Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1867-06-13
LOCAL DEPARTMENT..
The Floral Offerin o.


ry battlefield and in every cemetary in the
land; their deeds Of daring shall go down 10
posterity and be cherished so long as there is
left in The hearts Of those for whose cause they
died love of liberty or devotion to country
Few, indeed, could be found among men who
would brave The dangers and endure the pri-
vations of the battlefield in cause which
they did not believe to he Goods and their
Comtrys." Proper respect for The memory
of the honorcd dead has ever been one of the
most beautiful manifestations of a lofty and
refined civilization.
TIE annual decoration of the graves of our
"unforgotten dcad,' whose ashes repcse in The
several grayeyards in our midst. took place OIL
Thursday last. At 3 o'clock, P. NJ, the citi-
zens of The town and vicinity, and many oihcl 5
from distance, proceeded 10 the Lutheran
Church, where the programme Tor the rrocce-
dings Of the day was announced by The Chief
Marshal, DR.. ]. L. CAMPBELL. After announ-
cling the names of the ladies who had been APP
pointed TO decorate the graves of our soldiers
at the several places Of interment in town, the
Marshal introduced H. C. ALLEN, ESQ.,, to the
audience, who delivered an appropriate and
stirring address, in which he pronounced a
meried eu1ogy upon the character of 'soUE
HEROIC DEAD,"-or, we should rather say.
@'oue LIVING DEAD, and ably vindicaied
ing eriminaly sacrificed their lives and their
foriunes in an unrighteous cause. They and
We believed that they poured out their pre-
clous life's blood in defence Of the great prin-
ciples of civil liberty as bequeatled 10 us by
the patriotic sages and statesmen OF the revo-
luton, against The assaults Of fanatical vio-
lence and RIGHTEOUSNESS. Moved by these ho-
fy impulses, whether right or wrong, must be
decided 10y the judgment of the impartial his
toriau, the Southern soldier went forth 'so do
or to die; :" and shall their failure be deemed
q crime SO heinous in the eyes of The world,
as TO exclude them from the roll ef honor p
Dare any man say that we are 4'disleyal'' 10
the government or rebellious against the laws
because we thus offer at these consecrated
shrines the beautiful memorials Of oar heag is
warmest affections and hottest emotions p
Whilst the Government of the United States.
with all the pomp and circumstance of The vic
tor, is gathering The bones Of its slaughi cred
thousands for interment in their grand nation
al cemeteries, shall we, the vanquished who
enee, be denied the poor privilege of strewing
their humble mounds with The first most beau
tiful offspring of mother earth?
s..Althoueh ne earven column
Rears its marble shaft in air,
Pointing upward, calm and solemn,
as the lifted hands Of prayer;
They have monuments Of glory,
That shall mock The power of time,
And repeat their hallowed story
Unto every age and elime."
No stately naausoeum or costly monum ent
may ever mark their humble resting place;
but we may adopt the language of one of our
own patriotic poets:
I" we weep for The heroes that died for u.s.
Who, living, were true and tried for US:
The martyr band
That hallowed our land
With the blood they pour'd out in tide for us. %
And We may as a token of our devotion,
s'Bring flowers, pale flowers, DER the grave to
shed,
A crown for the brow of The honored dead;
For this through its leaves hath the white
rose burst,
For this in the woods was the violet nurs ed;
Tho they smile in vain for what once was ours,
They are loves last gifts-bring ye flowers,
pale flowers
What though, in the language of Scotland's
noble bard,
SIN the last battle, borne down by the flying,
Where mingle wars rattle and the groans of
the dying"
shall we yield to the ssinexorable logic of
events" that eliminated in our disastrous de-
feat, AMI let their memories perish,
''Unwept, unhonored, and unsung %
Are we prepared to endorse that monstrous
heresy, now so prevalent, that ssmight makes
right % and that the vanquishcd are always
in the wrong? Then, indeed, would we justi-
fly the most foul crimes that stain the annals
Of ancient and modern times. Sometimes, for
wise purposes, perhaps, which we may not ap-
preciate or understand,
"WoeS cluster: rare are solitary woes
They love a train: they tread each others
heels;''
but they do not prove that the sufferers are
greater sinners than even their boastful con.
querors.
At The conclusion of Mr.. ALIENS speech the
procession was formed in the order announced
by the Mars shall, and marched to the old Epis
copal burying ground, thence to the Methodist
Church, and thence to the German Reformed
Church, and after the ladies had tastefully de
corated the green mounds of the silent sleep
ers with the beautifully wrought wreaths o.
flowers and evergreens prepared for the occa
sion, the procession returned to the Lutheran
graveyard, where the ceremony of decorating
The graves was concluded during the singing
of solemn dirge. The procession then re
turned to the Church; and after All appropri
ate prayer by Rev. J. P. HYDE, JAS. H. VII
LrAMs, Esq, de- the concluding address
He paid an. eloquent tribute to the memory o
our honored dead, the brave men,
g who died in vain for as"
But s.their deeds--proud deeds-shall remain
land their names-dear names-Without stal1
: for us;