Evening star., 1898-05-30
the stars Of night, TRANQUILITY floats the un-
conquered flag:'otsthe greatest nation of the

Why mournfsr those who slumber here?
Their epitaphsaate written In the grandest
| history of the ages. Before them will rev.
erently pass TIE procession of the cen
turies. And every headstone roundabout,
even those without a name, will be given
honorable place in the mighty monument
that is to commemorate the ennobling and
uplifting Of the human race.
1t was a day iof memories" he said, "a
aay y Sd1, when we meet III the halloWed pas past
ana hold comffqnion with out holy dead
| "A day when we, recall the glorious aspira-
tons which thEilled mems souls in that
| heroic time. when to love ones country was
| TO lay down ones life: day filled with
| that same spirit of freedom, patriotism and
devotion which breathed into the common
dust or ordinary humanity the sublime In
splration of heroic deeds: a day when we
| rekindled the fires of patriotism on the
altar of our liberties and once again re-
new the loyal vows that these our noble
| dead in the years gone by consecrated with
thet- hearts blood
"A third of a century had passed since
those heroes fought and those loved ones
ieii. third of a century in which the re-
uihted people of a common country had
| realized the inestimable blessings of peace
ana shared together in the beneiicent fruits
OF progressive development and prosper
| fty which stands alone in lie annals of
all the world. From this vantage ground
OF the years. in this sacred spot, on the
oorderiand where interrecine conflict rag.
ea, IN this hour when the hearts of the peo-
PIE are thrilling and throbbing as never
oe1ore at the bugie call of the worlds hu-
| manity and the nations duty. it will offend
no american when fittingly honor our
dead. not alone as brave men, who marched
with steady step into the jaws of death.
VINO unhesitatiEgly barred their breasts to
the nell or battle, but proclaiming them to
the world as the soldiers of God. whose
piood atonement washed away the ma
tlon S sins, whose struggles and whose vic
tories were part of the infinite design,
that liberty might dwell in all the earth.
My countrymen," he exclaimed. these
n.
you and L know now that the roar of their
battles was but the echo of Gods foct-
steps marching on. l am believer in an
oVerrul1ng Providence, in the infinite wis
dem that guides the destinies of nations as
OF men l am deeply impressed with the
thought that this great western hemis-
Phere of ours Is under the especial guild
ance or Gods great plan. That we as a
people are struggling onward and upward
"a tho fulhllment of a supreme purpose.
1t was Gods providence that kept the new
world IN all Its virgin strength and beauty
Until the restless races of men had reached
a civilization fit to be transplanted here.
1t was Gods providence that put the pre-
posterous idea of a round world into the
quickened brain of a GenOese sailor When
he sailed out into the unknown sea Provi-
dence stood at the helm and guided his
ship Alright, and when he landed on the
unknown strand 1t raised above him the
great white cross of Savior's love, the
emblem of immortal hope. 1t gave strength
and courage and victory to the little band
OF sturdy patriots who wrought the mighty
miracle of American independence. 1t
spoke in every line of the Declaration Of
Independence, it inspired the pen of eman-
cipation, and the sword of Appomattox,
Columbus Washington, Lincoln, Grant.
Did chance select them each for his glori-
Gus work gloriously performed? Let the
fool answer how he WILL l prefer to see the
finger of supreme design. That finger, may
be, is even now moving toward another
man; a man who shall lead our triumphant
hosts to glorious victory for liberty AMI
humanity, who shall wreak Gods venge-
ance on wicked, cruel, merciless Spain, and
drive from this hemisphere the last vestige
of tyranny and oppression. And it may
well be that'some sword sheathed in de-
feat by the Judgment of God, that liberty
| might be the heritage of every American
child, will now by command of Jehovah
himself leap fromtits Scabbard to give iib-
erty and self-government to the oppressed
and downtroaden people of the beautiful
Island of Cuba.
What an Inspiring sight" he continued,
"to see those who once fought against each
other now rallying under the one flag, ex-
ulting and rejoicing that the azure field of
the Union banner holds in equal honor
every star of statehood and singing to-
gether the re:irrahsed music of the Union
Yankee Doodle and Dixie-the favorite airs.
I'VE are united as never before. Every
trace of bitternessjis gone at last. But this
perfect reconciliation, this union of hearts
and of hands, as well as of states, has not
come because we have forgotten. You of
the south still hold in tender memory your
heroic dead. ,Ye of the north will eyer do
the same. There is no true story of any
American battlefield that should ever be
forgotten. Americans are strong enough
and brave enough to stand by the truths of
their heroic history-and history will ever
stand, immutable as the stars, that the in
herited institution of human slavery was
destroyed by the justice of God.
'Thomas Jefferson gave us the genesis
Of American liberty in the Declaration of
Independence, but the gospel of its new
testament was written by Abraham Lin
coin in the emancipation proclamation.
GLORIOUS are the dead who die for lib
erty. Blessed are they whose blood is shed
for the welfare of their fellow men. The
great conflict in which our dead fought was,
in the beginning, Il contest between men,
between sections; ii was the Union against
the confederacy. But it is evident that over
and above the purposes of men was Gods
purpose He would not permit the govern
ment of the United States to remain under
a Constitution that sanctioned human slav-
cry. He would not give victory TO the
Union arms until with it would come lib
erty to a race in chains. The careful stu
dent of the war of the rebellion has
difficulty in seeing that up to the time of
the emancipation proclamation the doubtful
tide of battle set most strongly against the
Union shore. Disaster had followed dis
aster until Lincoln himself almost despaired
of ultimate victory; until 1t seemed as II
the exulting southern hosts were about to
make good their boast of proclaming tine
confederate government from the steps Of
the natlOn 8 SapltOl. but from the nOur OF
emancipation, from the hour in which the
cause of the Union became the cause Of lib
erty, from the hour in which the flag of the
republic became the flag Of humanity, from
the hour in which it's stars and stripes no
longer hoated over a slave; yea, from the
sacred hour of the nations new birth that
dear old BANNER never faded from ths sky,
and the brave boys who bore it never wav-
cred in their onward march to victory.
With the single exception of Chancellors-
vile, and that stubborn, doubtful day at
Chickamauga, no decisive field of battle
was ever lost by the men who sang with
redoubled enthusiasm John Browns body
lies moldering in the grave, but his soul
goes marching on Gettysburg at the east,
Vicksburg at the west, ratified the Prasi-
dents action and woke the morning of our
national holiday with grand jubilee of joy.
From Chattanooga to Appomattox from
Atlanta to the sea, the hearts of the war
worn, battle-scarred veterans took new
courage; all along the line they touched
elbows with steadier purpose, saw in each
others eyes holier fire, joined with a new
inspiration in that glorious anthem, Mine
eyes have seen the glory of the coming of
the Lord"
Describing eloquently how after third
of century OF peace and prosperity all the
children of common country knelt at the