The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-05-31

aud also the trophies OF your battles. You
brought back with You the inheritance
which we now enjoy Aud | want the
younger portion Of this audience 10 look
upon this inheritance 10 look at the cost
by which Il was purchased and then 10
look at you, that they may render YOU
the homage which is your due aud 10 look
at the Tag and remember afresh what Il
symhollxcs.
Look at your inheritance. What a land
the United States OF America, Probably
there Is no spot IN the wide world 10
which 50 many eyes are turned with eager
longing. II seems 10 me sometimes as
II the hearts desire of almost every nation
Is TO reach America. And whyg Because
here is enjoyed the truest freedom; here
is the land above all others where the
young man has the greatest chance. Here
the common people enjoy the highest adj,
vantages. Here the poor boy, ii he has
perseverance and pluck, may push his way
through college and be fitted for the high
est positions, Here labor receives the
highest reward, But this liberty and
these advantages have been purchased for
us at tremendous cost, even at the
price of the blood OF the best of the ma,
tion. And we are assembled here today
to do honor to those who paid the price
with their lives.
DO YOU ask me whyy' said an Italian.
Why did | come TO your country Was
II because your skies were bluer than
Naples, your cathedrals grander your
fp1 .
precious! Oh no. One night sleeping in
my Italian home | saw vision, and in
my dream | beheld Liberty, Gods dear
child come down to the sands at your
seashore. Standing there she stood with
her beautiful face looking eastward to-
ward my land, and stretching out her
white arms she whispered, 'Nenite. We
mite, Come, come my dear children
Obedient to Liberty's command, 10, all
these Italians are here" Eloqucnce can
never die so long as these people cher
ish such unbounded enthusiasm towards
the republic that already they call il My
Country. And veterans, il was your ser.
vices that made that vision possible and
your memories can never die. So long
as the Atlantic's waves roll in upon our
eastern shores and the Paciics break upon
our western sands, so long will the men,
cries of the boys in blue be perpetuated.
Veterans, You have by your uncomplain-
ing endurances, by your courage on the
tented field, by the sacrifices You made
in the sixties, immortallzed yourselves.
Willis says, Prior to the attack on Fort
Sumter, the English or German news
papers scarcely ever had line about
American affairs. The old world scofied
at our ideas of liberty. Despotic peoples
Ia, all
of the earth compete for our favor. All
nations initiate US. Students from other
capitals come to our shores to study
our institutions. All the world is going
to school to the republic to learn liberty.
But it was our great war that first
caught and held the attention OF mon
arches for four years. In letters OF tire
God wrote the lessons OF the republic so
large that people across the sea could
read our message of liberty"
Matthew Arnold has said that, Amer
lea holds the future of the world Mr.,
Gladstone believed that the Mississippi
valley is to hold the great manufacturing
cities Of futuritv and that by the end OF
the century the republic will number SIX
hundred millions.
When / think of our position and iniu..
ence among the nations when ! think OF
our land as the home for natures scat
tered brotherhood; when | think OF the
part America is yet to play IN the
worlds redemption, and that all this would
have been overthrow but for your, hdel-
itv, | feel that | would rather be able to
sing truthfully, That ! marched down
with Sherman from Atlanta to the Sea
than to be the owner OF all Rockefeller
millions. Veterans, while we acknowledge
our Indebtedness to your saerlnce ana
courage in our country's time OF need,
vet I want YOU to see that God played
an important part in the civil war. |
tbinli + will help us to see the part God
took in the war by recalling the past
little. You know only too well that at
the outset of the war victory did not turn
on YOUR side. You met at the ilrst WIN
some disastrous defeats. And it was only
after his determination to free the slave
# was only when he thus fell IN with
Gods plan. that the tide of victory was
turned Let us acknowledge Him IN all
our ways. ,,---.. 4,,,.
in the great war of the rebellion why
They used to place Vermont troops III
tbe front ranks that they might bring up
tbe iacging army with their long swinging
stride Mary Livermore says, NO sol
diers performed more valiant service IN
The war of the rebellion than dld Ihe
Groom Mountain boys. Not single nag
id they surrender to the enemy during
the four years of the rebellion, IGeI
nroud of the part Vermont took III me rhe
more recent Spanish-Amencm war ne
one who struck the first decisive DioM!
and who gave the keynote Oh NicIo.i
was Vermont boy. He was ready WIN W 7
the goods when the hour came. N 97S /
saw / refer to Admiral Dewey, " men
tba Oregon made that unuvalled tIlp
sround Cane Horn and arrived IN tllne
70 take her magnificent part in that great
n,ral battle off Santiago she was com
10, bv Vermont boy. Need ! say
i I rafer TO Captain Clark OF Bradford,
l;rao made admiral? These two were
narhaps the most conspicuous lgure5 III
tbat war and came out with flying coIors.
Vermont Yer may be rugged, Vermont ma? =;
w g mall in territory, but she IS grand III
men and will never be fouhu waiting
when our country is IN need =, 10 bo
Ar" And now I feel the spirit world TO fno De
ca near me that | cannot reiTalh LIN IiIlr'
snaai,inp to those we call dead. raiie e,n
cppmrades, look down upon us as We ~
~ Garland with flowers your sacrTu Jus,
o ~ iat vour patriotic nantes ran upon
anu anu sons that our country for when you
o 'Lad ronr ifes blood may never lack loi
1 Iaro1 sons TO fight for her liberty anu
toll for her prosperity
At the close of the exercises tne p. nd
cession formed on Main stree' anu