The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1906-05-31

Wnlcn principles were rlgnC. PATRIOT
ism is one of the highest of motives.
The soldier loves his country we'll
enough to die for it, and his deeds fill
the annals of herolsm. But there is
something that goes even beyond
patriotism, viz. humanity.
The boys in blue believed in two
things, which made them heroes-in
country and in the rights of humanity,
irrespective of color or condition.
These motives were present, more or
less strongly, and in combination, in
the heart of every sincere northern
soldier. They were fighting for the
two hottest principles which the hui
man mind can entertain. They be-
lieved with sincere conviction that
this union should be preserved in
violable, and that every human being
dwelling under the stars and stripes,
should be free.
The ostensible cause of the Civil
war was difference in political prin-
ciple. State or nation-to whom was
due the citizens supremest loyalty?
This question, mooted for 80 years,
was by force of arms forever settled
by the Civil war. 1t was a tremendous
price to pay for national unity, but
with the grand possibilities of world
wide influence lying before us, who
will venture to say that this unity
was not God-appointed destiny for
this nation? The union had to be
preserved at all hazards. Not one
star less should adorn the blue of the
flag. 1t was so decreed by Heaven,
and the soldier boys of the Civil war
believed that with an earnestness of
devotion which made them ready to
sacrifice their lives on the battlefield.
The union preserved was the object of
their faith.
But always behind this motive there
doomed another, perhaps not SO clearly
defined, yet lending to the cause of
war, moral significance, which would
otherwise have been wanting. The
union preserved meant the extinction
of slavery. For 80 years we had been
protesting lie, when we declared that
all men are born free and equal. Now
under God that lie should be blotted
out and atoned. The North believed
that only free men should tread this
soil, sanctified by the blood of the
Revolutionary fathers.
Perhaps the boys in blue did not
know just how this end would be
reached, but deep in his heart there
rested the conviction that when the
war was over and the union saved,
there would be no more slaves within
our borders. Such faith lent
moral earnestness to the Northern
army, which no reverses could over
come and no combination of circum-
stances could long withstand. Every
loyal soldier wanted to strike the
crouching form of slavery body blow.
He felt as the young Lincoln did
years before, when he brought cargo
of produce down the Mississippi to
New Orleans, where he witnessed a
slave auction. The trade in human
lives was exhibited in all its awful
iniquity that day. Husbands were
torn from wives and mothers from
children. The rail-splitter and the
future writer of the Proclamation of
Emancipation was greatly aroused,
and he declared: 81 call the Eternal
God to witness that if ever 1 get
chance to hit that thing 1 will hit it
hard" He kept his vow. And so felt
every ''Boy in Blue" He was fight
ing to preserve the Union, but at the
same time his blows should fall on
this foul thing which smirched fhe
nations fame.
When the war was ended and the
boys marched in the grand review at
Washington, the objects of their faith
had been achieved; the union flag
waved over them with all the stars un-
dimmed, while slavery was in this
land forever dead. Theirs was not a
dead faith for they had shown it by
their works. And their works do
follow them. When, therefore, you
ask what saved the Union, know this:
It was by faith in God; faith in human
rights; in human liberty; in the ever
widening influence of national destiny.
May we then not indeed commend
to all future generations the faith of
the boys of 81 and '65, who believed
SO strongly in country and right as
to be willing to die for them? 81
Thus we have spoken OF the old
soldiers faith as attested by their
works. Now what of the inspiration
of their heroic example? We are
commended to follow their faith. The
function of Memorial day is always
two-fold. If it has flowers and ora
tions for the dead, it has also exhorta-
tons for the living. The dearest
tribute we can ever pay our heroes is
paid when we reproduce and perpetuate
II fosk e.