Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1901-06-06


that those who are to guide our future
may profit by what those memories
teach us Of the past
1t is meet and proper that the exer-
cises and experiences of the day should
dim the eyes Of hard and rugged Veter-
ans, cause them to become tender as
little children, and turn them nearer to
J God. 1t is also meet that they should
so kindle and fan the FIRE of loyalty and
patriotism in the hearts of rising gem
erations as to insure the perpetuity Of
the splendid Union which was bought
with the blood of their fathers.
In my opinion no opportunity should
be lost, and no pains should be spared
to make the experiences of the day full
fill to the utmost this last named OBJ
ject. Indeed, what greater tribute
could you pay to the memory OF the
brave and true soldier than to SO turn
to account his deeds in the body that
they may live and grow to the better
ment of mankind after that body has
returned to mother earth and been lost
in the dnst of the ages.
The value of real sacrifice-the sacri-
fee made in just cause and prompted
by noble impulse-knows neither date
nor time. II you would reckon the
value to his country Of sacrifice or an
act of so much heroism on the part of
soldier, you must adopt the principle of
computing compound interest. 1t will
require the future, and perhaps the dis
distant future, to determine the full
measure of the value to your country,
and to humanity and. civilization at
large, of the many valorous deeds and
sacrifices of the soldiers of the Union
Army. AS an illustration of this, we
may safely say that had there becn no
Valley Forge or Trenton there had
been no New Orleans and no Monterey.
Had there been no building and
strengthening of a Union, through
struggle and sacrifice, there had been
no Union for you and your comrades to
preserve. and most assuredly may we
say that had there been no Donaldson,
no Shiloh, no Chicamauga, there had
been no Manila Bay, no Santiago, Ell
Caney or Caloocan. Had not the cause
of the Union triumphed, and at a cost
so terrible as to prevent further efforts
at its dissolution, the world had not seen
this young Western giant thrust forth
his hand to stay Spanish cruelty in the
West Indies The world had not seen
him grid up his loins and uncomplain-
ingly take upon himself the duties and
responsibilities which that act Of hui
manity entailed. The world had not
seen that private OF the Fourteenth
Regiment scale the wall of Pekin to
the end that the soldiers there assem-
bled might enter to the relief of the Le-
cations. But for the results of your eff
forts and your sacrifices, gentlemen OF
the Grand Army, the world could never
have seen US stand at the beginning of
this century in many respects chief
among the nations of the earth,
II thus much your loyalty and devo-
tion have meant to your country in the
last few years, what character of ac-
count may we not expect to find to
your credit when your record shall have
rolled on down through years to come,
gathering glory at compound interest
by inspiring succeeding generations to
like loyalty and devotionP
In order to instill into the young and
keep alive that patriotism which will
be a monument to the memory of our
soldiers more sublime than any which
our physical hands can build, | con-
ceive it to be 80 important that they
should understand that there is some
thing real in these ceremonies, That
there is something more than mere
perfunctory compliance with an order
of your Grand Army Commander. 1t
should be pleasurable duty for every
man who is worthy to wear the
bronze button of the Grand Army to
enter with his whole heart into this
service, and it should also be his duty
to so conduct his part in the service as
to assure those about him that he de-
sires the valorous deeds OF his dead
comrades to inspire succeeding genera
tions to strive for higher plane in
soldiery and citizenship. Thus, and
thus only can you pay the highest trib-
ute to the hero who has made the high
est sacrifices for country which mortal
can make.
/ Let us recount the glorious achieve
ments of your Union dead, but let it be
done in spirit of love and charity, and
not in such spirit or such terms as can
give just cause of offence to your late
foes, thereby engender and keep alive
sectional strife and animosity. 1t is
right that we should recall the years OF
the Unions history which filled the
hundreds Of thousands Of graves with
all that was mortal Of those who died
that the Union might live, and which
bathed the land in an ocean of tears
wrung from the hearts Of wives and
mothers. Il is right that we should re-
call the pitiable spectacle Of father and
son abruptly quitting the happy home
and hreside because the flag was assail
ed. and the vet more pitlable snectnnls