The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1907-05-31
SOLEMN MEMORIAL SER
VICES.
tcontinues mum page oneo


. lives OF our wives our fathers. son
or daughters? To such a question woul
come the answer In general acclaim
mol But the answer Is that the cere
! mony is not for the individual homo
/ Of the soldier, but for something high
err and better for humanity, and onll
tbecause Of this can the ceremony b'
; Justified II could not be justified be
cause we are in favor OF the soldie
at war. II Is not, never has been. tbs
policy OF the great American Republic
to favor war. but peace.
THE honoring of the graves of the
dead is an ancient custom. budding In
the earliest civilization and in the
4 worship of the one living God. Wha'
did II all mean? 1t originated probably
with the innate idea OF the immortality
OF the soul and the resurrection of the
body. 1t passed on through the Prince
OF Peace, the same Ideas of consecra-
ton of the graveyard and of the dead.
Throughout the world the same ideas
run All religions agree on that one
thing--Buddhism Shintoism, Moham-
medism, even paganism, all unite with
| Christianity in looking after the rest
ing places of the dead with reference
to Immortality c, the soul and the res
direction of the body
But all this furnishes 70 reason for
the individual honoring of the grave of
dead soldier Let the truth be told
| The great Republic. founded by George
Washington ard his compeers at the
close of the Revolutionary War, was
based on individual sovereignty and the
! liberty of mankind. This passed on
into the orgaric act, based upon the
| Declaration OF Independence, and con-
| tinued until 1861. But there was rec
ognized in the constitution of Washing
ton and his great associates the idea
that one man of one race might en-
slave anotner man of another race.
Slavery existed in the United States.
1t we" wrong. wrong in principle ana
wrong in the sis Mt of God, and, like all
other wrongs, " . aggI essive and pro-
gressive.
'In 1861 the issue consummated. 1t is
a singular thing that in the history OF
the earth the only attempt ever made
in a civilized or barbai ic state to- es-
tablish a rev nation based on the en-
sla vement of man was made in 1861 in
first est as to whether slavery could
be made perpetual was then tried not
in the courts nor in the counsels or
in parliament, but on the fie d of bat
tie. the issue was sharp and long.
About a half million men on either
side fell in battle or died from causes
incidental thereto. 10
Some of those who now live within
sound of my voice have witnessed more
bloodshed in single day OF. twelve
hours during that struggle of the Civil
War than George Washington and all
his generals and the English saw in all
| the battles of the Revolutionary War.
Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, the Wilder
ness, these battles were fought to test
the great question If slavery could exist
in America. There YVES no appeal from
the decision. War can only appeal to
war and that ended 1t. Slavery ceased
in the United States OF America for
ever and forever, and the Stars and
| Stripes We're raised to float over none
| but the free.
That was not the only immediate
result. The Gear of Russia heard the
tramp of the serfs and following the
| Civil War he struck the shackles from
off the limbs of twenty million slaves.
All the Did has reaped the benefits,
has gathered the fruits of victory won
| by these now silent soldiers.
"Other epoch marking events have
happened In 1898 the United States
of America declared war against a
kingdom, for tn, first time in the his
tory of the world one nation making
| ra H.,
of humanitarian ism. War was declar-
ed on Spain for her inhumanity to
her own subjects. Never before had
there been a war from such a cause
and the result was the freeing of some
millions of people.
Now we boast that the constitution
of the United States and the flag of the
Republic has moved half around the
world. This is significant or not, de-
pending upon whether that constitution
Is accompanied by the liberty that
should go with it. Some have at
tempted to define citizenship in the
United States under our form of gov
ernment The definition is a simple
one. Every man is Il sovereign citizen
of the United States under our laws
and constitution who stands for his
own personal individual rights and
thus standing is willing to concede the
same individual rights to his neighbor.
All else is merely commentary. This
means that every man, woman and
child will have an equal chance and
right TO life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness.
I'VE have gathered here to speak of
those who have fallen in that war or
since. 1t is my privilege to have lived
in that time and to know many of the
great leaders In those events. That
great Lincoln, the personifcation OF
all that was best In our citizenship,
standing for no class nor caste and
recognizing the individual rights of
mankind, our first martyr president.
He laid down his life just as the war
closed, but lived long enough to peer
through the vista OF the years and see
the success which was To come 10 all
as result OF that great struggle.
Grant. the quiet. silent leader OF
million men TO battle and success; Sher-
idan, Thomas, Mead and others OF the
great leaders, all have gone Ia Join the
great muster of the Grand Army be-
yond the grave.
Those ~ Ms who have been spared
10 witness the glory which has come
from the fasulfa al fhpga hut tia..,,,t