The Hawaiian gazette., 1897-06-01

dare TO impeach the cause for whic
You gave your lives. II l were TO sa
a word to the living men and wome
Of this day as 10 the measure of the
duty TO their country. il would be OF
duty TO our country. whether of birt
or adoption. is 10 love it. guard an
4 protect It. TO keep it always in OF
hearts. TO be most Jealous OF its homo
20 preserve its purity. to enrich il a
with our manhood. our courage an
! affections. Not merely must we de
fend il. but our duty calls US to max
. Ii rure and noble and worthy OF bein
T loved. TO feel that nothing Is dishonor
able that can benefit or advance il, ths
no work Is dishonorable to which /
calls us. 10 give 1t with clean hand
and uure hearts our best and mos
I loyal service. and when our duty call
MS 10 leave IL 10 bequeath il TO on
4 children as their most precious inherit
age. So no one shall say il is idle an,
nreriIe TO garland these graves lanC
nay honor 10 these dead men. wheI
such lessons come 10 Us in the yer!
act of homage we perform.
Before the clouds of war had dis
appeared and the sunlight of peace hat
kissed the land that had been cursed
by the fratricidal war. two soldiers or
nhans appeared al the door of the Ex-
ecutive Mansion At Harrisburg. Penn
sv1vania. begging for bread The in
justice 10 the dependent children OF
our slain and noble warriors aroused
the zeal of our gallant war governor.
Andrew G. Curtain. the pure patriot
and soldiers friend. and the result was
that Pennsylvania took the lead among
the sisterhood Of states in caring for
the children made necessitous by the
casualties of var: but state after state
Of the Union took up the holy cause,
and today an army of widows and or
nhans throughout the North raise
their faces TO heaven in testimony of
a grand system of the soldiers Or
Dhan Homes. and pour their heartfelt
blessings upon the heads of those who
gave IL birth. and the great States
which have foSteTed them so tenderly
The Athenian may point TO the marble
shaft at Marathon that adorns the spot
whereon the patriots of Greece immor-
Ia zed themselves. Rome may point
TO column of brass in the forum that
marks the great victories of the Punic
wars. France may exhibit marble
shaft that commentaries the troops
that marched through the proudest
capitals Of Europe. England may take
just pride in the badges that decorate
her dead and living heroes. but we
claim for the states of the North the
grandest monument the world has ever
seen. They not only decorate their dead
and living heroes, but they stretch
out their great arms of love and pro-
lection. gather 10 their breast the SOL
iiers' orphans Of the land. school them,
feed them, educate them, until they
stand today the brightest jewel in the
diadem Of their counuy's glory.
During The dark days of the rebellion
the loyal people of the North and the
Of the Union Army relied upon
Abraham Lincoln as their savior. and
believed his promises as they believed
in God: and when the sympathetic
Lincoln. kneeling at the bedside of
dying soldier in a hospital, pledged
this Government TO care for him who
should have borne the battle. and for
his widow and orphan" the dying
soldier knew the promise would be re-
deemed; and that knowledge cooled
his throbbing brow and soothed his
dying hour. May the spirit OF Lincoln
and the hands Of our great and mighty
dead guide. control and prosper the
good work thus delineated by the mar
-yred president.
Comrades. 70 US this day these cere-
monies have an added sacredness as
The years 90 by. Each recurring Dec
lrauOn Day finds new. mounds to gar
land with flowers, our ranks are thin
ming; the comrade with whom we
touched elbow last year Is missing.
familiar voices no longer answer 10
rOll-eall We march not so steadily. nor
with such soldierly alertness as of
yOre. and our voices are not so CHEEKY
as when We went marching through
Georgia.
After 2 while-well-a little while
we TOO. shall enter the camp beyond
the confines OF this grand old earth.
where the roll-can is heard but once.
and the term OF enlistment is for eter-
nity; then may flowers still bloom.
may our memories be kept as green
and as sacred as We keep these. And
now let Us take up our grateful work.
strew our sweetest flowers. for these
who lie beneath the green turf. thus
covered with flowers. are worthy of
our most touching acts of love and
sympathy.
Yes, cover their graves with beauti-
ful flowers.
Wen deck them with garlands, these
brothers of ours.
Lying so silent by night and by day.
Sleeping the years of their manhood
away;
Years they have marked for the joys
Of the brave,
Years they must waste in the sloth
OF the grave;
All the bright laurels they fought TO
make bloom
Fell TO the earth when they went to
the tomb;
Give them the need they won in the
past.
Give them the honor their merits fore
cast,
Give them the chaplets they won in
the strife
Give the laurels they lost with their
life