American Ideals 19 



wonder of the deed that was done, no less than the 

 actual results of the deed when done. The bells that 

 rang at the passage of the Emancipation Proclama- 

 tion still ring in Whittier's ode; and as men think 

 over the real nature of the triumph then scored for 

 humankind their hearts shall ever throb as they can 

 not over the greatest industrial success or over any 

 victory won at a less cost than ours. 



The captains and the armies who, after long years 

 of dreary campaigning and bloody, stubborn fighting, 

 brought to a close the Civil War have likewise left us 

 even more than a reunited realm. The material ef- 

 fect of what they did is shown in the fact that the 

 same flag flies from the Great Lakes to the Rio 

 Grande, and all the people of the United States are 

 richer because they are one people and not many, 

 because they belong to one great nation and not to 

 a contemptible knot of struggling nationalities. But 

 besides this, besides the material results of the Civil 

 War, we are all, North and South, incalculably richer 

 for its memories. We are the richer for each grim 

 campaign, for each hard-fought battle. We are the 

 richer for valor displayed alike by those who fought 

 so valiantly for the right and by those who, no less 

 valiantly, fought for what they deemed the right. 

 We have in us nobler capacities for what is great 

 and good because of the infinite woe and suffering, 

 and because of the splendid ultimate triumph.- 



In the same way that we are the better for the 

 deeds of our mighty men who have served the na- 

 tion well, so we are the worse for the deeds and the 



