The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-05-31
What But Love Of the Country
Makes II Glorious to
Die
23 THOUSAND UNION HEROES
And SO There Died Upon the Field Of
Battle $4,000 Patriots Who Offered
up Their Lives, Willing Sacrifice
to Free Their Country.

| GETTYSBURG, May 80 = United
States Senator Knox was the orator
OF today's Memorial Day exercises in
the National cemetery at Cemetery
Ridge. Knox spoke from the famous
rostrom on the spot where President
Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg ad-
dress in 1868.
In the last days of June, 1868, the
Confederate forces, raiding on the
North and East and advancing from
the West, were recalled and concen-
trated towards this spot under the
pressure of the Union forces coming
up from the South. On the afternoon
of June 30th, the weary and dusty
troopers of Buford's vanguard rode
through the village and threw out
their picket lines in readiness t.
touch the advance from the west Of
the Army Of Northern Virginia.
On the morning Of July lst, at nine
o'clock, an officer of another staff
came Gathering up to Buford and was
sharply questioned and ordered to re-
turn Immediately to his command.
Just as he protested-"Why, what's
the matter, General?'-the far-off
sound of single cannon shot was
heard, Buford's signal to his skirm-
ishers TO open on the enemy, and Bu-
ford said, That's the matter" The
battle of Gettysburg had begun. At
the close of that pitiless and terrible
July day, the Union forces. repulsed
but not beaten, fell back to Cemetery
Ridge, and the brave antagonists wait
ed for the morrow and fought, and
again waited for the morrow and
fought with the result that all the
world knows.
Let us leave the battle now, leave
the recital of its details of valor to
the tongues of those whose proud
memories of their past achievements
qualify and entitle for Gettysburg;
discover, if nossib1e, its fundamental
cause; find what indeed was the mat
ter; why it was necessary that Gettys-
burg should be: what law had the
American people broken that they
should receive this baptism of frater-
nal blood and how such crises in Ma
tional life are to be averted.
We know that the laws of the
material universe, if observed, so gov
ern and control matter that it con-
tinues to develop until it results in
perfection of form and strength, but
If those laws are disturbed destruc-
ton follows:
We also know that in the spiritual
world the laws promulgated BY the
Creator, which are to govern men in
this world, if observed by man, either
consciously or unconsciouslv make
him to grow in spirit and in righteous
ness.
So it is with the nations of the earth
They are subject to ethical laws, the
observance of which means life for
the nation, and the rejection of which
means death.
Nations have passed through such
crises and have survived or persisted,
lust as moral laws have prevailed or
been overthrown
Man proposes but God disposes,"
and His dispositions are controlled by
His own imntutable and inexorable
avs and inscrutable purposes.
Speaking of Napoleon and Water
90, Victor Hugo says:
was it possible that Napoleon
should win this battle? We answer
10! Whv? Because of Wellington9
Because of Bucher? No; Because Of
God.
For Bonaparte to be conqueror at
Waterloo was not in the law OF the
fTnv&;s,rnd -. -. ~