The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-12
SPIRIT OF THu RRHss.
Editorial Opinions Of the Leading Journals
upon Current Topics-Compiled Every
Day fer the Evening Telegraph.
OUR SOLDIERS GRAVES.

OUR SOLDIERS GRAVES.
From Gs NJ y. TFfoune
Every religious form, most probably, no
matter how dead now, had at first its ami
mating idea, divine or brutalizing, as the case
might be, but assuredly alive. A form, how
ever, of any sort, is so apt to become q mere
aceretion Of dead matter as time goes by, that
the stihed idea inside has no more chance to
utter itself than had Ariel in the cloven pine.
Whenever, therefore, q good or ennobling
idea springs up spontaneously in any nation,
it is wisest to let it alone. Leave it to find
its own defense and expression, and, above
all, keep off the itching fingers of Legislators
who complacently propose to bring it into
shape. No better instance of the damning
quality of such meddling can be found than
in the bill introduced into the House on May
2, by Mr.. ScheDck, providing that ''the 30th
of May, being the day appointed and accus-
toned to be observed for the decoration of
the graves of the soldiers who died in war in
defense of the Union against the Rebellion,
shall be public holiday, to be for ever OBJ
served as such by the people of the United
States"
No feeling more pure or tender has ever
had birth among us than that which has
drawn, year after year, the compatriots who
survived our dead heroes, and the women
who loved them, to their graves, to lay there
a few fresh flowers in token of the immortal
gift which they bought for us with their
lives, and cherishing some vague hope, it may
be, that the stark, cold body which lies be-
meath, still dear to us in spite of reason, may
be cheered and comforted by our presence.
Who can tell? TriAes perhaps; only few
violets, or scrap of flag. But to those
who have passed into that more help
full and more earnest life, where man first
forgets to hope and learns to be- the simple,
sincere meaning beneath the symbols is read
with eyes different from ours; and, even in
the midst of that nobler work which God has
given them there to do, the poor flowers, the
tears falling on the heavy sod, may carry to
them, better than we know, the message
we would send. But, in proportion as the
observance is just and beautiful when spon-
taneous, we protest against its degradation
into an enforced legal holiday. We all know
what that means. The American mind gravi-
tates naturally to powder and shot, we are
not yet educated to any higher idea
of the sanctity of holiday than unlimited
tipsiness. We celebrate the anniversary
of our independence and the birthday of
the Saviour of mankind in precisely the same
manner; however different may be our emo
tions they find alike voice in fre-crackers,
the booming of cannon, the refined egg-nogg,
or the vulgarer whisky sling. In year or
two, our dead heroes will be honored or dis
honored in the same fashion. The only
class who will benefit by the measure will be
the demagogue orators of every shade and
party, who, even on the last decoration day,
made use of the collected crowds, and carried
their minds adroitly from the scattered
flowers and those who lay beneath to the
next election day. We sacrifice good deal
to these same ofice-mongers: let them at
least not grind the bones of our dead heroes
to make their bread.
Apart from the inevitable vulgarizing of
the ceremony, however, we doubt the pro-
priety of enforcing its observance. Many of
our dead sleep on Southern ground, side by
side with their mistaken but surely not un-
worthy foes. And they who most bravely
died would be the first to remind us that the
war is over; that the end they fought for is
gained; and that their graves are surely the
most uniting ground on which to perpetuate
rancor and hatred. The grave is no place
at which to bid our brother stand aside with
Pharisaic pride-least of all, the graves
of those who died that there might be
peace between brothers. The House, with
out due consideration, passed the bill. We
hope the Senate will prove itself more capa-
BILE of looking under the apparently Just and
commendable feeling which it expresses to
the very unadvisable and unjust reality. Let
the decoration of the resting g-places of all, on
either side, who bore themselves as brave
men in the war, be left to voluntary and indi-
vidual feeling. The observance will then re-
tain its tender and sincere spirit and the
survivors will sooner learn what the dead have
known long ago, that the hour for forgive
ness, for frank effort, for friendliness and
goodwill, struck when the object of the wal
was gained. The living as we'll as the dea6
may then strike hands with their brothers anG
be at peace.