The National tribune., 1895-08-08

for longer or shorter terms, and assigned to
such posts of duty as seemed best TO il, and al
such time as it ceased to need such service, for
any reason. it gave them honorable discharge.
in a prma-faca manner the Government
thus gives its commentator to the one dis
charged, and the reasonable conclusion TO be
drawn from an honorable discharge ia duty
done.
The first class who speak against the Grand
Army or its membership, are those. who in
the DAYS which gave il birth, were massed IN
der TIE flag of treason. and were doing all in
their power to overthrow and weaken the
Government TO which they owed allegiance (;
and they are not through with their term OF
service yet
Toloyal men, whose hearts beat with steady
pulse. the utterances of such men are of no pos
sibe account, for out of such spring we might
expect such stream would flow, and the man
and his sentiments should receive the contempt
of every patriotic man, woman and child.
The second class OF those who calumniste Us
are babes and sucklings" those who in the
days of stern war, and which Immediately sue
ceeded them, were very young or unborn; and
they know very little more now than they did
then-in point of fact, they know compare
lively nothing of the matter of which they
speak: still, they are none the less wise in
their own conceit."
Could they even dream Of the privations,
danger, and anxiety with which the soldier
con!ended they would be heartily ashamed of
their lack Of appreciation; but ignorance is
cloak for their injustice.
Still another class speak lightly of the Grand
Army, to whom no such charity can be ex-
tended. ] refer TO those comrades whose touch
of elbow we felt upon the march, whose COM
partnership we have bad in camp aud upon the
field, and who have in some cases been in the
ranks of the Grand Army; who, for one reason
or another, have fallen to the rear, and have
fallen into the habits of the camp-followers
and rear guards of other days-growl at every
thing the advance may do.
No soldier has any right to speak in a con-
temptuous manner of any soldier or sailor who
did what duty may have required of him. If
the orders emansting from higher authority
were followed, and the duty assigned faithfully
performed, no matter whether il was the storm
ing OF fort at the front or on the guard beat
of some home garrison, il was duty well done
and entities the one performing the duty to
the COMMUNICATION of all fair-minded people.
Who does the best his circumstance allows.
docs well; acts nobly; angels could no more"
True, this service may not have called for
heroism or bravery, still it was all that was re-
quired or was possible under the circumstances,
and was fully as much in the line of duty in
the one case IS in the other. Measured upon
any other basis, and army or navy service must
necessarily be measured by that of Gen. Grant
or Admiral Farragut; but what would the Gen
eral or the Admiral have been but for the COM
mon soldier or sailor?
In many a nicely djusted machine, whose
work is marvel to the beholder, the whole
mechanism would fall to pieces were il not for
the small pins which hold the parts to their
work. So in army service, all were needed to
fill the places assigned them, and the service
rendered should not be judged by the character
of the part allotted to any individual. but by
the manner in which the duty was performed.
Opportunities for distinction did not come
to all but he good soldier who did what
came to him to do, and if it called for heroism
a hero was present to do and dare; if to quietly
suffer, there was patience exhibited. born of
dutyS and the Grand Army will be written in
history as the grandest body Of patriots the
world ever saw.
May the soldier who dare speak reproach-
fully of his comrade or his comrades service
come to see the more than foolishness of any
such talk; for in spite of his sentiments the
Union soldier and the Grand Army will 90
down in history with halo Of glory that moth
ing can detract from.
Comrades do not suffer these pests to move
you for your records of service cannot be mo-
Tested and these men are proclaiming their
own demerit.-HENRY w. WAUGH, Whitman,
Mass.