Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-06-05
PAYING rR1purE no .rHE pEAp.


In all ages of the world, wherever civil
ization has existed, the practice of doing
honor to the dead has prevailed. Even
the savage retains in his breast CRATE
full remembrance of his dead comrade,
and makes many annual returns to the
spot where his mortal remains were de-
posted beneath the shade OF the forest
oak. The young, the old, the rich, the
poor, all share feeling of this kind,
which is heightened and purified as the
individual is cultivated and refined. 1t
is from this principle in the human breast
that the practice has arisen which has
grown into "A custom of annually assem-
bling at our national cemeteries,
Where sleep the brave who sink to rest
By all their country wishes best"
And keeping alive their memories by
spreading beautiful and fragrant flowers
upon the mounds beneath which the NOR
tai remains of fallen heroes repose i'll ST.
lence, awaiting the "last loud trumpet"
which is to awaken earth's sleeping mil
lions. 1t gives us kind of sad pleasure
to thus present these floral contributions
in memory of those who died for their
country, and in doing so, silent prayer
of gratitude should ascend to the Ruler of
Nations, that the strife which resulted
in the death of so many of our
countrymen has happily ceased, and
that there no longer exists necessity for
men to leave their homes and expose
their lives to the dangers of the bloody
field, or to the rigor of winters snow
and summers suns in defense of their
firesides. Peace reigns supreme, and for
this we should ever be grateful.
All over this land of ours, from the At
lantic on the northeast, to the Pacific on
the Southwest, wherever the Union SOL
der rests who fell in the late unhappy
conflict nobly, defending his country,
there will be found to-day ready hands,
prompted by sympathetic hearts, tenderIy
spreading their floral offerings. How
many mothers who have lost their sons,
how many wives who have lost husbands,
Will turn their eyes to-day towards the
spot where sleeps their remains, and shed
the unbdden tear, in remembrance OF the
fact that kind though strange hands are
around the shrine of their affections in
the city of the dead, and performing the
tender offices which they are prevented
from performing by cruel space which in
tervenes between them and the lost object
of their tenderest affections.
All there is something so pleasing and
yet so sad in the proposed exercises of to-
day at the National Cemeteries throughout
the land, as to preclude the idea of hilar-
ity or anything of a kindred nature, and
every one who participates should feel
that they are upon sacred ground, engag-
ed in the performance of a sacred task.
May the bright sunshine of heaven ever
Tighten the hearts of those whose lives are
and have been filled with grief and dark
ness by the loss of kind friends and COM
panions, who fell in their country's de-
Tense
1t was happy idea on the part of the
government, that formed the plan of group
ing these fallen braves together and care
fully watching and identifying the spot
where sleep their mortal remains. 1t is a
fitting expression of the feelings which an
mate the patriotic people of this country.
1t is right that we should assemble, annu-
ally at least at their tombs and give express
sion to our gratitude for their services in be-
half of our country. Whether we should
assemble quietly and perform these servic-
es or go with the usual pomp aand parade
! is a question. We think the former more
appropriate but that it should be done as
the simultaneous voice of our whole peo-
pie, there can be no doubt. We trust that
all will find an hour or two to-day in
which to unite in paying tribute to the
nations dead. We trust that the eXer-
cises may be such as to improve the living,
| and that the time may soon arrive when
the late unhappy strife may be forgotten
in the general good feeling that prevails
among all classes and conditions of life,
and that the hearts of our people may eb
so cemented together with patriotic and
! brotherly love, that civil strife in the fu-
ture may be unknown.