The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-05-30

~ A>,,$es Ss I backward, and.
| pi r n g
| through the gloom. bitterness and woe
| that lie at the roots of resurrected
nation, bring up into the air and sun
| light the fruition ot its sorrow.
| The poignancy of our grief for the
dead has passed and Memory, q be-
| loved guest, stands to-day by the grave
which hides their mortal part. Their
better, nobler presence has risen above
death. It breathes II every nthem Of
| liberty, and is voiced in the gratitude
OF people redeemed from bondage.
Year by year the past is hallowed by
| more sacred ties. New mounds in the
churchyard are added to the number
that mark the resting place of our
heroic dead, ard fever blue-coated
veterans march to the sound of solemn
music, to lay the tribute of laurel and
| myrtle, symbols of glory and immor-
tality, on the graves OF those who have
passed beyond earthly roll-call. A few
more years, and not one will be left of
all that host that marched beneath
I'iC EcbtiiSiiA - SUN StAAi
watching and suffering for their coun
try. Yet this day will be forever cele-
brated, the holiest of our holy days.
Or nation bcesf When its foes who
sat in the splendors of kingly courts,
and under the shadows of thrones,
viewed it, as it lay PROSTATE, they
were glad, that 'self government had
Co.
weary with watching for the unrisen
sun of liberty, in that older world
across the blue Atlantic, wept for what
seemed our dissolution. Then mira
Gle was done, mighty and solemn. Sol
diers poured into the veins of the dy-
ing nation their own life-blOod. and
revivified it. Scared and wounded it
arose, gathering new strength from
every sacrifice of its brave sons, new
dignity from the sorrow of its no less
brave daughters.
We come to-day, one people, united
by the hot blows of the stern workman,
War, as the smith Yields on his anvil
sundered bits OF metal into one homo
geneous whole. We cover the sears with
the beauty of the spring time, beauty
born of storm and stress and winter
days. The hands of little children, the
future natior-makers, bear the fra
grant tokens, the trembling hands of
gray-haired nation-savers, that once
grasped sword and musket on bloody
and hard-fought fields lay them over
the sacred dust, a decoration before
which the jeweled trophies on the
breasts of monarchs pale.
Above the fitting altar of freedom,
the soldiers grave, the coming and the
passing generation look into each 9TH
er's eyes Remember Gettysburg, An
tietam, Shiloh. the Wilderness. Re-
member the camp and the field, the
shot and saber stroke" says the veter-
an. Remember the flag for which we
fought, the principles for which we
contended!' Forever" goes up
shout which echoes from ocean to
ocean. Remember. too, the heroes to
whom Liberty turned not the face that
she wore to US. They fought for their
country and for it they fell. Patriotism
led them not in the paths which we
trOd, vet as Americans we can look
back upon their splendid courage, and
be proud that we had foemen worthy of
our steel"
Sometimes, when volcanic fires have
burned themselves out, nature covers
the yawning craters with snow, and
from it the sunlight strikes such beau
ty that men forget the desolation that
once reigned there. 1t is thus with our
past. The craters are healed with
snow, the wounds are covered with
flowers, and the souls of the slain must
rejoice, in the realm of eternal peace,
that they did not die in vain, and those
who offered their all in the cause of
Freedom, and lived to see the glorious
issue, may rest assured that the lesson
of their courage has not been lost.
There IS past that is the dead
past for in it IS no seed of truth and
beauty. Our past is living, for its
struggles made our strength, its desc
lation our fullness. its disscnsion our
unity Our wars have not been for
material things, for territory. wealth,
possessions. but the ideal of repub-
lie has ever been our guiding star.
When the proud civilization Of the
strongest kingdom Of the world poured
its might of arms upon us our infant
nation, like a young David, girt with
the power of righteousness 1.-THE repub-
lie defeated and humbled it. When
again our ancient foe would have
crushed US we ''srnote and spared not. #"
and the ages paused astOundest 20 wit
ness it: bat world-oid traditions were
set at naught, when we var4uished
our dearest foe-the enemy nourished
at the breast OF the same mother,
warmed at the hearthire Of the same
household goddess-and them clasped
hands in friendship.
Like brothers and sisters made rnu-
tually dearer by mistakes and differ
erces. the north and south are all the
more closely bound II the ties Of fam
ily love. We DO not say forgive and
forget" The atonemeDt has been
made in the blood of our bravest and
best. We would not forget II We
could, we could not II We would
LoU V. CaAFIS.
The Sensible Course
Teacher-What is the meaning. OF