USA > Vermont > Windsor County > Reading > History of Reading, Windsor County, Vermont. Vol. II > Part 5
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They were steadfast and courageously true to their cause.
Their action was not like that of mercury in long- tubed thermometers, rising and falling with the weather of expediency, but they found the line where they belong-
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ed, and they fought it out there ; not only if it took all summer, but all winter, and all time until mustered out by the "GENERAL ORDERS" to which we must all sooner or later yield.
There was a vast number of patriotic men who did not enter the army, from a variety of reasons, but yet who were equally patriotic with those 'who wore the blue.'
Farms must have been cultivated, supplies for the army provided, the wheels of government kept in motion. the great lines of transportation kept in active service, matters of trade and commerce attended .to, frontiers guarded, the children reared and educated, and the thousand and one activities and industries of civil and domestic life kept alive, in order that all might work in one harmonious whole. Thank God for the loyal North !
There were heroes in civil life as well as in the army. Abraham Lincoln never was in the ranks, yet he died a martyr.
The largest part of the expense of the Tablets to be unveiled today has been paid by men and women who never were in the army-citizens who were loyal to the flag-sons and daughters of veterans-ALL SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE REPUBLIC.
These men and women had in them the principles of national greatness and prosperity-the principles that have guided the Government in providing generous pen- sions and Soldiers' Homes, and honoring the returned soldiers in civil life.
But of the martyred dead, let it be said in the words of Bryant-
"Ah never shall the land forget
"How gushed the life-blood of her brave,
"Gushed warm with life and valor yet
"Upon the soil they sought to save."
The contests of the battle-field have indeed been won, and the implements of warfare laid aside-yet there is a
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mighty contest going on around us, and the final battles for religious and political liberty are to be fought in CIVIL life.
The soldier dead whom we honor today, maintained the nation's integrity-yet crime, vice, intemperance and ignorance arrayed are against us, and every lover of his country must today and henceforth, be a stalwart defend- er of his country's institutions and honor.
America expects every man to do his duty.
Let us show ourselves equal to the duty imposed up- on us, and faithful to our sacred trust.
The cause is that of constitution and law ; of civiliza- tion and freedom ; of man and of God.
In the words of Everett-
"There is a call, a duty, a work and a place for all, for "man and for woman, for rich and for poor, for old and "for young, for the stout hearted and strong handed, "for all who enjoy and who desire to enjoy, the price- "less blessings at stake. Let the venerable forms of the "Pilgrim fathers, the majestic images of our Revolution- "ary sires and of the sages that gave us this glorious "Union, let the fresh made graves, of the dear ones "who have fallen, let every memory of the past and "every hope of the future, every thought and every "feeling that can nerve the arm, or fire the heart, or "elevate and purify the soul of a patriot, rouse and guide "and cheer and inspire us to do and, if need be, to die "for our country."
Address of Rev. P. M. Bauknight, May 30, 1902. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :-
As has just been said, I have only recently come among you. I do, however, take great pleasure in being able to participate in your exercises of today. I congrat- ulate you because of these services by which you testify to the reverence in which you hold your brave dead. I congratulate you also, because of your noble Library,
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which I among others, can truly appreciate ; but I espec- ially congratulate you upon the spirit of hearty devotion with which you enter into memorial exercises such as these.
My words to you this afternoon, shall be very brief. Others have already spoken many of the words to which I could have wished to give utterance. Perhaps, however, I shall be able to present to you a few addit- ional thoughts.
In the White House at Washington, in the ceiling of the vestibule at the entrance, if I remember, there are placed two portraits. one of Washington, the other of Lincoln. It is right that they should be placed in such a prominent position, and side by side. I wish that every school-boy might read, rather, might be required to read, the greatest utterance of each, words which are of price- less value to our nation, the Farewell Address, and the Address at Gettysburg.
Greater masterpieces of patriotic wisdom and inspira- tion do not exist in any language. · So it is fitting, as we have said, that their portraits should share together the place of honor in the Executive Mansion at our Nation- al Capitol. The one founded our nation ; the other was its preserver. These are our nation's heroes, chief of the men upon whom patriotism shone as an illustrious crown.
As a people, furthermore, we gain much today through the honor we do those men who have played a brave part in our country's history. The men who for- sook their comfort, their gainful occupations, and their homes and loved ones, to brave all things, even death, for that country's sake, are of themselves inestimably wor- thy of our honor and praise. But there is a further con- sideration-the reflex action upon ourselves. For that which a man admires, that he is apt to be. If we so honor and admire these men to whom country meant more than life, that we enter with all our hearts into such cer- emonies as these of today, we may be sure that our own
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characters will be formed into the likeness of those that we honor and admire.
There is an educative value in such exercises as these in which we are engaged this afternoon, and there is not one of us, young or old, who will not be profited by the education and inspiration which we may derive from the contemplation of noble lives, especially such lives as ended in a patriot's death.
There is therefore, profit to the nation in the observ- ance of such a holiday. As long as valor, patriotism, and the death of those who yield their lives in behalf of their native land, awaken responsive chords of admira- tion and reverence in the hearts of our American people, our nation stands firm and sure.
Some people tell us that it would indicate a truer pa- triotism if the expense incurred through patriotic celebra- tions should be directed toward present-day needs. They look at things purely from the point of view of dollars and cents. Beware ! It was Judas who betrayed his Master, who said of the precious ointment, "why was it not sold for so much, and given to the poor ?" Those who cher- ish in their hearts all honor and reverence for the patriot- ism and heroic deeds of their fathers, our country can trust in their turn, to become her true patriots and de- fenders.
What our men admire today, is a pledge of what our nation can expect from them when the hour of need shall come.
Tacitus, the Roman historian, at the close of his story of the life of that noble citizen, Agricola, urges that Agricola's relatives and friends should show their love and esteem by striving to imitate that great man's virtues.
Such a monument, he says in effect, would be better than a statue of marble or of bronze since the characters so formed, would constitute a memorial that would be imperishable.
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It is such a memorial, "monumentum aere perennius" -monument more enduring than brass-that I would have you erect today to those who fell in battle. No more acceptable monument, I take it, could be raised to the memory of those who are so worthy of your devotion.
LINES IN MEMORY OF THE SOLDIERS OF READING. .
(By Homer White.)
Where rugged hemlocks crown the hill
And sugar maples woo the breeze ;
Where bounding comes the mountain rill To sing among the shady trees ; Where rough hills rise from valleys green And streams of purest water flow,
When summer suns light up the scene And summer breezes softly blow ; Where furious storms in winter rave
And bending forests shake with fear ; Where snow lies deep, a frozen wave, And fills the vision far and near, This is Vermont ! the mountain land, And here are bred her mountaineers-
Men born to freedom and command, Not born to crouch with servile fears.
A hardy race, like granite peaks,
They bear the the sunshine and the storm,
And who for love of country seeks,
Will find it in their bosoms warm.
Unused to cringe before the great, Each man a sovereign is born ;
Each woman fair makes home her state, And wider empire wisely scorns. They breathe the air of liberty With every breath which they inhale, And reinless winds are not more free
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Than those who ne'er in danger quail. They love the land which gave them birth ; They love the nation which their sires Bequeathed to them-in all the earth No other spot fills their desires. The mountain would as soon recoil Before the shaking of a spear, As they retire from freedom's soil So hallowed once by blood and tears.
And when rebellion raised it's hand To smite the hope of all the years, No other men in all the land Rose quicker than our mountaineers To meet and crush the hostile power, By suicidal fury driven,
Which strove to wreck, in evil hour, The fairest state to man e'er given.
Here freedom which, since Adam's fall, Mankind had never really known, Was made the birthright of us all, And dear to every heart had grown. The nation's life, so threatened now, This freedom could alone preserve, And gallant men left shop and plow Beneath their country's flag to serve. They left their homes and dear ones there ; They left their hills, like torrents sweeping, And on the Southern plains so fair They proved the cause of bitter weeping. With others from the loyal North They saved the land to freedom given ;
Effaced the footprints of the slave, And saw each cruel fetter riven. Again the flag of freedom floated Without a single star obscured, Without a single stripe polluted, And freedom for all time secured.
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Home came our soldiers from the fight, Bedecked with laurel leaves of glory, And welcome to our longing sight As welcome to our ears their story. We honor them for dangers passed- For toils and hardships they have borne ; May Time his frost but lightly cast And their gray hairs be proudly worn. And for the brave who ne'er came back -- Who left their bones upon the field -- A deathless fame we give to them Who, for their country, life did yield. On many a distant field they lie -- 'Tis holy ground where'er they be, From broad Potomac to the James, And from Atlanta to the sea. From Vicksburg to the Gulf their blood Has hallowed the unconscious sod,
And in the Wilderness from which Heroic souls went up to God. To them we give the word of praise -- To them we drop a heartfelt tear, While loud we call on future days To hold their mem'ries ever dear. Young Amsden, Bailey, Bowers, Brown, Demary, Davis, Giddings, Grant,
With laurel leaves we fain would crown -- The hearts which danger could not daunt. With these, of equal love and fame, Come Hagar, Willey, Holmes and Cross ; And Pierce and Messenger we name.
.
And with each name feel more our loss.
Gay, Parker, Coburn, Whittemore, Wilkins and Hoadley-call the roll ! Spaulding, Holden-no, no more- They answer not -- gone on each soul. These on the field or in the camp
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Gave up their lives-played gallant parts- And time their memories will stamp Upon the tablet of our hearts.
They were but boys, and some I knew ; With them had played in school-boy days ; And now to them, so brave and true, I bring the tribute of my praise. Long may their names and records shine Upon these tablets graven here. And may these bronzes be the shrine · Of patriot hearts for many a year. Our heroes dead we name with pride, And they our warmest love engage ; The nation lives because they died To win our glorious heritage.
TO READING'S LOYAL SONS.
Poem by Lorenzo A. Dodge, Company I, 2d Regiment, Vermont Volunteers.
May 30th, 1902. Who are these the people honor After so many years, Paying them the lofty tribute Of Reading's love and tears,
Names of those who rose heroic When the Nation's cry of pain Swept across the deeps of Heaven Thrilling all the hearts of men ? When the hands that kept the Nation Proved disloyal to their trust, And the red arm of Rebellion Struck her banner to the dust, These gallant heroes rose majestic, Like the tempest of the night, Heard as God, the Nation calling, Freeman, rise ! defend the right !
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They were men who left the plowshare Rusting on the open field, Left the harvest all ungathered, Swore to die, but not to yield ; Men who brought a love of freedom, Grander than the price of gold, Patriots all, whose grand devotion Never yet was bought or sold.
Fear not, Oh ye men of battle, That your lofty deeds sublime, Shall grow dim to coming ages Or be lost to future time. Live in peace, and when death calleth, Go ye to your graves content,- Long as this grand Nation liveth These tablets shall be your monument.
Never since the flags of freedom To the light of God unfurled, Have a braver band of men done battle, On the heights of the world, Not a man but won his glory On many a battle field, Not a man but his devotion By his toil and blood was sealed ;
Not a man but won his honors In the hell of fire and flame ; Not a man but won by daring Right to an immortal name ; Not a man that asked for payment, For the service he brought ; Not a man who thought of bounty, . When he nobly dared and fought.
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Not a man who waited, laggard,
Till the draft proclaimed "Ye Shall."
But with grand, sublime devotion,
Freely, gladly gave ye all ; Not a man that fled from conflict, When the bugle sounded on ;
Not a man but stood unyeilding Till the bloody field was won.
Comrades present and those gone to glory,
On these tablets is enscribed your honored names, Years may pass, they cannot change the story,
Cannot dim your deeds of fame.
Address by Rev. Mr. Roberts, Pastor of the M. E. Churches, at Brownsville and South Reading.
I congratulate you upon this occasion, that through the wisdom of an overruling Providence, it has been granted you to live in such an age as this, and to have so prominent a part in the stirring events of the last half of the 19th Century-the most important in many respects, since the Dawn of Creation. 1
Of all the ages of the world's history, could I have had my choice, I would have chosen this for my time of coming upon the stage of action.
Could I have been further consulted, I would have made choice of the United States for my home. I also think from what I now know of the history of Vermont, that among all the States of the Union, by birth I would have been a Vermonter.
I, therefore, congratulate you, members of the G. A. R. and citizens, because you have been permitted to live in this- the best age the world ever saw-and that you are citizens of this glorious Republic; and that most of you are Vermonters by birth. Well may you love your country.
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. You may well be proud of the part Vermont has taken in making this nation what it is today. She has been foremost in the great advance movements of this nation. From Colonial times till the present, she has marched in the front column in the van of human progress. .
Vermont has been weighed in the balances, and found not wanting. Her sons have been among the sturdiest of all the sons of this Republic.
From the days of Ethan Allen to the present, the sons of Vermont, reared on these green hills, nurtured among these rugged mountains, have possessed that hard common sense, and that bold, courageous spirit, of which invincible soldiers are made. These characteristics, possessed by rank and file as well as the officers command- ing, made the old Vermont Brigade in the late rebellion, a whirlwind of power, bearing everything before it, and gained the day on many a well fought battle-field. But I address you not only as Vermont soldiers, but also, as citizens of the United States of America. Yours is a nation that has produced such an array of great men, as no other nation on earth has produced within the length of time we have existed as a nation.
Ours has not only been a nation raising great men, but a land of great ideas-a land of vast conceptions ; and it has seemed to me, that the American idea is, that any- thing within the compass of human possibility may be safely undertaken, and successfully accomplished by the American people.
Let us know that we are right ; let us be backed by conscience, and favored by the Almighty, and we will ac- complish anything within reach of human endeavor.
History proves this assertion. Less than three hun- dred years ago, a little band of exiles planted a colony of patriots on a wild New England shore. That colony
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was under the domination of England-the Mother Country.
After a time, England became jealous of the prosper- ity that came to that colony, and so intolerable burdens were put upon it ; and that people said, "we will be free ; we will throw off the yoke of tyranny."
So there came the Declaration of Independence. fol- lowed by the War of the Revolution, and the establish- ment of this Government. It would seem a forlorn hope, and yet with a population of only three million, and only volunteer patriot soldiers. (a few thousand) we gained our independence. And when later, the Rebellion broke out ; when Secession came ; when the old flag was assailed- the first cannon shot upon Fort Sumpter, roused this nation to the startling fact, that an armed rebellion was in our midst ; that treason had thrown her black flag to the breeze, and openly attacked our liberties. Slowly, · there dawned upon the minds of the loyal people of this nation, that the Disunionists had counted the cost, and that they had entered the war to win; to dissolve this Union at all hazards.
When that awakening came ; when we saw what the Rebellion meant; when our patriotism was aroused ; when the loyal conscience asserted itself, there came to the rescue of this nation, two million, seven hundred and seventy two thousand, four hundred and eight soldiers, most of them volunteer, patriot soldiers.
There were more than six hundred battles fought.
Half a million soldiers lost their lives. Slain on battle-fields ; died from wounds received in battle ; lan- guished in hospital and camp; perished in rebel prisons-as brave and honored soldiers as ever laid down their lives for country ; for liberty, and for home. and so the country was saved.
Today we meet here in memory of our honored dead.
Personally, we bring some memento and lay it upon the grave where lies the remains of one and another. in
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whom the individual feels a deep, tender, and unspoken interest. It may be that a father, mother, brother, sister. a son, daughter, or a companion comes with a wreath of flowers, tenderly placing it above the precious dust, 'mid tears and a swelling heart; turning away with the feel ing, "that he was everything to me, but I gave him to my country." There will come today to you who served in the Army of the Republic, many tender memories of your comrades.
With you they enlisted ; they were your brothers in camp ; on battle-field and in prison. You went in, not knowing who would survive. They fell, but you lived to see the war ended, and were honorably discharged ; and you still live to enjoy what was secured to the nation, and to the individual, by their and your loyal service.
There is no class of men that I honor more than the members of the G. A. R.
I remember when a boy, I looked with a sort of sacred veneration upon the soldiers of the Revolution, for there were a few Revolutionary pensioners that were pointed out to me from time to time. I looked upon them with a sort of awe I cannot describe.
And a feeling of loneliness comes over me sometimes, when I remember that the soldiers of the Revolution have all passed away. .
But there is a class of men in our midst today, that we ought to venerate, and teach our children to hold in highest esteem ; remembering them for what they have done-the survivors of the great Union Army, who saved this nation. We rejoice today, that our soldiers were loyal; and also, that behind the loyal Union Army, stood a loyal people, furnishing the sinews of war-send- ing on supplies of every kind. Thank God today, for the moral power and the inspiration given our army during the dark days of the Rebellion, by the loyalty and de- votion of the people in their homes.
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We have entered upon and are sharing together in one common inheritance. This country in all its past history is ours.
Whatever has been great and good in the past, belongs to us now. The names and heroic deeds of this nation's great men, are a part of our precious heritage.
Washington, styled the Father of his Country, and Lincoln, the Savior of this Country-their names are household words. And so with Grant, Sherman, Sheri- dan, Burnside, Porter, and all our officers on land and on sea, together with all our great army and its wonderful achievements ; together with all our subsequent develop- ments ; it is all ours.
When we think of all this, and what may be in the future for us, and for our children, there comes to us a new feeling of responsibility.
When we have performed the tender and delicate duties we owe to our fallen heroes, we have not discharged all the duties that devolve upon us. These men were loyal to the government of these United States -- we honor them for it. Are we likewise loyal, not only to the gen- eral government, but to the government of our own state ; and also, to that higher government that is over and above all, the Divine ?
We believe in government ; we believe in wholesome laws; we believe in the execution of laws ; we believe in that kind of law, which is founded upon the Divine law, promulgated from Sinai. That law punishes the trans- gressor, and rewards and exalts the good and obedient.
We are here today, with the conviction that it was the principle of righteousness that enabled us to stand when the storm came.
This nation from the first, has had a religious shap- ing. Religion was the corner stone of this republic.
Nearly every colony that came to America, was im- pelled by desire to find a place where God could be wor- shipped according to the dictates of conscience, without
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molestation or fear.
The mighty motive of conscience, moved men in the early days. All along, the Christian forces have pre- dominated .. It must be so in the future. This solemn memorial service would not, and could not be holden in any other than a Christian country.
And who can tell how far the religious factor has gone in shaping the destiny of this nation; farther than we think or know, some power has been shaping our destiny. No other people have been exalted to such a degree, in all those traits of character that exalt a nation. We stand before the world today exalted above them all.
God, our Father's God, author of our liberty, has exalted us ; He has turned the gaze of the nations upon us. The world is looking to us for civilization ; for law ; for gospel.
The world is studying our Government, our institu - tions, and our resources, as never before.
Let us not forget that we have the very best country in the whole world-the best every way.
For extent of territory, variety of climate, and rich- ness of soil, it has no equal on the face of the whole earth.
We have a greater extent of territory than that inclu- ded in Cæsar's dominions, when Rome was mistress of the world. "The longest line drawn within the old Roman Empire, would not reach from Boston to San Francisco; the Roman Eagles, when their pinions were strongest, never flew so far as from Plymouth Rock, to the Golden Gate."
The American Union has a territory fitted to be the basis of the largest continuous empire ever established by man. This vast stretch of land so rich in mines of silver and gold ; with its immense coal beds-enough to supply the world with fuel for thousands of years -- with its extensive oil wells, that today supply the world with its means of artificial light.
God has packed away in his immense storehouses
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this immense wealth and held it in reserve for this nation.
More than this, he has rolled out the vast prairies ; the great grainfields of this land, sending great rivers from mountain to sea, so that the surplus product of the soil may find cheap water transportation to the markets of the world.
Then he has given us the disposition and the power ; the push and grip, and enterprise that enables us to de- velop these vast resources of a nation's wealth.
The fact that we are freemen, has to do immensely in the development of our nation. Ours is the land of equal rights-all are peers-the rights of all citizens are sacred.
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