The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1913-05-28

telligent and unflinching faith in the
final triumph of the right. These cit
| izen soldiers were not mere machines
The ranks were full of scholars and
skilled artisans. They could build any
thing from a saw mill to railroad,
and from a bridge to a steamboat.
If their country, with all it's phases of
topography and climate, had present
ed no barrier too formidable for their
commercial enterprise, neither could
| it offer obstacles sufficient to daunt
their spirit in war. Hungry or fed;
barefoot or shod; mounted or on foot;
hailed as heroes or as "Lincoln's hire
lings," they fought on, marched on, en-
dured all, braved all, and, thanks be
to the God of nations, at last over
came all. Then they laid down their
arms, put off the faded uniform and
resumed the peaceful pursuits of civil
life-a time-long marvel for the his
torian
The "Livins Sacrifice"
But, alas, not all answered present
at the final roll call. Hundreds of
thousands of those brave citizen SOL
diers fell in battle or by lingering
sickness, or in slow starvation gave
up their heroic lives. We saw them
in the morning of the conflict, when
the long roll was sounded; at evening
they were not with US, but on the
broken shaft of a mighty Confederacy
is chiseled the record of their deeds.
No matter, so far as their memory is
involved, Wether or not some of
them seemed to have died in vain, as
did the equally brave men who con-
fronted them in battle. Before our
eyes they stand glorified by sacrifice.
Every man who fought under the flag
had power to lay down his life, or
what was to him the equivalent or
value of his life, for his country. He
had, also, the power to withhold it.
He laid it on the altar of patriotic de-
votion; therefore does his country
love him because he died that others
might live in the enjoyment of free
institutions under beneficent gov
eminent. He gave up his will to army
discipline, his time, his plans, his
home, his ease, his opportunities, his
family life-everything. The sacrifice
was complete. Death made it per-
petual. And in that only consists the
difference between those who died
and you who read these words today,
for you, also, made complete sacri-
flee. All that life meant to you in
those early years was freely sur
rendered. You had power to lay it
down or withhold it. You became
Giving sacrifices" to the cause you
loved. Of truth some of you died
daily. But, mercifully preserved, you
were permitted to take up your world
life again, as our fallen comrades
were not to do. But both you and
they by the same Disqualification
sacrifice-have taken a larg-
err life. Both they and you live and
are to live in the liberty and happi-
ness of free peoples for all time. The
mighty porgress of the redeemer re-
public has given her voice and a
power among the nations far exceed
ing her influence in the former days.
In that increase of beneficent power
they and you live and must live on
while governments endure. That SO
long as time lasts the posterity of
four millions of bondmen will sing
your deeds in perpetual jubilee is but
the first fruit of your conservation.
The Appeal Of Memorial Day.
Dare we follow the streamers of
light as they climb the sky? Surely, |
you, who have faced mountain heights
blazing with the enemy's fire, will not
falter here. We have only touched
the rim of the moon. The sun blazes
beyond If such honor and such en-
of life wait for him who
ays downs his life for his country,
what glory shall be his who to the