The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-06-03
DECORATION DAY.

having charge Of them in the South dec
Grated the graves Of each side alike. AT
the North il was different There was
feeling of shameful hate exhibited towards
the sleeping dead Of the lost cause, which
drove women away from their graves at
the point Of United States bayonets, and
any man or any newspaper which dared re-
Duke this spite TO the dead was denounced
as disloyal. Time, reflection and discussion
has changed all that, and the n. Y. Tn
hume, last decoration morning, said
Zone feature this year is worthy Of no
tice, showing as it does that time is soften |
ing the asperities growing out Of long
civil war. The graves Of the Confeder-
ate dead will receive the same attention as
the resting places Of those who fell while
battling to preserve the Union"
They did in New York, but not every
where.
The World, on the same morning, said
Zone Of the most notable features of
to-day's celebration will be that the graves
Of many Confederate dead will be decor
ated along with those Of the Union dead,
and that the Secretary Of War has issued
an order permitting the decoration of Con
federate graves at Arlington. These courte-
sizes, following as they do upon similar
courteses extended earlier in the spring
to the graves OF Union soldiers in many
places at the South, seem to indicate the
approach OF decoration day which will
sink all the bltterer memories of the civil
war IN paying tribute TO valor and self sac
rlhce regardless OF the uniform in which
those virtues were displayed"
At st. Louis, too, the Republican com
menced its account Of the ceremony as fol-
lows:
Let us have peace" This was the
sentiment that filed the hearts of the
thousands Of the noble-souled men and
women who went to the National cemetery
at Jefferson barracks yesterday, to lay
their tributes OF love lightly over the dust
Of the dead heroes. Over the dust of dead
brothers who had worn the winning blue
and as calamity worn the losing grey
Over the dust OF great nations greater
loss-the children of her pride sacrificed to
an idea which, in its qualification, has
borne little more than the bitter fruit of a
Within the grounds there are 10, 963 inter
-.
with their names, rank, company and regi-
ment legibly painted in black. OF the un-
known brave there are 2,4OS, and this is
the sad spot Of the burial ground. IL tells
OF men shot to death hey ond human recog-
milton; OF men hurriedly by night laid in
the grave on the battle field of-but the
subject is too painful to continue. 1t is
always a spot of interest, and those who
come TO strew the roses never fail to leave
large share OF love for those who died for
country and left no mark of recognition
behind, Of civilians there are 5S3: and
though not least in the general observance
of the day, and alike honored by all pres
emit are ,lO6 prisoners Of war, who took
their lives IN their hands and staked and
lost them IN the cause which went down
into the historic mausoleum Of lost strug-
giles at AppomattOx. The decoration of
the graves, which did not take place until
the close OF the oratorical ceremonies, was
hlled with sentiment Of brotherly love
ana forgiveness which is too holy for mere
word-pIlntlng. There is something mex
presslbly beautiful in the fact of women
and children and strong, world-worn men
casting flowers upon the buried dust of a
dead city. White and colored alike did
their duty Of reverential homage, and while
chapets from Union hands crowned the
earth above the heart-spots of those who
had bravely marched under the star
spangled banner, chaplets no less beauti
tul fell from Union hands over the moul-
dering remains of those who had gallant
ly double-quicked under the bonny blue
flag"
Hon. Chauncy l. Filley presided and in
his opening remarks he spoke of ''presid-
ing over an assemblage gathered there TO
scatter flowers oyer the graves of the dead
irrespective of the side on which thew
fought lie alluded 10 the interesting scene
which had just transpircd in the Presby-
terrain general assembly, in which those
who had been separated in consequence of
difference OF opinion had clasped hands
and united as we do here to-day in bury
ing past issues, and strewing flowers over
the graves Of old comrades and former en-.
emies.
Col 7. Il. Bland, in his Grafton said
The nation to-day bends in sadness,
weeping over the graves Of her fallen he
roes-heroes fallen IN deadly combat with
each other--yet all her children, those rs
well who fought under the banner of re-
volt as those who rallied under the ever
glorious stars and stripes, were breth-
rem all, and this day beholds the noble
spectacle Of q fraternal comminplinp Of
those but Late in hostile array against each
other, now uniting in this beautiful tribute
OF flowers to tho memory of the gallant
dead. For never did there throb
beneath the ribs of men hearts more gal
liant than those borne, while living, by the
dead heroes OF either side in whose honor
we are this day assembled II \
III, Tor moment for the sake of aptithesis
In argument,we may say our and ''your"
IN respect TO these departed, might men.
ton, as brilliant illustrations of the rest,
our Lyon, Lander, Baker, Sedgwick and
McPherson-your Polk, Zollicoffer, Jack
son and Johnson-all heroes, whose bodies
lie Wondering in the grave, but whose
lame and memory are imperishable, as hui
man appreciation of sOldierly bearing and
worth and courage shall be enduring
And ex-Gov. Thomas C. Reynolds, an
other orator on the occasion, said:
We have chosen the memorial day of the
soldier dead us national festival of recon
clIiatlon Tor the past, of brotherhood for
the present and for the future. \
There Is nothing here to remind of the
carnage Of actual war. Yet more than n
thousand of these graves remain mutelv
eloquent witnesses to a victor's RELIGIOUS
care that the prisoner he had spared in
battle should receive when he had after
ward succumbed to disease or wounds, the
same rites OF sculpture which were accord
9 STl to that victors own cherished dead.
me modification of defeat, the restraints
from the military jailors necessary vioi-
ha NJ, 4