The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1894-06-07

Il
The streets of our towns and Cities
Are teeming and throbbing with life:
hear the strong voice of the patriot
AS he calls upon men to enlist,
And 60 in defense of our country
And see! he don't have to insist
For they're hocking by hundreds and thou |
And ar1ning themselves for the.fray;
They go from their homes in the morning |
To return-when: if, ever they may.
But they are not counting their sorrow,
Their loss, or the danger they face;
They are counting the nations peril, |
And the homes they would shield from dis |
And see from the palace and cottage,
From stores and from shops and from
They are coming in countless numbers !
Like bees as they gather in ewarms.
There are scenes of tenderest partings:
See, that father stands yet in the door
See the depths of his hearts great commotion
AS he says to himself DER and DER,
'God bless you, my son, and protect you,
And bring you safe home if He wfll-"
An then a sad scene rose before him:
Twas vision of carnage and gore
And he saw his dear son among them
Who would come to his home never more:
His eyes filled with tears, his lips trembled-
He turned him away from the door:
The form of his son had just vanished:
And Oh! should he see him no more'
"But gave him to God and our country,
And now is our deepest need
And freely give this dear treasure
To follow where'er He may lead:
And if in the terrible struggle,
With others he falls, Gas some must)
I'll quiet my sOrrOwing spirit
By looking to God whom trust.''
All! that was no inconsiderable sacri-
fee, for the conflict was not 4one Of
courage against cowardice; intelli-
gence against ignorance, nor strength
against weakness. It was courage
against courage, and endurance against
endurance. Sherman and Hood, Sher-
idan and Stonewall Jackson, Grant and
Lee. It was no dress parade affair."
It was mighty conflict, in which on
the Union side 2,S5O,OOO men were
mustered; nearly $500 battles were
fought, and to August LIST, 1865, 100000
were killed, died of wounds or disease.
A trench 10 miles long would be need
full for their continuous grave.
But this is not all. All through the
nearly 80 years since the war closed,
the men who fought those battles and
endured those hardships have been
falling rapidly; their ranks are grow
ing thinner every year. The swiftly
passing years steal from them the
strength of manhood and give in it's
stead the infrmities of age, and they
reap in pain, weakness and disease, the
result of hardships and exposure, until
now one-half million are sleeping,
others linger in suffering.' Truly such
suffering and sacrifice would Justify
day of perpetual remembrance.
It is this line of thought which must
more than any other claim the atten-
ton of the country to-day. The writ
ten history is wonderful. The unwrit-
ten history is more wonderful still.
The long rows of graves in national
cemeteries, and upon battle fields are
speaking to us to-day, and demanding
that we learn lessons of different
order from these that are taught in the
curriculum of our schools; for good as our
schools are, there is a efficiency here,
in that the minds of the young are not
taught to look on these things with the
interest they should, nor is the love Of
country made a test of qualifications
for teacher in our public schools. It
should be. .-
It seems to me that only by proper
instructions to the young can we incul-
cate and perpetuate the principle of
love of country, and this should not all
be left to the parents at home to do.
The public schools should be made a
repository for such knowledge. Q!
Columbia, Columbia! Fairest of all the
nations, whose foundations were laid in
the tears Of our pilgrim fathers, whose
independence was bought with the
blood OF patriots, whose internal strife
was healed with the best blood and the
richest treasure of her sons; I charge
youth all your generations, remember
the price of your liberties.
It is we'll that we look at least once a
year upon the graves of our fallen
heroes, and listen to the pleading OF
! those in the 100 national cemeteries