Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-05-30


make good the promises of the fathers.
FIGHT TO PERPETUATE SLAVERY.
zen. burdett mentioned that the perpetual
ton OF human slavery was the object OF those
who precipitated the rebellion.
he spoke OF the aristocratic bent Of southern
french empire saw with unerring clearness that
no matter under what form the confederacy es-
taoilshed itself. when its wished-for success
snouid oe assured, the frame of its society and
Ine Dent OF Its purposes would make it fit
ne!Snoor 70 an empire, even though the shadow
" Tue crown TO be cast over it was that of the
napsDursns, ana so he sent his marshals and
ms king 70 seize our Mexican sister, SO as to
hi is hopes of liberty still rising about
and the world the fairest front Of our cont.
nent, not blazing with the light of liberty, but
1 nay as dead volcano. But when Maxamil-
sword was welded by Mexican citizen It was
the rehabiitated constitution Of the great repub-
nc mat gave the death blow.
Inc orator declared that the struggle COM
nteliorateu Today was whether upon the stem
OF the republic the leaf and flower of liberty
parasite of slavery should hide its fair pro-
portions, sap Its lifeblood, corrupt its root hide
ana furnish breeding place for the vermin who
Mn. on decay and master at length over the
constitution as well over a subject citizen
snip, invoke the setting of the day of liberty
company we call the fathers"
ALL EQUAL IN COURAGE.
ut Is no unfaithfulness to them, or to you, to
point 1t out that the mere valor Of our COM
rades living and dead had in it no singular
greatness; that our foes were our equal there;
thst courage Is the heritage of universal man;
boundary; that circumstances may cool, but
cannot quench its flame. The colored troops
lou Iong u nooiy came with some to be sheer,
hundred years of bondage, the dark-skinned
American stood to the front man within an
hour. Stake SO grand was never fought for as
"a
continent and every sea since ever time began,
ana Tor lesser ends, men of every race have
death, and sent their bodies to the slaughter
mere Is no need in this presence to tell in de-
tai why 1T was that this place of beauty came
70 pc the chief Sepulchre OF the peoples loyal
dead. No heart that finds itself in tune with
these memorial ceremonies fails to recall it all
That this is Virginia: that on this spot dwelt
MIN whom fortune had fashioned for honor
VINO ms country had trained for duty to her
sen; tnat from beneath these shades, gathering
into MS train the generation whose heritage it
was, ne went forth to set up strange device
with which to mock the flag of Washington,
and himself henceforth to be the incarnation of
rebellion. Ii ever there were spoil won in good
cause; II ever there were inner sanctuary whose
door by day and night might claim the guar
d1ansh1p or the flaming sword to turn away all
here. If spoil of war was ever meet to be per-
petnai offering, this was the trophy, for it sig
naliZed the sure judgments of the Aim lightly; it
spoke OF His browning mercy" :
ARLINGTON.
Gen. Burdett next referred to the decision of
the Supreme Court giving the title of Arlington
to the Lees, and said that the judgment was the
voice of law and the nation Obeyed.
., that some divinely cunning hand might
catch the vision that on that day f1oated among
these graves! The background of awful battle
WellniSh covered with the springing vines and
fruits and flowers of peace! Justice, servant of
the law, weighing out with even balance into
the hand that SO lately had smitten her the de-
manded price, whilst all these dead stood forth
to witness that it was paid even to the utter
most farthing!
II sound at all broke in upon that matchless
scene 1T was the last reverberation of those
words OF patriotic faith uttered by our liberator
PRESIDENT as, addressing his "dissatisfied fellow
countrymen," on the perilOus fourth day of
March, 1861, he said:
''The mystic chords of memory stretching
from every battlefield and patriot grave to
every living heart and hearth-stone all over this
broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the
b Union, when again touched as surely they will
on snail answer for yourselves whether the
feet OF those as yet unborn, our countrymen
snail come with the spring time to do their duty
here. The sacrifice which has prepared for them
the way was perfect; the feast that shall invite
them if they but be as faithful to themselves as
this generation hath been to its sleeping fathers
and to them will be matchless All as God wills
"Forgfve me another word. Here, where all
the sanctities born of patriotic Selfdenial have
buried this was the place to have laid away
our Comrade, James A. Garfield whose voice
was the first heard at Arlington on Memorial
name next would speak. When at the sound
OF the bell all men shall mourn God keep the
day long way orr, here, and only here, is
there place meet for his sepulture. There lies
the capital of the nation he served and saved
as soldier and President This is the Potomac
ton for uses such as this. Mount Vernon is
but at a III here the guard already Set silent
"Heauen s restf,A peace be aith him as he Joins
IL, kio
rddes gone betore.'
A feature of the exercises was the rendition
OF several vocal selections by the 0rpheus club,
Iompkins pshaw, Hall, Hyman, Stewart
Comes, Brodie, Parrot, Cloakley, Layton, Male
and Plummer.
The benedictiOn was pronounced by Rev
benjamin swallow, department commander.
At the Soldiers Home Cemetery.
The trees were weeping over the graves at
Soldiers Home this morning and the thousands
of little flags planted, one on every grave. were
limp and wet. The big flag draggled with the
rain, hung at halfmast in front of the head
quarters. But the robins were singing In the
heavy oaks that shade the cemetery, the old
soldiers, inmates of the home, walked about in
the wet grass and seemed not to mind the rain
any m ore than did the basket-loads of flowers
brought to be scattered over the graves Pre-
paratiOns had been made to have the ceremony
OF decorating the graves this year particularly
Impressive, but 1t was much curtaied by the
rain ana several dlSappOintmentS. The Second
Artillery, with its band, which was to furnish
the instrumental music for the occasion did
not put In an appearance. nor was the "Orpheus
Glee club present as expected, Seats We're
ranged under the oaks in front of the speakers
stand at the entrance of the cemetery Here
the old soldiers in their best clothes
were seated or were standing about in little
groups as silent and motionIeSs as if on guard
Many were battle-scarred and bent with age
but all were full OF patriotic enthusiasm that
Kept them patient during Il long delay occal-
stoned by the failure OF Gen. Sheridan and the
Commissioners To put in appearance The
old veterans were under command of General
Henry j. Hunt, governor of the Home. The GER
em9ny was under the direction of Comrade j.
II. Jochum, commander Of Post Z. Commander
Jochum. called the assembly to order about
halfpast 10, and introduced Rev. DIR. Leonard
who delivered an eloquent and feeling prayer
MIR. John a. Joyce then read poem written by
him for the occasion, which was received with
applause.
THE GRAFTON.
The grafton was delivered by Edward Savre
Gearhard, of Danville, Pa. He referred to the
of the day not a simple tribute to
the memory Of the dead, as not an empty
show of sorrow, but as an effort of pay
18th. THE debt immense Of endless gratitude
Still paying, still to owe"
He said that if we were to truly
honor the Union soldier, living or dead
we must res respect and perpetuate the great
the great work of reuniting the nation aud in
glowing terms dwelt upon the present gran
dure ofthe Union, for which SO much is owed
greatness, should not be content with With
power power r., enough to guard it for the
in reserve-powers to conquer every possible
eXigcncy that can ever present ITSELF "And in no
form ofgOvernment,' he said, ais this need more
apparent IMAM IN this or ours; for in ours the
n 4 npht ~