Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1911-06-09

by your State. "A larger quota than
came from any State in the Union with
the single exception of New York. 4
thousand Pennsylvania
soldiers gave their lives for the Union
cause. 1t is fitting, therefore, that
you should commemorate this day with
a kind of solemn pride at having laid
so costly sacrifice on the altar of the !
Nation.
"Ths is the fiftieth anniversary of
the breaking out of the Civil War.
Fifty years is a short time in the his
tory of Nation, but it is long time in |
the life of man. A new generation
has been born, grown to maturity, and |
passed middle age since the "Star of |
the West" was fired on in Charles |
town Harbor. We of today stand in
point of time in the same relation
towards the Civil War that you in 1861
stood toward the War of 1872. won
der if we really comprehend the changes
that have taken place in those so years
I mean not merely the material
changes wrought by the development of
steam and electricity, but the moral
changes in the life and spirit of our
people.
The war, as Lincoln was fond of
saying, was war of the plain people.
1t was fought to decide a question ev-
erybody could understand and the
principal credit for its great results
belongs to the private soldier who car
ried musket, Just as many of you
did in the 153rd Pennsylvania. Enough
has been said of the military leaders.
They have had their due need of
praise. And ! intend to pass them
over in silence today and to say what |
have left to say to and of the common
soldiers.
"And the first thing I want to say
about him is that he was young
mana very young man. The old
phrase about the Boys in blue" is the
literal truth. Do you know that there
were more than 800, DOC Union SOL
diers who at the time of their enlist
ment were boys 16 years old? There
were million under Is and over g.
coo, 600, of 75% of the total enlistments,
who, when they took up arms, were not
old enough to vote Is there not then
something beautiful in the picture of
these boys in the very morning of life,
laying it down that the nation might
live? VIII it not be an inspiration to
the young man Of future times to know
that the greatest crisis in our history
was met by youths just passing into
mans estate. They could die bravely
as their elders.
another thing wish to emphasize
is the intelligence and character dis
played by our private soldiers, ''Elo
quence" says Emerson els speech in
which there is a man behind every
word Successful war, says history,
is war in which there is a man behind
l. lr h,,
terly in strategy, but victory depends
God" said he ''is on the side of the
strongest battalions." Cromwell knew
it, and choose his Ironsides from sober
Puritan stock, the purest blood in all
England And how rich were our vol
unteer armies in these personal
quaitiesl All the trades and callings
were represented in their ranks. If
you would bridge a stream, repair a
locomotive, run railroad, cut column
or provision an army, somewhere in the
ranks was a man fit to do your task.
SO expert did Gen. Sherman 5 army be-
come that the Confederates used to say
that Sherman carried a supply of rail
road bridges and tunnels in his bag
gage. There was never an army since
the world began so quick in intelligence,
so practical in knowledge, SO fertile in
resources, as that army which you gen
tlemen are among the honored sur
viVors.
The soldier of our northern army
was an intelligent God fearing Ameri-
can, who went to battle because he
understood the momentous issue to be
decided. He carried bayonet that
thought and his gun loaded with a
principle brought down not a man but
a system.
1--WE may learn from him the supreme
courage that enables a man to rise to a
great emergency. Only men fit to rank
with the heroes of all time could have
repealed the assault of Lees gallant
army that crumbled away at the stone
wall at Cemetery Ridge on that July
day As years ago. We may also learn
/ from him, what is even more important,
/ loyalty and steadfastness in every day
duties.
Veterans God has graciously pro-
longed your lives in order that you
might witness the world wide results of
the conflict in which you spent your
early strength. You have lived to see
the sectional hatred the passion, the
| bitterness of half a century ago utterly
DdIll5ltt anu lOlSOIltils va nave
lived to see the pictures of Lincoln and
Davis and Lee hung side by side in the
capital of Davis own State of Missis-
ippi. You have lived to see the nation,
which you helped to save, grown
to hundred millions of people, radiat-
ing its influence to other races and con-
tinents, and rapidly advancing to des-
tinv that lies beyond our mortal vision
With what joy must you recall that you
helped to make possible this great re-
suit! With what satisfaction must you
carry to the end of your lives the con-
seriousness that your performance of
your plain duty is the rock on which
the welfare and unity of this nation is
built"
Y. M. c. a. Comm ittee Meeting.
The annual county committee meeting