The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-25

E
| A survey of the standing armies of
the world show that England is obliged
to maintain one soldier for every 225
subjects: Italy, one for every 100; Ger
many, one for every 107: Austria. one
for every 125; France, our sister re-
public. one for every 70; while the
United States. with all her recently ac-
quired territory and increased army,
has but one soldier for every 1000 of
her citizens.
An amba ssador to the king of Sparta
once said to him, Sir, have Travelled
through your principal towns and even
your own capital city and have seen
no walls of defense. Pray tell me
where is your security against in
vasion % The king replied, Come with
me tomorrow" At the appointed time
the ambassador was taken out of the
city where on the plain, drawn up in
| military splendor, were the loyal SOL
| diers of the kingdom. The king with
great pride, pointing them out, remark
ed, There, sir, is the wall of Sparta
ten thousand soldiers, and every one Of
them a brick" If on this memorial
day, were asked to point out the walls
of America, 1 would, with pride point
out the Stars and Stripes, and refer
from that flag to our ninety millions
/ of men, women and children, and say,
There is our wall of protection and
defense, and every one of them a
brick
| 1t was this spirit of patriotism which
inspired these old soldiers together
with their fellow comrades to respond
to the call of the President for volun-
teers to put down the rebellion of 81
We are to consider this hour some of
their heroic deeds together with the
growing results of their loyal service,
But first let me say, that with all our
bravery and patriotism, Americans are
not infallible, as demonstrated in the
cause leading to the Civil War The
men of the South and of the North
differed in their definition of civil and
social liberty. This, together with
their conviction and spirit of independ-
ence, born of their fathers, caused the
clash, and it came to pass that brother
went to war with brother, not because
they hated each other, but rather be-
cause each thought himself in the
right.
1t would be superf1uous for me to
take your time in recounting in detail |
the awful history of that war. Suf- |
ficient to say, that each side fought |
with a consciousness of right and with |
a heroism scarcely paralleled in the |
history of the world. One million eight |
hundred thousand of our Mortimer
entered the field. There were 2,265
skirmishes, 300 engagements. During
the four years over 100000 men died in
battle 200, 900 in hospitals 1900 in
prisons and $4,000 were wounded and
MANNED, before the awful carnage
ceased.
The Civil War marked critical epoch
in the building of this American monu-
ment. Although we differed in opinion
then we are united now, in the convic-
ton that if the South had won it meant
a further division of the Union and
weakening of the American
government in its military and COM
mercial competition with the nations
of the world. 1t meant the destruc-
ton of our free school system then in
it's infancy. 1t meant the restricted
franchise of 3,00000 of our people. 1t |,
meant that any state having an
imaginary grievance against the fed
eral government had the right to. sever
its relation and set up a government
of its own; which altogether meant the
of the Union, the extern
sion of slavery, The illiteracy of the
American people, and finally the SOW
ereignty of some other power.
Not only was the war as a whole q
critical event in the history of our
but many incidents in connec- {
ton were turning points of the awful
struggle which practically determined |
the result. The timely appearance of {
the Monitor and the bravery of Lieut..
and his faithful men in with /
standing and defeating the Merrimac ]
at Fortress Monroe may be regarded s
as providentiaI. But for it the Merri- {
mac might have proceeded up the Poto- /
mac to Washington, destroying our al s
ready weakened navy, and having s
gained an entrance into and possessed /
the capital city, other nations would 6
nave recognized the independence of Y
he Confederate States. Those few men /
hat stood on Cemetery Ridge at Get G
-ysburg. and faithfully repulsed the Y
charge of Lees men, so effectually dis {
organized the latter's forces that no
'urther attempt was made to invade I
he Northland. That stand at Cold I
Arbor. before Richmond, where 10000
If Grants men fell in 20 minutes. was s
essential to the ultimate success of the c
army of the North. None the less was /
sherman's march to the sea, in which T
lie lost 600 men for every mile tr&+ eled, l
while laying waste the most fertile land a
If the South and thus diminishing the V
supplies of the Confederate Army. If h
lime would permit, 1 might recount 0
he battles of Shiloh, Vicksburg, An a
ietam, Wilderness, Lookout Mountain y
md scores of others where immediate f
lction of brave men was necessary to o
he preservation of the flag. f
But while the men were doing their Y
luty in the field the women were none #
he less active at home. Little is SAID n
n history concerning the wives, sis
ers and daughters of veterans who not T
My by their own toll supported them o
elves and loved ones at home, but did Y
What they could to encourage with n
ood clothing, letters and prayers. the F
nen in actual warfare. They surely E
contributed largely to the building Of c
his great monument. b
Let US read from this monument a
ONE of the results coming from the u
oyalty of our men and women of a
81 Sc IT hlottnd ont the diSora caf1lI =