Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-06-01

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AZ. a. MURDOCH, Editor.
TUESDAY MORNING. JUNEl.
IN MEMoRIAM.
An Address, Delivered at Wichita
Kan, on Memorial Day, 1886,
by Gov. John A. Martin.
Comrades Of tie Grand Army. and Ladies ant
Gentlemen:
The growing popularity of Memorial day
and the increasing interest in the beautiful
ceremonies of its Observance, are among thu
.uost kappy and hopeful indications Of
Anse.ican sentiment. All the good or evil
of today is but the result of Yesterday
teachings Our greatest historian, speaking
of the men who mustered on the village
green ct Lexington, land fred the shot
heard round the world" declares that ''tht
light that led them on was combined o.
rays from the whole history of the world
from the traditions of the Hebrews in thu
gray of the worlds morning; from tie
heroes and sages of Republican Greece and
Rome; from the example of Him who died
on the cross for the life of humanity; from
the religious creed which proclaimed the
divine presence in man, and on this truth, n
in . life-boat, floated the liberties of nations
over the dark food of the Middle ages;
from the customs of the Germans transmit
ted out of their forests to the councils Of
Saxon-England; and from the cloud of wit
nesses of all the ages TO the reality and
rightfulness of human freedom"
This is the lesson Of Memorial day. It is
yesterday teaching today. It brings
81 L. f.,l
cred, to the grass-grown grave of the war
worn past. It teaches the living to honor
the memory Of those who cheerfully died
for Q good cause. It tells the children that,
in Q war for human freedom, the level of q
soldier is the pinnacle of glory. And 80 long
q heroism is thus revered and patriotism
honored; so long IS men and women teach
their children to honor and to emulate the
example of the::heroes and patriots who, Q
quarter of . century ago, rallied around the
flag of their imperiled country with such un-
PARALLEL enthusiasm, fought for it, suffered
for it, died for it, lifted it into the very
heavens, stainless and triumphant, and made
all men free before the constitution and the
lsvs-so long as this is the lesson and the in
spiration of the rising generations of Ameri-
cans, there need be no fear that the dead have
died in vain, or tnat the Republic they loved
will perish from the earth.
In speaking to you today, shall talk OF
some heroes and martyrs who were my COM
rades and my friends. They were not "born
to fame" None Of them were known be-
yond the narrow limits of the neigh
borhoods in which they lived, or of the regi-
msnts they glori6ed.by the simple manhood
of their lives. Country boys, some Of them,
they had grown up from infancy, surround
ed BY calm and gracious scenes and sounds;
town boys, Others, they had dreamed only
of business or professional pursuits, and Of
those triumphs and successes which, In civil
life. insure quiet and prosperous old age.
Suddenly the fash Of q gun in Charleston
harbor startled the land like an electric
shock, and in q moment all the currents of
its life were changed. The air throbbed
with the roll of drums and the blare of
bugles; flags auttered in the sky, like ship
wrecked rainbows, and for the fret time in
their lives millions Of people realized what
the old flag stood for. Men walked about
with an unwonted fame in their eyes, and
women, quick to comprehend the agony and
bitter sacrifices of the years to come, and
hiding in their hearts the neverlifting shadow
of their fears, wept and prayed, in the silence
of their rooms, that this cup might pass
away.
Then came the calls for men, swiftly
following one after another, and sweeping
away, in successive surges, the very bloc
som and flower of the youth and manhood
of the land. Seventy fve-thousand first;
then three hundred thousand, and three
hundred thousand more, until the total ex-
ceeded two million seven hundred and sew
enty-swo Thousand; and in almost every
home throughout the length and breadth of
the land there were vacant places bv the
hearthstone and aching voids in the heart
that, in hundreds of thousands of cases,
would nevermore be filled.
Many of YOU, perhaps, have seen Rogers
statuette, "One More Shot" Some time
window, soldier friend said: 1.-TWO of the
finest types of our volunteers are represented
in that group" The martial pose of the
central figure is superb; the boyish grace of
his kneeling comrade is no less striking.
The one represents ayoung man of Is or
30; his companion is a mere boy. The elder,
tall, alert, resolute. looks intently forward.
His broken left arm is held deity in the
folds of his coat; his gun rests against his
body, and his right hand is seeking his cart
ridge box. Martial, masterfui, manly
there were dozens of men in every regiment
who might have stood for the model of this
figure. The younger, sitting on knapssck
engaged in binding upa wounded leg and
placidly Indifferent to everything else. fairly
represents still larger class of our volun-
teers-the laughing, joking, rollicking boys,
who were heroes without heroic feeling, and
equal 10 martyrdom without one spark of
martyrs fire.
have, at home, a picture representing
General Thomas studying q map by the
light of camp fire on the evening after the
first days fight at Chicamsugs. There is no
artistic merit in the picture. But bought
it and have kept it because it represents,
though indifferently, several other types of
American soldiers. The painter has caught
something of the masterfnl figure of Thomas.
Near the great general, seated on stump
and gazing fixedly at the camp fire. is q mid
dle-aged lieutenant With his elbow on his
knee and his chin on his hand, his grave,
dreamy expression indicates
that bis mind has drifted far away
from the sights and sounds about him.
and is with his wife and children in
the dear old home. Lazily watching the
two officers is a young soldier on duty as
. sentinel, with his gun resting carelessly in
the hollow Of his left arm. These three
figures represent other types Of soldiers, and
are IS characteristic rs, though less skill |
fully drawn than, those fellows Of the Rog-
en group.
The dead soldiers am going to speak of,
like those of the Rogers group and the
Thomas picture, were only types of hun
dreds of other volunteers. have no doubt
that, if merely sketcbed them, giving no
names, every soldier here present would say
that was describing men in his own regi-
ment.
I first met one Of them in the winter of
1851 There was . reorganization of
Kansas regiments, and he was transferred to
mine with his company. Born in q small
village In New York. he was country-bred,
and had fair education. Square-should-
cred, strong limbed. graceful in movement,
and with every muscle and fibre of his body
vigorous and healthy, his was handsome
figure. Whether some remote ancestor had
TO him the blood Of Q soldier, |
do not know, but doubt If he had ever
thought Of war. or of . soldiers life, before
The fash of the gun at Sumter started the
nation. He Was as modest as he |
Was manly. If he was corrected or re-
proved for mistakes such as young officers |
frequently made in the early days of their |
service. he would blush like school girl. |
But he was . born soldier. His blue-gray
eyes were alike steady, quick and fearless. |
After three months drill he walked with |
The erect and martial bearing of a
regular; his prompt military salute. never
forgotten or omitted on any occasion, Was
given or responded to with q grace that was |
4 once cosy and natural; and his voice, |
,lear - the tones of a silver bugle, had in |
L the ring of true commander. He WAS |
sAptain, and his company WAS made up. as |