The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-09-17

4, rival nationaliues, each with histofs
both bloody and contemplate.
A GLORIOUS NATION.
IL was because you. the men who wear
| the button OF the Grand Army, triumpheo
! in those dark years that every American
now holds his head high, prouo IN .he
| knowledge that he belongs to nauon
whose glorious past and great present
win be succeeded by an even nnightier fu.
| ture whereas had you failed we would
All OF us, North and South. East ano
West. be now treated by other nations at
the best with contemptuous tolerance; at
the worst with overbearing insoience'
Moreover. every friend OF liberty, every
believer in -governUent. every ideal
ist who wished 10 see his ideals take
practical shape, wherever he might be In
the world knew that the success or all IN
which he most believed was bound up
with the success of the Union armies In
this great struggle. / confidently predict
that when the final judgment OF history
Is recorded Il will be said that in no 9TH
er war of which we have written record
was II moro vitality essential for the well
fare OF mankind that victory should rest
where II finally rested.
II now rests with US In civil life TO
make good by our deds the deeds which
you who wore the blue did In the great
years from 81 10 '65. The patriotism, the
courage, the unfiinchjng resolution and
steadfast endurance OF the soldiers whose
triumph was crowned at Appomattox
must be supplemented on our part by civic
courage, civic honesty, cool sanity, and
stea dfast adherence TO the immutable
laws OF righteousness.
You left us q reunited country: reunited
In fact as we'll as In name You left us
the right OF brotherhood with your gal
liant foes who wore the gray: the right 10
feel pride In their courage and their high
fealty 10 an ideal even though they war
red against the stars In their courses.
You left us also the NOSE splendid exam
pie Of what brotherhood really means:
for In yoar careers you showed I'm practi-
cal fashion that the only safety In our
American life lies in spurning the acci-
dental distinctions which sunder one man
from another and In paying homage to
each man only because OF what he es-
sentially is; in stripping off the husks OF
occupation. OF position. or accident until
the soul stands forth revealed. and we
know the man only because OF his worth
as n man.
THE FIGHTING EDGE.
In the long run In the civil war the
thing that counted for more than aught
else was the fact that the average Amer
ican had the fighting edge; had within
him the spirit which spurred him on
through toll and danger, fatigue and
hardship. 20 the goal OF the splendid ul-
innate triumph.
So in achieving good government the
fundamental factor must he the character
OF the average citizen; that average cit-
zens power OF hatred for what is mean
and base and unlovely; his fearless scorn
OF cowardce and his determination to
war unyielding,y against the dark and
sordid forces OF evil.
The Continental troops who followed
N -.
and were armed with clumsy, flintlock
muskets. You. who followed Grant. wore
the famous old blue uniform, and your
weapons had changed az had your uni
form; and now the men OF the American
army who uphold tie honor OF the flag
I'm the far tropic lands are vet differently
armed and differently clad and differently
trained: but the spirit that has driven YOU
all TO victory has remained forever un-
changed.
FIGHT FOR HONESTY.
So 1t IS In civil life. As you did not win
In a month or a year but only after long
years OF hard and dangerous work; so
the fight for governmental honesty and
efficiency can be won only by the display
OF similar patience and similar resolution
and power OF endurance. We need the
same type OF character now that was
NEEDED by the men who with Washington
lar government, the system OF combined
liberty and order here on this continent: (:
that was NEEDED by the men who under
Lincoln perpetuated the government
which had thus been inaugurated IN the
days OF Washington.
The qualities ESSENTIAL TO good citizen
ship and TO good public service now are
In all their essentials exactly the same
as IN the days when the first congresses
met 20 provide for the establishment OF
the Union: az inthe days. seventy years
later, when the congresses met which had
20 provide for it's salvation.
There are many qualities which we need
alike In private citizen and In public man.
but three above sll--three for the lack OF
which no brillianoy and no genius can
atone-and those three are courage. hon
esty and common sense
Benediction was pronounced by Rev,
William II Mccormack OF New Jersey. a
veteran chaplain
A greater part OF the afternoon was
spent by the president IN an inspection of
,he points OF historic interest on the bat
tleheld