The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-06-09
THE NEws-HERALD H1LLsBoRo THURSDAY JUNE ., 1904

Their beacon lights we're their c0un-
try and their God. They stand to-day
on history's pages as the grandest
soldiers the world has ever known.
They broke the shackles Of slavery
and made our country the land of the
free. They placed our great Repub-
lie on foundation Of freedom as firm
as our nature hills and as immovable
as our majestic mountains that rear
their towering heads to Heaven.
These solemn thoughts come to ue to-
day, for the hearts of the living COM
mune with the dead. Every soldiers
grave stands silent, yet filled with
eloqueDce; motionless, yet quivering
with pathos; decked in flowers, yet
radiant with the splendors of a
heavenly sphere. If they had faults
we write them on the shifting sands,
their virtues on the tablets of memo
ry. The sun shines and the carol of
the birds sing sweetly DER their
graves. Under the sun and dew sleeps
the shell which held their spirit. Let
them sleep shrined in the memory of
a great and patriotic people.
To-day, with tears of fadeless affec.
tion, we rear monument the most
beautiful in its carvings. 1t rises in
the purity of our souls. It places
honor above gold, principle above
power and says: Honor the memory
of the Soldier dead" Let our lives
be rainbow that arches and spans
over each other, guiding us to love
mankind. Let our religion be hui
manity, our creed Fraternity, Loyalty
and Charity. In few short years the
old flag will be draped and taps will
be sounded for the last time. Innocent
childhood will look at your battle.
SCARED flags and gaze with wonder at
the monuments erected in your honor
Let the rich blessings we enjoy be a
priceless bounty for every age, and
every cline. every race and every
tongue, until there shall be one creed
in all the world, the creed of Human
itJ. Let us in the few years we are
spared make life's journey for each
other one of love and kindness. Let
Us do as old Jerry the miner did, no
matter If the dirt didn't pan out the
pure gold, and if adversely came.
He threw himself down upon his
knees and said:
Rene mber the rich, remember the poor,
Remember the bonded and free,
And when you have found
Youv remembered all round,
Then Lord remember me.
Memorial Day we meet to honor our
dead. 1t should be day when bust.
ness should throttle its tireless ener.
gies, day when mighty people
should walk with velvet footsteps
through the cities of the dead. A
day when we should recall these
hei oes sufferings, when the heavens
were burning with FIRE and the earth
grOaning with sorrow: when long pine
boxes were coming home and the
land filed with broken hearts.
To you and to me Memorial Day
will never lose its sacrearess, but
alas, too many make Memorial Day a
day of pleasure, when a game of base
ball is more TO them than the sacred
duty they owe the living and the
dead. What we want is men whose
love of country is SO pure they will
make laws so strong that Memorial
Day will be what the government in
tended it to be, day to honor it:
illustrious dead. Thank God that
from one end of our country to the
other the patriotic people rise and
drink the air of freedom, and the
spirit of Grant rises from his tomt
beside the Hudson, Sherman, Sheri
dan, Logan and all who sleep neal
the banks of the Patomac, spread
their white wings and whisper to us
who stand with garlands in our hands
Scatter flowers while you may, love
honor and defend the Union soldier
for where we are there are no wars o,
rumors of war and all is peace"
The Japs loast a boat. Well, you