New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-06-04
WASHINGTON SKETCHES.
POETRY AND PROSE.
TIE DAY OF THE DEAD-AN HOUR IN THE SEN
ATE-PISTOLS FOR TWO.

bouts not after ALL drowned out, "a we reared III
would he. The sulen, persistent rain "let up just long
enough for that great national act Of pey and patriot
ism, and then resumed business, with and apparent
ly unlimited capital The shOne softly on the graves
fresh breezes stirred the fine old trees OF Arlington yet
the air humid and the ground humber, the flowers
were unduly dewy and everything was dampened, but
the enthusiasm of the Grand Army OF the Republic and
of the people generally That equal to the OCCASION
believe. But how long will it continue sol Can TINS
ceremony he kept up, year after yeari Something Ike
it should be, think, but it Is now managed the LABOR
and expense are too great, and too unequaly borne
All day Saturday and Sunday, the patriotic ladies OF
Washington, and none patrOtlc-er-were engaged
in the rooms Of the Young Mems Christian Association
in making up baskets wreaths crosses, and bouquets
They toiled, hafdrugged with heavy perfumes, In a
chaos of bloom, almost whelmed in eyerSreens yrgas
heliotrOpes and veTbenas, "ies, and roSes, ana all
sorts OF poes" The arrangement Of these would nave
been very sweet and fairy like work. had the evergeens
been without prckes, and the roses without thorns-
had not nearly all the flowers dripping wet As 1t
was, it proved poetic and patriotic way oil taxing
catarrhs and coughs, rheumatism and neuralgia Iheh'
10 think that for all efforts with the most magnlhccht
floral contributions, only furnish decorations Tor
small portion of the mighty encampments OF our dead
heroes Thousands Of graves are always left unvsted,
and for those that most profusey decorated it sad
to think how those fair and fragrant offerings VIII
unsghtly things, breathing only the odor OF de-
cay. A few hours turns them To rubbish.
4 Washington
me as admirable suggestion. 1t is that we Substitute
for this lavish but partial annual decoration Of graves
the planting Of shrubs and flowers throughout our vast
national cemeteries. The yearly gatherings could sun
take place. and and poets could continue to scat
ter flowers OF rhetoric and song right and lett, cued
from Conservatives less costly and more prohc tha
those now so exhaustvcly drawn upon, and we could
still have the music, and the military, and the orphans
sweet singing and then we could 20 away among the
graves, and how plantations were getting on
am sure II the heroic prOprctOrs OF these now desoate
mOnoonOus slopes and plains could see ana understand
they would rather grow their own flowers than nave
them doled out to them, once year. here and there,
tied up in bundles, living about loose the finest ana
largest distributed s hOnors used 10 he among the
officers. We have few enough national holidays
there is something touching and solemnzing
about this, which, it seems 10 me, makes 1t worthy
Of perpctuation only let lie rendered less onerous let
il he stripped of all shams all mere pompous parade all
rproach Of political partisanslp.
The poem Of the day read by the poet Dr. c. C. Cox,
grave understanding gentleman had sort OF quaint
od-fashioncd simplicryof sentiment andrhythm about
quite charming. Some passages of it were very beauti
full and tender and the spirit was admirable. The
gallant and picturesque Commander-in-Chief of the
Grand Army Of the Republic, Gen. John A. Logan, lis
speech was highly patriotic AMI inspiring, and classical
TO degree. II was somewhat highly cotored in style
with lavish of metaphors, "a though it were itself
not merely an grafton, but decoration As printed, II
aboRnds in paragraphs after the manBor Of L'Homme
Ql9 Rt or Of that more unhappy Logan OF old time,
whose recital of his used to furnish part OF
the schoolboy's dcclmnatory capital. But Per-
haps this very style, broken, so startling,
nashng burdened With ornament better suited To
the occasion than calm and even flow OF care
fully studied OratOry wC,ild have been. doubt II the
grand periods of Mr.. CDswe the fine, poetic fancics
and beautiful enthusiasm Of Mr. Garfield, the choice
English the harmonious metaphors aud the ugt brOae
| estimates of Mr.. Secretary Cox, would have been 80
effective, generally satisfactory to that east mue h
mixed assembly.
On the sweeping march of his eloquenco the gallant
General confiscatedf good deal 81 fine poetry. This Mo
sale worl; seems u,c peculiarly Of Washington
tory en- occasions like this, especially, lou can rely
upon none OF ps rioc spcs6ers for regular swing
ing of honest prose, they I'll break in the poetic
way or ato-. 1t is "a custom more honored in
the breach than tbs Observance and yet how het uul
il is to hnk that ouch mutdcs Of grand thing about
hcroiu and patrotism and liberty, more grandy sad
than say them, swaziland agOnibt may, are
lyngfeady TO our hand in thu the greet poets
The world has1l too often bohFhe press aud the
pulpit degraded TO the base service o. Cypress on-the
one sdously poisoning til, mind Of tine peopl against
freedI ms struggling heroes and Decorating the graves
Of her martyrs with vile caumnes-tlle Other fOlemny
saaetOnng ami cchOinc f1c DEGREES of injustice and
crime We have priests unfolding the hands OF
Libeb US assasrns and Pipes sprnkiing tho water of
beAe6 auf he Can-mT ked brOws of the murderers
Of p1tions We have genius, in camp, end court
andh places Of state, kstraying the solemn trust of
freedom for the miserable rewards of tyranny; but
THANK God true poet has yet been lowered to the
levo of such these Poetry has never yet set her
dve music t. the clanSo chains the internal reoic
ings OF victorious dcspOi Undalnted, unwearied,
unbought srang in the laith of he immor ality, she
delivers the world, az after that message Of
liberation aud redempuousfod gave her at the irst
Trre that will do, mink. l WIS just tying my
hand in ] should be the next Arlington orator.
whats in namcl Enough TO cause the dscom-
future Of bill thought before the senate the ether day
for tn interpolation of academy which mi yt some
time have rvaid that OF il peral France. The title pro
posedygas If remember rsht The American National
Union Academy of Literature Science and Ar" This
starts Mr. summer, and aroused bib scholarly suspi-
cions He oppOse upon Ietc instinct literary asso-
thrseHad in such Ia taste III. looked skance
at it, M he would have sail "What charlatan plan Is
this thu roars loud and tiunders In the index ~ SO
he got put aside, and brou ,ht forwar1 petit on
"dr OF his own, for newSppropriaton for the relief
of the eGi)red po1 of the district Thu he urge with
earnest lquenee but it wasnay laidover. Senator
Fowler y, veiy plausbly opposed it the ound
that MANI of those il would benefit were abc-bCded
men, whe were edcd in zne South .ald West, but
too lazy and shiftess a. where 4abOr awaits
| them. The Senator was right-and wrong Doubtless
many Of thu vagrals that hang like blacclouds about
our parks and hauIt the City Rail steps and grounds
lounging and spraying in the whistling aid DOING
too lazy 10Y Sh0O, fly " to Ihe biggest bnebOttie
that luzzes an1und them, and toe orhess FOR any bit
Wari politician To rcspect-donbtless many Of these
benefit by the aims Intended for their infr parents
yretchd chidyen If these intelligent votars," late
~intelent cOBtrabaDds," these IDLE, ragged milking
fellows could be sfted out and SEM away, when they
would b, compelled 20 labor or starve, we could
eaAily reich and relieve the sid and lrhrm.
who are now really in great want. They are
hapsess, kelp ess waits, left here by the suosd-
ing fiood of war; by social conyusion unparalleled in