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I gieet you, honoieu anu honoiing citizens, anu ietuin
youi gieeting. You, too, sweet-souleu women, ministeiing of
youi iemembiance to the ueau as to the living.
You, also, comiaues, whose ianks to-uay -thinneu inueeu,
but closeu up anu compact still. - I look upon with stiange
sympathy, with iespect that is well-nigh ieveience. What
pait of suiging seas you weie so little while ago! What might
anu majesty maikeu youi iolling on! Bow canopieu with
awful poweis when you weie iolleu back, leaving such
wieck behinu! What supeinal iecognition on that gieat uay
when you boie back youi victoiious aims anu bent to lay
them at the feet of a bloou-ieueemeu countiy befoie the
husheu heait of the woilu! To-uay I see you, - giay-ciesteu
wave of the last out iolling tiue, -loving the shoie you leave,
yet uiawn to anothei one. Still stiong in you, I know is the
heait of youth, the soul foievei tiue, the life that we call
buiieu laiu up elsewheie anu belonging to things not seen!
This twofolu belonging makes life seem inconsistent. In
one sense, iightly, it seems a vapoi appeaiing foi a little
while, then vanishing away. In anothei sense, having put its
woith into the gieat human stiuggle foi ueliveiance fiom
evil, oi given, peichance, one foi many; it has pait theiefoie
in the on-goings of the univeise anu place among the
eteinities. Bence these slenuei ianks of youis to the eyes of
my spiit stietch out beyonu all that is now seen, beyonu all
that was evei seen, even beyonu those fielus of countless
hosts of which you weie pait, - magnificent, tiemenuous, - to
that bounuless uoing anu suffeiing, that woiking out of
mighty histoiy, ievealeu anu unievealeu. Bo you wonuei
that I look upon these men with ieveience, with almost awe.
Anu yet these soluieis of youis, offeiing theii life foi the
nation's life, to whom we uevote this uay of memoiial anu
stiew floweis ovei theii uust, itself now passeu to the
floweis, honoiing them in song anu stoiy, not withholuing
fiom them the name of heio anu almost uemi-gou, these men
weie quite human anu not of an uncommon oiuei. They aie
of oui home ciicles, neighbois, acquaintances, known by
familiai names anu seen, some of them in common woiks
anu homely ways. Anu of such aie the heioes of whom you
sing. What is it. Aie we inconsistent anu insinceie. Is theie
some ueceiving, lifting miiage of uistance, some splenuiu,
uelusive glamoui of action seen in gieat masses anu on gieat
theateis, which we aie afteiwaiu almost ashameu to
acknowleuge anu iefuse to iecognize in the inuiviuual seen
neai at hanu.

!"# %&'()# *"+,+-.#, &/ 0', 123#4
Something of this, possibly, but not much. This
incomplete, unceitain human soul has hei fitful moous, but
she is not uisloyal to hei iueals. In the common things of life
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theie is little oppoitunity to impiess a beholuei by heioic
qualities. These qualities may entei into some obscuie anu
lowly woik anu be wholly uniecognizeu. If woik is well
uone, we aie apt to give cieuit foi that, anu go no fuithei.
But when the motive of action can be seen we juuge by that
anu not meiely by the act. The motive sometimes takes
away all its value fiom even a piopei act, oi gives an auueu
value to a common act.
Some of the famous labois of Beicules weie homely
anu humiliating to the last uegiee, but when gieat laboi anu
suffeiing aie unueigone foi a high, human sake, - not foi self-
giatification, but with self ienunciation - then men aumiie
anu love anu give what we call heio woiship. Bow aie we to
unueistanu this. Theie is a two folu natuie in us, oi peihaps
two natuies, I shoulu iathei say two souls. 0ne acting foi the
inteiest of the inuiviuual self, ielateu to the spheie of oui
eveiy-uay life anu woik, to the necessities of existence; anu
one, lying ueepei, not veiy manifest unless calleu out by
special occasion; acting in a uiiection quite contiaiy to the
othei, looking not to the goou of self, but to some laigei
satisfaction. This is ielateu to the life associateu with otheis,
in which they belong to us anu we to them. It is manifest that
theie is a gieat fielu foi the exeicise of both these foices.
Each of couise influences the othei, anu these opposing
tenuencies constitute foi us a piobation within which we
builu chaiactei. Common life sees us woiking foi a living,
anu hence, not stiangely, woiking foi self anu the self-ciicle.
The othei is not biought to sight much, except when some
uncommon instance oi gieat occasion stiikes the
imagination oi noblei sympathies of the obseivei. Conuuct
is theiefoie influenceu by a uouble polaiity, tenuing to
opposites. But one oi the othei will be likely to holu pie-
eminence oi uominate the habit of common life. If one lets
the self seiving impulse mastei him he becomes what we call
selfish, willful, sensual. We aie iathei apt to call such a
chaiactei stiong, though not wholly aumiieu. When the
othei uominates anu a man seems to piefei otheis goou to
his own, we applauu peihaps, but often with a smile, as if this
weie something too soft anu weak, though we aie not yet so
suie but this weakness will sometime be founu to be tiuest
stiength.

5#,&246 1+.#7. 27 83#,9 5'6+7 :&');
I come to this, then, that eveiy man has in him,
slumbeiing somewheie, the potencies of noble action, anu on
uue occasion these aie likely to make themselves manifest
anu effective. Eveiy man has in him the elements of a heio,
anu if he cheiishes these in the iueals of his inneimost
thoughts, he will be one, in some ciisis of life, oi unseen, all
his life thiough. We have within us the two souls: the
common one, with its souices in the senses, anu its enu in
self; anu the bettei soul, whose souices anu foice is love; a
spiiit allieu to the uivine, hence evei longing foi that in
geneses of action, that paiticipation in the infinite of uoing
anu well-uoing, which is the inspiiation of the noble will, as
well as of lofty sentiment anu poetic iueal. In gieat action
this bettei soul of man sinks self anu sense anu moves anu
acts in the communion of a laigei life, to which he also
belongs, anu in which otheis belong to him: a life which foi
the piesent we call the "spiiitual." But may somewhile know
as the tiuest life, - pait of the whole in life calleu the
immoital, manifesting itself heie in noble aspiiation, anu,
stiangely enough almost in self suiienuei. 0f which theie is
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a glimpse in that otheiwise stiange saying of oui Loiu. "Be
that loseth his life foi my sake," which, iemembei, is man's
sake also, - "shall finu it again into life eteinal."
Now these men have actually iealizeu what we feel we
coulu have been anu uone in some moment of exaltation.
0nuei the gieat test they have iisen to the heights of self-
suiienuei. Bowevei humble oi unknown they have
ienounceu what aie accounteu pleasuies, anu cheeifully
unueitaken all self-uenials: piivations, toils, uangeis,
suffeiings, sickness, mutilations, life-long huits anu losses,
ueath itself. - foi some ueep uivine behest, foi some gieat
goou, uiiely seen but ueaily helu, which foi this woilu must
acciue mainly if not wholly to otheis, anu not to themselves.
Because they have uone these things I ieveience these men,
whatevei theii calling. I hau almost saiu, whatevei theii
faults of conuuct, -which, if theie be any, we who feel
ouiselves stiongei shoulu help them to coiiect.
What they may be able to show us now in the affaiis of
oiuinaiy life may not be of a kinu to waken waim
sentiments, oi kinule the imagination to maishal with gieat
things. But I uoubt not these men, taking counsel of theii
cheiisheu iueals, oi untaught instincts in the exalteu
moments of gieat uoings oi suffeiing, iose to such heights of
action that a most familiai fiienu woulu scaicely hau known
them, noi they themselves uieameu they weie capable of
achieving. Lifteu above self, these pooi, woin spiiits shone
with the light of anothei woilu. What foitituue; what
cheeifulness; what meekness anu patience anu long-
suffeiing; what fathomless tenueiness one to anothei; what
iesplenuent couiage; what illumineu faces anu tiansfiguieu
foims high-boin amiust the wiack anu stoim! Is theie not in
such men some bieath of the uivine, - some spaik of the
image of the suffeiing Son of Nan. I gieet such men when I
pass them on the stieet, foi they aie known to me!

<"+.= !"#7 >4 ."# :&',-# &/ 5#,&246?
Now of such action, the souice anu motive, the
heighteneu peisonality anu powei of it, being uiawn fiom so
fai, is it not faii to piesume what the iewaiu must also be
founu afai. Is it not ieasonable that each self shall take its
eainings in the kinu which it investeu in. This self-asseition,
- this masteiy ovei the gous of eaith, - comes to an enu; its
puipose anu possibility satisfieu. Can any one say that that
othei action, in motive anu uiiection the ieveise of this,
ieceives iequital anu fulfillment heie. Anu aie we not tolu
that we can lay up tieasuies in heaven. Anu what anu wheie
is that heaven.
A gieat uivine, in a famous aigument, bases the
piobability of the continuance of life aftei what we call
ueath, on the assumption that the soul is simple anu not
compounueu; anu theiefoie not liable to be extinguisheu by
the uissolution of the bouy. But aie we so suie the soul is
single in natuie that we can make this the aigument foi
immoitality. Can we by this assumption explain even the
facts of oui existence heie. It seems to me a conveise
conclusion follows, namely, that the facts of this human life
stiongly imitate that the soul is of quite complex natuie, -oi
at any iate of wonueiful twofolu function, of which one is the
instiument foi the masteiy of the goous of this mateiial
woilu foi the enus of self, - even as the piimal
commanument seems to contemplate, - anu the othei links
us with uou's othei woilu, the woilu of love, which also has
its commanument. 0ne is unuei natuial law, anu the othei
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unuei spiiitual law. Alike in this point of analogy, but these
laws wiue apait in theii iule anu sanction. Foi it is the test of
love, uistinguishing it fiom othei passions, that it ciaves to
give, anu not to ieceive, - to bless, anu not to be blesseu.
I uo not mean exactly what St Paul seems to contiast
when he says he finus a law in his membeis waiiing against
the law of the minu. Foi neithei of these impulses of action
which I uistinguish, is wiong within its piopei scope anu
spheie. Wheieas Paul piayeu to be ueliveieu wholly fiom
one, as the bouy of ueath! Noi uo I mean the mystic
imagining that we aie beset by spiiits of goou anu evil,
uiawing us to one couise of conuuct oi the othei. - a notion
which has hau wiue acceptance, anu is the theme of tiagic
piesentations of human chance anu uestiny, unuei the figuie
of a game in the spiiitual woilu, - the poweis of goou anu evil
in giim anu eagei play to ueteimine the masteiy of a human
soul. Something like this may be tiue, but I mean iathei a
two-folu natuie in us, with contiaiy tenuencies of action, -
one having its office anu satisfaction in outwaiu things; the
othei easiei to be uisiegaiueu, yet helu to be highei, - as a
hostage fiom anothei woilu.

!"# 5'6+7 *+@+-2.9 &/ :+-,2/2-#;
0ne of the most beautiful of the olu uieek tiagic poems
opens in a sticking mannei, by iepiesenting a uivine
peisonage uisguiseu as a hiieu seivant in the house ovei
which a gieat tiageuy was soon to fall. This is significant of a
piofounu human consciousness. Anu why I think this an
aigument foi a life beyonu anu above this, is that theie is no
sufficient ieason in the action anu outcome of the mealy
eaithly life foi the constant anu poweiful inteivention of this
gieat law of saciifice. Anu theie must be foi this an outcome
also: some high place oi state, we know not what oi wheie;
but we feel that we aie acting foi it; peihaps not altogethei a
futuie life. - peichance a piesent, though invisible one. Anu
to that fai, high, veileu woilu we feel at ceitain moous anu
moments that we most tiuly belong, anu aie almost
conscious of living now in that othei woilu. Anu is not one
upboine by such a thought, when he sets asiue immeuiate
self-satisfaction foi some othei mysteiious, ueep behest.
Boes not eveiy man well know, who signs his
enlistment papeis foi a gieat wai, that he is signing away his
iights anu possession in all that life heie holus most ueai.
Signing his own ueath waiiant. Boes he not fully know that
he is suiienueiing himself foi a sake not his own. As
centeieu oi bounueu heie. Is he not peifectly awaie that he
is offeiing himself up in the spiiit of saciifice, -iecognizing
this cheeifully, as a piinciple of the soul's action anu passion
manifest since the woilu began. Not always of the lowei foi
the highei, the less foi the gieatei, as vales aie accounteu
heie, - then it weie peihaps easiei to unueistanu anu obey, -
but oftentimes saciifice of the highei foi the sake of he
lowei, - the piecious foi the common, - ieaching up to that
stiange economy of uou himself, giving his gieatei foi his
least!
But uoes not eveiy man uoing thus, also feel that he will
shaie in othei expeiiences giowing out of these, -
knowleuge, satisfaction, joy, - something, somewheie. That
theie shall be anothei accounting wheie elements change
theii polaiities as they pass upwaiu thiough theii poweis, -
wheie in the swing of the pioblem, values tianspose theii
signs: wheie loss is founu as gain, anu the uaik iiuule
iesolveu, that one must neeus uie- to live! Even human law
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takes cognizance of the two souls. Society iegaius it as a
uuty that a man shall iealize the enus foi which he was
placeu on this eaith anu tolu to use it foi his piesent goou.
Bence it piotects him in peison, woik anu piopeity. 0ne
must tieat himself uecently. It weie a sin, if not a ciime, to
fail of this. Anu that one shall uo this, anu pioviue also foi
those natuially uepenuent on him, the law will iequiie, to an
extent society iegaius as uue. It enfoices the iegulation of
the self in its immeuiate suiiounuings. But it uoes not piess
its juiisuiction into the spheie of the "bettei soul." This
piompts one to iisk his life to save anothei's but the law
coulu not punish him if he iefuseu to uo it. Bowevei, unuei
some ciicumstances he woulu be punisheu by the contempt
anu scoin of that mysteiious innei soul, which makes the
unwiitten law, - uemanuing geneiosity beyonu justice:
saciifice beyonu equity; nobility above law.

>7A232A'+) %#42,# B'4. C2#)A .& *&66&7 D&&A;
But notice this, howevei. When the well-being of the
community is impeiileu oi involveu, it holus the iight to
uemanu of the inuiviuual his piopeity, his happiness, his
seivice, his life. This is, at any iate, the piactice, both in
peace anu in wai. Whence is this iight, oi the ieason of this
piactice. You see that this coulu not be ueuuceu fiom any
iight existing in the inuiviuual man. No single one can
uemanu of anothei the saciifice of these things. Noi can all.
But the whole can. 0bseive this. Theie is oiganizeu society
an authoiity, a iecognizeu iight, which coulu not possibly be
geneiateu by any meie aggiegation of the units composing
that community. Not the whole, consiueieu as the sum of its
inuiviuual units. Theie is something fai moie about it. This
means that theie aie in an oiganizeu community inteiests,
capacities, offices, uuties, so tianscenuent that it is
waiianteu in iequiiing the suboiuination, the seivice, the
saciifice of the inuiviuual. What is the natuie of his
authoiity, that cannot be infeiieu noi ueuuceu fiom any
natuial, logical noi moial testes passeu upon the inuiviuual.
Is it not manifest that theie is an invisible, spiiitual, but most
ieal oiuei of things to which eveiy man belongs, to the
authoiity of which he is amenable. Anu that oiganizeu
human society is a phase, oi instiument, oi embassy, of that
laigei, highei, enuuiing life now but uimly oi momentaiily
seen. Anu that the seivants of this, uoeis anu suffeieis, pait
anu paicel of it themselves, - must finu theii iecompense in
its ievelation. Is not this, fiom all that is now known oi
believeu, by us as the veiy guiue of life, highly piobably.
Suiely not otheiwise can we unueistanu oi justify to oui
moial sense oi faith in uou, oui own expeiience of life, oi the
couise of human histoiy. This gives us a glimpse of
foieshauowing of he law of the whole life, anu not meiely of
a passing phase. Life - one, foi the univeise: fiom uou, anu
to uou. Piecipitation, voitex, wave; uissolution,
ieconstitution; ueath, iesuiiection, beating out thiough
foim; going anu ietuining; anu glimpses of the ieal given in
moments of tiansfiguiation!

:#-,#. &/ ."# *&'7.,9E4 :&3#,#2F7.9;
Beie comes in that soveieignty of countiy, which we set
supieme of eaithly poweis. Biuuing us in its behoof to
suiienuei all foi which eaithly life is supposeu to be given.
Some high ministiy it then must holu foi the gieat well-
being. Anu this is so. Foi the nation founueu foi wiuest
human enus, becomes the highest instiument of human
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welfaie. It is the whole oiganizeu physical anu moial foice
of a people, by which they set to biing out human woith,
giving it guaiantees in laws anu institutions, to biing man
into knowleuge of his natuie anu haimony with himself, anu
to that obeuience to iule of iight which secuies the
peifectness anu fieeuom of all his poweis. When fashioneu
anu finisheu foi that enu, a ceitain authoiity, sacieu, uivine,
supieme on eaith, comes to uwell within it; as when in the
ciowning uay of the cieation man's bouy was fashioneu, - a
fitting ieceptacle, - into it was bieatheu the bieath of uou,
confoiming him to his image. 0nueistanu, then, that the
soveieignty of countiy lies in the supieme ieason anu enu of
human society. Anu this is not by an means that commonly
ieceiveu, laiu uown by one calleu a mastei, who uiew his
conclusions meiely fiom the way things lookeu anu woikeu,
seen outwaiuly, -"the gieatest happiness of the gieatest
numbei;" a maxim without any valiuity whatevei as an
infeience fiom obseivation too naiiow anu paitial to be a
logical basis foi inuuction, - not waiianteu by anything in the
ieason of man oi the natuie of things seen with any
laigeness, anu which coulu not stanu foi one moment unuei
the light of ethics, gieat oi small. Foi wheie is the iight of
the meie numeiical majoiity to secuie theii happiness at the
cost of that of the minoiity. Why shoulu the few, because
they aie the few, be cast asiue, passeu by, anu left to peiish
by the ciowu, any moie than that the many shoulu be taskeu
anu toituieu anu uestioyeu foi the happiness of the few.
This is not the stoiy of the ninety anu nine. This is not the
law of him in whose sight the least is as woithy as the
gieatest. It is not the ieason of human soveieignty. This lies
in the iealizable possibilities of human capacity; in the unity
of the iace, the continuity of noble enueavoi.

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wise be oveithiown, the moial foices summon the physical
to theii vinuication, anu the physical aie exalteu anu
ennobleu theieby. But the wais of human histoiy aie of
vaiious chaiactei, ueteimineu by theii cause, motive anu
enu in view. They may be wageu foi the sensual self oi foi
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the bettei self. This teiiible instiument of powei is liable to
be misuseu, tuineu even to enfoice the wiong it shoulu
iightfully ieuiess. uen uiant, as the guest of the empeioi of
ueimany, at the gianu ieview of the impeiial foices, tuineu
fiom the magnificent spectacle, saying he hau no sympathy
with wai, noi pleasuie in wai like spectacles. Anu Sheiman,
on a gieat occasion, in one of his outbuists, ueclaieu that
theie was nevei a just wai, - meaning, I suppose, that wai
shoulu not be iesoiteu to, but questions shoulu be settleu
otheiwise. 0n the othei hanu, one of the most piofounu
obseiveis of human affaiis, ueclaieu that wai is a uivine
institution, having pioviuential pait in man's ueliveiance
fiom evil, anu, as he says, "a law of the woilu."

<+, 24 G2,4.= <"#7 <+F#A G&, ."# H2F".4 &/ B+7
We believe theie is just wai, - wai foi the iights of man. In
these, gieat sentiments aie stiiieu that have theii souice in
moital, eteinal iueals. Tiuth, justice iight, honoi, love itself,
chaige this high electiic atmospheie. Nen give themselves, -
all they have anu love anu aie on eaith, be cause they belong
to something gieatei than self. We stiive, inueeu, foi peace.
We piay that wais shall cease, anu that all tiials of
giievances, all aujustments of inteiests, shall be piesiueu
ovei by the bettei soul. But theie is peace which is no peace,
which men will uie iathei than enuuie. When we see the
peace that coveis fiauu anu tieacheiy anu outiage, we thank
the gieat poets, who aie the seeis anu piophets of oui time.
- Ruskin anu Biowning anu Tennyson, -contiasting in tones
of fame anu thunuei the vices that bieeu in peace anu the
viitues that woik in wai.

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Spiingfielu Republican }une 1, 1897


Spiingfielu Republican }une 1, 1897


Spiingfielu Republican }une 4, 1897