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

AbSSDDs O4U450ko WlI0p p4&00R0~ NO
saoagAs Of eouotxy nor Of aag. oas day, - ~
vslkec, busted WIKI The hight dreams Of youth.
Iua o. smottiea thas took Ia only aeif. home
ana f7e.dA tic rightsaiag nashsd The news
o. nat eanDco sAos away down aS Sumter
snst swoke . sstiou ase svoke, too. . race Of
heroes A. Suddenly ard coming y . reyeia-
uoa u nasasd across his conscience that he hsd
country shas he'd sheltered him and . dag that
nsa projected him 20 which he Owed . mans
highest Ausy. He hal not thought OF that BE-
'o1e bof nsv IL 1sshsd upon and thrilled him
..n = intensity that s0bd0e1 his trivial am
billions and dsssipased his selfish dreams and
msds hin sesi tAss swelling Of tie heart ~
ne e. ha0 felt before, and then he uossced the
men as knew gathering In knots and heard
.nsm 0sseuestsg vita earnest faces and CULVER
sS8s indignant tCuss the startling nsws, and ho
feat the Ore BEGIN 70 burn in bis own heart; and
tneo i1stnsr down the street shsre broke upon
nis eAr sne shHilt notes Of the nfo and he heard
- oosetefooe drum beat In the village street:
% ~ the swift asssmhlags q msn AID women;
p neasa tAs eaf1 70 Arms: tbs impassiousd ap-
pesi; b heard sAe names Of eonrades called
ma men, eeUAhOW. - knew uos how with Q
afeat soo II Ais heart and . hoyisa culver on his
ups No touno himsoii pressing ioswsr through
the crowd e stga With slmoss nervs.ess haad
.ne enlistment roll and to give himself to nis
country.
All, who - measure the sacrifice that mo-
ment madss All his bcyfsh hopes and anti
uons given mp and his life dsvossd 70 his coun-
uy. she asked him 70 give his life, and in that
act It Va oasssd. She asked him to give up
health. and Instead accept wasting disease in
camp and ho1pttAl and starvation and perhaps
living death In pfis0n rens. and that he did.
She asked him 70 take the risk Of maugled limbs,
OF . manned and mutalsted body and perhaps Q
namsless grave. ssa he did NOT stagger At that
hin ~~na 49, It
no such test upon you, what heroic self-sacrifice
was there!
Comrades, ovsr . quarter OF . century removed
from that evsntful day In our uves, We can
hardly comprehend IL, ami all that IL porssndcd
70 as, for tue lapse Of time has meilowed the in
sensisy into "a unustesabie sadness. II it were
not 20 how many Of N bed been equal to the
sacfines demanded? Aud then ct night. when
the blere OF martial music had died away and
the thrill and snthuaiasm Of the hour was gone.
how braveiy and yet how lightly, too, he tried
10 tell his father and mother aud that other one,
whose heart has strangely enswined about his
own, OF bis resolve: and Vhsn he saw the
startled look Of pain thas swept across the face,
the quiverins lip and starting tsssdsop. the full.
moment be faloered. But hsavely. OIL 20 bravely
be took up his burden. and to the silver note OF
the bugle and the tap Of the bo:sstrous drum. he
marched herodcaliy away to tent and field, to
hospital aud prison pen. to the long march in
summers heat and winters cold. down, down
to tho battle dark and dread. 1t once to glory
and the grave.
other picture from the real life Of the period
which this day end il ceremonies recall. We
are alive bome OF us) TO see the second year OF
the war close ON December, 1860, at stone river,
amid defeat. Disorder and disaster. but We look
again aud We zoe the sams defeated army arise
At day break from that b.ood-soaked battle 6e,d
and. clad in the divine panoply Of the emanci-
patton proclamation. retrieve our shattered for
tunes turn defees TO victory, aud leave Stone
river . synonym for glory. We follow the
various wigs Of the army from Gettysburg to
Pea Ridge, to Donaldson, 70 Shiloh, 70 Vicks-
burg. to Knoxville, 70 Chick amauga, to Chatta-
nooga. to franklin, 70 Nashville and from At
lanta to the eeA.
Why. my fellow -ciisens, member Of the
Grand Army OF the Republic can look back into
the dim vista OF receding years and SEQ their
comrades In their enthusiasm climb the very
bastlements OF heaven end plant the grand old
nag upon the blood-bousht battle 6sld above the
clouds. We are with them on the summit of
Lookout mountain, In the crater OF Petersburg
and In the struggle OF the Wilderness. We See
them, weak and Struggling. oveftaken and muir
fetid pens OF Andefsonville. Salisbury. Bcileiisle
and Libby. where ''iipless famine Knocked at
want" We Ne their pale faces light up. a.,
enfeebled BY starvation. they told OF home,
% wounded and dying they gave messages TO
comrades to carry 20 loved ones. should one,
peTchAnce. survive. Yet We never saw . look
Of regret upon their pale iscss. never . word Of
rspining ct their fate. lam not now talking of
mythical heroes. who lie here and IN 80 many
quiet resting places In all this beautiful land:
OF these heroes nor OF ideal knights OF
song aud story, but OF our heroes
who sleep today beneath . wilderness
OF flowers and who left tho vale between
tho cold and barren peaks OF two cternittcs, gave
their lives for country and In defense Of its dag,
aud passed beyond the eternal heights to dwell
forevcrmora
We camc to honor these: they may not have
died amid the glorious rush of battle nor In the
whirlwind o: the charge: they may have come
out OF the storm Of conflict untouched BY shot
or shell. but they brought back with them the
seeds OF that disease which shortened their
lives ana thus laid them low.
We come not slone 70 honor these. bu, as well,
our patriot dead wherever they sleep. We
speak these words for all who sleep In n~arneless
graves; We strew flowers over every unknown
resting place Of the boy In blue. for we have
them all in our hesrts today. We stand with
bowed ana uncovered heads In the presence Of
those who for their country died.
''In fancy all are here, the night IL DER,
And through dsssclving mist the morning
glespns.
And clustering round their hearts re zee once
). The heroes OF our dreams"
mid these men Gle in vain? No, . thousand
times, no. .
''rhey never fall who die in q great cause;
The block may soak their gore.
Their beads may soddei in the sun,
Their limbs be strung to city gates aud castle
walls,
Their bodies be laid low a. these lie here.
But stili their spirits walk abroad"
Naushi shg: is good or true can die. Their
memory lives aS an inspiration. In every house
hold the sweetest and most precious me emory is
tsat o. the Dor who marched away. and passed
iato the smoke OF battle. marched on above. or
returning. only came to die. Who of you, my
friends. would part with such Q memory?
But VIC came not here today and into the pres.
ence OF the memories OF the dead 10 speak to
the dead. tut 10 tho living: o. rather, that sne
dead from their graves may speak 60 US. What
voices come TO ne from :hese silent resting
places where sleep the hssvef wha: tales they
tell OF devotion TO country: Of heroic endur-
sncc: oil love and faith and courage. Better
than all tales OF knisasly cou,sge arc these
voices from the spirit land. They question US:
let us listen that we NAV answer:
.'Nen aud women OF today. y ha; thought have
you for the cause Ia which We died..
A. they stand in skeleton array. rank upon
taLk-A fnEEaty army Inv Nofv T3SNtlOD so de-
cisiye,y askcd slEo&. sia.tiss ~. for IL seems an
impeachment Of cur loyalty and q reflection
upon our devotion to the cause for which they
died.
Blu, IL may vel be asked today b. these mute
tips. 20. they are cishouored IL We speak no:
ont The defiant question comes 90 us from TIE
arTogsn, lips Of the living traitors Of the south.
and challenges Al answer.
when q canselcss rebellion that carried In i,s
wake the accumulated horrors of four years OF