The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-07-09

start, yet at the finish extorting from
an amazed. admiring and applauding
world, the name writ large" each
letter traced as a sunbeam ABRAHAM
LINcoLN-born an American peasant
died an American king"
He was but one of the American
characters from which we ought to
learn today. Here is another:
Think of that general who stood in
lron thunder and leaden sheet. the top
most OF them all, carrying in his hand
the pregnant destinies of a nations
life; the man who received the highest
honors abroad ever given an American
citizen. The man whose death, like
his life. was a marvel of sublime hero
ism-the grandest hero of the age and
world-Ulysses S. Grant. So, too, how
your heart bounds with pride as you
remember the la whom death alone
conquered-the only defeat he ever
met with-the ideal volunteer soldier,
the embodiment of patriotism and
heroism, the dearly loved"Black jack"
John A. Logan of Illinois.
How, too, our hearts hung so long
and so tenderly to the waning life of
that magnificent soldier as he lay on
his sick bed by the eastern sea.coast.
We seem to see him mounted again on
his famous steed, foaming with sweat,
now twenty: o fifteen, now ten, now
five miles away, and o with all the
dashing courage and splendid bravery
OF the soldier who never knew what it
was to falter. we see him in the midst
Of the fight. and at the head of the
column-splendid Phil Sheridan of
Winchester. And again how our
thoughts go out t o him who has also
gone over to the eternal camping
grounds. He knew no fear. No phase
of a long line of battles of these terri
BILE four years can exhibit more sublime
courage or deeper strategy than are
found at Shiloh. Atlanta, Chickamau-
qua and Kennesaw. The world stood
with almost pulseless heart, when he
closed the gates behind him and started
out on his victorious march to the sea,
and hone but SHERMAN could have
done it. And Meade, Mcclellan, Thomas
and Hancock, Burnside, Hooker. Nc
Pherson, Sedgewlck and Reynolds.
How all these splendid American char
acters come to u thoughts on these
natal days. Let us be true to the mem
DRY of them, of your dead and mine
let us renew today u fealty to this
Union: blessed by the hallowed memory
of sires of '76, the boys of 81 and '65,
and the younger, yet not less brave
American soldiers of '98 and '99. In
this connection may l add still another
lesson, my friends. 1t is a lesson, quite
generally learned thank God in Iowa
yes, better still throughout the loyal
North-uhat lesson is that the schools
pay tribute to the nations dead. God
bless these children and God save our
schools. The boys and girls OF today
are the men and women of tomorrow.
Let the flag float in and over ourschool
buildings, and let the children be
taught that the flag was saved by the
volunteer s0ldlery of two wars nearly
me hundred years apart, and saved un-
stained and unsullied through the most
terrific a of all history. Let US
pledge ourselves to the faithful keep
ing of the principles involved in the
sentiment uttered by Gen. Grantin the
capitol city of our state, dear Iowa:
keep church and state forever separ-
ate" And remembering this 'slet us
remember that our American language
is the language of the Mayfower, of
plymouth Rock, of the Declaration of
Independence, and of Appomattox."
In the City of New York, in a house
once occupied by John Ericsson, and in
which this marvellous Scandinavian
genius planned nearly all of his great
inventions, ''among them one that
helped save the flag" there is a school.
every morning sees the American
flag carried to the principals desk, and
all the children, rising at the stroke of
the bell. say with one voice, "We turn
to our flag as the suntiower turns to the
SUM- One bell, and every brown right
fist is raised to the brow, as in military
salute, "We give our heads Another
stroke, and the grimy little hands are
laid en- as many hearts; "And our
hearts" Then with a shout that can
be heard far away-''to our country:
one country, one language, one flag"
With such education the future of
this nation is cur With such chill
dren the nation is safe.
Another lesson, and an important
one, too, is the relation of labor to capt.
tai. 1t is the problem OF the opening
OF the new century, as it was of the
closing of the last. No one who has
given this subject attention, does not
know that the relations between these