Chapter X: Part 10

The morning of the 30th--Centennial Day--the President, members of his Cabinet, with ex-Presidents Cleveland and Hayes, Governor Hill, and many other noted guests, attended thanksgiving services at St. Paul's Church. The President and his family occupied the Washington pew. The exercises were conducted by the Rt. Rev. Henry C. Potter, Bishop of New York. The literary exercises were held on the steps of the sub-Treasury, where General Washington took his oath of office a hundred years before. Countless thousands surrounded the speaker's stand and congregated in the vicinity. Elbridge T. Gerry presided and introduced Rev. Richard S. Storrs, who delivered the invocation. Secretary Bowen read a poem entitled "The Vow of Washington," composed for the occasion by the venerable John Greenleaf Whittier. Hon. Chauncey M. Depew then delivered the Centennial oration. On conclusion, Chairman Gerry introduced President Harrison, who was greeted with a grand outburst as he advanced to the front. Amid repeated interruptions with cheers he spoke as follows:

_Mr. Chairman, my Countrymen_--Official duty of a very exacting
character has made it quite impossible that I should deliver an
address on this occasion. Foreseeing this, I early notified your
committee that the programme must not contain any address by me. The
selection of Mr. Depew as the orator of this occasion makes further
speech not only difficult, but superfluous. He has met the demand of
this great occasion on its own high level. He has brought before us
the incidents and the lessons of the first inauguration of Washington.
We seem to have been a part of that admiring and almost adoring throng
that filled these streets one hundred years ago.

We have come into the serious, but always inspiring, presence
of Washington. He was the incarnation of duty, and he teaches us
to-day this great lesson: That those who would associate their
names with events that shall outlive a century can only do so by
high consecration to duty. Self-seeking has no public observance or
anniversary. The captain who gives to the sea his cargo of goods,
that he may give safety and deliverance to his imperilled fellow-men,
has fame; he who lands the cargo has only wages. Washington seemed to
come to the discharge of the duties of his high office impressed with
a great sense of his unfamiliarity with these new calls thrust upon
him, modestly doubtful of his own ability, but trusting implicitly in
the sustaining helpfulness and grace of that God who rules the world,
presides in the councils of nations, and is able to supply every human
defect. We have made marvellous progress in material things since
then, but the stately and enduring shaft that we have erected at the
national capital at Washington symbolizes the fact that he is still
the First American Citizen. [Cheers.]

_The Great Military Parade and Banquet._

On conclusion of the ceremonies at the sub-Treasury the President and other honored guests of the day reviewed the grand military parade from a stand in Madison Square. Along the line of march, especially on Broadway and Fifth Avenue, for several miles the gorgeous pageant moved between two living walls. Never were so many people congregated on this continent. The glittering column, commanded by General Schofield, moved with continuous precision, and was five hours and twenty-five minutes in passing the reviewing stand. The President remained at his post, saluting the last company. The troops of the various States were led by their Governors.

This monster military demonstration and the great industrial parade of the day following were conducted under the management of a committee comprising the following well-known gentlemen: S. Van Rensselaer Cruger, Chairman; John Cochrane, Locke W. Winchester, J. Hampden Robb, Frederick Gallatin, Frederick D. Tappen, and John C. Tomlinson.

The President's visit concluded with his participation in the greatest banquet known to modern times, held at the Metropolitan Opera House. The lavish decorations, the magnitude and occasion of the entertainment have rendered it historical. Eight hundred guests were seated at the tables, while the surrounding boxes and stalls were overflowing with distinguished ladies eagerly partaking of the feast of reason. Mayor Grant presided, and introduced Governor Hill, who welcomed the guests. Ex-President Cleveland responded to the toast "Our People;" Gov. Fitzhugh Lee, of Virginia, spoke to "The States;" Chief-Justice Fuller responded to "The Federal Constitution;" Hon. John W. Daniel spoke to "The Senate;" ex-President Hayes to "The Presidency." Among other prominent guests were Vice-President Morton, General Sherman, Lieutenant-Governor Jones, of New York, Judge Charles Andrews, Hon. Hannibal Hamlin, Mayor Chapin, of Brooklyn, Governor Foraker, of Ohio, Abram S. Hewitt, Cornelius N. Bliss, Fred'k S. Tallmadge, Samuel D. Babcock, Chauncey M. Depew, Erastus Wiman, Charles W. Dayton, Josiah M. Fisk, William Henry Smith, Thomas S. Moore, Henry Clews, Austin Corbin, Philip L. Livingston, Brayton Ives, Darius O. Mills, Richard T. Wilson, William L. Strong, Henry B. Hyde, James M. Brown, Louis Fitzgerald, Allan Campbell, John Sloane, James D. Smith, Edward V. Loew, Eugene Kelly, Walter Stanton, John F. Plummer, J. Edward Simmons, John Jay Knox, De Lancey Nicoll, Henry G. Marquand, Gordon L. Ford, Daniel Huntington, F. Hopkinson Smith, William E. Dodge, Chas. Parsons, A. W. Drake, Oliver H. Perry, Frank D. Millet, H. H. Boyesen, Charles Henry Hart, Rutherford Stuyvesant, John L. Cadwalader, Lispenard Stewart, Chas. H. Russell, Jr., and Richard W. Gilder.

After the Chief-Justice's address President Harrison was introduced and received with a storm of applause. He spoke to the toast "The United States of America" as follows:

_Mr. President and Fellow-citizens_--I should be unjust to myself,
and, what is more serious, I should be unjust to you, if I did not
at this first and last opportunity express to you the deep sense of
obligation and thankfulness which I feel for these many personal and
official courtesies which have been extended to me since I came to
take part in this celebration. The official representatives of the
State of New York and of this great city have attended me with the
most courteous kindness, omitting no attention that could make my
stay among you pleasant and gratifying. From you and at the hands of
those who have thronged the streets of the city to-day I have received
the most cordial expressions of good will. I would not, however,
have you understand that these loud acclaims have been in any sense
appropriated as a personal tribute to myself. I have realized that
there was that in this occasion and all these interesting incidents
which have made it so profoundly impressive to my mind which was above
and greater than any living man. I have realized that the tribute of
cordial interest which you have manifested was rendered to that great
office which, by the favor of a greater people, I now exercise, rather
than to me.

The occasion and all of its incidents will be memorable not only
in the history of your own city, but in the history of our country.
New York did not succeed in retaining the seat of national government
here, although she made liberal provision for the assembling of the
first Congress in the expectation that the Congress might find its
permanent home here. But though you lost that which you coveted, I
think the representatives here of all the States will agree that it
was fortunate that the first inauguration of Washington took place in
the State and the city of New York.

For where in our country could the centennial of the event be so
worthily celebrated as here? What seaboard offered so magnificent a
bay on which to display our merchant and naval marine? What city
offered thoroughfares so magnificent, or a people so great, so
generous, as New York has poured out to-day to celebrate that event?

I have received at the hands of the committee who have been charged
with the details--onerous, exacting, and too often unthankful--of this
demonstration evidence of their confidence in my physical endurance.
[Laughter.]

I must also acknowledge still one other obligation. The committee
having in charge the exercises of this event have also given me
another evidence of their confidence, which has been accompanied with
some embarrassment. As I have noticed the progress of this banquet, it
seemed to me that each of the speakers had been made acquainted with
his theme before he took his seat at the banquet, and that I alone
was left to make acquaintance with my theme when I sat down to the
table. I prefer to substitute for the official title which is upon the
programme the familiar and fireside expression, "Our Country."

I congratulate you to-day, as one of the instructive and interesting
features of this occasion, that these great thoroughfares dedicated
to trade have closed their doors and covered up the insignias of
commerce; that your great exchanges have closed and your citizens
given themselves up to the observance of the celebration in which we
are participating.

I believe that patriotism has been intensified in many hearts by
what we have witnessed to-day. I believe that patriotism has been
placed in a higher and holier fane in many hearts. The bunting with
which you have covered your walls, these patriotic inscriptions,
must go down and the wage and trade be resumed again. Here may I not
ask you to carry those inscriptions that now hang on the walls into
your homes, into the schools of your city, into all of your great
institutions where children are gathered, and teach them that the eye
of the young and the old should look upon that flag as one of the
familiar glories of every American? Have we not learned that no stocks
and bonds, nor land, is our country? It is a spiritual thought that
is in our minds--it is the flag and what it stands for; it is the
fireside and the home; it is the thoughts that are in our hearts, born
of the inspiration which comes with the story of the flag, of martyrs
to liberty. It is the graveyard into which a common country has
gathered the unconscious deeds of those who died that the thing might
live which we love and call our country, rather than anything that can
be touched or seen.

Let me add a thought due to our country's future. Perhaps never
have we been so well equipped for war upon land as now, and we have
never seen the time when our people were more smitten with the love of
peace. To elevate the morals of our people; to hold up the law as that
sacred thing which, like the ark of God of old, may not be touched
by irreverent hands, but frowns upon any attempt to dethrone its
supremacy; to unite our people in all that makes home comfortable, as
well as to give our energies in the direction of material advancement,
this service may we render. And out of this great demonstration let us
draw lessons to inspire us to consecrate ourselves anew to this love
and service of our country.

INDIANAPOLIS, AUGUST 22, 1889.

_Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument._

A memorable event in the history of Indiana was the laying of the corner-stone of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument at Indianapolis on August 22, 1889. The Board of Commissioners for the erection of the monument--under whose supervision the attendant exercises were conducted--comprised: George J. Langsdale, of Greencastle, President; Geo. W. Johnston, of Indianapolis, Secretary; T. W. Bennett, of Richmond; S. B. Voyles, of Salem; and D. C. McCollum, of La Porte.

President Harrison and his party were honored guests on the occasion; he was accompanied by Secretary Jeremiah M. Rusk, Attorney-General W. H. H. Miller, Private Secretary E. W. Halford, Capt. William M. Meredith, Marshal Daniel M. Ransdell, and General Thomas J. Morgan.

At College Corner, on the Indiana border, the President was met by Gov. Alvin P. Hovey, Mayor Caleb S. Denny, Hon. William H. English, William Scott, John P. Frenzel, Robert S. McKee, J. A. Wildman, Albert Gall, Dr. Henry Jameson, and others, comprising an honorary escort committee. Governor Hovey welcomed the President to Indiana in a brief, cordial address, to which President Harrison responded:

I thank the Governor for this larger welcome extended as Governor on
the part of the people of the whole State. You have well said that the
people of Indiana have been kind to me, and if, when my public career
is ended, I can return to you the happy possessor of your respect and
good-will, I shall not leave public office with regret.

Arriving at Indianapolis on the evening of the 21st, the President was formally waited upon by the Monument Commissioners and Board of Trade Reception Committee. General James R. Carnahan, on behalf of the Commissioners, and George G. Tanner, President of the Board of Trade, warmly welcomed him.

To their addresses President Harrison replied:

_Gentlemen of the Committees and Friends_--I scarcely know how to
convey to you my deep impressions at this cordial welcome back to
Indianapolis. I cannot hope to do it. I have been deeply touched by
this generous and courteous reception. It was not my expectation when
I left Indianapolis a few months ago, under so serious a sense of my
responsibilities, that I would return again so soon to my home. But
this occasion was one which I could not well be absent from. It is one
that should enlist to a degree that nothing else can do our patriotic
interests and State pride. It is true, as General Carnahan has said,
that I took an early interest in this movement. I felt that until this
monument was built, until its top-stone was laid, and its voice had
been heard by the people of this State in expressive speech, we had
not done that for our soldier dead which we should, and that we had
neglected those who died for us. I am glad, therefore, to be present
and see this monument started. I reverently rejoice with you on this
occasion, and hail the work which these commissioners have so wisely
and magnificently begun.

Among other distinguished guests participating in the ceremonies were Mrs. Jennie Meyerhoff, of Evansville, President of the Woman's Relief Corps, Department of Indiana; Col. George C. Harvey, of Danville, commanding the Sons of Veterans, Division of Indiana; Mrs. Zelda Seguin-Wallace and Miss Laura McManis, Indianapolis; Miss Kate Hammond, Greencastle, and Rev. H. J. Talbott.

The march to the monument was one of the most imposing demonstrations ever witnessed in Indiana. Fifteen thousand veterans and others formed the great column, commanded by Chief Marshal Charles A. Zollinger, of Fort Wayne; Chief of Staff, Major Irvin Robbins; Adjutant-General, Major Wilbur F. Hitt, assisted by a brilliant staff of 60 prominent citizens. In addition to these officers of the day was a mounted honorary staff, representing the thirteen Congressional districts. They were: First District, Gil R. Stormont, Princeton; Second, Col. Elijah Cavens, Bloomfield; Third, Capt. James B. Patton, Jeffersonville; Fourth, Marine D. Tackett, Greensburg; Fifth, Maj. J. G. Dunbar, Greencastle; Sixth, Maj. J. F. Wildman, Muncie; Seventh, Capt. D. W. Hamilton, Indianapolis; Eighth, Capt. A. C. Ford, Terre Haute; Ninth, Col. R. P. DeHart, Lafayette; Tenth, Capt. M. L. DeMotte, Valparaiso; Eleventh, Col. C. E. Briant, Huntington; Twelfth, Capt. J. C. Peltier, Fort Wayne; Thirteenth, Gen. Reub. Williams, Warsaw. More than 100,000 people witnessed the pageant.

The monument is a majestic square embellished shaft of Indiana limestone, some 250 feet high, surmounted by a heroic figure of Victory, the pedestal resting upon a great circular stone terrace. The architects were Bruno Schmitz, of Berlin, and Frederick Baumann, of Chicago. The ceremony of laying the corner-stone was conducted by the following officials of the Grand Army of the Republic: Commander of the Department of Indiana Charles M. Travis, of Crawfordsville; Senior Vice Department Commander P. D. Harris, of Shelbyville; Junior Vice-Commander B. B. Campbell, of Anderson; Assistant Adjutant-General I. N. Walker, of Indianapolis; Officers of the Day Wm. H. Armstrong, of Indianapolis, and Lieut.-Gov. Ira J. Chase, of Danville.

Gov. Alvin P. Hovey, as presiding officer, delivered an eloquent opening address, which was followed by the singing of the hymn "Dedication," written for the occasion by Charles M. Walker, of Indianapolis. The speakers of the day were Gen. Mahlon D. Manson, of Crawfordsville, and Gen. John Coburn, of Indianapolis. Their masterly orations were followed by the reading of a poem, "What Shall It Teach?" written by Capt. Lee O. Harris, of Greenfield.

When Governor Hovey introduced the Chief Executive of the Nation the vast audience swayed with enthusiasm. In a voice low, and with a slight tremble in it, President Harrison began his fine tribute to the men who responded to the country's call. As he proceeded his voice rose higher until it rang out clear as a bugle and drew from the multitude repeated and vociferous cheers. He spoke as follows:

_Mr. President and Fellow-citizens_--I did not expect to make any
address on this occasion. It would have been pleasant, if I could
have found leisure to make suitable preparation, to have accepted
the invitation of the committee having these exercises in charge
to deliver an oration. I would have felt it an honor to associate
my name with an occasion so great as this. Public duties, however,
prevented the acceptance of the invitation, and I could only promise
to be present with you to-day. It seemed to me most appropriate that
I should take part with my fellow-citizens of Indiana in this great
ceremony. There have been few occasions in the history of our State
so full of interest, so magnificent, so inspiring, as that which
we now witness. The suggestion that a monument should be builded
to commemorate the valor and heroism of those soldiers of Indiana
who gave their lives for the flag attracted my interest from the
beginning. Five years ago last January, when the people assembled in
the opera-house yonder to unveil the statue which had been worthily
set up to our great war Governor, I ventured to express the hope that
near by it, as a twin expression of one great sentiment, there might
be builded a noble shaft, not to any man, not to bear on any of its
majestic faces the name of a man, but a monument about which the sons
of veterans, the mothers of our dead, the widows that are yet with us,
might gather, and, pointing to the stately shaft, say: "There is his
monument." The hope expressed that day is realized now. [Cheers.]

I congratulate the people of Indiana that our Legislature
has generously met the expectations of our patriotic people. I
congratulate the commission having this great work in charge that
they have secured a design which will not suffer under the criticism
of the best artists of the world. I congratulate you that a monument
so costly as to show that we value that which it commemorates, so
artistic as to express the sentiment which evoked it, is to stand in
the capital of Indiana. Does any one say there is wastefulness here?
[Cries of "No, no!"] My countrymen, $200,000 has never passed, and
never will pass, from the treasury of Indiana that will give a better
return than the expenditure for the erection of this monument. As I
have witnessed these ceremonies and listened to these patriotic hymns
I have read in the faces of the men who stand about me that lifting up
of the soul, that kindling of patriotic fire, that has made me realize
that on such occasions the Nation is laying deep and strong its future
security.

This is a monument by Indiana to Indiana soldiers. But I beg
you to remember that they were only soldiers of Indiana until the
enlistment oath was taken; that from that hour until they came back
to the generous State that had sent them forth they were soldiers of
the Union. So that it seemed to me not inappropriate that I should
bring to you to-day the sympathy and cheer of the loyal people of
all the States. No American citizen need avoid it or pass it with
unsympathetic eyes, for, my countrymen, it does not commemorate a war
of subjugation. There is not in the United States to-day a man who, if
he realizes what has occurred since the war and has opened his soul to
the sight of that which is to come, who will not feel that it is good
for all our people that victory crowned the cause which this monument
commemorates. I do seriously believe that if we can measure among the
States the benefits resulting from the preservation of the Union, the
rebellious States have the larger share. It destroyed an institution
that was their destruction. It opened the way for a commercial life
that, if they will only embrace it and face the light, means to them a
development that shall rival the best attainments of the greatest of
our States.

And now let me thank you for your pleasant greeting. I have felt
lifted up by this occasion. It seems to me that our spirits have been
borne up to meet those of the dead and glorified, and that from this
place we shall go to our homes more resolutely set in our purpose
as citizens to conserve the peace and welfare of our neighborhoods,
to hold up the dignity and honor of our free institutions, and to
see that no harm shall come to our country, whether from internal
dissensions or from the aggressions of a foreign foe. [Great cheering.]

A camp-fire was held at night at Tomlinson Hall, presided over by Charles M. Travis, Commander of Indiana G. A. R., where an audience of over 5,000 assembled. The orators of the occasion were Hon. Samuel B. Voyles, of Salem; Judge Daniel Waugh, of Tipton; General Jasper Packard, of New Albany; Col. I. N. Walker and Albert J. Beveridge, Indianapolis; Hon. Benj. S. Parker, New Castle, and Hon. Wm. R. Myers, Anderson.

President Harrison's appearance was greeted by a prolonged demonstration, the audience rising with one impulse. Commander Travis said: "I told you I would treat you to a surprise. Here is your President. He needs no introduction."

President Harrison's reply was:

_Mr. Chairman, Comrades_--I think I will treat you to another
surprise. My Indiana friends have been so much accustomed to have
me talk on all occasions that I am sure nothing would gratify them
more--nothing would be a greater surprise than for me to decline to
talk to-night. I am very grateful for this expression of your interest
and respect. That comradeship and good feeling which your cordial
salutation has expressed to me I beg every comrade of the Grand Army
here to-night to believe I feel for him.

Now, I am sure, in view of the labors of yesterday and to-day,
that you will allow me to wish you prosperous, happy, useful lives,
honorable and peaceful deaths, and that those who survive you may
point to this shaft, which is being reared yonder, as a worthy tribute
of your services in defence of your country. [Cheers.]

INDIANAPOLIS, AUGUST 23, 1889.

_Reunion of the Seventieth Indiana._

The day following the ceremonies at the Soldiers' Monument President Harrison attended the fifteenth annual reunion of his old regiment, the Seventieth Indiana, at Tomlinson Hall. Many survivors of the One Hundred and Second and One Hundred and Fifth Indiana, the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Illinois, and the Seventy-ninth Ohio regiments were present. These regiments, with the Seventieth, constituted the First Brigade--General Harrison's command. The gathering, therefore, was alternately a regimental and brigade reunion.

Col. Samuel Merrill, who delivered the annual address, escorted the President, and amid enthusiastic cheering installed him as presiding officer of the assembly. Other prominent members of the Seventieth present were Gen. Thomas J. Morgan, Capt. Wm. M. Meredith, Daniel M. Ransdell, Moses G. McLain, Capt. H. M. Endsley, Capt. Wm. Mitchell, and Capt. Chas. H. Cox. General Harrison was unanimously re-elected President of the regimental association; he was also chosen first President of the brigade association. The other brigade officers were Vice-President, Gen. Daniel Dustin; Second Vice-President, Gen. A. W. Doane; Secretary, J. M. Ayers; Treasurer, E. H. Conger.

In the absence of Mayor Denny, City Attorney W. L. Taylor cordially welcomed the veterans to Indianapolis. To this greeting the presiding officer, President Harrison, responded:

_Mr. Taylor_--The survivors of the Seventieth Indiana Volunteer
Infantry, now assembled in annual reunion, have heard, with great
gratification, the cordial words of welcome which you have addressed
to us. We have never doubted the hospitality of the citizens of this
great city, and have several times held our reunions here; and if
we have more frequently sought some of the quieter towns in this
Congressional district--where the regiment was organized--it has
only been because we could be a little more to ourselves than was
possible in this city. You will not think this a selfish instinct when
I tell you that, as the years go on, these reunions of our regiment
become more and more a family affair; and as in the gathering of
the scattered members of a family in the family reunion, so we have
loved, when we get together as comrades, to be somewhat apart, that
we might enjoy each other. It has been pleasant, I am sure, however,
to link this annual reunion with the great event of yesterday. It did
us good to meet with our comrades of the whole State--those who had
other numbers on their uniforms, but carried the same flag under which
we marched--in these exercises connected with the dedication of a
monument that knows no regimental distinction. [Applause.]

If those having charge now will announce some proper arrangement by
which I can take by the hand the members, not only of the Seventieth
Indiana, but any comrades of the First Brigade, who have done us honor
by meeting with us to-day, I would be glad to conform to their wishes.
It is perhaps possible that, without leaving the hall, simply by an
exchange of seats, this may be accomplished, and when that is done
there may yet be time before dinner to proceed with some other of the
exercises upon the programme.

CHICAGO, DECEMBER 9, 1889.

Monday morning, December 9, 1889, President Harrison, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Russell B. Harrison, Mrs. McKee, and First Ass't Postmaster-General J. S. Clarkson and wife, arrived in Chicago for the purpose of participating in the dedication of the great Auditorium building, in which--while in an unfinished state--was held the convention of June, 1888, that nominated General Harrison for the presidency. The distinguished party was met by a committee comprising Mayor D. C. Cregier, Ferd. W. Peck, Gen. Geo. W. Crook, Hon. A. L. Seeberger, Col. James A. Sexton, Alexander H. Revell, Franklin S. Head, C. L. Hutchinson, Charles Counselman, J. J. P. Odell, Col. O. A. Schaffner, F. S. Bissell, and R. W. Dunham.

During the morning the President and Vice-President Morton, under the guidance of Mr. Ferd. Peck, visited the Board of Trade and were tendered an enthusiastic reception by the members of that famous exchange. Then followed a reception and lunch at the Union League Club, as the guests of Mr. Peck and President Bissell of the Club. Other prominent citizens present were Governor Fifer, Geo. M. Pullman, Marshall Field, Joseph Medill, S. M. Nickerson, J. R. Rumsey, N. K. Fairbank, Sam. W. Allerton, A. A. Sprague, H. H. Kohlsaat, Wm. Penn Nixon, A. L. Patterson, Adolph Caron, C. I. Peck, A. L. Coe, John R. Walsh, J. W. Scott, John B. Carson, M. A. Ryerson, V. F. Lawson, and O. W. Meysenberg. Later in the afternoon the President and Mr. Morton, accompanied by Governor Hoard, of Wisconsin, General Alger, and Judge Thurston, visited the Marquette Club--of which the President is an honorary member--and were received by President Revell, Secretary Gould, H. M. Kingman, C. W. Gordon, and C. E. Nixon, comprising the Reception Committee.

The dedication of the auditorium hall in the evening was an event of rare interest in the history of Chicago. President Harrison and his party and Vice-President and Mrs. Morton were the honored guests of the occasion. Other distinguished out-of-town guests were Sir Adolph Caron, Hon. G. A. Kirkpatrick, C. H. McIntosh, and Mr. Wells, of Canada; Governor and Mrs. Fifer; Governor and Mrs. Merriam, of Minnesota; Governor Hoard, of Wisconsin; Governor and Mrs. Larrabee, of Iowa; Mrs. Governor Gordon; ex-Governor Morton, of Nebraska; General Alger, Judge and Mrs. Walter Q. Gresham; Mr. and Mrs. House, of St. Louis, and Mr. and Mrs. F. J. Mackey, of Kansas City.

The Auditorium--the modern Parthenon--typifying the spirit of the age, is largely the conception of Mr. Ferd. W. Peck, and its realization is the fruit of his zeal, supported and encouraged by the wealthy men of Chicago. The great structure, costing three and a half million dollars, was built by the Chicago Auditorium Association, whose officers at the time of completion were: Ferd. W. Peck, President; N. K. Fairbank, First Vice-President; John R. Walsh, Second Vice-President; Charles L. Hutchinson, Treasurer; Charles H. Lunt, Secretary. The building was begun June 1, 1887; the laying of the corner-stone occurred in September that year, and was witnessed by President Cleveland and other distinguished visitors. It has a frontage of 710 feet on Congress Street, Michigan and Wabash avenues. The exterior material is granite and Bedford stone. The height of the main structure is 145 feet, or ten stories; height of tower above main building 95 feet, or eight floors; height of lantern above main tower 30 feet, or two floors; total height 270 feet--one of the tallest buildings in the world. The permanent seating capacity of the auditorium is over 4,000, but for conventions--by utilizing stage--this capacity is increased to 8,000. A feature of the great hall is the grand organ. In addition to this unrivalled convention hall the colossal structure contains a recital hall, 136 stores and offices, a hotel with 400 guest rooms, and a magnificent banquet hall 175 feet long.

The gathering at the dedicatory exercises nationalized the Auditorium; 15,000 people were within its walls. The President and Mrs. McKee were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Ferd. W. Peck. Among the several thousand prominent residents present were the following gentlemen and their families--stockholders in the Auditorium Association: G. E. Adams, A. C. Bartlett, G. M. Bogue, C. W. Brega, J. W. Doane, J. B. Drake, J. K. Fisher, Carter H. Harrison, Charles Henrotin, O. R. Keith, G. F. Kimball, S. D. Kimbark, J. T. Lester, W. L. Peck, R. W. Roloson, W. C. Seipp, Lazarus Silverman, Robert Warren, John Wilkinson, Jr., C. S. Willoughby, C. T. Yerkes, J. McGregor Adams, W. T. Baker, Gen. J. C. Black, H. Botsford, R. R. Cable, C. R. Cummings, J. C. Dore, G. L. Dunlap, C. B. Farwell, J. J. Glessner, E. G. Kieth, W. D. Kerfoot, W. W. Kimball, L. Z. Leiter, J. M. Loomis, A. A. Munger, N. B. Ream, Conrad Seipp, J. G. Shortall, W. Sooy Smith, P. B. Weare, Norman Williams, F. H. Winston, and J. Otto Young.

The exercises opened with an address of welcome by Mayor Cregier, followed by a speech from Mr. Peck, President of the Association, who received an ovation. President Harrison's address was followed by the rendition of the hymn "America" by the Apollo Club of 500 trained voices. Hon. John S. Runnells delivered the dedicatory oration. Then came the real event of the day--"Home, Sweet Home" and the "Swiss Echo Song" by the incomparable songstress Adelina Patti, who shared the honors of the occasion with the President. The programme concluded with an address by Governor Fifer and the grand "Hallelujah" chorus from "The Messiah."

As Mr. Peck introduced President Harrison the great assembly enthusiastically testified its welcome. The President spoke as follows:

_Ladies and Gentlemen_--Some of my newspaper friends have been
puzzling themselves in order to discover the reason why I left
Washington to be present here to-night. I do not think I need, in view
of the magnificent spectacle presented to us here to-night, to state
the motives which have impelled my presence. Surely no loyal citizen
of Chicago who sits here to-night under this witching and magnificent
scene will ask for any other reason than that which is here presented.
[Applause.]

I do most heartily congratulate you upon the completion and
inauguration of this magnificent building--without an equal in this
country, and, so far as I know, without an equal in the world.
[Applause.] We have here about us to-night in this grand architecture,
in this tasteful decoration, that which is an education and an
inspiration. [Applause.] It might well tempt one whose surroundings
were much farther removed from this scene than is the capital city
to make a longer journey than I have done to stand for an hour
in the view of such a spectacle of magnificence and grandeur and
architectural triumph as this. [Applause.] And if that be true,
surely there is reason enough why the President may turn aside for a
little while from public duty to mingle with his fellow-citizens in
celebrating an event so high and so worthy of commemoration as this
triumph to-night. [Prolonged applause.]

Not speech, certainly, not the careless words of an extemporaneous
speech, can adequately express all the sentiments I feel in
contemplating the fitting culmination of this deed. [Applause.] Only
the voice of the immortal singer can bring from these arches those
echoes which will tell us the true purpose of their construction.
[Applause.]

You will permit me, then, to thank you, to thank the Mayor of
Chicago, to thank the President of this Association, and to thank all
those good citizens with whom I have to-day been brought in personal
contact, for the kindness and respect with which you and they have
received me; and you will permit me to thank you, my fellow-citizens,
for the cordiality which you have kindly displayed here to-night.

It is my wish, and may it be the wish of all, that this great
building may continue to be to all your population that which it
should be--an edifice opening its doors from night to night, calling
your people here away from the care of business to those enjoyments,
and pursuits, and entertainments which develop the souls of men
[applause], which will have power to inspire those whose lives are
heavy with daily toil, and in its magnificent and enchanting presence
lift them for a time out of these dull things into those higher things
where men should live. [Great applause.]

CLEVELAND, OHIO, MAY 30, 1890.

_Garfield Memorial Dedication._

On Decoration Day, 1890, President Harrison and Vice-President Morton, accompanied by Secretary Windom, Postmaster-General Wanamaker, Attorney-General Miller, Secretary of Agriculture Rusk, and Marshal Daniel M. Ransdell, visited the city of Cleveland for the purpose of participating in the dedication of the grand mausoleum erected to the memory of the lamented President James Abram Garfield. Fifty thousand people greeted the President and his party on arrival.

The mausoleum is situated in Lake View Cemetery, overlooking a region closely associated with Garfield's memory; it is built of Ohio sandstone--a large and imposing circular tower 50 feet in diameter, rising 180 feet. At the base projects a square porch, decorated externally with an historical frieze, divided into panels containing life-size bas-reliefs picturing the career of Garfield as teacher, statesman, soldier, and President. This imposing monument was erected under the auspices of the Garfield National Memorial Association, whose officers were: Rutherford B. Hayes, President; J. H. Wade and T. P. Handy, Vice-Presidents; Amos Townsend, Secretary. The Trustees of the Association were: Charles Foster, R. B. Hayes, James G. Blaine, H. B. Payne, J. H. Wade, Dan'l P. Eells, J. H. Rhodes, James Barnett, John Hay, T. P. Handy, J. B. Parsons, William Bingham, W. S. Streator, and H. C. White. The memorial cost $150,000, of which $75,000 was contributed by citizens of Cleveland; the architect was George Keller, of Hartford, Connecticut.

More than 100,000 people witnessed the parade and the dedicatory ceremonies, which were conducted under the auspices of the Grand Commandery, Knights Templars of Ohio--Right Eminent Henry Perkins, of Akron, Grand Commander; Very Eminent William B. Melish, of Cincinnati, Grand Marshal; Eminent Sir Huntington Brown, of Mansfield, Generalissimo; Eminent Sir L. F. Van Cleve, of Cincinnati, Grand Prelate; Eminent Sir H. P. McIntosh, of Cleveland, Grand Senior Warden; and Eminent Sir J. Burton Parsons, of Cleveland, Grand Treasurer. The committee to receive and entertain the guests from other cities comprised the following prominent residents of Cleveland: Hon. J. H. Wade, Dan'l P. Eells, M. A. Hanna, Col. William Edwards, Hon. R. C. Parsons, Henry D. Coffinberry, Gen. M. D. Leggett, Hon. George H. Ely, Hon. Joseph Turney, Samuel Andrews, Hon. S. Buhrer, Hon. H. B. Payne, Charles F. Brush, Hon. Charles A. Otis, R. K. Hawley, William Chisholm, H. R. Hatch, W. J. McKinnie, John Tod, Hon. N. B. Sherwin, L. E. Holden, George W. Howe, Samuel L. Mather, Judge S. Burke, Col. John Hay, Hon. T. E. Burton, Hon. R. R. Herrick, Selah Chamberlain, A. Wiener, Charles Wesley, Hon. Lee McBride, Hon. O. J. Hodge, H. C. Ranney, G. E. Herrick, Hon. W. W. Armstrong, S. T. Everett, Judge J. M. Jones, Hon. J. H. Farley, Hon. G. W. Gardner, R. R. Rhodes, J. B. Zerbe, Samuel W. Sessions, Louis H. Severance, Hon. M. A. Foran, Hon. C. B. Lockwood, Hon. William Bingham, John F. Whitelaw, Fayette Brown, Capt. P. G. Watmough, E. R. Perkins, Bolivar Butts, George T. Chapman, Hon. D. A. Dangler, Charles Hickox, and George W. Pack. Committee on Finance: John H. McBride, Myron T. Herrick, S. C. Ford, Joseph Turney, Charles L. Pack, H. S. Whittlesey, H. R. Groff, Percy W. Rice, Charles H. Bulkley, Douglas Perkins, Kaufman Hays, M. A. Hanna, T. S. Knight, James Parmelee, I. P. Lampson, Samuel Mather, O. M. Stafford, C. J. Sheffield, Harvey H. Brown, J. K. Bole, Dan'l P. Eells, H. R. Hatch, John F. Pankhurst, John Tod, and George P. Welch.

The event called together one of the most distinguished assemblies of the decade. Among the guests not previously mentioned--who occupied places of honor--were Gen. William T. Sherman, Chief-Justice Melville W. Fuller, Maj.-Gen. John M. Schofield, ex-Postmaster-General Thomas L. James, Gov. James E. Campbell, Lieutenant-Governor Marquis, Hon. William McKinley, Jr., Bishop William A. Leonard, Bishop Gilmour, Col. Wm. Perry Fogg, and many others. Mrs. Garfield was accompanied by her four sons, her daughter, and General and Mrs. John Newell.

The spectacular event of the day was the grand military and civic parade, participated in by President Harrison and the other guests. Six thousand men were in line, commanded by Chief Marshal Gen. James Barnett and a brilliant staff. At the head of the great column marched 115 survivors of Garfield's old regiment--the Forty-second Ohio--led by Capt. C. E. Henry, of Dallas, Texas, the Colonel, Judge Don A. Pardee, being absent. The procession comprised twelve divisions, commanded by the following marshals: Capt. J. B. Molyneaux, Gen. M. D. Leggett, Col. W. H. Hayward, Em. Sir M. J. Houck, Col. Louis Black, Col. John Dunn, Capt. E. H. Bohm, Captain McNiel, Capt. Louis Perczel, Col. Allen T. Brinsmade, Col. C. L. Alderson, and Capt. M. G. Browne.

Ex-President Hayes officiated as Chairman of the dedicatory meeting at the mausoleum, and introduced Hon. Jacob D. Cox, of Cincinnati, who delivered the oration of the occasion. Many other distinguished men spoke briefly. When the Chairman introduced President Harrison an ovation was tendered him, and almost every sentence of his address was enthusiastically cheered.

The President spoke with great earnestness. He said:

_Mr. Chairman and Fellow-citizens_--I thank you most sincerely
for this cordial greeting, but I shall not be betrayed by it into a
lengthy speech. The selection of this day for these exercises--a day
consecrated to the memory of those who died that there might be one
flag of honor and authority in this republic--is most fitting. That
one flag encircles us with its folds to-day, the unrivalled object of
our loyal love.

This monument, so imposing and tasteful, fittingly typifies the
grand and symmetrical character of him in whose honor it has been
builded. His was "the arduous greatness of things done." No friendly
hands constructed and placed for his ambition a ladder upon which
he might climb. His own brave hands framed and nailed the cleats
upon which he climbed to the heights of public usefulness and fame.
He never ceased to be student and instructor. Turning from peaceful
pursuits to army service, he quickly mastered tactics and strategy,
and in a brief army career taught some valuable lessons in military
science. Turning again from the field to the councils of state, he
stood among the great debaters that have made our National Congress
illustrious. What he might have been or done as President of the
United States is chiefly left to friendly augury, based upon a career
that had no incident of failure or inadequacy. The cruel circumstances
attending his death had but one amelioration--that space of life was
given him to teach from his dying bed a great lesson of patience and
forbearance. His mortal part will find honorable rest here, but the
lessons of his life and death will continue to be instructive and
inspiring incidents in American history. [Great applause.]

BOSTON, AUGUST 11, 1890.

_The Guest of Massachusetts._

Monday afternoon, August 11, the cruiser _Baltimore_, bearing President Harrison, Secretary Rusk, Secretary Noble, and a number of friends, entered Boston harbor, saluted by the _Atlanta_, the _Kearsage_, the _Petrel_, the _Yorktown_, the _Dolphin_, the dynamite cruiser _Vesuvius_, and the torpedo-boat _Cushing_. The distinguished guests were met by the Hon. John Q. A. Brackett, Governor of Massachusetts; Hon. Alanson W. Beard, Collector of the Port; Adj.-Gen. Samuel Dalton, Surg.-Gen. Alfred F. Holt, Judge Adv. Gen. Edward O. Shepard, Col. Sidney M. Hedges, Col. Wm. P. Stoddard, Col. Samuel E. Winslow, and Col. Edward V. Mitchell, of the Governor's military staff; Hon. Thomas N. Hart, Mayor of Boston; Hon. Geo. L. Goodale, Chairman Executive Committee National Encampment, G. A. R.; Hon. John D. Long, President National Encampment Committee; Hon. E. S. Converse, Treasurer; and Secretary Silas A. Barton.

Many thousand visiting veterans greeted the head of the Nation as he passed through the historic streets escorted by the First Battalion of Cavalry. Arrived at the Hotel Vendome, the President and his party, as guests of the Commonwealth, attended a State banquet, presided over by Governor Brackett. There was no speech-making. Other distinguished guests were Vice-President Morton, Secretaries Proctor and Tracy, General Sherman, Admiral Gherardi, Gov. Leon Abbett, of New Jersey, and Lieutenant-Governor Hale, of Massachusetts. Later in the evening Governor Brackett and staff escorted the President to the Parker House, where they participated in a reception given by E. W. Kinsley Post of Boston to Lafayette Post 149 of New York. Many veterans of national fame were present, among them Gen. Lucius Fairchild, Gen. Dan'l E. Sickles, Corporal James Tanner, ex-Gov. Austin Blair, of Michigan, Commander Viele, of Lafayette Post, and the following prominent citizens of Massachusetts, comprising the Reception Committee of the National Encampment: Hon. Henry H. Sprague, President Massachusetts Senate; Hon. Wm. E. Barrett, Speaker Massachusetts House; Hon. Wm. Power Wilson, Chairman Boston Aldermen; Horace G. Allen, President Common Council; Hon. John F. Andrew, Geo. H. Innis, Charles E. Osgood, Arthur A. Fowle, Fred C. King, Paul H. Kendricken, J. H. O'Neil, Joel Goldthwaite, Hon. Charles J. Noyes, Hon. E. A. Stevens, Horace G. Allen, Capt. Nathan Appleton, Col. Albert Clarke, Chas. D. Rohan, F. C. Brownell, and A. S. Fowle, of Boston; Gen. A. B. R. Sprague and Col. H. E. Smith, of Worcester; John W. Hersey, of Springfield; John M. Deane, Fall River; Gen. J. W. Kimball, Fitchburg; Maj. Geo. S. Merrill, Lawrence; Wm. H. Lee, Greenwood; S. W. Benson, Charlestown; Joseph O. Burdett, Hingham; Col. Myron P. Walker, Belchertown; and Arthur A. Smith, of Griswoldsville. The reception concluded with a banquet. Col. Charles L. Taylor acted as toastmaster and presented General Harrison, who received an ovation.

In response to these cordial greetings the President said:

_Comrades_--I do not count it the least of those fortunate
circumstances which have occasionally appeared in my life that I am
able to be here to-night to address you as comrades of the Grand Army
of the United States. [Great applause.] It is an association great
in its achievement and altogether worthy of perpetuation until the
last of its members have fallen into an honorable grave. It is not my
purpose to-night to address you in an extended speech, but only to say
that, whether walking with you in the private pursuits of life, or
holding a place of official responsibility, I can never, in either,
forget those who upheld the flag of this Nation in those days when
it was in peril. Everything that was worthy of preservation in our
history past, everything that is glowing and glorious in the future,
which we confront, turned upon the issue of that strife in which you
were engaged. Will you permit me to wish for each of you a life full
of all sweetness, and that each of you may preserve, undimmed, the
love for the flag which called you from your homes to stand under its
folds amid the shock of battle and amid dying men. I believe there are
indications to-day in this country of a revived love for the flag.
[Applause.] I could wish that no American citizen would look upon it
without saluting it. [Loud applause.]

BOSTON, AUGUST 12.

_G. A. R. National Encampment._

The morning of August 12 the President and the several members of his Cabinet, with Vice-President Morton, Governor Brackett, Mayor Hart, General Sherman, Governor Dillingham and staff, of Vermont; Governor Davis, of Rhode Island; Hon. William McKinley, Hon. Henry Cabot Lodge, Mrs. John A. Logan, Mrs. R. A. Alger, Mrs. McKee, Mrs. A. L. Coolidge, and Lillian Nordica, the _prima donna_, reviewed the grand parade of the veterans from a stand in Copley Square. As the head of the great column appeared, led by Commander-in-Chief R. A. Alger, with mounted staff and escort numbering 600 officers, the President and his Cabinet arose and saluted the veterans. General Alger and Gen. B. F. Butler reviewed the column from a stand in Adams Square. The parade was five hours and thirty-five minutes in passing.

In the evening the Mayor's Club of Boston tendered a banquet to President Harrison and other distinguished visitors. Mayor Fisher, of Waltham, introduced the Chief Executive, who said:

_Mr. Chairman_--I wish only to thank you for this cordial welcome.
Being upon my feet, I cannot refrain from expressing here my deep
sense of gratitude for all the evidences of friendliness which have
been shown me during my brief stay in Boston. The President of the
United States, whosoever he may have been, from the first to the last,
has always found in the citizenship of Massachusetts stanch supporters
of the Union's Constitution. [Applause.] It has never occurred that he
has called upon this great commonwealth for support that it has not
been cordially and bravely rendered. In this magnificent parade which
we have seen to-day of the survivors of the Massachusetts regiments
in the war for the Union, and in this magnificent parade of the Sons
of Veterans, coming on now to take the fathers' place in civil life
and to stand as they were in their day as bulwarks of the Nation's
defence, we have seen a magnificent evidence of what Massachusetts has
done in defence of the Union and of the flag, and in these young men
sure promise of what she would do again if the exigencies should call
upon her to give her blood in a similar cause. [Applause.]

Let me again cordially thank you for your interest and friendliness
and to bid you good-night, and, as I must leave you to-night for
Washington, to hope that the closing exercises of this grand and
instructive week may be pleasant, and as the outcome of it all that
there may be kindled in the hearts of you all, and of these comrades
of the Grand Army of the Republic, a newer love for the flag and for
the Constitution, and that this may all inure to us in social, family,
and public life. [Applause and cheers.]

Quitting the Mayor's banquet, the President and members of the Cabinet, with Admiral Gherardi and staff, proceeded to Mechanics' Hall, where a joint reception of the Grand Army and Woman's Relief Corps was in progress. At least 15,000 people greeted the arrival of the distinguished visitors. On the platform with the President's party were Miss Florence Barker, first President Woman's Relief Corps; Mrs. Annie Wittenmyer, National President; Miss Clara Barton, President Red Cross Association; Mrs. Mary E. Knowles, Massachusetts Department President; Mrs. Cheney, National Secretary; Mrs. Lynch, National Treasurer; Mrs. Nichols, National Inspector of the Relief Corps; Department Commander T. S. Clarkson, Nebraska; Department Commander P. H. Darling, Ohio; Governor Brackett and Congressman McKinley. George H. Innis, Commander Massachusetts Department, welcomed the visiting comrades. Other speakers were General Sherman, Commander-in-Chief Alger, and Vice-President Morton.

General Harrison was introduced as Comrade Harrison, President of the United States, and was greeted with tremendous applause. He spoke as follows:

_Mr. Chairman and Comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic_--I
had impressions both pleasurable and painful as I looked upon the
great procession of veterans which swept through the streets of this
historic capital to-day; pleasurable in the contemplation of so
many faces of those who shared together the perils and glories of
the great struggle for the Union; sensations of a mournful sort as
I thought how seldom we should meet again. Not many times more here.
As I have stood in the great national cemetery at Arlington and have
seen those silent battalions of the dead, I have thought how swiftly
the reaper is doing his work and how soon in the scattered cemeteries
of the land the ashes of all the soldiers of the great war shall be
gathered to honored graves. And yet I could not help but feel that
in the sturdy tread of those battalions there was yet strength of
heart and limb that would not be withheld if a present peril should
confront the Nation that you love. [Applause.] And if Arlington is
the death, we see to-day in the springing step of those magnificent
battalions of the Sons of Veterans the resurrection. [Applause.] They
are coming on to take our places, the Nation will not be defenceless
when we are gone, but those who have read about the firesides of the
veterans' homes, in which they have been born and reared, the lessons
of patriotism and the stories of heroism will come fresh armed to any
conflict that may confront us in the future. [Applause.]

And so to-night we may gather from this magnificent spectacle a
fresh and strong sense of security for the permanency of our country
and our free institutions. I thought it altogether proper that I
should take a brief furlough from official duties at Washington to
mingle with you here to-day as a comrade [applause], because every
President of the United States must realize that the strength of the
Government, its defence in war, the army that is to muster under its
banner when our Nation is assailed, is to be found here in the masses
of our people. [Applause and cries of "Good!"] And so, as my furlough
is almost done, and the train is already waiting that must bear me
back to Washington, I can only express again the cordial, sincere,
and fraternal interest which I feel this day in meeting you all. I
can only hope that God will so order the years that are left to you
that for you and those who are dear to you they may be ordered in all
gentleness and sweetness, in all prosperity and success, and that,
when at last the comrades who survive you shall wrap the flag of the
Union about your body and bear it to the grave, you may die in peace
and in the hope of a glorious resurrection! [Applause.]

CRESSON, PENNSYLVANIA, SEPTEMBER 13.

Nearly 1,000 veterans from the several G. A. R. posts of Altoona, Tyronne, and Holidaysburg visited Cresson on September 13, 1890, for the purpose of paying their respects to President Harrison. General Ekin and Col. Theo. Burchfield headed the delegation. Other prominent veterans were Post Commanders Painter, Beighel, Lewis, and Calvin; J. C. Walters, W. H. Fentiman, Rob't Howe, Maj. John R. Garden, George Kuhn, William Aiken, Oliver Sponsler, Wm. Guyer, Hon. J. W. Curry, Capt. Joseph W. Gardner, and ex-Mayor Breth, of Altoona. The President received the veterans at the Mountain House. After the reception J. D. Hicks delivered a congratulatory address on behalf of the veterans.

General Harrison, speaking from the balcony of the hotel, warmly thanked his comrades for their good wishes, and in mentioning the events of the war referred feelingly to the tragic death of the great Lincoln and the memorable words of Garfield on that occasion. His reference to the Constitution and the flag, and the love of the people for them, elicited a hearty response. He concluded as follows: "Now, my comrades, who have suffered and still suffer for your country, I wish in this world all good to you and your dear ones, and in the world to come joy everlasting."

OSCEOLA, PENNSYLVANIA, SEPTEMBER 20.