Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-04-27
CEREMONIES AT "
YESTERDAY.
An OratIOn and Recitation
4 Large CORcOurSe of People
Present.
Interesting Speeches, Etc, Etc.

Interesting Speeches, Etc, Etc.
The annual ceremony Of decorating
/ the a of the Confederate dead buried
at Elmwood cemetery, took place yes
terday morning. The cemetery was Wis
tied by a large number Of persons Of
/ all ages and sexes, and it may be
| safely estimated that upwards Of five
thousand people were present at
the cemetery yesterday morning, where
/ the ceremonies took place. the cars run
/ ming were well filed on every trip.
/ Hacks and omnibuses found plenty Of
business. The number Of people surglng
10 and fro was wonderful. But 70 the
/ cemetery-this beautiful resting place Of
the de~ad--where lie the remains OF
hundreds of confederate soldiers was
visited by the mothers, wives sisters and
friends of the noble dead, who decorated
the graves of the known and unknown
in a most beautiful manner, with I'D
ers most rare tied with white ribbons,
the emblem of purity. To give a de-
| %scription of the various scenes, is an in
wiling field, but the space at our dis
posaI forbids u writing it out, however
much we may desire to publish it. About
eleven o'clock, q large crowd having as
sembled in the vicinity Of the stand,
prayer was offered by DR.. J. H. Allen.
Col. Jno. S. Kerr, the marshal Of the
day, in introducing the orators, Rev. S.
H. Ford, spoke as follows:
Ladies and GeaHemea: Twelve
months z many hundreds came to
this hallowed spot for the purpose OF
having that tribute 10 the memory OF
the gallant and patriotic dead, which is
time honored in its custom among all
I christian countries; and if the spirits OF
the departed are permitted to mingle
with their living friends-a faith most
Dreeious to many a. aching heart-Oh !
how must lot those who repOSe mere
recognize the sublimest hoHOrs IN this
vast multitude, in which the man
of God, who has left his sacred
desk, the lawyer who has laid away MS
books and his papers, the professor ana
his pupil, tie physician VINO mas leIt lhe
. nE1-IuE Oh hA5 BGAEELAH NAC ~ 49,
rriDOd. the husbandmau his field, the
mechanic his workbench, and the
merchant his traffic to mingle with these
mobile mothers and fair daughters of the
south in this grand and spontaneous
cart Offering 70 the sacred pledges 20
honor and 10 patriotism which moIder IN
these humble graves, when an hundred
generations shall have come and passed
swsr this SPOT will be still hailOwed, and
this dav, as il comes with every recur-
ring twelve mOBths, sacred. These deao
require no Lacitus or Livy TO rescue t&eii
memory from oblivion, nor Homer MOI
I Virgil 10 sing their praise no braZen ea'
Z tsbfgrures to tell Oftheir exploits, nor LOFTY
eolumu 70 pe~rpetuate the fame OF the'i
patriotic deSaLi0n. Their history Will
be written in the tasrs OF these Rscheis
and their memory eEbslmed IN lEt
hearts Of as noble a people 50 eyer strus'
pled for liberty. And when he aark
and deformed ghOul Of malice, OF hate
and Of vengeance shall have SUNK 20 ~
abode, ami the beautiful sentiment o.
charity. Of magnauimity and Of love
-baU arise and spread It's benign inru-
ause like some sweet incense borne upon
ne mornings pure breeze, then VII
many other hundreds come here TO ten
der a willing tribute 10 departed worth
,vbo TO-DAY look not with approval
unou this chaste and solemn ceremony
This is an established, n perpetual Gus
tom now among the people Of the sOuIh
and no uGwer on earth can 3Ooiisn IL,
even il there cogld be imagined AM
vile enough to RedIss-s such an unnatu
raj and EefsTiOus pu pose. IN yam Alal
the ~couceited and imperiOus Canuts, p
be sits upon his throne upon the Isr
snrea3inv sea beach, command thi
waves OF the grand old ocean q
lean their appointed bounds an'
.Uread themselves at his feet. "a
mute may 20 to the sea, but the SET
Z will never come to him. Men may
learn to respect the devotion OF IN
southern heart to its dead, but tne south
err heaRt will eve yield that ueFotloL
till it yields its life. So long as the gfeA
river OK waters lEFes the 1901 OF GU
J bluffs so long Is re Vtnds OF HeaNet
shall vail their solemn Fifge thfougi
the boughs OF these forest oaks SO tOnl
a. IoWers open their lips to tn
EisSss of the morning dews so lens
f, As woman smiles ~approvingly upoL
knigbtIy g~allantry, and man DOW
= devotee at the shrine of woman
virtue. so long will these lOwly graves o'
badaaEed every 10th of April WITH fresi
,srlancs Of beauty and Offrsgrauce. w
are told the aneieDts worshiped thel
2 rod OF honor Y 2 temple when wa
8Isced in rear Of one SevCcS1 &c ID
alteration OF the divinity Of virtue s.
rbat none could make their oherIpg'
III honor without fret being virtuOus
Tat rs. in one regard, imit2te thes
pagans in such future graves as may %
thought worthy these sacred precineJs
tesch the living that vlrtuous acu
alone can purchase honorable sepultufe
Rut have forgotten the highly honor
/, able but Loss distinguished position as
A.. signed me by the ladies upon tins inter
asfinr occasion, and and myself seduee'
from the straight line OF ~ Entles 0.
the tempting fed so invitingly sPs-+
n before my thoughts, and VIII now pro
coed % introduce 10 you the orator o
the dsv. lie Rev. s. II. Ford, LII ID.
a sc5olsr ana : christian patriot! An
wh1 more ~appropft-tP than be, VIII
shared the perils OF bat1is. The fatigue
Of he march, and the ~priya4-2s @
camp w,th these loved ones, waited an
prayed by thesr dying couch, and close
Inc ewes Of maDy, ~ offer that need {
their memory which Lis philanthropy
/, heart will never shrink froT pay ing.
DE-. Ford then delivered the oration
, a synopsis OF which we publish, regret
I ting that u space forbids q more ex
tended report of his admirable sddress
> When the Beauty Of Israel Saul We
slain on ube high places, David TOOK u.
5 The lamentation, "The Beauty OF Israel
We mountains Of GilbOa, let there be a
dew. neither let there be rain upon you
nor aeEa Of Offering, for there the shlel
, OF the mighty vas Wiley cast away
From the blood OF Vae 9lein- from the Ia
of The mighty, the bow OF JOn1thal
; t,r1sd nat hack. the sword Of Saul thrnet
not emptv away. Ne daughters OF lsrae
veep for Saul. How are the might.
: fallen and the weapons Of war perlshed
] RI the fall Of a rival and an enemy eouli
70 bring from the great heart OF the warrior
, Eiu0 these strains or mOUrntu
melody. if tta hero OF Judah wit
sucb iuimitable P@thcs conseerate
. the memory Of q vino IA
= eh&ed him as q partridge o.
4 the mountains, shall not We then otserv
= eustom in harmony with the MOBILES
and unrest sentiments aud sympathies G
All eiiu,es and all ages Of the world, Il
I Derpetuatins the memory Of brothers
= fathers and FRIENDS, Vhc fell while stand
ing as a wall OF blazing nre ~ cuG iToDl
should We not cherish in grateful recci
lection their lives and their deaths
Beats there a heart so dead to all that
beautiful ana noble in human nature, s.
e not to be affected by ssch sweet token
. Of reverence and love- Does tie heini
live who a envy Us the sad luxury q
: sorrow and the melancholy JOY whieI
the poor heart feels in holding eonvers
p with the loved and honOred dead
d Imagine an humble grave ia the vale,
, Of Virginia, with a simple stone tellint
i he name of the hero Of an hun
e Sred battlefelds of the Shenandoah
md Rappahannock. There stand
a leaning against that beadstone, a vener
able man, silent, sad and fearful. 1t
. Robert L. Lee 81 sho grave OF Stonewsl
ms, N our cline who would break il
: 1n1n that si.snce? who would iuterrup
, hose m-editationss Could there be
subIimer or more impressive pictur