Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1904-06-03
ON SACRED GROUND
President Roosevelt Speaks on His
toric Cemetery Hill, Gettysburg.
Lessons Of the Strife Between the
North and South Should be Re-
membered-Men Should Learn
How to Live Usefully.


toric Cemetery Hill, overlooking
ground hallowed by the blood of half
a hundred thousand brave men and in
the presence of concourse of thou
sands who had assembled to pay trib-
ute to the memory of the nations
dead, President Roosevelt yesterday
delivered a notable address. On
nearly the same spot, on November
10, 1868, President Lincoln delivered
the immortal address enunciating
principles which have rung around
the world for more than third of
century.
President Roosevelt was escorted
to the cemetery on the battlefield by
several hundred veterans of the civil
war. The president and his escort
were preceded by several organiza-
tions, including a squadron of United
States cavalry, the Third United
States artillery and the Marine band,
of Washington.
Gov. Pennypacker presided at the
ceremonies in the cemetery. After
the Memorial Day services of the G.
a. r. had been concluded, and the
pupils of the public schools had
strewn flowers over the graves of the
thousands of dead, during which cere-
mony the Marine band played a SOL
emn dirge, Rev. DR.. Edward Everett
Hale, chaplain of the United States
senate, pronounced the invocation.
The presidents address follows:
"The place where we now are has
won a double distinction. Here was
fought one of the great battles of all
time, and here was spoken one of the
few speeches which shall last through
the ages. AS long as this republic en-
dures or its history is known, so long
shall the memory of the battle of
and as long as the English tongue is
understood, so long shall Abraham
Lincoln's Gettysburg speech thrill the
hearts of mankind.
"The civil war was a great war for
righteousness; war waged for the
noblest ideals, but waged also in thor
oughgoing, practical fashion. 1t was
one of the few wars which mean, in
their successful outcome, a lift to-
ward better things for the nations of
mankind. Some wars have meant the
triumph of order over anarchy and
licentiousness masquerading as lib
erty; some wars have meant the tri-
umph of liberty over tyranny mas
querading as order; but this victori-
GUS war of ours meant the triumph of
both liberty and order. the triumph
of orderly liberty, the bestowal of
civil rights upon the freed slaves, and
at the same time the stern insistence
.,f l.,
throughout the length and breadth of
the land. Moreover, this Was one of
those rare contests in which it was to
the immeasurable interest of the van
quished that they should lose, while
at the same time the victors acquired
the precious privilege of transmit
ting to those who came after them, as
heritage of honor forever. not only
the memory of their own valiant
deeds, but the memory of the deeds
of those who, no less valiantly and
with equal sincerity of purpose,
fought against the stars in their
courses.
HE is but a poor American who.
looking at this field, does not feel
within himself a deeper reverence for
the nations past and higher purpose
to make the nations future rise level
to her past Here fought the chosen
sons of the north and the south, the
east and the west. The armies which
on this field contended for the mas
terry were veteran armies, hardened
by long campaigning and desperate
fighting into such instruments of war
as no other nation then possessed.
The severity of the fighting is attest
ed by the proportionate loss-a loss
unrivaled in any battle of similar size
since the close of the Napoleonic
struggles; a loss which in certain
regiments was from three -fourths to
four-fifths of the men engaged.
EVERY spot on this field has ita
own associations of soldierly duty
nobly done, of supreme self-sacrifice
freely rendered. The names of the
chiefs who served in the two armies
form a long honor roll; and the en-
more than worthy, of those who led
them.
To-day, all over this land our peo-
| pie meet to pay reverent homage to
the dead who died that the nation
might live: and we pay homage also
to their comrades who are still with
US.
"All are at one now, the sons OF
those who wore the blue and the sons
of those who wore the gray, and all
can unite in paying respect to the
memory of those who fell, each OF
them giving his life for his duty as he
| saw 1t; and all should be at one In
learning from the deaths of these
men how to live usefully while the
times call for the performance of the
countless necessary duties of every
day life, and how to hold ourselves
ready to die nobly should the nation
ever again demand of her sons the
ultimate proof of loyalty"
L MiIltaru AALaaLL ~ 4La E.i.