Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-05-31

Who can measure the loss and Sor-
row? But this was in fact true. not from
one city, hut out of ALL Enough men
went to death to fill the places of all the
voters in one thousand towns such as
this; two hundred and fifty for each of
four years: a. many men as all the voters
of this great commonwealth.
But the old men did not die: forty
five was the limit Now, strike out
from your homes those from eighteen to
forty-five years of age and two thousand
such towns would be required.
These are they we remember to-day
100000 young men. Is there any
thing too sacred to offer to the memory
Of the brave one-third Of a million?
When one lives for himself he lives IN
the narrowest sphere. When he lives
for his family, he widens his usefulness.
when he lives for his community he en-
larges his opportunities. But when he
lives for his nation he broadens himself
into the widest possible capacity. He
that dies for himself dies in the narrow
est sense. None SO poor rs to do him
honor, for with him his only mourner
died. lie who dies for another or his
family, his death is more important. ii
touches others And so of him who dies
for his nation: his death being for all. is
the common loss of all, the sorrow of all.
a nations loss. So our boy in blue was
only boy of yours; once, perhaps, the
man was only a day laborer. But yes
terday he enlisted, and 20 he is more
than your boy now; he is the nations
son, and every mother has an interest in
him. He dies. and all are mourners,
because he belongs TO ALL All are filed
with gratitude to him because he gave
himself for all. He died for us, for the
preservation Of home and Gag and hon
or. So to-day we are all mourners for
this enlarged brotherhood enlarged and
enlarged TO be decimated.
For this cause they came INTO this hour,
and herein lies an appeal unto you for
every veteran He went unto this hour
freely, willingly, but was not chosen for
destruction As you look into the faces
of these common men you look into
faces often electrified by patriotism into
the veriest Titans in the carnival of
death. They are not here to-day or any
day because Of their own choice, for they
went by the side and in the same path
with the slain. They went where death
stalked in every form; they caught hold
Of him, but he LET them go with greater
hate, carrying with them the seeds Of
continual sueflring and ultimate cruel
death; SO that often those most fortunate
were they to whom death was but trans
lation They knew no sting. Brave
boys were they who went at their conn
try's call, and fen by tie enemy win.
Buried in the woods, in the fields, or
left the prey Of yultures; buried with cof-
fin, buried with blanket for winding
sheet Buried out of sight, because the
brave soul had gone out in the flame of
the Bosom of destruction. But these
comrades might have been thus buried.
1t was to their fate they went out; but by
some mysterious ordering they came
back again. Look or them and think Of
our fallen comrades, Of the places they
might haze filed by our side now COM
petitors, rivals, brothers now but dust.
Who would call them back from the
needed sacrifice? Who is sorry for what
he gave life, health, manhood limb OF
future hope.
But we must net forget them. We
must remember them forever. They
must be remembered, and in remember
ing them we must not forget the holy
cause in which they were offered up
Yet if we commemorate them in marble
or iron shaft, we may forget chem in the
artist and his work. We remember them
in story ike shat Of Grant and Taylor.
Our eyes grow moist and we hide our
faces that others may not see us weep.
And thus our love Of them is lost on
others
But to-day we bring the flowers of
the spring-the budding for the harvest
fit type Of the budding, Towering
manhood SO profusely destroyed. We
cut them down and strew them in
memory Of the persisted in all the wan