The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-16

burg was made the bloody turning point
Of the rebellion; the crimson baptismal
ground of the redeemed republic. John
Browns raid on Harpers Ferry was a
declaration oe war by one man. II was a
small affair in itself-just fanatical old
man. and few devoted followers. huri-
ing themselves to death upon the Jagged
rocks of continent of wrong-it was but
the flash of the meteor bursting from OBJ
security. lurid for a moment. then plungthg
down to darkness ana deeper night; II was
the low grumble and jar of the earth,
quake. which tells us that the sure ana
firm set earth" is swimming beneath our
feet Old John Brown was sunlmarily
tried and hanged. hut his scaffold became
the scene of exaltation-of grand self
immolation for the uplifting of lowliest
men.
John Browns body lay mouldering In
the ground.
But his soul went marching on"
The Death Struggle OF slavery.
1t marched TO the south, and 1t marched
to the north. and everywhere II was
cleaning sword summOning the nation
TO the death struggle OF freedom an!
slavery. You said when you enlisted that
the only question was between Union and
disunion, but you knew In your hearts
that the issue was Il broader one than
that-that the real Issue was freedom or
slavery. and the hour had come for the
nation TO choose:
once 10 every man ana nation coiiicS tHe
moment 10 decide,
In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, Tor
the good or evil side;
Some great cause, Gods new Messiah Of
fering each the bloom or blight.
Parts the goats upon the left hand. and
the sheep upon the right,
And the choice goes by forever 'twiXt that
darkness and that light
The nation chose the side of freedom,
and the result OF the mighty CONFLICT was
more momentous to the human race than
can be found in all the myriad pages OF
history. 1t lifted the slave to the dignity,
OF manhood, clothed him with the s2rb of
citizenship, and gave us hand without "A
shackle and without a mas ter. We began
to make our nation al YORKTOWN, ana we
finished at Appomattox. The world was
amazed to see how promptly ana quietly
the corten ending hosts walked back and as
sumed their peaceful avocations. The
Union was preservea-a race emancipa;ei.
and "the Star-Spangled Banner" once
more "triumphantly waved over re-
constructed, rcgenerated and reunited
country. 1t floats today SO high that all
the world can see it. l, floats as the en-
blem of patriotism. the symbol of free
dom, the badge OF bravery, the insignia cf
homer, the seal of an indissolub!e Union.
1t was for you on the battle line, and
floating above the decks of the battle
ships. more than the Roman eagle or the
white plume of Navarro. Wherever 1t
waves 1t marks the hallowed spot whore
truth must dwell and freedom cannot die.
1t speaks In such wondrous silent clo-
quence, that oratory and poetry cannot
equal ana it typiiies all that is great in
human action; all that is grand in human
thought. II represents the last and best
hope of the earth.
Flag of the rainbow and banner of stars!
Emblem of might. and shield of the
lowly,
Never to droop while our soldiers and
tarS,
Rally to guard it from outrage unholy."
Never may shame, or misfortune attend
Enmity sully, or treachery rend it:
While but a man Is alive TO defend 1t.
Flag of the rainbow. and banner of stars!'
We are great nation-the greatest in
civic virtue and developed manhood, in
the world. Every soldier that fought TO
suppress the rebellion helped to make Us
great. He fought not for profit or gain,
but for love of country's devotion to it,,
flag and for freedom. There is no true
greatness-no greatness worthy of being
perennially remembered - except that
which embodies noble thoughts working
toward q worthy end, recognizing at once
the dignity of humanity and the Worship
fuiness of God, and endeavoring to co-en-
twne in the execution of some purpose
both of these elements of contemplation
both Of these incentives to action.
The Wealth Of a Nation.
A nation is not great by reason of its
wealth or population. 1t Is not great by
reason of it's prowess on the sea, or the
strength of its standing army. Territorial
extent and commercial prosperity do not
make a nation great. All these simply
contribute to nations greatness. Greece
and Palestine, whence have proceeded the
mightiest intellectual and spiritual move
ments of all history. were terrtorally
and numerically contemptibly small Yes,
the land which gave Homer and Sophocles
to poetry; Pences ard Praxteles TO
sculpture; HerodOtus and Thucydidaa to
history; Plato and Aristotle to philos-
patriotism, was in territorial extent in
significant. And Palestine, the land
which gave Moses to law; David, the
sweet singer of Israel, to poetry and
song; Isaiah to prophecy: Paul and John
to oratory; the Bible to literature and
Christ to history. was in length and
breadth still more Insignificant. 1t was
the manhood of Greece and Palestine that
made them great. OF truth. the poet
sang, and his words should find an echo
in every patriots heart:
by the soul only. the nations shall be
great and free. therefore be ye men," 1t
was the manhood of thirteen colonies
that threw off tyranny and oppression.
battled from Lexington to Yorktown, and
gained a name and q place among the ma
OF 'sXty-One" that rose In Its might when
Sumpter was fired upon and tr3mpled
treason under its feet. 1t was that man
hood that discharged its captives without
ransom or reward. without promises or
condition., save Of q renewed oath of allie
glance to the very government they had
attempted to destroy Men that now take
their part in the destiny of this nation will
soon pass away. God grant, that they, in
whose hands the nations future is to be
,,,rh vst1I huxr. tbA IN
make it still greater in the unfolding ages.
"Oh God! who rules the ra tion wise,
'Tis thou alone can'st save.
And to the coming people grant,
That they be wise and brave;
For, as we we love our starry flag,
And to thy emblems bow;
On, bless our land, as freedoms land,
One hundred years from now"'
We are here, today to dedicate Q. tablet
to mark the position of the one Hundred
and Forty-third regiment Of Pennsylvania
volunteers in tho final repulse of the
brave ,Pckatt's charge. How that regi-
ment met that charge has been written on
more enduring tablets than granite or
marble-it has been written on the tablets
of history-there to live when all these
monuments shall have crumbled into dust.
This tablet will tell us where southern
valor went down before northern car
mage. 1t speaks to us and warns us to
be ever vigiant; to remain firm and stead
fast for truth Justice and liberty. never to
faltcr when danger threatens our free in
stitutions; to beat back every wave Of So
cia,ism or anarChisn1. ard to tr1mple un-
der feet everything that is un-Amcrican.
This tablet will stand 80 a Gibraltar. to
mark the place where the surging waves
OF treason beat against an immovable.
living rock OF heroisn, patriotism and en-
durance. Every nation has its monu-
ments. whether OF art, Of glory or of
scence They are the representatives Of
national character. The people look up 20
them as memorials of their greatness,
and STRANGERS look upon them to know tho
nation's worth We dig them out OF the
ruins of srflIuity TO learn what antiquity
was. ard we seek them in the structure cf
modern society to know what the modern
world has done. What Is the monument
Of the American people? ou- improve
ments are all social improvements: we
have no other glory which Is not held in
common with other natiOnS. But Wn do