
creature o. ussh and blood. but seemingly
fecls. ne military mOulds, reformed, rehabih-
ttted, steel plated, brass mounted. capari--
Oued Ike "a var horse and knowing 40 will /
but the viii OF the master. The men who |
went 70 light our battle were Of different kind /
aud they had that within them which passe,, |
AZ mere knOWiedge OF military tactics and /
evolHtlons-a pride born OF the knowledge OF /
their country worth possessed and possible:
az intellgence such a. no urevi7us army /
could With Justice have laid claim to-
Whatever seems a necessity 10 humankind
Nlll be struggled FOR with all the energy of
being. Civil and religious liberty as a part
or our institutions had been enjoyed long
enough oy oar people 10 render them seem
inEly necessary % national existence and
individual happiness To give them up and
enter Nr4 ID
seemed impossible; to give them uD without
struggle would have been dastardly. and
These we're tue feelings underlying the excite
ineat IA which our soldiers went forth To
the struggle. They were men of brain as
well ~ muscle, men of soul "a well a. physi
cal force Iney were the soldiers OF new
political dispensation, they were the warriors /
% a higher CIVILIZATION, they were men who /
t04ta ught and die and know what they wer, | .
{ shtiog and dying for. their battle hymns
we're the battle hymns OF sovereign=. not
'erfs or peasaniTy; their purpose was not To
'arry 0gt the wIll of any pOtentate for terri
.orial acquisition or personal grandeur bat
q perretGate that ia w.Ilch each had an
luu share. lt was the result of a common
impulse moving the million a. one man.
Ind with them wha. n mighty undertaking !
va the result Of what a GOd-like resoIvef
-Van The historians Of future times can new l
r measure or fairly estimate the force of 4
nai thriu OF feeling which peryaded our peo-
le when awakened by the first gun-that =
"a ~ destlny-that boom that viii be heard
p its moral echo n long a. this nation ex I
rs and tins Union Is beloved. Thousands O
'rung 10 arms, Tens Of thousands fol-
we'd Hundreds Of thousands closed in be- .,.
ind them
10 D. not we'll to dwell upon the sad realities n
lat followed. War seems a cruel, a heart
~, p Us less factor IN the economy OF the D
ORIG ct u may be that after this life is
lded. when We .0Ok back with broader.
carer vision on that which u past: see ali
80 We have parted from in its true status
id environments, and are IN q measure able r,
torec-s the future Of that which il mortal -
e purposes ~ the Creator then made man
sst % us may demonstrate that war has q
ore eievating aud euroblIrc tendency than -
liliuE peace. Erua it involves much that "a
m0meuts ~ reelection We would shrink "
1tn with dreHd. 10 enters the happy circle
the hottie and separates the beloved from
g Owed Cnes it bears Out upon a sea OF IN =
own viclssltudes aud dangers those whose =.
ives have ran quiet rs the brooks by which
PSI sportsd.' % chiils the blood that has =
eu warm with sympathy and humanity l
81 the heHrt for a time becomes cold and
ri and pltiiess n changes homicide.
zen in peHce i7 generally a crime. into n
rid virtue, to be studied. cultivated.
itafed. eiuniafad- Tho breaking Of heart
Iuss AZ home keeps time with The rattle 81
II
me fni Simultaneously with Drops OF hfe 7
oo at tnc frout' the wan cheek OF sorrow
horne ls rs pisisul as the loneliness of tho
'nown grave af the scene OF action re;
may reflect that If there was no war.
.th and its attendant sorrows are but the
vitahle- the grave, common destiny. 4
-Ihifher the mighty to-rants stray. L
inrher tte hfr'ok pursuos ira way
ADD trkifur ull.
Ihero ail are eluaL side hy sida-
ihe pnor man, gnfl fhs soD ~ pride
iiia raiw ard sriil
nd ~ = not so much the act and tact of 4
iE 80 tne manner In which one lives and
t1at wins che approval of Cfod and man n
strH-r'e. ne pain. the sorrow of friends nric
De tfe sar-e whether one dies at tho aesi
~ ~ nrunkarri IN p midnight hraxl. or W
Pc a oayonet thrust al tbe head of ne inr
nm, while planting the colors or tha Sam
ny works II q the life one has Tel. the 0r
- for which one dies. tha sstsrifras owe tine
made. IRE -Hsniruess which one 9isrisvs n n
ne rresenca of death which makes and "
rs che cCntrast between harnis-- s,l Ihe