Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-07
listen with pleasure and profit to Col
John Hay
Secretary Hays Remarks.


Commissioner Macfarland. at the close of
his remarks. introduced Secretary Hay,
whose address was as follows:
Comrades of the Great Army: In the
name of the President and in his stead 1
bid you welcome to Washington. 1 need
not say that every inch of American soil.
wherever that starry banner waves, you
are at home. and need no formal words of
welcome. But especially in this capital city
of the republic you fought to preserve you
are the children of the house; the doors are
always open to you. Wherever you turn you
are reminded of the history of which you
are a part. From the windows OF that
White House the eyes of many comrades
have looked upon this field whose names
belong to the ages-Lincoln, Grant, Hayes,
Garfield, Mckinley and Roosevelt In the
beautiful squares other comrades salute
you from the bronze horses of the monu-
ments where your love and loyalty nave
placed them. Across the winding river the
heights of Arlington show the white tents
of Fame's eternal camping ground, where
your friends and brothers repose. And,
casting its gigantic shadow over this Div
ouac of yours, the unequaled obelisk of
Washington towers to the clouds-the
Hottest structure ever reared by man in
memory of the Hottest character in human
history.
"A peculiar interest attends this gather
ing. Never again shall all of us meet in a
camp like this. Not often shall the young
est and strongest of us come together to re-
new our memories of the past, and our
vows of eternal devotion to the cause to
which in those distant days we swore allie
glance. Thirty-seven years have passed
since some of us, wearing Grape on our
arms and mourning in our hearts for Abra-
ham Lincoln, saw the great army which he
loved pass before the White House in the
grand review Many of you marched in
those dusty columns, keeping step to the
rI,y fHy,,F ,f n nd tr,1 I'M
sounded the onset in a hundred battles The
banners blew gaily out-what was left of
them: they were stained with the weather
of long marches; they were splendid in the
rags and tatters of glorious victories.
There was not much of pomp or state about
that solemn march.
''But the men in the street that day
many of whom 1 have the honor of seeing
before me-afforded their own country, and
the rest. of the world, lesson which shall
never be forgotten though it's tremendous
import was not Immediately perceived. In
fact, many differences were drawn at the
moment which the lapse of a few months
found altogether false. One trained OBJ
server of events in the old world said:
These splendid fellows will give you trou-
bic; it is too fine force to be diSbanded
easily He reasoned from the precedents
of the past, unaware that we were making
new precedents. Since then the world has
learned the lesson of that hour.
The normal condition of the republic is
1essness. We do not need the overgrown
ornaments of Europe. Our admirable reg
ular force. with it's perfect drill and dis
c:p!lne, though by far the smallest in the
world In proportion to population, is suf-
ficient for our ordinary wants; but when
the occasion calls, when the vital interests
of the honor of the country are threatened,
when the national conscience Is aroused, an
army will spring from the soil. vast, so
docile, intelligent fornida BILE. that
n r. II
army on the face of the earth.
But that was only half the lesson; the
other half was equally important-that
when that citizen army has done its work
it makes no claim. 1t exacts no conditions
of disarmament. but mets away into the
vaster body of the nation, as the foam
crested sunlit wave melts back into the
profound depths of the ocean The great
host of 1865 ceased to exist as an armed
force; but in every town and hamlet of the
land it lived as a part of the body polite
a nucleus everywhere Of courage, patriot
ism and self-sa critice. This was a new
product the republic might proudly show to
the world, saying, These be the peaceable
heroes l breed from great wars
There were many brilliant deeds done In
the war that resulted in enduring fame to
fortunate individual soldiers; but the dis
bandment of that army, flushed with vic
tory and idolized by the country, reflected
honor upon all our race a glory in which
individual claims are lost, like atoms Of
cloud In the crimson splendor of stormy
sunset
For four years You showed yourselves
good sodiers-equal to the best the world
had seen. For thirty-seVen years YOU have
been good citizens; and who shall say in
which capacity you have wrought best for
the republic? Each year you come together
with thlnned ranks but undiminished spirit
to feed anew the undying flame upon the
altar of patriotism. l should not have said
your ranks are thinned. for the place of
oh oil do ic Iel wit
memory. And who can ever forget the
faces which never had chance to grow
old-the brave young warriors who fell in
battle and gained the prize of immortal
youth! For them there is no shadow of
struggle or poverty; no trouble of gray
hairs or failing strength; no care of the
present nor fear of the future. The unfad-
ing light of morning is forever in their
eyes; the blessing of a grateful nation hal
lows their names. We salute them with
loving tears, from which the bitterness is
gone. We hear their young voices in the
clear notes of the bugle and the murmur
of the f1utterng flags. Our answering
hearts cry, Hail and farewell, young COM
rades, till we meet again.
our fathers ordained that in this re-
public there should be no distinctions but
human nature is stronger than laws, and
nothing can prevent this people from show
ing honor to all who have deserved well of
the country. Every man who has borne
arms with credit has earned and is sure to
receive d special measure OF regard. And
1t Is our peculiar privilege to remember that
our armies and navies, regular and yolun-
teer, have always been worthy of esteem
In distant generations, under different flags
in conflicts great and small, by land and by
sea, they have always borne their part
nobly. The men who fought at Lousburg
beneath the meteor flag of England; the
men who stood with Washington at York
town; with Lincoln in the Black Hawk
war; with Crockett at the Alamo; with Tay-
ior at Buena Vista; with Grant at Vicks-
burg, and with Lee at Appomattox were
OF the stuff of which not only soldiers, but
citizens, are made"
And in our own time the young men who
stormed the hill of San Juan and have
borne our flag with such honor to the for
hidden city of Pekin and the jungles of
Luzon have shown that their progenitors
bred true. The men of today are as good
Americans as the men of yesterday, and
the men of tomorrow, with Gods blessing,
will be the same The dominant character
istic of every American army that has ever
stepped to the tap of drum has been yalor
and humanity. They have-in the long
run-carried nothing but good to any land
they have occupied. AS our comrade Nc
kinley-of blessed memory-said: The flag
has never foated over any region but in
benediction.'
by order of the President of the United
States, these historic grounds, the prop
erty of the nation, are during this encamp-
ment dedicated to your use They will re-
fat frNF.