Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-05-28
Memorial Services.

at the NJ. f. church Sunday morning,
the g. A. r. Post of this city attending
in body. marching to the church under
tie draped colors. After scripture
lesson and fervent prayer by Rev. P. H.
Mason, Rev. Swartz delivered in sub
stance the following address. taking as
his text:
-Neh Q; 36:-Behold we are servants thisday,
and for the Land that thou gavest unto our faith
to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof,
/ we are servants in It.
We meet today TO honor those, who,
for the protection of society, home and
the nation nobly responded to the call
of her chief magistrate in the hour of
national peril When we are called
upon to honor the dead or living, who
have been public servants, our enthusi-
asm is modified by the the three follow
ing facts; First, motive by which they
are actuated. Second, The nature of
servic or work done Third, the results
/ or benefits to those whom they served.
/ We, under some circumstances,
/ question the motives of individuals. that
is, we say their motives are ambiguous
or selfish, tending to serve personal
| ends alone,' no matter what the result
may be 10 others. But when we as cit
| liens, hear the nations cry OF distress,
/ her rights invaded, her honor insulted.
and her ensign trailed in the dust by
| malignant and treacherous foe, | say:
when we see all this, and then hear
/ from the palace of the rich and the cab.
in of the poor, from the farm and
| workshop, from the press and the pulpit,
/ every where the cry. Here are we with
our lives and our fortunes to defend the
nation, 10 preserve our institutions, and
| to transmit to posterity. unimpaired,
the richest legacy Heaven ever
| bestowed upon people, namely. re
publican form of governments there
| can be no question about their motives.
There is but one word that expresses the
whole matter. PATRIOTISM. Who will
/ question the motives of those noble and
| loyal hearts that imprinted a hastY
kiss upon the tear stained face of wife
| and children, father and mother, and
! sweetheart, and then sprang into line.
| and marching forth under the stars and
stripes to the carnage of war, feeling
the same patriotic THRILL that inspired
our forefathers at Valley Forge. siege of
New York, and Bunker Hill, that in
spired Patrick Henry before the Virginia
convention to utter the immortal words,
"As for me give me Liberty or give me
deathnp The motive cannot be quest
Toned, No neither could the motive of
the man, the citizen. who was sheltered
everywhere, under the fold of that grand
! old flag, at home or abroad, on the land
or sea. when at the fireing upon TT.
Sumpter, He had special business IN
Canada or took such q gold malar-
ia, that nothing bit the saiubrioaS climate
ofthe Black Hills could cure
He, who gave US this great nation. her
vsriety of climate and soil, her mighty
forests and beautiful prairies, her lakes
and rivers and mineral resources. and
above all, an intelligent and happy
people, knew what great issues were at
stake and the motives of our boys in
blue, when from one end of the land 10
tho other, they rallied under the nations
flag. An army of 1859, 1872. OF this
number 62,9l6 were killed in battle;
died of wounds received in battle, 40,
7S9, died of diseases, 221.79l; total
death list from all couses, 359,528.
| am appalled, before these figures.
What does it meant The thunderin Q
cannon, the roar of musketry, the
prancing of steed, the clash of bayonets,
the rush of armies, mutilation and
death For what purposeP to save the
nation. Who questions the motives of
the Revolutionary Fathers in their seven
years struggle with giant foe,
that resulted in establishing the nucleus
of the greatest nation and best govern
ment that the sun ever shone upon. If
our fore fathers are to be revered and
honored, for contending for God and
the right, for political and religious
freedom and the establishment of free
and independent nation where our God
given and eDherent powers might be
developed. and man feel that he is q
man. and ali men become equal before
the law; surely those who preserved the
union of these states and have forever
settled the fact that we are NATION,
and have at great sacrifice of life, trans
mitted TO US these gracious and price
less legacies, are to be doubly bonored.
The work done What was ii? Our
fopfathers fought foreign foe, an en-
envy that had to cross the ocean, land
upon our shores, invade our territory
and attack us upon our own soil. Our
fathers had the advantage in many re-
speets; then their souls were fired with
the one idea of independence. Victory
though long DELAYED came with all its
blessings But our late foe were our
own countrymen, in our very midst
our brothers. not all found in the south
either cauker worm that bad nearly
Cnaved asunder the heart string of the
nation. ere lts shiny wriggling torn was
discovered | would rather meet an
open foe than secret enemy. 1t was
for the preservation of this union our
BOYS fought and bled and died For