Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1910-09-01
JOHN BROWN PARK
| GIVEN TO KANSAS
GREAT DAY FOR osAWAToMIE.
Standing Where Battle Of ,osawatomIe
Was Fought, Ex-Presldent Gives
T.. He Ideas Of Freedom and
=. Good Government.

osawatomie, Kan, Aug. 31.-Thi
was OsAwAtOmie'S great day, 70
which the citizens have been prepaI
Ing for moAths-the cloJing day Of tn
dedication ceremonies at John Brow
bark. Today the park Of ~ acres
on the site Of the battle Of osawato
mie, fought on Aug. 80. 1855, was for
mAlly presented 10 the state. and thu
Aedicatory grafton was delivered b.
Theodore Roosevelt.
Preliminary exercises were helt
yesterday, and the program was re
Sumed at 1880 this morning with
concert by the Thirteenth Regiment
band, followed by drill BY troops o.
the Kansas National guard and the
regular army. Meanwhile Col. Roose
velt's train had arrived and al the
thousands Of people .-s5embled here
went to the station to greet him.
After dinner all gathered in the new
park, where there was a parade by
the soIdiery, the Grand Army
Woman's Relief corps and civic so
cieties and another band concert
Then, after vocal solo by Miss Eliz'
abeth Uhls and an invocation, the
president Of the board Of trustees,
Cora M. Deputy, formally presented
the park to the state ON behalf Of the
Woman's Relief corps Of Kansas,
which bought the ground. Governor
Stubs responded gracefully for the
state, and then the chairman, ]. B.
Remington, introduced the distin
guished orator Of the day, former
President Roosevelt.
Grafton by Colonel Roosevelt.
Col. Roosevelt stood silent and smil,
lng until the storm Of applause had
died down, and then spoke as follows
There have been two great crises in
our countrys hi tory; first when It was
formed, and then again when II was per-
petuated The formative period included
mot merely the Revolutionary war, but
the creation and adoption Of the Consti-
under 1t. Then came sixty years during
which we spread across the continent
years Of vital growth, but Of growth with
out rather than growth within. Then
came the time Of stress and strain which
eliminated In the Civil war, the period
Of terrible struggle upon the issue OF
which depended the justification OF all
that we had done earlier, and which
marked the second great period Of growth
and development within. The name Of
John Brown will be forever associated
with this second period Of the Nations
history; and Kansas was the theater
upon which the first act of the second Of
our great National life dramas was play
Cd. 1t was the result Of the struggle in
fkangRs which determined that our coun.
Try should be in deed & as We'll as in
name devoted to both union and freedom,
that the great experiment Of democratic
government on a National scale should
succeed and not fall. It was a heroic
struggle; and, as Is inevitable with all
such struggles. II. had also dark r.
teffiple -bide. very much was done Of
good, and much also Of evil; and, as was
inevitable In such a period Of revolution,
often the same man did both good and
evil. For our great good fortune as
Nation, we. the people Of the United
States as WHOLE can now afford to for
get the evil, or at least to remember II
without bitterness, and to fix our eyes
with pride on the good that was accom-
plished Even In ordinary times there
are very few Of US who do not see the
problems Of life as through a glass,
darkly; and when the glass is clouded by
the murk Of furious popular passion, the
vision Of the best and the bravest IL
dimmed. Looking back we are all OF us
now able to do justice to the valor and
the diFinterestedness and the love Of the
right rs 10 each Il was given TO see the
right. shown both by the men OF the north
and the men Of the south In that contest
which was finally decided by the attitude
OF the west. We can admire the heroic
valor, the sincerity, the self.devotion
shown alike by the men who wore the
blue and the men who wore the gray;
and our sadness that such men should
have had 10 fight one another IL temp
cred by the glad knowledge that ever
hereafter their descendants shall be found
nghtlng side by side, struggling In peace
~ well a. in war for the upllft Of Their
common country all alike resolute to
raise to the highest pitch Of honor and
usefulness the Nation 10 which they all
belong. Al for the veterans Of the Grand
Army Of the Republic they deserve honor
and recognition such a. Is raid to NJ
other citlHens Of the Republic: for to
them the Republic owes its ALL for to
them II owes It's very existence.
y Application Of the Lesson.
I DO not speak Of this struggle ~ the
past merely from the historic standpoint.
Our interest IL primarily In the apolea-
ton today Of the lessons taught by the
contest Of half q century ago. II Il OF
llttls use for Ne to pay Up loyalty to the
mighty men Of the past unless We sin
oarsiy endeavor to apply to the problems
~ the present precisely the qualities
which IN other crises enabled the men Of
that day to meet those crises Il Il half
and half amusing to see the
WAy IN which Weli-meaning people rather
q % hcnor to the men who. IN company
With John Brown. and under the lead 81
Abraham lincoln. faced and solved the |
1foat problems of the nlnetesnth cen
iuFT. uhllo q the sane tine thee sane J
loo1 people nervously shrink from Or
lrantically denouncs these who are try
lng. 10 meet the problems Of ths twsntissh
h The apirit which Was accountahls for
Ne successful solution Of the problems Of
uneola,s tina
OF that generation Of men. 70 whom We
~ % much. the man to whom W eve
ne most n, Of esursa Llneoin. Part Of
sur dabt 70 him % because he forecast
.ur present struErie and Jaw the way cut
BE aaid;
Il hold that willis man exists Il e
bis duty q improve not oniy hls own
oontitlcn but 70 assist IN anlalioratinr
nantind" Ard arain Labor q PRIOR
% an1 infsptadent q Capiiai; capital h