The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-31

our hearts. 70 b Eos: jealous OF It's honor, TO
preserve il purity. TO snrich IL With ali cur
manhood and al our courage ard affection
Aos s7ercly unss Ne csIead II, but our duty
calls a. to make i: puc and noble and worthy
OF being loved. 10 feel that nothing Is disaoaoe-
able that can benefit Or advance il; that no
work Il cishouoring 10 which il calls us: to give
u With esean haads and pure beasts oar osss
AID moss loyal service. and when cur duty calls
% % leave ft 20 our children ~ ,hsir Eoss
precious suhefs:ancs. Shall any one say IL Is
toie OF pusriie 70 garland these graves and ray
honof 10 these dead men when xucs lessons
come to Is In the very set of homage We per
foem?
Before the clouds OF var had disappeared or
the sunlight OF peace had kissed the lands that
had been cursed BY . fratriciial war. two SOL
diers orphans appeared ~ the doors o, TIE OK.
ecuase mansion 1t Harrisburg. texgilg for
bread This injustice to the dependent chill
orsn OF OUT slain ana crippled warriors aroused
III zeal OF Andres g. Curtin. the patriot gov
efnos and soldiers friead. and the result Was
that Pennsylvania took the lead among the
sisferhooc OF states in caring for the children
made nccesai;ous by the Casualties Of war: but
state After state OF tue Union took Up the holy
eanse. and today an army OF widows and or.
phans throughout the North raise their voices
70 heaven in testimony OF the grand system Of
tae soldiers orphans home, and pour their
heartfelt blessings upon the heads OF those who
gave il birth and the grea. states which have
fcssered them 20 tcndesly. The Athcnian
may point 70 the marble shaft at Mar
athon that sdosns the spot where
on the patriots OF Greeco tmnorsai.xcd
thense~eaL Rome may poias to the column OF
brass in the forum that marks the great victor
les OF the Punic WARS: France may exhibit the
niasoie SHIFT that conmemorates the troops who
marched through the proudcss capitals OF Eu-
rope; England may take just pride In the
badges OF honor With which she decorates her
dead and living herocs; but We claim for the
states OF the North the gfandest monument the
world has ever seen: they not only decorate
their dead and living heroes, but they stretch
ous their great arms OF love and protection.
gather to their breasts the soldiers orphans Of
the land. c'othe them, feed them. educate them.
uatil they stand today the brightest Jewel in the
diaicn of their countsy's glory.
Daring the dark days of the rebellion the loyal
people OF the North and the soldiers of the
Union army relied upon Abraham Lincoln as
their savior and believed his promises - they
believed in God: and when the sympathetic
Lincoln. kneeling at the bedside OF . dying SOL
der in the hospital, pledged this government in
prayer to 'care for him who shall have borne
the battle. and for his widow and orphan" the
dying soldier knew that promise would be re-
deemed. and that knowledge cooled his th.ob-
bling brow and soothed his dying hour. May the
spirit Of Lincoln and the influence OF our great
aud mighty dead guide control and prosper the
good work thus delinsated by the mar,yred
president.
Let me say one thing more. I think IL pecu-
liarly appropriate that the children and youth
should have q part in these exercises, and I
congratulate them that in the programme OF
this hour they were not forgotten. The destiny
OF the republic will soon be committed to their
hands. Much depends upon how they are edu-
Gated while young. We must take care OF the
training Of our children, for among these boys
tnany OF them sons OF vetsrans) ara some whom
God will one day make our future generals, sen.
ators and presidents: and though We do nos now
see their badge OF future dignity, 1t 10 proper to
treat them with respect. We must also remem.
Der that they are now being trained, and the
task must be carefully and we'll performed.
You remember that Mirabeau. when asked
how to teach popular liberty. answered: "Begin
with the infant in tho cradle, and let the frst
name IL lisps be Washington"
Girls aud boys. this Is your country: its moun-
tains and it valleys. its lakes and its rivers. its
delts Of waving grain. it, beds Of dusky dia-
monds, its glorious history and its grand possi-
bilitics are all yours. Ie IL your home, and %
you love your home and father and mother, 20
should you love your country and Its fiag.
II were to say word to you to day appropri.
ate to this hour It would b this: Be ever
true to yourselves ~ heirs Of this beautiful
land Of liberty; dare always to do right In your
kiuEly places; love public virtue and the honor
OF your Gag. and above all else Iowa your coun-
try, and never forget wherever you arc that all
you have and oil you arc you owe to your
country.
Comrades, to us this day these ceremouies
should have an added sacredness 40 the years
90 by. Each recurring Decoration day we find
new mounds to garland with aowera Our
ranks are thinning: the comrade with whom
We touched elbows last year Is missing; familiar
voices no longer answer to roll call: We march
not 30 steadily nor with such soldierly a~lertness
a. OF yore. and our voices are not so chcery ~
when we went marching through Georgia
After . while-weli-aster a while we too shall
enter the camp beyond the c~oninss Of this
grand old earth, where the roll cali 10 heard but
once and the term OF enlistment Is for eternity.
Then may flowers still bloom and may our
BE- kept as green and a. sacred as We
keep these. And now let us take UP our grateful
work. strew our sweetest flowers. for these who
lie beneath tho green turf thus covered with
flowers are worthy OF Our most touching acts Of
love aud sympathy.
Yes. cover their graves with beautiful flowers,
We will deck them with gariands. those brothers
OF ours,
Lying so silent by night and by day.
sleeping the years OF their manhood away:
Years they had marked for the Joys OF the brave;
Years they must waste in the sio.h Of the grave.
All the bright laurels they fought to make
lloom
Fell to the earth when they went to the tomb.
Give them the meed they have won in the past;
Give them the honors their merits forecast.
Give them the chaplets they won in the strife.
Give them the Iaurels they lost with their life.
Cover them ver-yes cover them over,
Parent and husband, and brother and lever.
Let VI crown in our hearts these dead heroes OF
ours.
And cover them over with beautiful flowers.
Oh, my friends. a. We walk among the graves
of our comrades to-day, revcrentiy bow head and
knee over the lowly hiliock aud bedeck with
flowers and hedew with tears the turf which
grows nowhere else so green.
We can feel the touch OF unseen hands. We
hear the voices none Others hear. We are Ell.
chantcd-overawec. We are alone and yet In
the inauinerable Gem paay Of silent men A. II
dwelling amoag the sombs; the old days come
back 20 ms.
They are all young men. leap!ns. laughing,
marching. singing, fighting. Now all IL still.
We can hear the rustic OF the Old flag - l, floats
In this summer mornings brcez.. So IL rustled
and rolled above us over . quarter OF a century
ago. Is the cannon and muskstry OF the ba':le
accentuated Its ryfhmic dow ard fish OF war
as /. glanced across its glorious folds. Its stars
glow a. brightly in is beautiful blue. its stripes
stretch out In its graceful. billowy. restless
length a. grandly still. but the young hearts
that then beat below all It's majestic motion and
music are still In tho grave and the unief-song
OF its graceful and msiodsoua roll. 10 . requiem
Of the glorious dead who fell aslsep by all
their country's wishes blest"
God of battles Why shouid not these young
men be here today. Why should they not en-
10Y the music Of tho Uuionr For IL We measure
time By the results achieved by them aud Of
which they were not permitted 70 live aud see
the full ~iruiiion. We know that these heroes
hcsned 10 force the n IS that mark the prosrcss
of civil ystion fun u century ahead Why