The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-05-21
MEMORIAL DAY.

For ne aud you.
! -4Ronylnous.
Again, in the ceaseless succession OF
the seasons, approaches the day sacred
to the memory of myriads of the bravest
and truest of our manhood, who gave
their lives that the Nation might live.
Every year makes this anniversary
more deeply impressive, because the
greatness of the object for which those
men fought and died becomes more APP
parent The war is like some huge
mountain, whose immensely only be-
comes apparent as we get at distance
from it. At one time we were so near
the war that our personal relations to it,
our individual feelings and passions, OBJ
scured our perception Of lis colossal pro-
portions, and of the Divinity of its
mighty purposes and events. We did
not appreciate fully our own heroism
and sel-abnegation in the parts we were
called upon to play. But dimly con-
scious OF tie forces which moved US
that now seem like a direct inspiration
from God-we each went forward in
the path that lay before us, frequently
rroping blindly for direction, frequently
filed with doubts as TO whittier the path
would lead, but firmly resolved TO do
the right as God gave us to see the right.
The result showed that the Unseen Hand
led US rs unerringly as He did the He
brews by the cloud by day and the pillar
Of FIRE by night; and that while acquit-
ting ourselves, from day TO day, as best
we could, of the burdens and trials that
each day brought to US, we were per
forming acts that rank with the grandest
in the history of humanity.
In our war of the rebellion we COM
pressed into four terribly full years more
individual heroism, more acts of exalted
selfsacrifce, more high resolve and SUBJ
lime deeds, than Ell centuries Of the his
tory Of all Europe In other countries
in the rast only a small proportion Of the
peoples could be stimulated into exalta-
ton Of patriotism. In the war of the
rebellion the Whole Nation rose to the
highest level Of devotion, and heroic
sacrifice became the commonest acts of
our manhood Where other people
could boast Of a score of heroes we could
show a thousand or ten thousand.
Beside their meager roll of battles, we
could show list of sanguinary combats
that only a statistician could enumerate.
As we have said before, it is only as
the war recedes far from us that we are
enabled to get it true proportions and
realize the hight to which men rose.
While it was being waged men had as
little conception Of the real grandeur Of
their own achievements as the Pilgrims
who landed on Plymouth Rock had
that they were laying the foundations
Of an infinitely greater. grander, freer
Government than the world had ever
seen.
To-day We know that the history of
The world does not show demonstration
Of the highest manhood by any nation,
people or race TO compare with that
made by the Americans from 1861 to
1865. An infinitely larger proportion
Of our youth were found to have courage,
patriotism and devotion Of the highest
order; they fought with more gallantry
persistence and determination they
suffered appalling losses with more cour-
age; they endured defeats with greater
hopefulness, and they were more mag
unanimous in the hour of victory than
tic men Of any country or age since
history began.
The annals Of our war are lustrous
pages 10 which Our sons and grandsons
ard cur descendants forever can point
with swelling hearts. Nowhere are
those pages stained with a single blot of
treachery, cowardice, selfshness or
cruelty. They all shine with deeds of
eodlike manhood.
Let us close this by reproducing the
tribute to bis soldiers by the greatest
commander of our armies-Gen. u. S.
Grant-in his farewell order, when he
sent his men back TO the vacations of