the Heroic Virtues 217 



made good the promise of the other. In our history 

 there have been other victorious struggles for right, 

 on the field of battle and in civic strife. To have 

 failed in these other struggles would have meant bit 

 ter shame and grievous loss. But you fought in the 

 one struggle where failure meant death and destruc 

 tion to our people; meant that our whole past his 

 tory would be crossed out of the records of success 

 ful endeavor with the red and black lines of failure ; 

 meant that not one man in all this wide country- 

 would now be holding his head upright as a free 

 citizen of a mighty 'and glorious Republic. 



All this you did, and therefore you are entitled 

 to the homage of all men who have not forgotten in 

 their blindness either the awful nature of the crisis, 

 or the worth of priceless service rendered in the hour 

 of direst need. 



You met a great need, that vanished because of 

 your success. You have left us many memories, to 

 be prized for evermore. You have taught us many 

 lessons, and none more important than the lesson of 

 brotherhood. The realization of the underlying 

 brotherhood of our people, the feeling that there 

 should be among them an essential unity of purpose 

 and sympathy, must be kept close at heart if we are 

 to do our work well here in our American life. You 

 have taught us both by what you did on the tented 

 fields, and by what you have done since in civic life, 



VOL. XII.-J 



