The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-06-04

led the armies of liberty felt keenly
the disadvantages they were under in
the struggle on account of the lack
of any undivided controlling power.
Men therefore like Washington who
knew the dangers of disunion, while
their flint was the first of all for liberty
had learned by bitter experience that
liberty could only be maintained by
union. We need not rehearse the diff
culties of bringing the colonies to-
GRAFTON. Some felt they were losing
their liberty in coming into the feder-
al government. In later years great
statesmen like Clay and Webster saw
with fear and amazement mighty
gulf opening to rend assunder the peo-
pie of America. Whatever fervors of
patriotic hope they may have INDUCED
in before the days of Lincoln and
Grant their JOY was always modified
by the lurking sense and the ominous
fear of impending disruption. They did
not know that when the testing time
came and the chasm began to yawn
that four hundred thousand brave men
would plunge into the yawning gulf
and seal forever the union with their
blood. Since the sixty's we are liv-
ing in new nation. The profound
sense of unity we now enjoy was hid
den from our fathers. How Washington
would have rejoiced to see this day.
Not only was this unity confirmed by
the blood of our fathers but is now
accepted as an established and indis-
putable fact forever The states still
have Just pride in their own history
and just regard for their own re-
served rights but nothing mars or OBJ
scures the consciousness Of our nationsl
life. Liberty and union one and in
separable, now and forever When
Webster uttered these words he saw
before him like horror of darkness a
mighty gulf opening. He could only
utter these words in faith and hope
We stand on the other side of that
mighty gulf and know it is closed for
ever
Third. If loyalty is the browning virtue
the sum of all virtue, the heart of all
duty, the fulfllment of all law. how
shall we train and develope loyalty in
our generation. First of all we must
rehearse the glory of the past and
tell the story of our national heroes
over and over again on our memorial
days. Then we are in need of leaders,
men who do not merely say, 81 am
their leader therefore | must follow
them," men who not only keep their
ear to the ground that they may ride
on public sentiment into positions of
honor and emolument but prophetic
leaders who do not merely follow public
sentiment but make public sentiment
We need men of vision who are capa-
BILE of discovering and idealizing the
cause of righteousness and truth in
our own day. When Julia Ward Howe
visited the camps about Washington
IN the early months of the war she
saw what all others saw, watch fires
and circling camps and FURNISHED rows
OF bayonets, she saw men real, common
place men but she saw more and it
fired her heart with prophetic vision.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the
coming of the Lord;
lie is tramping out the vintage where
the grapes of watch are stored.
He hath Tossed the fateful lightning
of his terrible swift sword
His truth is marching on.
| have seen him in the watch fires of
hundred circling camps
They have builued him an altar in tho