He who seeks the embodiment of the genius of the Union finds it in the
apotheosis of the Great Emancipator. There, under the arching skies he
stands, erect, serene, resplendent; beneath his feet the broken
shackles of a race redeemed; upon his brow the diadem of liberty with
law, while around and behind him rise up, as an eternal guard of
honor, the great army of the Republic.
In the belief that from the martyr's bier as from the battlefield of
right it is but one step to paradise, may we not, on days like this,
draw back the veil that separates from our mortal gaze the phantom
squadrons as they pass again in grand review before their "Martyr
President."--_From an address by Hiram F. Stevens, read before the
Minnesota Commandery of the Loyal Legion._