Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-06-06

and IN art A bad fashion has come more
or less in vogue OF seeking out the coarse
and repellant in every social scene and in
every picture, and calling powerful art
that which photographs every detail which
startles or repcls. i do not hesitate to call
this the sickness and imbecility Of i'm
agination, which, failing TO see the poetic
and the beautiful which underlies all
nature, takes refuge in mere microscopy
cal enumeration OF the outer coverings of
nature and misses the soul within.
The hero-worship of generous youth is
juster than this and more natural. 1t sees
the object of its admiration at distance and
upon hight that seems inaccessible. 1t
sees it softened by the intervening atmos-
phere, little dimmed by the haze, but its
true proportions are better appreciated.
Its character Is better known than IL one
were digging at the base to tell what kind
of earth from which it mounts To the
heavens.
This structure and the statue 1t covers
mean that Garfield countrymen sec in him
and in what he did, so much that is worthy
of imitation and worthily exhibits and in
terprets the critical period of our National
life through which we have just passed,
that they have wished to embody in inn.
perishable stone the memory of it. They
desire that IL shall teach many generations
TO emulate the good qualities which fitted
him TO lead in good directions, and to seek
that honor in good mems memories which
comes by subordinating selfish ends TO the
common good. They have built this men,
orial in the belief that we shall be the bet
ter for learning well and wisely this
lesson, and that he whose memory IL shall
help preserve is a fit teacher Of faith in our
institutions and in our country's destiny.
Let us look at his life in this spirit, and
trace, in brief outline, a sketch Of his
growth from boy TO man.
ExGov. Cox then traced Garfelds
career from his birth to his tomb, and in
closing said:
Antagonisms are here forgotten. Cyni-
Cal carping has no place here. The good,
the great, the strong, the wise and the
patriotic were all so abundant in him that
out OF them the young of coming gener-
ations may construct an ideal on which 10
mold themselves. The weaknesses, the
limitations, the imperfections incident to
human nature and which every man must
humbly acknowledge his share 10, may
here be dropped from view, and the model
to be initiated Is made up of those noble
and generous qualities which were so
marked In the man we honor today.
The people of this land, far and near, are
at this very hour decorating the graves of
their fallen patriots and heroes with affec-
tionate and heartfelt love and reverence.
Our task Is part of theirs. We JON our
countrymen in the loving duty. This men,
orial Is permanent decoration of the tomb
where lies the body OF a soldier and q
patriot, whose services to his country were
so great and so brilliant, that the dignity of
this structure and the durability of this
monument only gives fitting expression to
the solidity of trust, the honor and the re-
gard with which the American people cher
ish the memory OF such as he. May IL be
TO us and our children the continuing
lesson in patriotic endeavor which IL was
designed TO be; and may many generations,
as they look upon IL, find IL stimulating
them TO that nobler manhood which shall