Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1894-06-07
A BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE.

n bEhUllr VI lnlbulE- |
Those who attended the Memorial
day exercises will remember that Mr..
White quoted some portions OF the
following without giving credit to the
author. We would not accuse Mr..
White of Intentional plagiarism. He
doubt less thought his audience famil-
address delivered 10y Col. X. q. Inper-
soil at the army reunion at Indian
apolis in 1876:
''The past rises before me like a
dream. Again We are in the great
struggle for national life. We hear
the sounds OF preparation-the music
OF the boisterous drums-the silver
voices OF heroic bugles. Wesee thous-
ands OF assemblages and hear the APP
peals of orators; We see the pale
cheeks OF women and the flushingfaces
of men; and III those a~ssemblages We
see the dead whose dust we have COW
cred with flowers. We lose sight of
them no more. We are with them
when they enlist in the great army OF
freedom. We see them part withthose
they love. Some are walking for the
last time in quiet woody places with
the maidens they adore. We hear
the whisperings and sweet VOWS OF
eternal love as they llngeringly part
forever. Others are bending over
cradles, kissing babies that are asleep.
Some are receiving the blessings OF old
men. Some are parting with mothers
who hold them and press them to
| their hearts again and again and some
are talking with wives. ~endeavoring
with brave words spoken in the old
tones to drive from their hearts the
awful fear. We see them part. We
see the wife standing i'll the door with
the babe in her arms-standing in the
sunlight sobbing-at the turn OF the
road n hand waves-she answers by
holding high in her loving hands the
child. He is gone and forever.
We see them all as they march
proudly away under the floating flags,
keeping time to the wild, grand music
of war-marching down the streets oil
great cities-through the towns and
across the prairies-down to the fields
OF glory to do and die for the eternal
right.
We go with them one one and all
We are by their side on all the CORY
fields-in the hospitals OF pain-or
all the weary marches. We stand
guard with them i'll the wild storm
and under the quiet stars. We stand
with them in ravines running witt
blood-in the burrows OF old fields
We are with them between contendin.
hosts, unable to move, wild witt
thirst, the life ebbing slowly away
among the withered leaves. We Sc,
them pierced by balls and tori
with shells i'll the trenches 10y
forts and IN the whirlwind OF tn,
charge where men become iron witt
nerves OF steel. We are with them il
the prisons OF hatred and famine; but
human speech can tell what they
endured.
We are at home when the new.
comes that they are dead. We Sc,
the maid i'll the shadow of her first
SORROW. We see the silvered head O
the old man bowed with the first grief
The past rises before us and we SCI
four millions OF human beings gov
erned 10y the lash; we ste them bound
hand and foot; We hear the strokes o
cruel whips; We see the hounds track
ing women through the tangled
swamps. We see babes sold from tn,
breasts OF mothers. Cruelty unspeak
able! Outrage infinite.
Four million bodies in chains-foul
million souls in letters. All the sa.
cred relations of mother, father and
child trampled beneath the brutal feet
OF might. And this was done under
our own beautiful banner OF the free
The past rises before us. We hear
the roar anu Snrltk Oh tue BURSTING
shell. The broken letters fall. These
heroes died. We look. Instead o.
slaves We see men, women and chll.
dren. The wand OF progress touches
the auction block, the slave pen, the
whipping posts and We see homes and
firesides, and school houses and books,
and where all was want and crime and
cruelty and letters we see the faces oil
the free.
These heroes are dead. They died
for liberty; they died for US. They
are at rest. They sleep in the land
they made free, under the dag they
rendered stainless. under the solemn
pines. the sad hemlocks, the fearful
willows and the embracing vines.
They sleep beneath the shadows of
the clouds, careless alike of sunshine
or storm, each in the the windowless
palace OF rest. Earth may run red
with other wars-they are at peace.
In the midst of battle, in the roar of
conflict, they found the serenity of
death. have but one sentiment fer
the soldiers, living and dead-cheeis
for the living and tears for the dead"