The San Francisco call., 1899-05-31

Let us thy temples be;
And in our hearts let affairs rise
For sacrifice to thee.
Thy people Sinned and freely bled,
Oh grant we shall not find
That comrades blood was vainly shed
For freedom and mankind
James G.. Mcguire, the orator of the
day, was then introduced. His was a
splendid effort. For over half an hour
he held the attention of his audience,
and the wind carrying his voice up the
hillside, lost not a word. He spoke of
! the sacredness of the day and Of its
! deep significance to the younger gener-
alton. for he said, it is into their hands
the celebration of the day must pass
when the men of 81 have joined their
comrades He spoke, too of the volun-
! teer soldier; of the unique conditions of
his education and the inheritance of
courage which has come down to him
through generations. The American
| soldier is an American citizen even in
the ranks he said, "and he can never
be reduced to the level of mere fight
ing machine, which is the type of the
European soldier" He paid, too, a
graceful tribute to the wives and moth
ers left at home while the volunteers
| seek fame upon the battlefield. In part
he said:
We come not to mourn the heroes de-
parted. but to honor their memories. and
to renew our pledges and sentiments of
fealty to the cause and to the principles
not because we realize that length Of
years could not have increased the glory
of their lives, nor could equal service
have been rendered to mankind with
less sacrifice. They fought the bloodiest
war in the history of the world. contend
ing upon every field with men of equal
courage, equal skill and equal fortitude,
and against men who were animated by
the same high sense of duty by which
they themselves were inspired.
That chapter in our nations history is
closed. and in fraternal spirit the sons
and daughters of the Confederate Vet
Grams, with sincere devotion to Union and
Liberty come lovingly laden with flow
ers'' to join in the national ceremony of
this day. To the whole people the soldiers
of the Union are heroes deserving univer-
sal honor, and, as we glorify their mem
ories, we feel no trace or thought of
gloating over those who fell in the cause
of disunion. for they Danish our anger
forever when they laurel the graves of
our dead"
The volunteer armies of the Civil War
shed a new luster upon the name of sol
der and a new glory upon our coun-
try, which must ever be a source of pride
to all the future generations of our peo-
pie. They were soldiers in spirit and i'll
discipline, comparing favorably in these
respects with the trained soldiers of the
regular armies of Europe. But they were
something more than soldiers and of
some of these higher traits and qualities
/ think it fitting to speak in commemor-
ating their services and their sacrifices.
Like their ancestors and prototypes of
the revolution and of the intervening
wars, they were men. inspired by the sem
timents of individual duty and individual
responsibility!
Even as a soldier in the ranks he was
an American freeman filled with the in
spiration of sentiment and with the self
confidence which is born of that noble
! station.
One of the most striking incidents in
| the whole course of the Civil War, to my
mind, was the unwritten agreement based
upon a common love. of tountry, and of
! the character and services of Washing
| ton. that Mount Vernon farm, the home
of Washington, should be neutral ground,
| to which the soldiers of both armies
might freely go without, fear of molesta-
tlon and pay respectful homage at Wash
! ington's tamb
| But that was not the only startling and
unusual evidence Of our higher civiliza-
! ton. At the close of each fierce battle
| the passions of the contending soldiers
! cooled Immediately and sympathy for