The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1886-06-11


HoNoRED COMMANDER, LADIES AND GEN
TLEMEN. VETERANS OF THE WAR, AND
MEMBERS OF CRAWFORD PosT:
1t gives me great pleasure to be here and
unite with you in these deeply interesting
memorial services.
If, in words shall help you to call to
mind scenes and deeds of other days, in
the grandcurs of freshness. or stir within
the spirit of patriotism, that it burn to
brighter flame of honored elevation, shall
be content.
In our memorial ard decorative services
to-day we blend our sympathes with the
common interests and the deep toned SOL
row feelings of a great Nation. A Nation
whose present attainment and future out
look, toward that which makes q Nation
good and grand, are second to none. Adown
the scale of sadness our sympathies go to-
day, to bathe once more in that ocean Of
sorrow. caused by the flowing blood of our
heroic and honored dead.
1t is well that we have great events in
our Nations history, they ever serve as
wise purposes to freshen the past. Over
the surface of the earth are great physical
land marks. 1t is not all one extended
plain. There are great rivers, hills and
lofty mountains. Each country has its
own distinctive features of renown. In
our own, we have Mt Washington in the
East, and Pixies Peak, in the West, which
have pushed themselves up from the rocky
formations to sublime attitude. So the
events in q Nations course of life, and
these become elevated places in thougt and
memory around which generations of or
dinary years cluster. Bunker Hill, in the
North and Washington Monuments, in the
South, are artificial elevations TO our coun-
try. One speaks of great event, the
other of a grand character-a character as
renowned as any of earth; monument,
the highest on earth. The Revolution and
Washington. What an event. What a
characterl How grandly they blend with
living power in the history of our Nation.
Every American citizen should! visit Mt.
Vernon once and stand in front of that
silent tomb, and there catch new inspiration
of patriotic life, that constantly clusters
around that world famed sleeper
Centuries are looking backward upon
some National events. Egypt, Greece.
and Italy, China, England, France and
Germany, all rest in the grandeur of great
events. The fame of cultured literature,
the honor of renowned characters. The
New England settlement of our own
country has only little over two and a
half centuries looking to it, The Revolu-
tionary struggle is but century old. An
old war veteran by the name of Mark Cook,
of Nation, ILL.,, is yet living-nearly 10
years of age, (born Sept. II, 1776) who
used to look upon the face of our Wash
ington He was a soldier under Gen.
Jackson, in 1912. He is living relic of
those interesting times. There is later
event to which this day calls our attention.
Its closing days are not quarter of cen.
tury old, yet its stirring scenes haye so
burned themselves into our National his
tory as to mark the 10Th century as dis
tinctive period. 1t so quickened the in.
ventive genius of the war spirit in the pro.
duction of Its unique armament, that its
improved weapons of warfare completely
revoiutionized the world. You remember the
repeating rifle, when first introduced it so
astonished the Rebs that they said the
"Yanks have got guns they wind up in the
morning and shoot all day? The Swamp
Angel, five miles away from the city of
Charleston? And Gen. Gilmore demanded
of Gen. Beauregard the surrender of the
city. He replied, land unheard of thing
to demand the surrender of city when
the forts have not been reduced? The
iron-clad vessels in Hampton Roads; how
for five long hours they hurled their heavy
metal upon each other; and the nations of
the Old World saw their great naval fleets
swept from the sea in single day2 We
have only one Niagara whose flood of
waters flow 10 the ocean. We have one
civil Rebellion whose river of blood flowed
from the veins of our citizen soldiers and
drenched our soil. The Rebellion and our
volunteer citizen soldiers; how the event
and their characters blend together. con-
Meeting anew, with an evergreen and fresh
memorial, the patriotism of our fathers
and all the grand attainmcnts in modern
civilization of their children. AS in other
events so in this last But few individual
names pushed themselves far up into un-
ending renown. Indeed, all the past has
but few lofty. world renowned, complete
characters, around which the millions of
ordinary ones cluster and look up to.
While we say, all honor to the sacred
memory of the common soldier whose
graves we decorate with flowers to-day.
Somehow we cannot forget the officers and
generals. I'll name only one. but will not