The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1911-05-26


safely out OF Boston, pity these crit.
les, For the field OF Gettysburg is a
most touching spectacle. noble. worth
travelling across oceans 10 see. as an
epitome OF the poetic. simple, good.
generous heart OF the American de-
mocracy Every federal regimental
line OF the three days OF July fghting
is marked out by bronze tablets and
the immortal army OF northern Vir-
ginla is placed in eternal position by
the government OF the reunited
states. oh, the wide circled graves
OF the host of indistinguishabe dead
the little nameless tablets for each
perished soldier! one would covet
place there, so heroic IL seemed 20
have poured out life's blood for duty
without leaving even name, save in
the aching hearts OF those who knew
that their beloved must lie among
the unrecognlzed slain OF Gettysburg.
And what is name on any monu
ment or tablet OF that field? All the
inscribed are nearly forgotten. Visit
ors ask about some hero very famous
I'm his time (and mine): who was
hep In effect, the dead there are all
alike, essentially unnamed, becoming
quickly unrecognized, even as the
winds OF night and the memories OF
war. And the wholly unnamed. when
the final roll call be sounded. shall
surely be as familiar AZ any 10 the
Judgment seat nor less applauded by
the shadowy hands OF heaven.
There is art. and even great art nj
Gettysburg. rarely. In certain shafts
and bronze equestrian and standing
statues of the marshals OF tho hosts
that were. But art IL small, insignin.
cant conceited toy, diminished.
citified Idea. at Gettysburg The grand.
natural spectacle and the sense OF
what they did here" reduce 20 sort
OF triviality the memorials which most
! obviously celebrate the heroes arts.
tically. Strangely proper seemed the
homelier stone figures OF horse. and
! gun. and man, devised lovingly by the
! village stone cutter, he strlviuy 80
vainly 10 symbolic the man or tbs
| regiment cherished in memory by tae
humble folk who gave him his com.
mission after putting hard hand down
! into poor pockets TO pay his little fee
! They saw In his queer work all that
was lent TO it's outlines by Their vi
! sions Of past agony and tears. In
! those almost absurd memorials you
shall see the homely, good, awkward.
! poetic, loving American people, II you
! look rightly. II your heart derldes
them. better go away hastily-and
! drown yourself-as one devoid OF un-
derstanding. But first try 10 get right
/ That may be possible by gazing from
/ almost under Father Abrahams hg.
ure, high on the central shaft. toward
! Seminary Ridge. Your mortal eyes
/ shall see the distant. lengthy Blue
| Ridge Hills. Your soul may behold, in
vislbly far. the delectable mountains,
where his spirit ranged for the i'm.
mortal address
/ A days driving about the great
three days battlefield enables one 10
/ understand clearly what happened II
was as II the Almighty, even as Ho-
mer understood him 20 be, had nod.
ming OF the fight, the doom Of it's is
sue. II is as he had said, Two days
shall the south triumph. every hour
Of that time shall the north. beaten,
increase In strength. the valOr OF the
victors Of the first two days shall ir-
resistibly pound their foes into an i'm
pregnabe position, on the third day
I mil t.L e.
great leader Of the south; he shall
then rvrJre Of his soldiers deed
that mortal flesh and blood cannot
perform and great shall bc their
slaughter and their rout' For, stand
ing on Little Round Top, the Federal
left, viewing the ground 10 Culp's
/ Hills. where the blue right lay, II ap-
pears incredible that "A general so
mastery as Lee could have ordered
the third days charge unless he had
come under the doom. lie whom the
gods wish 20 destroy they first make
mad That PickettB. LOnRstreets.
Hnl'B. Armstead's regiments should
have endured "A whole mile Of hell IN.
on their relics came 70 hand-tohand
NEuAlHkf - fiAh'l dtl IN'I FAlDif luluEt
or an unsurpassable instance Of hu-
man courage. You could weep there
over the dream Of the charge and the
carnage Yet IL Is all 30 strangely blest
70 as; r. L. s. gave the very tone OF
the memories:
We Travelled in the print ~ Olden wars.
Yet an the land was green.
And love Wr found. Iaud peace.
Where FIRE and war had been.
They pass am smile. the children of the
sword
SO more the sword they WELD.
And OH how deep the corn
Along the battle field
Dost thou love life? Then do not |
suuander time. for that Is ths stun
life 10 made Of