Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-06-01

PRAYERS by Rev. j.. W. Steele. The dec.
Grafton OF comrades graves took place
and then the column marched to City
Hall square. by way Of Second street
where it was dismissed.
| The evening exercises were held in
City hall. Fine music was rendered by
Trinity Quartet of Augusta. The Sons
of Veterans and Woman's Relief Corps
attended in body together with the post
The Grafton was delivered by Prof. Hugh
Ross Hatch of Colby College, Waterville
Mr.. Hatch is an eloquent and thoughtful
speaker, holding his audiences attention
to the very last. He spoke. in part as
follows: v t9.s II 4 il H
After a. word of introductionfI senter
upon my theme: The Prophetic Interpre-
tation of Human History as illustrated
by the ADEQUATE Interpretations$0f The
Civil War and Our Heritage. @ /;
I start out with Hugo's Interpretation
of the battle of Waterloo in which he de-
clares that Napoleon could not have won
that battle because the time had arrived
for 'the incorruptible supreme equity" to
take cognizance of Napoleon's throwing
the moral order out of gear. He declares
lIdL WdteiiOO- was IIoL d OdlClc DVl Il
transformation of the universe It is a
statement by the great Frenchman of his
belief in a cosmic ethical purpose which
this Supreme Equity is working out and
to which men and nations must render
their accounts.
Hugo's Interpretation of Waterloo and
the principles involved in our Civil War
have behind them this universal moral
order which is finding expression in va
rious ways in the affairs of men, and
which sooner or later calls all to account
for their life and activities.
So the Civil War was transformation
of the universe, readjusting of the rela-
tions of men and one nation to the moral
order of the world, and thus an express
sion of those principles of brotherhood
and equality that for centuries had been
surely, though somewhat slowly, gaining
headway among men. 4
90. to state the case differently, the
Civil War was the testing of the demo-
cratic ideal of govepHment SO succinctly
expressed by Abraham Lincoln as ''of the
people, by the peoplS and for the peo-
pie" Ens
Then I speak OF the Individuals relation
to this moral ordertinrthe especial aspect
of his Interpretation of the heritages of
the past which have come to him. 1t is
the question of the setting of things. ma
terial splendor, wealth, industry on the
theme of ones life rather than those
ideals of righteousness, civic and indi-
vidual on which this nation was found
ed. Whether the commercial. Waterfalls
tic vision of life shall prevail, or the
spiritual ideal. In the answer to this
question is involved the future welfare of
ton of virile men and noble principles
and institutions. In the answer to this
question also is involved the correction
of great evils Of our day-the grinding
exactions of our industrial conditions
the political graft, the domination of
trusts and the awful waste of human life
by social vice.
If we are to fulfil the measure of our
destiny as a people we must STRAIT with
this central moral purpose of the uni
verse and seek to bring our life into har-
mony Herewith, not simply in the time of
crisis as was true of our people in the
time OF the Civil War, but also today and
every day. We must dedicate our life
to the continuance OF those principles of
brotherhood, equality and liberty for
which the truly great of every age have
always prayed and labored and have
been ready to surrender life itself that
such principles might prevail