Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-10-05
The BURLINGTON FREE PRESS, THURSDAY OCTOBER 1889

mat nervous strain ana FOR that terrific
exposure. Let every ache and pain, in
stead of depressing, remind you of your
fidelity. The sinking of the Wcehawkcn
off Morris island, Dec g, 1868, was
She was not under fire. The
sea was not rough. But Admiral Dahl
gren from the deck of the flag steamer
saw her gradually sinking,
and finally she struck the ground, but the
flag still hontcd above the wave in the
sight Of the shipping 1t was afterward
found that she sank from weakness
through injuries in previous service. Her
plates had been knocked loose in previous
times. SO you have in nerve and muscle
and bone and dimmed eycsight and diff
cult hearing and shortness of breath
many limitations that you are gradually
going down. 1t is the service of many
years ago that is telling on you. BE of
good cheer. We owe you just rs much as
though your lifeblood had gurgled through
the scuppers Of the ship in the Red river
expedition or as though you had gone
down with the Melville off Hattcras. On
ly keep your flag flying, as did the illus
trjous Wechawken. Good cheer, my
boys, The memory of man is poor, and
all that talk about the country never for
getting those who fought for it is an UNI
truth. 1t does forget. Witness how the
veterans sometimes had to turn the hand
organs on the street to get their families
living. Witness how ruthlessy some
of them were turned out of Office that
some bloat of politician might take
their place. Witness the fact that there
is not man or woman now under 40
years of age who has any full apprecia-
ton of the four years martyrdom of
1861 to 1865, inclusive. But, while men
may forget God never forgets. He re
members the swinging hammock He re-
members the forecaste. He remembers
the frozen ropes of that January tempest.
He remembers the amputation without
sufficient ether. He remembers the hor-
rors of that deafening night when forts
from both sides belchcd on you their fury
and the heavens glowcd with ascending
and descending missiles of death aud
your ship quaked under the recoil OF the
100 FOUNDER, while all the gunners, ac-
cording to command, stood on tiptoe,
with mouth wide open. lest the concus-
sion shatter hearing or brain. He re-
members it all better than you remember
1t. and in some shape reward will be Civ
Ell. God Is the best of all paymasters,
and for those who do their whole duty
to him and the world the pension award
ed is an everlasting heaven.
Debt We owe the Navy.
Sometimes off the coast of England the
royal family have inspected the British
navy, maneuvered before them for that
purpose. In the Baltic sea the car and
czarina have reviewed the Russian navy
To bring before the American people the
debt they owe to the navy l go out with
you on the Atlantic ocean, where there is
plenty of ROOM and in ina gination re-
view the war shipping of our four great
contlicts--1776, 1912, 1865 and 1895
Swing into line all We frigates, ironclads
fire RATS, gunboats and men-of-war
There they come, all sail set and all fur
naces in full blast, sheaves of crysta
tossing from their cutting prows. That
is the Delaware, an old Revolutionary
craft, commanded by Commodore Deca
tur. Yonder goes the Constitution, Com
modore Hull commanding. There is the
Chesapeake, commanded by Captain
Lawrence, whose dying words were
Don't give up the ship" and the Niaga
ra of 1912, commanded by Commodore
Perry, who wrote on the back of an ole
letter. resting on his navy cap, I'VE hav'
met the enemy, and they are ours" Yon
der is the flagship Wabash, Admiral Du
pOnt commanding; yonder, the flagship
Minnesota, Admiral Goldsborough com
handing; yonuer, the flagship Phiadcl
phia Admival Dnhlgren commanding
yondcr. the flagship San .Iacinto, Admira
/ Bailey commanding: yonder the tagshi
| Black Hawk, Admiral Porter command
/ ing; yonder, the flag steamer Benton. Ad
miral Foote commanding; yonder, tn
| flagship Hartford, David G. Farragu
commanding; yonder, the Brooklyn, Roa
Admiral Schley commanding; yonder, tn
Olympia, Admiral Dewey commanding
yonder, the Oregon, Captain Clark com
handing; yondcr, the Texas, Capital
Philip commanding; yonder, the NeN
I York, Rear Admiral Sampson command
ing; yonder. the Iowa, Captain Robley L
/ Evans commanding.
And now all the squadrons of all dc
partments, from smallest tugboat t.
mightiest man-of-war, are in procession
decks and rigging filled with men VINO o
the sea fought for the old flag ever sine
we were a nation. Grandest feet tn
world ever saw. Sail on before all ages
/ hUil UD All tllt tOlOIS. AfllS All inc bflls
Yea open all the portfolios. Unlmbe
the guns and load and fire one grea
broadsidc that shall make the continent
in honor OF peace and the eternity OF tn
American Union. But | lift my hanC
and the scene has vanished. Many q
the ships have dropped under the crysti
pavement Of the deep, sea monster
swimming in and ont the forsaken cabir
and other old craft have swung into tn
navy yards, and many Of the brave spil
its who trod their decks are gone up t
the Eternal fortress, from whose cast
| ments and embraSures may we not hop
they look down today with JOY upon
nation in reunited brotherhood?
All those of you who were in the navs
service during the war of 1860 are now
the afternoon or evening of life. With som
Of you it is o'clock, 3 o'clock, 4 o'clocl
6 o'clock, and it will soon be sundowl
If you were of age when the war brok
ont, you are now at least 60. Many {
you have passed into the seventies. Will
in our Cuban war there were more Chri
tian commanders on sea and land than
any previous conflict, | would revive
your minds the fact that at least tw
great admirais of the civil war wei
Christians, Foote and Farragut. Ha
the Christian religion been cowardl
thing they would have had nothing to
with it. In its faith they lived and die,
In Brooklyn navy yard Admiral Foot
held prayer meetings and conducted r.
vival on the receiving ship North Car
lima and on Sabbaths far out at sea, 70
lowed the chaplain with religious exho
tntion In aoIIV life. 1hnn rl the SlnOl