this memorial of granite, emblematic of the durability of our free institutions, which are based upon Liberty, Education, and Religion. Let the young be inspired daily by its sight, and recall the sacrifices made for their freedom. Let the middle-aged be ever reminded of the great cost of preserving this government, and of its priceless worth. Let the aged be satisfied by this record, that the old fire of Liberty still burns brightly in the hearts of the descendants of the fathers of the Revolution. May it serve to keep alive in us all, the lessons of patriotic valor, and a stronger love of country. May future generations revere the memory of those whose names it bears, and realize in some faint measure the magnitude of the struggle by which their most precious legacy of a free government has been preserved and bequeathed to their keeping. May they resolve to protect and defend it at all hazards, and to transmit it unimpaired to those who may come after them. We lay this corner-stone in the full faith and hope that the freedom and growth of our institutions, as now exemplified in our government, may continue and be perpetual. At the close of the Mayor's Address, by the aid of a ponderous derrick, which was manned by comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic, the stone was placed in its proper position. The Mayor then gave three raps with a hammer upon the stone, and declared it "well and truly laid." The Reverend Chaplain offered a concluding prayer and the benediction. After which a national salute was fired on the small Common by a detachment of members of the several Posts of the Grand Army of the Republic. The bells of the city were rung, and national airs played by the band and chimed upon the bells in Christ Church. This closed the exercises of the morning, and the assembly retired, apparently highly satisfied with the proceedings they had witnessed. 7 |