Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1902-06-04
MEMORIAL
EXERCISES
CONTINUED from Second Page).

that is exhibited in human affairs that
this was the fact. Slavery lay in the
very foundation of the republic. The
conscript fathers Of this republic could
not solve this question. 1t does not
over-state the case to say that 1t was
beyond their power to resolve this as
il should be resolved, and Of necessity
they passed II on to those who came
after them, and more than fifty years
later the problem was worked out
with the sword and the cannon-it
was solved in the blood Of a generation
of Americans. Great problems like
this, although the solution seems very
simple after they have been worked,
are seldom solved by the wit and skin
of mankind; the Almighty solved this
question, using human forces merely
as His instruments. and as time pass
ed on it became evident that this vas
the n and the only way In which
this question bequeathed to the gener-
alton before us by the fathers of the
republic, could be solved. And it was
solved; we will not inquire as to meth
DDS; we will not ask whether the civil
war was expedient or necessary; We
will look only at the general result.
We know that America solved this
problem, which she had to solve or
die, by d~evoting a whole generation
of young Americans to the sword. A
costly sacrifice indeed, and attended
by the further sacrifice of billions of
money, and yet, when we look at our
country ~today-our grand, great, glor.
ious republic, fraught with all its
hopes for humanity, for the future Of
mankind-who shall say that this sac.
rifice was too great. Our country is
today worth more than all the treas
ure that eyer was heaped up since
the history of the world began; 1t is
worth more than the lives Of every
man, woman and child now living. and
costly as the price was. We may feel
sure for it that this country and man
kind got value received in the govern.
ment which exists today.
We cannot expect to commemorate
adequately the services of these men
no words of mine can set before you
the nature of these services. as well
as your own hearts can whisper them
to you. | a only exhort you that
we strive to be worthy of the sacrifices
of those who have laid the foundations
upon which we are now building. ant
that we strive to pass on unimpairet
\ to the generation beyond us the liber
ties which have been handed down tc
us and which have been bought at 81
tremendous a price. When We thinl
upon the price that has been paid FOL
our national unity. for the preserya
J ton of our rights, we cannot reason
! ably grudge any sacrifice that we arr
called upon to make to pass thes'
I same blessings on to those who com,
after us.
There is always danger in prosper
I ity. for nations as well as for men
and the present prosperity of TIL
American republic carries with |
J probably a greater danger than ha.
\ ever been encountered before in il
\ history. IL is not a time nor a place
4 in which these matters can be dis
4 cussed; ! can only call your attention
4 to them and try to suggest n or tw'
thoughts for you to carry away in ref
erence to these things. In the las
quarter of a century America has &C
cumulated more material wealth thai
ever before fell into the possession o
any nation, in the present, in medic
4 val. or in ancient times. The compu
tation of our national wealth In dollar
amounts to so great a sum that tn
imagination is dazzled and falls back
y unable to grasp the idea, and in thi
\ mere accumulation lies the creates
danger w have. or that any natiol
ever has had, or that any nation eve
will have. Do not understand me to de
cry wealth; it is a good thing. right.
used. but the danger with a nation
y as with a man is that. in prosperity
in the accumulation of wealth of var
: ious kinds. they place 1t above TIL
qualities which make mankind noble
and there have ben few times in his
tory when the nobler qualities of mar
kind-when bravery. courage, SINGER
ity and self.devotion-when the spirl
of self-sacrifce-could flourish in pros
perity. You may look back to the day:
of the Roman empire. probably thu
next greatest nation that the world
has ever seen-back to the opening
years of the Christian era. tic nm,
of the climax OF Roman power. She
had developed during more than eight
hundred years from a little settlement
by the banks of the Tiber until she
was the mistress of all the then known
world; her glittering legions filled
every land, her eagles few In every
breeze, from the dangerous breath Of