been lowered in his presence, dropped to half-mast, as if
conscious that his strong arm was no longer there to hold it to the
peak; when he passed from the living here to join the other living,
commonly called the dead. We shall never meet the great soldier again
until he stands forth to answer to his name at roll-call on the morning
of the last great reveille. At this board he was always a thrice welcome
guest. The same blood coursed in his veins which flows in yours. All
hearts warmed to him with the glow of an abiding affection. He was a
many-sided man. He possessed all the characteristics of the successful
soldier: bold in conception, vigorous in execution, and unshrinking
under grave responsibilities. He was singularly self-reliant,
demonstrating by all his acts that "much danger makes great hearts most
resolute." He combined in his temperament the restlessness of a Hotspur
with the patience of a Fabius. Under the magnetism of his presence his
troops rushed to victory with all the dash of Caesar's Tenth Legion.
Opposing ranks went down before the fierceness of his onsets, never to
rise again. He paused not till he saw the folds of his banners wave
above the strongholds he had wrested from the foe.

While mankind will always appreciate the practical workings of the mind
of the great strategist, they will also see in his marvellous career
much which savors of romance as well as reality, appeals to the
imagination and excites the fancy. They will picture him as a legendary
knight moving at the head of conquering columns, whose marches were
measured not by single miles, but by thousands; as a general who could
make a Christmas gift to his President of a great seaboard city; as a
chieftain whose field of military operations covered nearly half a
continent; who had penetrated everglades and bayous; the inspiration of
whose commands forged weaklings into giants; whose orders all spoke with
the true bluntness of the soldier; who fought from valley's depth to
mountain height, and marched from inland rivers to the sea. No one can
rob him of his laurels; no man can lessen the measure of his fame. His
friends will never cease to sing paeans in his honor, and even the wrath
of his enemies may be counted in his praise. [Prolonged applause.]

* * * * *

THE ASSIMILATED DUTCHMAN

[Speech of Horace Porter at the fourth annual dinner of the
Poughkeepsie District Members of the Holland