The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-06-04
Decorating Soldiers Graves.

Last Monday, May 3Oth. had been deslg-
mated by John a. Logan. once rebel himself,
now commander in-chief Of the 'Grand Ar
NV" &c, as the day on which should be en-
actei the annual pageant of decorating SOL
diers' graves with flowers. An account OF what
was done in Ottawa on the occasion will be
found under the proper heading in another
column. 1t will be seen that our people did
not tntbps about this decorating business
much. The day was intensely hot and disa-
greeable. Perhaps that had something to do
with the comparative failure. But was 1t not
rather attributable to sundry pulling ques-
tons which KEEP: constantly Obtruding them
selves, something like these, for instance:
Instead ofthis claptrap Business Of drum and
fife, procession and flowers, suppose the day
was devoted to quiet decoration of the homes
of the widows and orphans OF the deceased
soldiers, with such bouquets as bolts OF calico
and sheeting, and sacks Of flour, load Of coal
or wood and ham or two The widow and
her children could probably appreciate such
spectacle but these grand ladies in their
carriages now going out with flowers to hang
on the .ombs of those whom they would not
have deigned to speak to when alive, must it
not seem to them little else than mockerys
Again-was it appropriate that this matter
of paying honors to the patriotic dead should
be conducted under the auspices Of political
asso citation, like the Grand Army? Up the
breaking out @. the rebellion, our country was
divided INTO two political parties. But when
the call to arms resounded through the land,
party differences were forgotten, and side by
side democrats and republicans marched to
the tented field. 1t is true that during the
four dark years of strife party divisions were
kept up, but support of the war was never
bone of contention between them, and the
charge of lukewarmness for the common cause
was never made by one party against the
other except III a spirit OF partison malignity
or insult t. Shall this sort of pickering be
continued, by one party setting up false
claim to superior tenderness for the memory
of the fallen brave, and taking charge of the
business Of strewing flowers over their graves
five must have national holiday of this sort
had it not better be designated by the civil
authorities, like national fast days, thanks.
giving day, or the fourth of July? Is it not
time to have as end of loyal shifting about
this business:
But should we have such holiday at all
The civil war, thank God, is over. and the
country. in spite Of endless reconstruction
laundering, is on the eve of a happy reunion.
Shall the gaping wounds again be probed
the enmites of The deadly strife revived and
pcrpetuated by this idle show IT the north
decorate the graves of the dead union soldiers,
the south will decorate the graves Of the con-
federate dead. As often rs it is done, one
section hurls defiance at the other. Is this
the way to restore the lonycd for era OF good
feeling, when the bitterness Of the past shall
be buried and forgotten, and the man of the
north shall again be able to hail the man OF
the south as his friend and brother?
Whether influenced by thoughts like these
or the weather. or what, as before minated
our people were unable to go into raptures
over this business. Certainly nothing is more
beautiful than strcwing flowers over the
graves of the loved dead; but the act is beau
titul only when done by the hand Of atfec
TONY the widow, sister, or orphan of tn,
deceased; but done by the cold hand of tn,
political schcmer, mainly for political effect
it is worse than hallow mockcry-wors,
than Dissertation.