Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-08-12
Gen. Ulysses S Grant, Committed to
Posterity and to History.


the capability of being stirred by the
memories of it's heroic characters and
events. Feeling thus stirred by the
memory of one, who gave himself to the
preservation of our national existence,
we come to secredly commit General
Ulysses :. Grant to posterity and to his
tory. Amidst financial misfortunes and
weighed down by suferings, this great
man, hopored by an indebted patton,
passed away; calmly and silently COM
hitting to us his immortal name, and his
illustrious fame.
AS the sweeping sun from the horizon
steadily makes his way to the zenith, so
from the quiet unknown this man came,
passing upward, until to day he rests
side by side with Washington and Lin
coin.
Looking up to where he rests unsur
passed by mortal hero, we ask-from
whence came he, and what distance did
he Journey until he found his place
with the renowned in history? How
came he to secure such heritage of fame?
And as from his height, Gen. Grant, restful
and composed, looks down upon us, let us
contemplate him as central figure fixed
in the worlds history.
His advent into history was by way of
that which is universally heroic. yet it
was in genius and manner possible only
to land of the sovereign people and a
country of equal rights to all men.
Here the heroic spirit in his search sweeps
the whole range of the people, from the
humblest home TO the princely palace he
goes without respect to humaG station,
calling forth those who, not by royal
blood, or honored ancestry, are worthy,
but those who have the stamp of the
Gods upon them, who have the seed OF
the heroic qualities planted in heart and
mind.
Thus when OF the 9th dav of April,
1922, at Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, the searcher
of the heroic entered the log house of a
humble, Christian family, the new born
was claimed, and soon, to the eyes of the
father, the stamp of greatness appeared.
From that lowly place with here and
there then unnot;ced indications of future
fame, the faithful farmer boy, the young
West Pointer, the struggling and real
estate and business mau. the rejected
engineer, the tanners clerk, for almost 40
years this chosen man of history, selected
by character and genius for the highest
service of God and man, bore quietly his
sturdy integrity, his frmness of purpose /;
rolling the logs into his early home,
where their first children were born,
marketing wood in the city of St. Louis,
he kept alive the voice of his destiny,
Frightening from day the stamp which
the searcher of the heroic had put upon
him until, he virtually, by quiet tortitude
carved his way to the entrance of human
glory, where the emergency of a great
rebellion found him, and with the call 20
arms came Capt. Grant into the rank of
the heroic soldier. and as a central figure
amidst these armies who passed into his
tory, he now comes into the foremost file
of the annals of the race; the Fastening
years will place him with Miles Standish,
George Washington and Abraham Lin
coin, not one of whom could receive the
coronation without the noise of battle.
Like they he must come into his place
by the legitimate forces which fashion
the fame of all those who from the peo-
pie are chosen to greatness. lie would
plant himself into the place of an Illus
trious man of his people, must make his
way into the admiration and affections of
that people by identifying himself with
their sacred interests.
Hence the unclean, the cowardly and
the false cannot stand in the holy CON-
pany of the martyrs ana the heroes.
But he whom we to-day honor was with
the people, he served the people, for
them he quietly endured the exposure of
war, when the neither made the sacrifice,
giving her soldier boy, the offering was
placed in his hands; the Offering which
our homes made in the awful days of the
Rebellion, was administered by tnis faith
er, friend and soldier, when he gave the
command to the mothers boy, the wife's
husband OF the tender child's father, be
knew what it meant. and standing by
their side he bid them 60, knowing that
many OF them would not come again, but
he ministered these offerings like great
high priest of battle. How careful the
great soldier was not to do violence to the
tender feelings associated with the sad
fortunes of war may be seen in his gen.
tie, yet stern reply when the ladies o.
Washington, On the occasion of his great
commission, and the review of troops,
wanted to give ball: Ladies, I am
not cynic. Ilenjoy rational pleasure al
well as anyone else But, / would ask
you in all candor andgentleness if this il
the time for music and dancing and feast
ing among the officers of the army! /:
our country in condition for such things
at present? Do army balls inspire troops
with courage in the feld3 Do they
soothe the sick and wounded in the hos
pital?"
Was such a man untrue to the tender
trust of lives committed to himf Wa
this man rude butcherer of men? wal
he Indifferent to the pathetic interest the
people had in the soldiers?
Not only must he make his way
into the admiration and affections of the
people, and indentify himself with thei
sacred Interests, if he would come into g
a prominent place in their history, bu
he must stamp his own life upon the
formative elements in their history, there
where the principles which make thei
history are contended for, where human
liberty and human well.being is struggling
for its life there he must be.
Great soldiers of history have led VIC
torious armies, inspired by mad ambition