The Portland daily press., 1895-08-16

! of duty 1t is the music of patriotism
| rambling all over the scale not caring
whether it is below the base cleft or
above the tenor 1T is the crow of the
| fighting cocks who have survived the
conflict and now bid defiance to the
world.
"And who are the men that make the
racket? They are the survivors of more
than one hundred bloody battlefelds.
They are the men in whose eyes and ears
during every waking hour and even in
their sleep, the thunder and lightning of
battle is still sounding and flashing. They
are the surplus of patriotic duty aceumu-
lated during the heroic days of the repub-
lie. They are the most precious assets of
the nation. They are guard of honor,
always on duty to protect the national
exis ence. They are the men to whom
bleeding sires transmitted glorious insti-
buttons and who fought so CALAMITY to
preserve as their ancestors did to establish
a government of the people, by the
people, and for the people, They are the
men who took the Star Spangled Banner
in their hands and carried it from the
Lakes of the North to the Gulf of the
| South, and b cid it aloft until every
human being within our national
| boundaries acknowledged it's supremacy.
They are the men who stood shoulder to
shoulder where the shrek Of the shell and
the startling hiss of the mimic sang the
lrequiem of the dying and the dead,
determined that not one star should be
| torn from its bright blue union to be
trodden under the heel of slavery and
oppression and transmit it to their pos
terity along with such rich inheritance
of patriotic duty that the fair fame of
their father-land will never again by
stained by rebellion.
Secretary Rice and Chaplain Gowan
made short remarks and Sergeant Debeck
was ca lied upon. He read a history of
Co. A, and held up for inspection a
sacred relic of the 18th, star plucked at
| Fort Lafayette from the tattered rem
nants of Old Glory, presented the regi-
ment by the ladies of Portland The old
flag saw thirty three days of successive
| fighting, and was LITERALLY shot to pieces.
| He read the following touching lines:
THE SEvENTEENTH'S STAR
Flag of our fathers; flag of the brave,
| Flag which our loyal women gave
When their dear ones marched to the dis
| tant fray,
| While they wait afar to watch and pray.
| Flag, which rose again
| Ger the gallant three who fell with the
slain,
| When other hands unfurled above
| The Stars and Stripes which patriots love-
Flag, which DER carnage and sword
| waved,
Till the strife was done and the nation
| saved,
One single star from thy clustered grace
Holds in my heart sacred place.
Memories sad of the hero es who fell,
Memories grand that they wrought SO
| we'll.
| On the graves of those who returned at
| last
All come stringing before my eyes,
As the precious star before me lies,
Cut from its sister stars of light,
Gems in the sky of wars darkest night
Now God be thanked forsswhite winged
| peace,
Let North and South from hatred cease,
| And hearts rejoice, though so great the
| cost
That not one star from our flag was lost.
Dear flag! with its ever increasing stars,
On it's field of blue and it's crimson pars,
| 1t thrills our hearts, as 1t noaUs 10 the
| breeze
Our symbols Of freedom on land and seas.
Captain Emerson was called upon, but
declined. as did Sergeant Clifford and
| Comrades Rice and Films made brief re-
marks. This closed the formal exercises,
and the remainder of the day was devoted
to social enioyments, and the renewal OF
old friendships, which grow stronger ana
suenter az tn years roll on, and one BY