Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-05-31

1liawatha Band.
Mayor and City Council.
Fire Department.
Uniformed Rank X. P.
Co. ID Fourth regiment, h. n. g., and drum
corps.
Sons of Veterans.
Speaker of the day and chaplain.
G. A. r. drum corps.
Abilene Post G. A. R.
Citizens in carriages and on horseback.
W. S. Anderson, Chief Marshal.
After parading the principal streets
of the city they repaired to the opera
house where the members of the q. A.
r. were seated in the places assigned
them. The remaining space was soon
filled and many turned away unable to
find even standing room.
Post Commander announced dirge
by the band. Rev. w. II. Zimmerman
offered feeling invocation after which
followed song by Messrs. Hargreaves,
Hough, Sumner and Sharr.
In an appropriate manner Hon. j. K.
Burton, the orator of the day, was then
introduced by Comrade Anderson, the
vast audience greeting him with cheer
upon cheer.
MIR. Burton before commencing his
speech recited with true dramatic elo-
queuce and impassioned utterance the
famous poem entitled, ''Sheridan's
Ride" The fact of Little Phifs''
present dangerous illness made the de-
livery of the poem all the more appro-
pirate,
After the applause following upon
the recitation had subsidized, he spoke
as follows;
One by one the comrades are going
into camp on the other side. a few
more wears and the veterans Will be nc
longer with us. Life Is short when
stretched out to its fullest length, but
scarcely soldier of the late wal
whose wears of life have not been less
ened bv reason OF the hardshipS en-
dufea. He may have missed death
throughout all the dangers OF war, he
may have marched With 4 firm step al
the last grand reunion, bat As age
sweeps upon him the rheumatic pain
the smothered feeling at the heart, the
nervous tremOr of the hand, the rapid
waning CT the vital powers, evidence
the terrible strains Of the physical and
mentalman, enduredhn years gone by OF
the march, in the battle, or perhaps in
the prison pen in the South. And so
repeat. not one soldier in thousand
| who survived the shock of battle and
the ravages of disease, but has given q
| portion of his life to his country.
Ii is this thought that makes me
angry az the expression Of any mean
spirit towards pensioning the soldiers
| Thank God, a geAeCOus constituency
has forced our Legislators t. do some.
thing. 1 might add. to do great Gegl:
but enough has not been done, and will
not be, until every survivor OF the wal
is placed above want.
If fortune has smiled upon hiM and
he has plenty and to spare and does not
care to ask for pension, all right. but
| if be is needy. he must be cared for
Nor ain ( in favor of being over careful
about iHquirHs iat2 his conduct and
habits of life since the %2r. Even il
he has INDUCED in dissipation sil4s been
thriftless about money matters, l am
ready to look with charity on all the
acts of his after life. 1t may be that
scurvy or SONS ehfonie poison has
lurked in his blood since Wading
through the swamps of the South. and
! feeling the need of stimulants has took
| to driak and carried the habit to excess
1t NAV bs be lost the art of making
money while ag9tipg rebels. He
learned to love couRtty 20 much more
than self, that the passion 10Y money
oozed entirely out of him. Again, " i
a notorious fact that the best soldiers
are usually poor money makers.
Grant was stupepdOus failure all
his life at money making. Only once
did he achieve success in that direction,
and that act, like all bis daring deeds,
was performed in the face of death
He could do nothing in Wall street, his
soul was too great, he had too much
faith in humanity, he believed too
mucia ia What people told him to make
successful operator among tie
mOneyed sharks .f EeW York.
Bnt when the dreaded messenger OF
death approached for the last time Wa,
determined neia. snd the great general
turned to say goo4pse 70 his wife and
children, his soul was dss4ssyad at the
thought that he was leaving his family
in poverty, and setting his iron jaw he
seized the pen and babe death wait
until he wzote chartered deed OF
wealth for his loved ores.
1t was then that GranS vas really
great-not when he stormed Aoa4S.d-
son, nor when, after he fought the bat
tie of Shiloh hs net and conquered the
ignorant, malicious s@d yenal forces OF
the North; nor in his captTEs az vlcks-
burg: nor in bis campaign in the efet.
at the end ct ghicb he took the rebel
capital and the re6si enemy; nor yet in
his great civil acts as pfesident-but
Grant was incomparably great when IN
his last battle with death he would not
surrender until he had safely landed
his family beyond the reach of want.
Want! an enemy that knows no mercy.
Nor do want any soldier to go to a
soldiers home unless it is his wish. IL
he has a family want him to have the
ufivTIn1S az living with big wife ana