The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1903-06-25

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mong them is our civil war. No man o.
set of men ever donned the habilameuts
of war in a more righteous causef for 6
purer or nobler purpose than the Union
soldiers in our civil war. For love
of country" What a world of meaning
is wrapped up in that ore sentence,
Men have been put to the torture, stuff.
cred and died for it. 1t has widowed
the wife and orphaned the children. 1t
has filled the land with crippled men
and broken hearted mon,en; and that
same love Of country has made some
names immortal. Lincoln, Grant. Sher-
man, Sheridan, Lee, jackson, and a host
of other anne stand out conspicuously
as heroes of the civil war. And with the
halo OF glory that surrounds those names
the private soldier is almost forgotten.
A patriot indeed is the man who gives
his abilities to his country in time of
need but not one bit more of a patriot is
he than the private soldier who bears
his breast to the storm of bullets and
faces death in a Thousand ways. The
rank and file that held the broken lines
at Shiloh. and stormed the clouds on
Lookout's heights should not be for
gotten when we distribute our meads of
praise. Nothing but patriotism and
love of country can carry men to such
sublime heights of heroism and self
sacrifice as the private soldier displayed
in our civil war.
Another thing that I have noticed is
that history ignores altogether the part
our women took in the civil war. l be-
lieve that women as a rule are drawer
than men and, if there are kinds and de.
groes of patriotism, that women stand
first. They didn't have the pomp and
glory Of wal to bolster up their tagging
courage; they weren't inspired by mar
tiaI music, the rattle OF musketry, the
roar of cannon; their blood was not
heated by the excitement Of battle but
on the contrary the mothers of this
country stood at the gates of their homes
and bid farewell to their only begotton
sons and through binding tears watch
ed them march away to do or die. They
thanked God that he had given them
strength to bear son fit for the sacrifice
their country called upon them to make.
With a courage that was sublime they
took up the burdens Of life alone and
exercised both the care of a father and
mother oyer the children that was
never again to know or feel the guiding
hand of a father. They gave their hus-
bands, sons and lovers to their country
knowing full we'll that the gift was for.
ever and as the struggle became more
uncertain they wished they had more to
give. They prepared the boxes Of de-
licacies; the linten bandages,to bind the
wounds of those they loved. They went
10 the hospitals and moistened the par
ched lips of the fever stricken. They
shook and turned the pillows of the dy-
ing with a touch that none but women
have and at last they closed the glazed
eyes of our dead heroes. Ministering
angels of mercy; unselisb, untiring,
they whispered words Of comfort and
cheer to the dying whose soul went
straight from the presence Of thoee
angels OF mercy back to the God who
gave it. I know of no heroism, no cour-
age higher or grander than that dis.
played by the women of this country in
our civil wal and / believe that if it was
necessary or u women to make a like
sacrifice today they would do it.
Gentlemen O. IL Q Grand Army of the
Republic, we ar glad to meet with you
today, glad Of an oI po~rtunity to show to
you and your comrades that we appre-
fciate what you did for ue. We come
today with flowers in our hand and sad
ness in our hearts to Fay our tributes to
the dead and our respect TO the living.
All too soon these exercises will have to
be conducted and graves decorated by
hands unused to The implements of war.
To understand what ravages the de-
etroyer, time. has made in the Grand
Army of the Republic in thirty-eight
years it is only necessary to state that
at the close of the war there were mus
tered out from the Union service a mil.
lion men. Today the membership Of the
Grand Army of the Republic comprises
less than three hundred thousand;
which shows to us that the day is rapid.
ly approaching when this country will
have no Grand Army.
"The line of blue is thinning out;
The heroes feebler grow;
Their heads now show the signs OF age:
Their steps are short and slow;
But still they march TO beat OF drum;
Still reverently they pay
Their tributes til Our Coun.ry's Dead
When comes Memorial Day"
do not like to think that the time
will ever come when the people all over
this broad land will observe this day
that flowers will be strewn; the graves
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