The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-12-14

= ! No craven graduates in the firm tuitio
Of Gods discipline. The lesson OF cour
age in daily jeopardy; OF patience unde
r privation and strain; the pursuit o
9 high aims In dIsdain Of earthly menae
Z or disaster. was taught TO me. ! trus
not all in vain. by the HowritZer battal
\ ion. The heart to scorn death, nay, tn
4 heart to scorn self, the surrender Of al
. for duty, was preached by their detach
ment from Bethel TO Appomattox, an,
from Manassas to Manasas-and then a
| the last, the highest, the bravest Of al
| courage. the courage which shrinks no.
| from defeat. They were no warriors OF
the silk and satin kind who Joined theii
| throat OF thunder to the grand tones
OF, that epic OF wrath. Seasoned veterans
with the faces Of boyhood stood behind
the ordnance, which had been drawn
from Yorktown to the Chickah0miny,
which rang from Gettysburg to Peters
| burg. Never once were the caunoners
| driven from the guns which had been
captured for them from the enemy. The
strength Of conflict was In their sinewS;
| the strength Of conviction In their hearts.
They moved in obedience to a principle
which ruled the whole Peart. and welded
the whole strength. They were made by
pressure ard fire as the diamond is
made. AS they faced storm after storm
they added cubits to their stature. Far
beyond all material triumph I'm building
the character OF a people is the struggle
for that baptism" which we name the
answer Of a good conscience" From this
source only comes the fortitude, for that
mistaken struggle with lifes reverses,
| which counts for more than all the ex
| ploits of romance. None really, none
lastingly conquer who trim their sails.
or their souls. for every breeze, and have
no permanent chart. "All that pass from
this world" said John Foster, must
present themselves as from battle, or
| be denied to mingle in the eternal joys
and triumphs of the conquerers."
witnessed that wonderful sight. as
] tried by all the past. four years Of bat
ties, which stand forth as scenes of a
TRANSPORTATION; wherein as the war strain
grew more tense, the warrior grew more
noble-battles, which were images Of
spiritual growth and spiritual victory,
wherein each in turn registered one more
ascendency of mans higher nature;
wherein his ignobility was trampled by
his nobility under foot; so that as rank
by rank, mortality was thinned. the
ranks of the immortals were recruited
For here soldiers presented themselves
like disciples, as a living sacrifice on the
altar of ali they revered. On Gods great
altar their lives were laid. Their battles
were the litanies Of heroes Their vaior
was consecrated, not unto fame, but
unto duty. Their welcome to the foe.
as day by day he gained on them in
numbers, but not tenown, stands out for
me as the most illustrous portrait of
mans spiritual wrestie; wherein he greets
world in arms against him, as his ap-
pointed angel; the true arena to which
his sponsors in baptism devoted him.
They steadily assembled on their ladder |
of pain. 1t was like the struggle Of a |
strong VIII In weak body. As in /
Angeles figure. the soul grew as the |
body wasted. When the only way in I
which the victorious cause could COM
mend itself to the consent of the gov
erned," was to wear out by attriton"
all who failed to perceive its beauty;
when such a warfare
did like a pestiience maintain its hold
And wasted down by glorious death, that
race
OF natural heroes"
our little band shared with their brothers
the desolating tempest, until il was their
glory 10 stand with the seven thousand
Of Appomattox. Obedient to their great
captain 10 the last, at his word. ard
only at his word. did they surrender.
They wept as they dismounted their
guns. 1t was still the courage which is
10th to yield. When all was lost save
honor, their roll remained the roll of |
honor. The surrender OF themselves to !
heir great captain and his cause had
been their great surrender which swal-
owed up all other. OF such Is the king
ION which is victorious over defeat.
t Is the panoply which no defeat can
pierce. The great souls of sacrifice.
wherein civilization has its root, and
whereof Is IFS tha,r
lave their symbol in that bush burning {
n the desert, ever self-consuming and
yer unconsumed. Rightly we make the I
upreme effort Of that war our measure.
Tor If our mind was evil the blows that c
ge struck would have betrayed its evil
ounsel; and as sheep know their shep- p
erd so do virtuous actions troop around
virtuOus cause. II the heart OF the
outh was the black and barbarous o
hing her enemies have painted, a spear "
f fire should have discovered a shape so -
oul. That heart has been tried In the r,
re; 1t has passed through the fire I o.
'ould not be guilty. and l believe l am 70
OF guilty Of irreverance when | say, =,
lat In the midst OF the fiery ordeal ~
ITO which that heart was thrown, there -
as one walking by II IN the flames ~
hose form was as the son of God To II
1here to success is easy. Consistency IL
RdeF an adverse star is the rare and -
bly, virtue. The standard of steadfast -
)nor has been borne aloft by men, o.
no knew there was for them no other \.
ward than the self-respect which only 81
lch fidelity can purchase. Tho heroic 20
mper of that heart and the army it ~ ~
lrplied, I'm victory and defeat Is a.
lrable of the constancy Of the human "
ind, which does us more good to-day ~
an all our expressions have done us w ~
urn. r.
The Statue. H.
Dur embodiment Of this story is the ID
)rk before which we will stand to-day W
tn uncovered heads, and | might add, !
tn uncovered hearts. From our own w
nks sprang the genius which has Jo
Gated it. Our own fellow Howitzer Is J.
r artist. The companion Of our tolls | Ce
eServes them for us. He has trans II
ed into temporal bronze the infinite Sa,
,aning of our struggle and our sor- Ge
W; the image of a soul which can arm J.
elf against the executioner of the n.
dy. as II were the free soul in the cap- d.
e oody The delicate and living lines, Jul
? lines of solemn thought and silent Ca
row, which unite and converge upon f.
: clear countenance Of honor outline Tol
pirit over which great calm has come Poi
one who has learned the worst that Va
e can do. IL is the truth which is Wa
ought by action into a unanimlty of r.
ii and body, making each a portrait r.
the other. There is our HoWitZer J.
Is soul well knit and all his battles Oh;
n There he stands. waiting in ST. Cat
&c. The breastwDrk he surmounts he r.
made his own. He stands upon the w
npart, which is only built in a peo- p.