Norwich bulletin., 1909-06-01

never settles anything. But fhis is not true of our civil war. In the language or the supreme court of the United States, it settled the fact that this re- public Is an indissoluble union compos- ed of indestructible states" that 1t is not confedracy but a nation-NatIon spelled with a big N
 Our heroes did not fight in vain. They laid down their lives for coun- try, for progress, for the race. They shed their blood for truth, for princi- pie, for human brotherhood, for equal rights, for the fragrant gT'aces of ele- Vated womanhood and the enriching virtues of honorable manhood. They went down to death with this Battle Hymn of the Republic on their dying lips:
 Tn the beauty of the lilies Christ was
 born across the sea,
 With a glory in His bosom which
 transfgures you and me;
 Az He died to make men holy, let us
 die to make men free,
 For God Is marching on."
 It was then that they helped to finish what Washington's army SO well be- gun. They caught the Flag of Free dom as 1t slipped from the hand of rev olutionary sires, and bore it on and up
 
 What a magnificent event was that when in May, 1S65-the war ended, the victory Won-our triumphant. armies, numbering nearly one hundred and ff- ty thousand men, marched in grand re- view past the president and secretary of war, through the decorated streets of our national capttall What a proud day 1t was for those returning veterans and for the nation they had rescued from impending rufni Across Pennsyl- vania avenue was stretched a great banner, bearing in radiant letters this declaration: "The only Dational debt we can never pay is the debt we owe the victorious Union soldiers" They were our heroes then-fhey are our he- roes Tor all time.
 The heritage they left to their right full heirs was a heritage of broad op- portunitY high privilege and powerful incentive to make life worth living. After they had lived so grandly, so heroically, how could their descendants be content to live little lives of cow ardice and selfish easel They broke down rough barriers to progress, swept away solid cbstructions to many en- deavors, hurled aside formidable hind rances, and opened up a plain path to all men, regardless of creed, race or color, to manhood's inspiring tasks and manhooHs loftiest achievements. By their valor and self sacrifice they made possible all that has been done and all that will be done till the end of time to make our country truly great.
 It was their heroism that has made 1t possible for our population to be more than doubled since the war-for our vast natural resources to be devel- oped and our material wealth to be multiplied many fold-to give us as people unenqualled international infiu ence and to place this republic at the head of earth's most prosperous and most powerful nations. They have be- queathed to their successors the desti- ny of America. It is for us and those who come after us to demonstrate that this high trust shall ever be honored by an unfiinching fidelity to the ideals toward which they directed their lives Never must we permit the national standard they lifted to such lofty sum mits to be lowered. Patriotism must forever be placed above partisanship- manhood above money-self respect and integrity above mere indulgence and enervating pleasure. Loyalty to marriage vows, fafthfulness to every family obligation, purity of character both in public and private life-these must be cherished and treasured as our truest wealth and the most valued part of our blood bought heritage. What ever antagonizes the best interests of society and church, home and individ- ual must be battled against and over thrown if we would keep faith with our heroes and wisely preserve our heritage. The heritage these grand men entrusted to our care and to our enjoyment Is a puissant republic-our splendid union welded together so firmly in the hot furnace of internecine war and so finely tempered with the precious blood of ( perishiug patriots that it can never be broken or torn asunder Let us believe that it is to remain and continue improving until the rights of man are duly respected and wisely guarded hw crazy savs<n-