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The Media Civil War monument on the lawn of the courthouse. One of the rare booklets in my collection is it's dedication. |
NOTE: On May 9th 1903, the then sleepy town of Media, population in 1900 census
3, 075 jumped to almost 12000 by most estimates for one day. Why? read below
"Greatest day in the history of the Boro"
so said the Chester Times newspaper
Every old soldier in Delaware County has reason to feel
proud of the success which attended the unveiling of the monument at Media on
Saturday. It is estimated that twelve
thousand persons were present, the greatest number ever in the borough at one
time. People living in the pretty town
were liberal to a fault in their decorations and this added much to the success
of the occasion. Frequent comments were
passed by the visitors about the beautiful display of flags and bunting which
graced the buildings. The program which
was published in Saturday’s Times was carried out without a hitch.
Every
organization in the parade which preceded the unveiling ceremonies, looked
well. The boys in blue marched as they did in ’61 and as Colonel Henry Clay
Cochrane said in making his address on behalf of the Navy, that the men who
fought so valiantly for the unity of the country had to be told that they are
getting old, and that their ranks are fast becoming depleted. They showed no evidence of being old in the
line of march on Saturday and stepped to the strains of the music with heads
erect and looked every bit the soldier.
Much
praise is due the committee, which had charge of the arrangements for the
occasion. Had it not been for the late
arrival of some of the Philadelphia G.A.R. Posts, everything would have gone
off on time. As it was the parade was
delayed over a half hour, but the crowd was good natured, and were liberal in
their applause along the route of march.
THE FIRE
FIGHTERS – The Media Fire Company with over one hundred men in line looked and
marched well. The hose carriage drawn by
the two white horses belonging to the undertaker William C. Rigby was much
admired, as was the new ambulance of the Clifton Heights Fire Protective
Association. The music was the best
which could be secured in this section.
In this connection those who arrived in the borough before 1 o’clock
received a great musical treat. The
First and Second Brigade Bands of Philadelphia both arrived on the same train
and at the suggestion of the members of the organization played from the station
to the Borough Hall. There were eighty
pieces and the music was of a high order.
Although
the parade was set down to take place at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Hundreds of persons came to the borough on
the early morning trains and trolleys.
The restaurants were taxed to feed the hungry crowd, and the trolley
companies gave excellent service.
Thousands of visitors came in teams, many in large wagons with and
without springs.
VIEWING
THE MONUMENT – The inscriptions on the monument were scanned by hundreds before
the parade started. The inscriptions are
as follows:
East
panel – “In grateful remembrance of the soldiers and sailors of Delaware County
who fought for the unity of this republic this monument is dedicated that
future generations may cherish the principles of civil and religious liberty.”
South
panel – “Our country will ever remember and cherish their deeds of valor.”
West
panel – “We honor the memory of the noble and patriotic women who aided the
defenders of our country.”
North
panel – “Heroes they were from the men who fell in Baltimore to those who stood
victorious at Appomattox.”
EXERCISES
AT THE MONUMENT – The scene at the monument was inspiring. It was a surging mass of humanity which was
crowded about the shaft and the stand where the exercises took place. There was one drawback to this part of the
program. It was nearly 4 o’clock when
the head of the procession reached the monument, and Thomas J. Dolphin,
chairman of the committee and chief marshal of the parade, started the
exercises. The bands at the heads of the
various organizations were arriving and playing all the time, and few except
those right near the stand could hear that several of the speakers said. Added to this during the time that O.B.
Dickinson, Esq., was speaking. Post 51,
of Philadelphia, was firing off its cannon nearby the monument, and it was with
difficulty that the learned gentleman could make himself heard by those in the
stand.
John
Grim, who received the monument on behalf of the soldiers and the citizens,
stopped in the middle of his speech and waited until one of the hands got
through playing “Old Hundred.” “I cannot
talk against the band,” said he.
The
exercises opened with a selection by the First Brigade Band of Philadelphia
after which Rev. David Tully, pastor emeritus of the First Presbyterian Church
of Media, offered prayer and asked God to bless the monument.
THE
WELCOME ADDRESS – Owing to the length of the program Burgess A.G.C. Smith of
Media, spoke but five minutes welcoming the soldiers and sailors, and the
guests of the day to the beautiful county seat town. He said, “Mr. Chairman, Soldiers and Sailors,
Ladies and Gentlemen: We have assembled
this afternoon to perform a long neglected duty which might have appropriately
been conceived in the minds of the children, now grown to manhood, of those who
sacrificed so much for our greatly beloved country.
It has
been the custom for many centuries to erect monuments to the distinguished dead
and to mark important historic events and places. The ancient Druids had their cairns, the
Arabian his mastaba and the Egyptian erected the obelisk and pyramid to the
memory of the Pharaohs.
The
deeds of brave men have been recorded in the earliest history of mankind and
literature is full of interesting examples.
The early tendency to pay tribute to the lives of great men and hand
down to prosperity accounts of their great deeds is shown by the ancient Greek
and Latin writers in their mythological productions as illustrated in Homer’s
Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid. It is also
illustrated in the legendary story of William Tell. Tennyson’s “Charge of the Light Brigade” and
Longfellow’s “Evangeline” relate touching incidents of bravery and
sacrifice. Caesar Rodney’s Ride and Paul
Revere’s Ride of Colonial days and Sheridan’s Ride of the Civil War are recited
from many public platforms. The Star
Spangled Banner, inspired at the bombardment of Fort McHenry, thrills every
American heart when sung and what old soldier will not raise his voice in song
when he hears “Marching through Georgia?” These are a few of the monuments erected in
literature, history and song to keep fresh in our memories the men and events
of nations.
Many men
of wealth today are erecting monuments to their own memory in establishing
great institutions of learning, large libraries, hospitals and like
institutions and by endowing those already established. This is a grand work and many will rise up to
call them blessed for the help they have received from their generous gifts.
I
believe that the soldiers and sailors of the Civil War have unconsciously
erected to their own memories, monuments more enduring than those of granite,
literature and institutions to which I have referred. Many of us can recall the father’s
affectionate leaved taking with his family, receiving with the parting kiss of
his devoted wife her “God bless you,” of the son’s farewell with a like
benediction and the lovers’ equally tender separation. How anxiously each looked for the morning
mails and newspapers to learn of the safety of their dear ones and how many
hearts were saddened by each day’s news.
Monuments
of love and affection for the brave deeds and self-sacrifice of the defenders
of the Republic have been erected in the hearts of the American people and at
the firesides and in the public schools, the greatest institution of which the
nation can boats, the foundations of these monuments shall continue to be laid
strong and deep by the parents and our faithful teachers, that they may never
crumble or decay. As one evidence of it,
listen today to the patriotic enthusiasm with which these children will sing
our national airs.
Another
monument to the brave deeds of the men who served our country on land and on
sea is this great nation. “My own, my
native land” preserved intact, bought by them at the sacrifice of business,
great hardship and thousands of lives – a nation whose industrial development
is scarcely equaled by any other nation in the world, whose mineral resources
are among the richest, whose educational institutions are liberal and efficient
and best of all, a national heart
beating strong for peace and overflowing with sympathy for the suffering and
oppressed, and a longing desire for the diffusion of all those principles which
shall bring enlightenment to the nations of the world.
But I am
reminded by a letter from the chairman of the committee or invitation that the
program must conclude at a fixed hour and I must not trespass upon your
time. We are delighted to have with us
today these representatives of the brave boys in blue and their many
friends. As representing the citizens of
Media, and I may say Delaware County. I
extend to you a most cordial welcome to this beautiful spot and congratulate
you upon what promises to be one of the most interesting events that has ever
taken place in the county.
May God
bless you all.
Following
this several hundred school children of the Media public schools, under the
leadership of Miss Henrietta Smedley sang a patriotic song. Catherine Gorman, a little girl, assisted
with the cornet. With the band playing
“My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” Captain Caleb
Hoopes, the oldest living veteran in Delaware County, pulled the rope which
held the veiling and the shaft stood forth in all its glory. The audience sang, “The Star Spangled
Banner,” while hundreds of little flags wafted through the air from the top of
the monument. These were eagerly sought
by those about the shaft. Captain Hoopes
wore his regalia and was as young as any about, notwithstanding he is past 87
years of age. It was a
Proud moment in his life when he pulled the string which
presented to view for the first time to many of those present this fine
testimonial to the valor of the soldiers and sailors.
O.B.
Dickinson, Esq., who presented the monument to the people of the county on
behalf of the G.A.R. committee who had charge of its erection, spoke as
follows:
THE
DICKINSON’S SPEECH – The moralist would doubtless be very much surprised and in
an equal degree chagrined to learn how many even of the very best of human
actions are prompted by the instinct of selfishness. He would surely condemn the teaching which
would ascribe every good deed to the promptings of selfish interest and yet he
could scarcely deny the fact that the essential difference between a good and
bad man, is often only the difference between what each believes and deems to
be for its own best interests. We are
here today to land the sentiment of patriotism and yet patriotism is the
outcome if self-interest. It is our
flag, our country and our homes that we love.
That land has ceased to be the abode of a genuine patriotism whose
confines are so enlarged that the whole land does not feel the thrill of a
common joy or the throb of sympathy in a common misfortune.
If we
would cultivate true patriotism we must weld our people together in a common
interest and make them truly one. The
sentiment of patriotism though a selfish sentiment is a selfishness so purified
and ennobled, sanctified and hallowed that our interests are list in the common
weal and our feelings absorbed by the common concern. There comes a time in the history of every
people when the call goes forth for the best brawn and brain and blood which
the nation can produce.
Well is
it when the call is heard by a people in whom the sentiment of patriotism is
unchecked by the feeling that it is only the fool who responds to his country’s
needs. The man who loves his country
only when it pays to do so is a traitor already at heart, but that man is no
less a patriot whose patriotism is rewarded by the plaudits of his grateful
countrymen. It is the part of wisdom in
us to hold out the highest rewards for those who strive successfully for their
country’s good and that people who makes it pay to be patriotic will not lack
for patriots.
The
desire for posthumous fame, the feeling that to our deeds our children and our
children’s children may point with swelling emotions of pride as a reward to
which the best of men aspire and the least ambitious of men responds. We have divine sanction for according praise
“to them that do well.” The “storied urn
and animated bust,” the marble shaft and the figure of bronze have a
hard-hearted value beyond their material cost.
The statue of Nelson in Trafalgar Square; the tall shaft of the Washington
Monument and the marble which now gleams white on the battlefields of Antietam
and of Gettysburg express not merely the grateful sentiments of a gratified
people, but they are investments which will pay handsome and ample dividends in
future deeds of heroism.
Believing
in the wisdom as well as the justice of paying this tribute to the heroes of
the great Rebellion the public authorities have authorized the expenditure of
the taxpayers’ money in the erection of this monument.
The time
which has been allotted to me in these ceremonies is about exhausted but I
cannot close without speaking one word of caution and sounding one note of
warning. No one knows better than the
veterans of a great war and particularly of a civil war that nothing so shocks
the fervor of patriotism as the manifestation of that spirit of sordid
commercialism by which too many are actuated.
Believing
that those who did the real work of the war not only in the camp and on the
march, and against their foes on the open battlefields, but who fought no less
vigorously against the rascally contractor and the traitorous politician and
would wring a selfish gain from the agonies of a nation, will fight the same
sordid spirit whenever it seeks to gain a profit from the nation’s gratitude. I
am commissioned on behalf of the public to commit this monument, erected and dedicated
to those who loved and made sacrifices for their country to the loving care and
custody of the Associated Veterans of the War of the Army and Navy.
RECEIVING
THE MONUMENT – The monument was received by John L. Grim of Post 21 of
Philadelphia, who related the hardships of the men who fought in defense of
their country. After singing by the
school children, Prof. John Russell Hayes of Swarthmore College, read the ode,
which he composed and dedicated to the monument:
COLONEL
COCHRANE TALKS – The children sang “The Old Flag Shall Never Drag the
Ground.” The chairman announced that the
speech of Judge Isaac Johnson on behalf of the navy. He said that the navy offers great
opportunities today.
“You can
enter the bridal door and reach the cabin, if you have the ability, for the
first time in the history of our navy.”
Speaking
of the war, the Colonel said that no matter to what risks the naval man is put,
he is always sure of a bed to sleep upon at night, a luxury which was not
enjoyed by the men who fought so valiantly in the war of ’61 to ’65.
Col.
Cochrane referred to Dewey Schley, Sampson and other great naval men and said
that this country always has men for all emergencies. He said that the young men should be taught
to take the places of their forefathers.
The Colonel was heartily applauded.
THE
CLOSING EXERCISES – The exercises were brought to a close by all present
singing “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,” after which Department Chaplain Rev. John
W. Sayers, pastor of Trinity M.E. church, Chester, pronounced the benediction.
Many of
the visitors remained over for the camp fire in the evening in the courthouse.
As a board member of the Colonial Plantation in Ridley Creek State Park, I would like to invite you to our concert next week! Please come and have a great time!!
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