The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-06-02
out by the men who rallied to the flag
and stayed until the day of victory.
Tore Fetters From Slaves.

4
| Tore Fetters From Slaves.
They broke the letters of the slave
and gave the death blow to slavery in
| all the earth This may not have been
their intention but this they wrought.
The destiny of the nation seemed to
be bound up in slavery. 1t could not
exist half slave and half free.
+, To accomplish union meant to de-
stroy slavery, and while they rallied,
these boys in blue, about the flag,
they rallied at the same time to the
| flag of human freedom and accom-
plished more than they thought. In
| the whirlwind of war the issue was
forced and to destroy slavery became
stern military necessity. The Proc
lamation of Emancipation, Gettys-
burg and Vicksburg are three strains
of one cord which bound the two is
sues together and brought about at
last AppomattoX and victory.
Stability of Republic.
"They revealed to the world the pos
sibilities and stability of our republic
can institutions. The American gov
eminent was set up as the best ex-
preston of the ideas of the seers of
the world of all ages, who had dreamed
and hoped for better things for
men. 1t was framed after the order
of tried experiments in government,
and was launched by men of widely
different opinions and training with a
hope and prayer that it might not
fail as had so many experiments in
the past. The old world was scep-
teal and said, 1T will go to pieces in
the first storm and they watched
that storm with hope.
"They looked upon this new craft
and criticised it's build and equipment
and waited for the catastrophe. The
storm broke. 1t was whirlwind of
slaughter, the greatest the world had
seen up to that hour. The thunder
was the boom of cannon. The light
ming was the continuous flash of gun
fire. The political seas seethed and
boiled and dashed in fury against this
new craft which challenged her dan
gers. The clouds of threat and peril
hung black and low The boat seemed
to be in danger of being rent by
winds, or crushed by waves as she
careened through, in the very teeth
of the blast. The world saw and said
again and again she's lost but she
rfghted after every gust and shaking
the spray from her sides swept on
ward during the night of terror, till
at last morning broke and she an
chored in the harbor of peace.
"The United states today by virtue
of that test stands, the asylum of
the oppressed, the opportunity of the
laborer, and an object lesson on gov
eminent to the world. These things
were wrought in those days and some
how by these men, but it may help
us to ask the question who did this
great thing and wrought this mighty
victory? There were giants in those
days 1t may be these wrought bet
ter than they knew. Let me give you
here a few pictures that may be
recognized"
Here the speaker gave word pic
lures of Sheridan, Logan, Sherman,
Sumner Grant and Lincoln.
'But these did not do the deed. They
led and have gained fame and honor
by the association with the unnamed
heroes who really won the laurels and
wore the crown. 1t was the man
with the musket. He came from every
state. He had been trained in all
kind of schools. His cradle had been
rocked in many different lands. He
had followed, now, the lion of Eng
land, now the thistle of Scotland, now
the harp of Ireland, now the lilies of
France, now the banner of Scan
dinavia. He was a much hyphened
man but he forgot it all, as he would
again if the real crisis should come
He heard one cry, it was that of his
land. He had one ambition and that
was to serve, and to this he Bonded
all his strength and gave all his skill.
Learned Lesson at Bull Run.
HE learned his lesson at Bull Run.
He fought and won at Donaldson He
stormed at Cold Harbor and Mission
Ridge. He starved and waited at
Chattanooga. He turned the tide at
Gettysburg. He marched step by
step through the Wilderness, until
gaunt and SCARED he came to Apo
mattox and there he won his laurels
and under leadership which honored
him he followed in way that hon
ored the leaders.
To-day we face the future, and the
voices of our heroic dead give us in
spiration in the hour of our RESPONSE
bility. This day calls for recruits and
veterans. The same battle is on
though with different setting, and we
must be patriots today as well as to
remember the patriots of yesterday.
What are our perils? Who can say.
Let us have peace, yes by all odds if
it be an honorable peace. If however
it is bought at the price of shame and
cowardice then let us have honorable
war. 1t is Christian to suffer, but it
is not Christian to permit and con-
sent to wrong in order that we may
have peace. The true patriot will
follow that which is right if the heaven
fall
There come to our thought three
lessons from the past, which have a
bearing on the future.
1.-THE battlefield of Bull Run pre-
sents picture of brave men marching
to battle as to feast and defeated
only because they were unframed in
the art of war. On that day they re-
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