Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-30

Judge Ashley M Gould
THE great Greek poet sings of time a
| healing god Surrey. no more striking
Illustration could he imagined than the
| scene of tranquil beauty presented on this
! historic field today and that bloody battle
| of nearly fortythree years ago. What
| could be loveler than these beautiful val
leys, frlnged by these everlasting hills, all
| clad in natures fairest. tenderest garb, Yet
| within the memory of many who now hear
my voice these valleys were heaped with
| the slain, these streams ran red with hu-
| man blood For here the flower OF southern
| chivalry met the stern courage of their
! northern brethren IN the bloodiest battle of
the civil war.
How typical this change wrought bv
| nature is of that profounder change wrought
| IN the hearts of those who fought the great
battle of Antietam; their comrades their
descendants. Today all Is peace and con-
| cord. We citizens of a common coun-
| try; we of the north and of the south of
| the east and the west, are all members of
an everlasting and eternal Union whose
foundations are cemented forever by the
| blood of the heroes of that great conflict
! Tine significance of the day grows with
| the growing greatness of the nation. The
! debt which of a later generation owe to
| those whose memories we today comment
crate increases as we more fully appreciate
the destiny of the nation which they pre-
served.
| Viewed in this light the obligation tran
| scends the bounds of our own country and
reaches into other lands, blessed by our
| civilization.
THE day has meaning for those who
| were not participants in the great struggle.
| The lesson taught by those who fought and
! those who fell is. that patriotic faith and
| enthusiasm are essential to great actions,
| whether IN time of war or time of peace
That peace has her victories less than
! war is undoubtedly true, but peace also
| has her battles and struggles. and the les
| son which should take from the cele-
| bration of Memorial day is that for the
preservation of the republic which our
| heroes saved for us one must possess and
| practice the virtue and valor which make
| their memories sacred.
| SO long as official corruption rears its
! hOrried head in city, county state or ma
| ton long vast combinations of CAPT
| tai cOntemptuously defy the restraint or
| the laws by which alone their continued
! existence is rendered possible: so long as
| vast combinations of labor violate the law
| which alone affords them projections;
| long as government fails in any degree to
| promote the best interests of the governed,
| just so long will the lessons taught by
| those whose graves we today strew with
| flowers and whose memories we bless with
| our love and gratitude, be vital to the pa
| triotic citizen and inspire him to worthy
| deeds. History tells US of a famous soldier
| of France, the hero of many battles, but
who preferred to fight in the ranks.
| Napoleon publicly presented him with
| sword. and gave him the official title of
| The Chief Grenadier of France"
When he was killed the emperor ordered
| that his heart should be preserved by his
| regiment, that at the roll-call his name
| should be always called and that his next
| comrade should advance, salute and re-
| spond Dead on the field of honor" We
today hold sacred in memories he
names Of many heroes; their hearts are
mtrusted to this consecrated ground ana
when their names are called we answer,
with flowers, Dead on the field of honor
Major stine's Address
Mai. j. H Slime, president United States
Historical Society, who also made an ad-
dress, said in part:
| 1T is we'll that Maryland takes such a
| great pride iii this battlefield, for it has
the proud distinction of being the only
| one where two Presidents were in the
same action, and it is not surprising that
| Ohio bestows her best affections on this
| historic field, when two OF her llustrious
| sons were in the thckest of the fight, and
| afterward graced the White House-Hayes
| and Mckinley.
| .'Antietam is the twin of Borodino-one of
| the most deadly fought battles of Napoleon
| when he at the zenith of his military
| glory. If the Russian commander waited on
| the banks of the Mosl.wa for Napoleon,
| Lee retired from South mountain across the
| Antietam to welcome Mcclellan the other
shore The Russian commander fought
| strictly defensive battle, so did Lee on this
| historic field, except on his left center and
| extreme left. where he hurled line of
| battle after another on the bunker Church.
If Ney. Prince Eugene and Davout beat
| back the Russian left and center Burnside
! crossed the Antietam and turned Long
| streets right flank If Napoleon hesitated
| to put in the Old Guard the advice of
| its cavalry commander, Mcclellan yielded
| to the advice of Fitz John Porter, and the
| 9Th Corps, like Napoleon's Old Guard, was
| not rushed in to pierce Lees center after
| Burnside had turned the right of Lees
| army
| IF we had failed here, then the dial hand
| of time would have been turned back to the
| dark ages, civilization would have received
| a shock, and the republican form of gov
| eminent established by Gen. Washington
and the patriots of the continental army
| would have been in vain. But now the
| bright sunlight of freedom is reflected from
| Bunker Hill to Appomattox, and today our
free institutions are the hope and guiding
star of the world.
Formation of Procession.