Evening star., 1902-05-30

pre-eminence. Among the holidays Whlcn
commemorate the turning points in Ameri-
can history. Thanksgiving has signln-
canoe peculiarly it's own. On July we Gel
ebrate the birth of the nation; on this day,
the 3Oth of May we call to mind the deaths
of those who died that the nation might
live, who wagered all that life holds dear
for the great prize of death in battle, who
poured out their blood like water in order
that the mighty national structure raised by
the farseeing patriotism of Washington,
Franklin, Marshall, Hamilton, and the other
great leaders of the revolution, great franz
ers of the Constitution, should not crumble
into meaningless ruins.
You whom l address today and your COM
rades who wore the blue beside you in the
perilous years during which strong, sad,
patient Lincoln bore the crushing load OF
national leadership. performed the one feat
the failure to perform which would have
meant destruction to everything which
makes the name America a symbol of hope
among the nations of mankind. You did the
greatest and most necessary task which
has ever fallen to the lot Cf any men on this
western hemisphere. Nearly three centuries
have passed since the waters of our coasts
were first furrowed by the keels of the men
whose childrens children were to inherit
this fair land. Over a century and a half
of colonial growth followed the settlement:
and now for over century and quarter
we have been a nation.
During our four generations of national
life we have had to do many tasks and
some of them of far rea ching Importance;
but the only really vital task was the one
you did, the task of saving the Union.
There were other crises in which to have
gone wrong would have meant disaster; but
this was the one crisis in which to have
gone wrong would have meant not merely
disaster hut annihation. For failure at
any other point atonement could have been
made: but had you failed in the iron days
the loss would have been irreparable the
defeat irretrievable. Upon your success de-
pended all the future of the people on this
continent, and much of the future of man
kind a whole.
You left us a reunited country. You left
us the right of brotherhood with the men
in gray, who with such courage and such
devotion for what they deemed the right
fought against you. But you left us much
more even than your achievement for you
left us the memory Of how 1t was achieved
You, who made good by your vaior and
patriotism the craftsmanship of Lincoln
and the soldiership of Grant, have set as
the standards for our efforts in the future
both the way you did your work in war
and the way In which when the war was
over you turned again to the work of peace
In war and in peace alike your example
will stand as the wisest OF lessons to us
and our children and our children's
children
Work Of the Army at Present
Just at this moment the army Of the
United States, led by men who served
among you In the great war, Is carrying
to completion a small but peculiarly trying
and difficult war in which Is involved not
only the honor Of the flag, but the triumph
of civilization over forces which stand for
| the black chaos Of savagery and barbarism
The task has not been as difficult or as i'm
portant as yours. but, oh, my comrades,
the men in the uniform of the United
States. who have for the last three years
patiently and uncomplainingly championed
the American cause, In the Philippine
| Islands. are your younger brothers, your
L sons. They have shown themselves not un-