The Press., 1909-06-02

Why uAu ouk UEOUps uBHb sO W0AAs and triumph so nobly? It was not
 because they were many in number not because they f ot their differ ences; not that they were of supe- rior order of human beings. It was because of the lofty and unconquerable spirit which animated them, the spirit of '61. that they won the laurel then. and wear it to-day and forever. Theirs was 8 double motive, patrio- tism and humanity, to save their country from disunion, and their fellow men from bondage. Actuated by such motives, filled with the spirit out of which those motives were born, they dared do anything but play the coward. They freely risked, and sacrificed everything; pros- perity, happiness, comfort, health, even life itself. that they might pass on to all the future nation free and united. favorable to the developments of the highest powers of mankind.
 What was this spirit of '61? It was spirit as indefinable as love of home. born of love even stronger, a spirit which, animating the heart of the most ordinary man, makes him 8 worthy son of his country-a hero or martyr if occasion demands No service is too great for his country to ask It is that spirit, which, awak- ened by the sight of Old Glory, in the breast of one who is far from home, causes the heart to bound and the eyes to moisten through very love of native land. It is that spirit which, aroused by music or speech. has the power to move vast assemblages to unity and nobility of unselfish emo- tions-emotions among the strongest that animate the human breast.
 And this spirit of '61 is pre-emi- nently spirit of self sacrifice It is the unselfishness of human parents carried to an absolute. perfect, de. gree. Complete self.surrender, the price which all great causes demand, and which all great men pay, the very keynote of all true service, characterized not only those who obeyed their country's call to go forth. but also-shall we say even in larger degree ?-those who obeyed the call to surrender their boys. The record of our soldiers is written large in the annals of history, their sacrifices are acknow ledged and hon. ored by all But what historian shall ever write the story of the sacrifices which fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers. wives and sweethearts, made, made so freely, when they let their best beloved go to the front :? Small wonder that, filled with such 8 spirit, our land was saved from dis union and the stain of slavery forever wiped away
 This was the spirit of '61. It is this spirit, and this only, that has saved and can save nations from di- vision and decay. It is in proportion as this spirit dominates the hearts of men that human welfare and national are ensured and perpetu- ated. And the spirit of '61 is no new spirit, for it is as old as mankind, and as universal as the air we breathe. And yet, it is 8 spirit that never grows old, for it is born anew in the heart of every true man.
 It is, in fact, an indispensable part of manhood. If it be lacking, care not how many years man has lived, manhood has never dawned on him.
 Nor is the spirit called forth and in evidence only in time of war, and by soldiers alone. It is seen in action in every case where men sacrifice person al comfort and welfare for the sake of sustaining and making victorious principles which they believe neces- sary to human progress. Warfare is the most spectacular form of strife, it arouses the attention of the entire nation; but it calls forth no larger no finer patriotism, than are demanded in times of peace, in the endless conflict between the friends and the enemies of mankind.
 The spirit of '61, then, did not have it's bilth with the outbreak of the civil war. nor did it cease to be active when that war was over. It is a living spirit in the life of to-day, and needed to-day even more than it was needed fifty years ago. For the foes of our country to-day are more menacing than were those which threatened accomplished disunion and a perpetuated slavery. l believe it is possi ble for us to conceive of two nations, the Federal States of Ameri- ca, and the Confederate States of America, living side by side. in with freedom in one, and slavery in the other, till abolished, as it would certainly be, by the growth of enlightened conscience and sympathy. It is possible that this might have happened and that the rupture caused by disunion might have healed as effectually and per manently as the great disunion be- tween this country and England healed in far less than 8 century. But it is not possible to conceive of pros perity and happiness continuing long unless the foes that now confront us, and threaten to disrupt us from with- in, and to carry us in the way of ancient civilizations, more prosperous and powerful in their day than we in ours. the way to shame and death, and even oblivion-it is not possible, l say. for us as a nation to live we'll or endure long, unless these foes are overcome. For their defeat is needed