The record-union., 1897-06-01
TRIBUTES TO
DEAD HEROES.
Their Graves Decorated Yester-
day With Flowers.
An Eloquent Tribute to Their Vaorous Deeds,
by H. Weinstock.

George NJ Mott, did the honors, and
introduced each of the participants, but
did nothing more. The usual Presl-
dents Address was dispensed with,
and the scheduled programme was CIV
en-, with the exception that the reclta-
ton by G.. A Watson was not delivered.
The invocation by Rev. A. d. Banks
was a powerful effort, and Miss May
Powers recitation, Memorial Day"
was exceedingly well done, even for
her, and was received with liberal ap-
plause.
j. S. Easterbrook proved conclusively
that he could declaim in rendering Sc
lections from "Lincoln's Gettysburg
Address, and his effort was applauded
to the echo.
The singing of the Ladies' Choral So
ciety, while an innovation, was de-
cided success. The voices were all
trained and of sufficient volume to car
ry well, regardless of the difficulties en-
countered in open-air singing. The
ladies of the society are deserving of
all the praise and applause which was
theirs, and both were given in unstint-
ed quantities. The selections rendered
were The Star Spangled Banner" and
America"
MAJOR WEINSTOCK'S ADDRESS.
Colonel H Weinstock as orator of the
day, delivered a mastery address, as
follows:
AS Americans, we are assembled
upon the saddest and yet upon one of
the most glorious days of the year. We
have come together upon a day which.
sorrows, and arouses within us feelings
of reverence; though full of sentiment
and emotion-is yet one of thankful
ness and gratitude.
This is to US the saddest day of the
year. because it recalls the memory of
untold numbers of precious lives lost
on the field of battle; lives which were
the hope and the joy, the pride and the
support, the solace and the comfort of
wives and mothers. of sisters and
sweethearts, of fathers and sons, of
brothers and kinsmen.
This, too, is for us a most glorious
day of the year, because it commem-
crates one of the chief events in the
history not alone of our nation, but
also of civil and political liberty
This day commentaries the historical
fact that our Republic has successfully
withstood the most tremendous test to
which any nation was ever subjected;
a test, which, had it been pictured be-
forehand, would have seemed, even to
the most sanguine friend of our Repub-
lie. one not possible for her to with
stand; yet one from which she emerged
stronger, firrnerf and more powerful
than ever.
This is the day upon which we should
recite to our youth the deeds of valor
and of heroism which have placed our
glorious army of the Civil War fore
most among the armies in the worlds
history; and we may tell them how the
members of the Grand Army-from the
humbleSt private in the ranks who
fought with no hope of winning fame,
or rank or high reward-to the fore
most General in command, gave freely
of all that is highest and best in life,
so that our Nations existence might be
saved and preserved as the home of
freemen and the land of liberty.
1t is fitting that on this day we
should recite to the youth of our land
the wondrous way in which our Union
was preserved; the story of how civil
liberty, at one time so seriously threat
ened, was secured among US more firm
ly than ever: how millions of slaves.
by the stroke of Lincoln's pen, were
forever made free and independent
how a vast number of lives were lost
and millions wounded in order that life
might be better worth the living for
those to follow; and so that we and our
children and our childrens children
might continue to breathe the air Of
freedom, to enjoy the continued bless
ings of living in a land where every
citizen is a sovereign, where all men
are equal before the law, where no
crouching slave is found to pollute the
SOIL where caste is unknown, and
where the lowliest born may aspire to
the most exalted station.
The Declaration of independence
reads: I'VE hold these truths TO be
self-evident that all men are created
equal; that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain inalienable rights;
that among these are life liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. That to Sc
cure these rights Governments are in
stituted among men, deriving their just
powers from the consent of the gov
erned." For over three-quarters of a
luGSS were SIdNSly
read from Fourth of July platforms
which dotted our land far and near.
These are indeed noble sentiments.
But, OH what delusion and mock
cry: how hollow and insincere were
they when preached under the condi-
ticns then existing. People in other
lands pointed to the millions of negroes
among us. who. in spite of our high
ideas and lofty utterances, We're living
in bondage; whose inalienable rights
of life. liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness-rights which though. accord
ing to our own declaration, they had
been endowed with py our common
Creator-were nevertheless denied
them.
For generations the slave-owners of
the South had brought themselves to
believe that by Divine law the black
man was born to be a slave. This they
were taught by their preachers, who so
interpreted the Bible as to make slav-
cry seem in accordance with the un-
mistakable law of God
The slave-owners had been educated
to believe that the Constitution guar
anteed slavery. This they were taught
by their statesmen and by their orators
who filled them with the idea that the
slightest interference with slavery was