Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-05-31
MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVED.
Continued from 9Th pagc)

came up late in the afternoon. on the
Peninsula, at Gettysburg, in the Wilder
ness and I'm some other of our greatest
battles there were as many engaged in he
single fight as at Waterloo, besides tho
other armies in the field at the same time
aud the thousands of troops engaged Off
the field.
But not only in size were our armies
unique but in their composition, their
makeup. only a slight knowl-
edge of history is needed to run
over in mind the quality of other
armies in other times; from the slave
troops of the Eastern despotic nations.
the free Greeks the sturdy Romans, the
barbarian borderers of Asia and Northern
Europe to the stubborn Anglo Saxon sol
di"rs Of modern Europe. Hut the soldiers
gathered for aud against the Union in our
war combined the best qualities OF all Of
these with an intelligent independence of
action hardly found outside their own
race and found there before this time in
an inferior degree. From farm and work.
shop, from counting house and factory.
/ from colleges and the schools, from the
professions and arts, from every walk
and condition in life, came these men
alIme with love for their country and
ready to lay down their lives fer her,
Citizen soldiers, who demonstrated for the
nrst time on u large scale that armies of
great lighters could he made from those
war. VIVA: better type can bc found of
these, than the soldiers from Vermont of
whom 1t may be said that TO matter where
found. in the department OF the cuff
with Banks, or at Nicksburg with Grant;
on the Peninsula with Mcclellan, or at
Gettysburg with Meade, or with sheridan
AZ Cedar Creek, assalling the Angle at
! Spcttsylvana or striking Kempcr's bril-
! gude on Cemetery Ridge; he was always
| the same intelligent, bold. and daring SOL
der?
Not only in extent Of territory to be con-
quered, in difficulties to be overcome, In
character in szeand composition Of armies
was the civil war tremendous, but in plan
and execution as well.
The general plan of the war was simple
10 tho last degree % The nations cap
ital was to be protected and the capital
of the enemy captured; (2) the Mississippi
was to be opened; CD the ports of the Con-
federaCy were to be blockadcd; 90 the
border States were to be saved 10 the
Union.
The civil war was great in its results,
Some of those results were apparent at
once, some have become clear since the
end of the war and some are only yet
foreshadowed. 1t will suffice to name
them briefly.
% The question of the sovereignty of
the central government was settled for
ever. tG The blot of slavery was wiped
away and the race question was put in
the way of sometime being settled. 81
The perpetuity of the Union was secured
/ by force of arms and two years ago that
result was fully accepted when the blue
and the gray were found shoulder 10
shoulder once more under the stars and
stripes. % With the passing of slavery
the industrial system of the south
had to be changed. What tho end OF
that will be none may yet say,
l.
sky that both this and the race question
will be settled on other and better grounds
than those Of abstract theory or party
expediency 90 BY her experience in the
war of 81 and in the solution of ques-
/ tons that arose out of that war both
economic and financial, the young repub-
| lie has grown to the full stature of a ma
ton and has become ready to take her
place and do her part among the great
atoms of the earth. There are still ques-
tons to be answered and problems to he
solved. There are new duties to be taken
up and new responsibilities to be assun-
ed. The war is not over nor ever can be
Il came not to send peace but "A sword. "
IT is the Divine law of striving. 1t is the
"irrespressibie conflict" between darkness
and light between righteousness and sin
! We may not. we cannot avoid the strife
| What then rs our duty?
Long ago one of the greatest OF Roman
|
| ting thing to die for ones country and
we to-day know what that means
| But the poets have not sung of the glory
/ of living for ones country for that be-
longs not to the realm of poetry but 10
the realm of duty. II means incesslnt
toll and WEAKNESS and and
sickness of heart; it means steadfast
holding to the right, answering honesty
and incorruptible integrity; ii means that
within our sphere and as far as in US lies
We will see to it that only the highest
standards of right and honor are upheld
in public life of all degrees; It means a
clear realization of the fact that there
cannot be two standards of morals, one
for private life and another for public life
and of that other fact that Whateve.
smirches the individual is a stain upon
his country under whose laws and flag
he lives and has protection; and it means
last of all that we may not take for our
motto, our country right or wrong" blu,
that higher and better motto. our coun-
try, she shall not hc wrong If we car
help it,, And il she not worthy for whose
sake we are to do these things? And
shall not our love for her be great accord
| ing to her worthiness?
The address was followed by the read.
ing of I.incon's famous Gettysburg adj
dress by A. j. McKelow of the University
After the playing of America by the banC
the benodction was pronounced by Rev
w. 5. Roberts ID. D., and the veterans
adjourned to Stannard Post. where theiI
annual Memorial Day gathering was held
AT THE POST ROOMS.
The meeting of Stannard Post at theii
rooms was called 10 order by Commander
Beach shortly after o'clock. The first
business was the report of the commit
tee on resolutions read by Capt. II. O
Wheeler In the report was expressed the
an ia innn f hn tn tla foil In,
for assistance in the observance of the
day Rev. q. q. Atkins, Hon, Robert
Roberts. Principal Isaac Thomas, Rev. W
>. Roberts ana Rev. j. H. Metcalf \. j
McKellow. the board of aldermen and Hon
Elihu 3. Taft, the teachers and pupils OF
the public schools Hon. L. A. Woodbury.
Is. B. Smalley and w. j. Van Patten
Chief Brownell and the members of the
police force. Major r. T. Beebe, Capt b
Il. l3eeman, Capt. T.. II. Prouty and then
organizations, the w. II, c., and the Wo.
mems Auxiliary of the Y. NJ. c. A.
Gen. w. l.. Greenleaf read the report OF
the committee on neurology. Not one &C.
tive member of the Post has died during
the year. The following former members
OF the post have died daring the past /:
months -
Private John Cain. ca. A.. 18th Regiment
aged SO years, buried at Mount st. Jo-
seph's.
Private Alansing G. Stoughton, Co. l..
First Regiment, Vermont Cavalry, died il
Chazy, N. Y, March 90 1900, aged rs years