News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-05-14

Consequently they had but little
time or inclinat on to spend the
hours in social gatherings, and for
nine years the membership gained
slowly, and in 1880 the total mem
bership of the g. A. r. was nearly
1887. But now, as the shadows of
time heightened on these stirring
scenes of their country's peril, there
came this inherent, irrepressiblelong-
ing to grasp the honest hand, look
into the manly face and hear the
dear, earnest voice of the brave COM
panions, who, always ready to do
and dare in the hour of danger, now
in peace were drawn together by
bonds of brotherhood, cemented by
the likelihood of many beloved COM
rade, who
dreams of bloody fields no more,
Morn of danger, night OF waking.
These cravings for the society of
old comrades came now irresistible,
and snatching a holiday from their
busy avocations they hurried to the
camp room and again clasping the
true and trusty hand of comrades
they were soon aglow with old-time
patriotism and fighting their battles
over again. And we find the ranks
of the Grand Army filling up nearly
as fast as in the days of '61, and in
one year, 80 to 81, from 1887
the membership sprang to COSTS,
| the next year it went to s9,324, and
the next to 145,932 and in 1899
there was a total membership of
Ais, O9S, making the wonderful gain
of $50, TOO in nine years. And now,
on this, it's twenty-ffth birthday, it
has membership of nearly half a
million. There are Posts and De-
partments in every state and terri
| tory in the Union. The last annual
report of the National Encampment
shows a total of 6,92S Posts, that
give out to worthy, needful comrades
and their families annually $685.
556,O1 and have n balance in the
treasury of S475, $50. In its ranks
are the President of the United
States, and the country's most il
| lustriOus statesmen, attorneys, min
listers of the gospel, physicians, sci
|
flower of our land when stern wars
alarms called them to battle for the
country's cause, so at the dawn of
peace it became the bone and sinew,
the life and light of Gods greatest
and fairest country. This gathering
together of comrades, at first, sim
ply by the impulse of the ties and en-
dearments born of cOmpaniOnship in
the darkest hours of turmoil and
danger, ripening into a charity and
mutual protection to each other and
loyalty to country, has finally gath
cred a force and influence that for
twenty-five years has been the very
motive power of the most magni-
! ficent Republic that ever the sun
! shone upon. Under it's fostering in
f1uence the population has more than
doubled itself and the country more
than guadrupled it's wealth. In this
one-fo4rth of q century there has
come to us q prosperity, wealth and
power unprecedented in the history
of the world. Nor is this all:
At the knee and around the fire
side our boys, drinking in every de-
tail of our war "reminiscences, have
become inspired with the high and
holy patriotism of their sires; our
reunions, professions, and our recit-
al of heroic deeds, have brought forth
its fruits in that magnificent organi-
zation, the Sons of Veterans. One
hundred and twenty-five thousand
strong they stand ready to close up
| the ranks as their veteran sires are
mustered out to receive commissions
in the shining victory-clad army on
! the ever green shores. Ready, anX-
ious and fully competent are they to
take the helm or the cutlass in the
guidance and defense of the great
ship of State And so the Grand
Army of the Republic, since it turned
over to the civil authorities d Union
inseparable and free as Gods pure
air and flag unsullied by the fires
of sedition and disloyalty, has done
more to maintain and perpetuate
this priceless Inheritance than any
other agency. While other countries
maintain a standing army of paid
| myrmidons at a stupendOus cost
protection purchased of cold
blooded hirelings-in our ever glow
| ing vestal fires, on the shrine of I'M
| dying patriotic hearts, handed down
from sire to son, in invulnerable pha-
| lanx stands the bulwarks of a citi-
zen soldiery that bids defiance to
every foreign or internecine foe of
liberty's imperishable banner. We
maintain standing army without
money and without price. Nor is
this all. Close to the rear of this
great Grand Army of the Republic,
| just where the weary, fainting, dying
veteran staggers for helping, sooth-
ing hand, stand a long line Of minis
tering angels look down their long
clean dressed lines We see on their
spotless banners the beautiful legend
"W. r. c. " and they number 1922
522. Look into their sweet, com
forting faces, feel their tender, sooth-
ing hands as they staunch the gush-
ing life-blood, bind up the bruised
and aching wounds, cool the powder
parched lips and calm the aching fe-
vered brow. Oh, God, Thy greatest
boon to man is the pure, devoted,
self-sacrificing heart of woman. The
Grand Army of the Republican,,
that name is not big enough-we
will call it the Grand Army of the
World No, that will not do, nor is
it yet large enough, for it is not con-
fined to this world. Look yonder
stretching away eternity-wards, goes
its solid, unbrOken Understanding
across the invisible divide, through
the mists and shadows of the valley
of death, to the elysian fields of the
redeemed, there is no break in the
battle line from shore to shore. All,
my comrades, we are only the weak,
left flank of this Grand Army. Yon-
der, resting on the blissful shores of
eternal peace and unsullied happi-
ness, is the great right wing of our
Grand Army. There is the immor-
tai Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, Logan,
Sheridan, Sedgewick, Hooker, Thorn
as, leading on the heavenly hosts
five hundred thousand of them went
down on the field and in the hospital;
over six hundred thousand have
since dropped by the wayside on the
march of time, and they muster over
eleven hundred thousand strong.
Yes, comrades, the bulk of the Grand
Army is on the other side, and in a
few more years will sound our last
tattoo, then taps, and the lights are
out, and we join the unbroken ranks
of the God of hosts. But the Sons of
Veterans and the w. r. C. will still
hold up the cOlors of the left flank
and keep the line unbroken from
earth to heaven. Then it is more
than the Worlds Grand Army. Let