The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-05-24
/. RY Mary E.. House

LECTION the recurrence of the thirtieth
OF May pours in upon the mind of
those familiar, by contact, legand OF
by the study of historical facts chron-
/ itala2 by impressioned and impartial
copdI 1ers, with the attending circum-
stantyof the great and awful trag-
edy THIS day has been set apart to
ner as possible.
The sacrificial offerings made by
the thousands upon thousands of
brave and true men whose deeds of
valor and heroic devotion to princi-
pie resulted in the preservation to
the American people the most price
less heritage to. mankind-the herit-
age of a free and undivided, undiserv-
ed country, and at the same time lift
ing from the level of the beasts of the
field millions of souls, different from
them, only in color and the circum-
stance of birth, to the high plane of
honor and honorable citizenship,
browning them with the same respon-
slbilities, and making it possible for
them to become peers or the superb
ors of the most exalted parsonage in
the land.
Away back in the years that have
fled and become part of the ire
deemable past, in the days that are
called to mind only to mirror before
the vision of the south the happiest
and most sacred incidents of human
life, may be traced without recourse
to fanciful imaginings, the outlines of
the lowering clouds, which in its
sweep thru the moral and political
armament of the times, gathering
density and eliments of destruction
as it sped on, and then suddenly and
axuf,11 f,,,.
tied nation-Fort Sumpter was fired |
upon-the American flag was insult
ed the life of the republic was in
jeopardy-the gathering storm was
raging in all it's fury-and who was
to stay the ravages of the elements
thus at work? 1t was an appalling
moment; under Almighty God, there
seemed only one hope for the saliva
ton of the nation; that hope rested
with one inexperienced and yet I'M
tried in both civil and military lead
ership; would he be equal to the oc-
casion? Would the startling and
nations fortresses had been seized
and was then in the possession of an
enemy infurated and desperate serve
to unnerve and render him impotent
as a guide and councillor in a trying
emergency? These were some of the
grave questions, unuttered or OK
pressed, that engaged and agitated
the minds of many during those dark
and solemn hours. With heart as
tender as woman's, soul as exalted
as divinity itself, will as firm as the ,
rocks of Gibralter, and purpose as
fixed, earnest and devoted as ever ,
possessed mortal man Abraham Lin
coin addressed himself to the admin ;
of the great trust reposed !
In him. He had implicit faith in the :,
loyalty and devotion of his country :
man-thOse who had exalted him to !
the position of chief ruler-and he at :
once called $4,000 of them to his aid, :
and soon there was the sad spectacle :
of brethren and fellow countryman (,
engaged in solemn and deadly com
bat, it was struggle for life or death :
of the nation; for the perpetuation s
or overthrow of system of vas
salage, the enormaty of which had !;
in the history of the civilized world. :
In spite of the best directed efforts :
If President Lincoln, and the most g
admirable skill in generalship, at the j
'ront, the Union armies often met !,
with discouraging defeat, and the !
ate of the Republic often trembled in y =
he balance. Time and again recruits =
we're called for, to replenish the de- y
,leted ranks of those who had obey = =
ID the early summons in behalf of 8
heir country, leaving behind all that q
vas dear to them, and they, too, took ~
heir lives in their hands, and went p
lto the thickest of battle, many of | =,
hem never to return, and today many -
them fill nameless graves with -
aught to mark their last resting g,
lace save a plain marble slab upon -
hitch is carved the weird and sol ~
mn legend "To the memory of the ~
nknown dead" e.
But the life of the nation was pre- -,
,rved and treason was made odious. "
aptized in the blood of thousands of -
n noblest sons, the American re- ~ ~
1blic stood forth a free country to W. ".
l. an undivided heritage of those =
ho received it from their forefathers
ter a similar struggle with a foe as
cree and determined as that then
Still smiling thru their tears over
is almost unparalleled achievement,
e American people were without
eparation for the terrible blow,
lnged into gulf of most awful dis
ir and grief, and the wounds of
cir already lacerated hearts were
ade to bleed afresh and their tear
tined sheks were again made wet
tn the weeping that seemed to
ow no ceasing Their great chief
IN Abraham Lincoln had been slain,
t in open warfare-by a foe, this
err in all those attributes, which
to make up the true gentleman and
ave warrior, but by the hand of an