The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-05-01
THE MEMORIAL EX IRCISES.

Although the skies looked threat
cniug in the forenoon and Their,
WAS great fear of rain ami comSe
qucntly approximations that The
decoration would have Ia be post
poncd; still, before midday the ap
;Icar"ucc Of the sun and the drit,in.
away Of the black clouds gave u.
the assurance that the afternoon
would be Il prnpitlouS one. The
various Sabbath schools, with tLcir
beautiful banners, flags and en-
blems, commenced assembling al
+, Odd Fellows Hall about 3 o'clock
and long before the hour of speak.
inT arrived, the children all being
seated, the crowd had swcIlcd the
spacious Hall until there was scarce
~ standing room. 1t WAS the larg-
est gath we remember ever ia
/ have seen in the Hall. and fl ON
the position we occupied, presented
one of the most beautiful pictures
we ever witnessed. The children,
/ most of them dressed in white, car
rying in their hands punches OF
| flowers, wreaths, crosses etc, and
their faces bright with smiles, gave
Il charm to the picture that artists
brush cannot paint or poets song
describe. At 1 o'clock, the band
having disc0urscd Il most appropri-
ate air, Col. o. II. Singleton intro
duced to the audience Geo. Harvey,
Esq, the orator of the day, who
entertained his hearers for twenty
or twenty-five minutes in an eio-
quent and able address. Mr. J. y
Reid, the Grln Marshal, then an
nounccd that the exercises would
be concluded ut the graveyard
The procession then formed on Tn
ion street, headed by the Can'on
Brass Band. The Sabbath schools
frs, then the Fire Department. fol-
lowed by the benevolent orders
and the citizens generally. The li,c
of march was Union to Peace street
up Peace street to Liberty street,
down Liberty to Academy street,
up Academy to the Cemetery. The
procession was here formed in hul-
low square, when the Rev Mr.. Ma
son ofthc Baptist Church, offered IL
most appropriate and feeling prayer.
The children We're then led 10 the
inclosure containing the graves of
the Confederate dead, and in single
file marched down the long rows Of
silent graves and placed upon their
crests their floral offerings. 1t WAS
a beautiful sight, though sad in its
beauty, and we could but fcel-we
must feel, if our faith is right and
our hope well founded that the
imperishable spirits that have cs-
capped the grave that holds their per-
ishablc bodies rejoice in the spirit
land that their memories are unfor-
gotten.
These are they who died tor us.
And dying left to us the trust
To guard the graves thai hold the dust
OF those. who dying. died for us.
We are pleased to state, that wbiIc
our own loved and honorcd dead
received these o fferingS of affection,
the graves Of the Federal dead were
moi forgotten.
And hard beside our soldiers graves,
TO God and honor true.
Some tender hand had placed sweet
flowers
Ger til,s.. who wore the b:Ilr.
There III the silent graveyard,
invested with all its Solcmni,ics and
sacrcl associations, there above the !
graves o! our t:t!lep heroes, there
beneath clou.llcss skies and in the
presence OF the everything God and |
iiiS iHSc! hoS WAS ifiIShteti forgive
rcss and Iuvc f. p thnse who erst |
while were our foes. AMI when |
the sun had set, the mist Of evening
gathered DER those silent graves of |
the blue and grey, its breath freigh
cd down with pcri,mcd incense and
lowered there Il bapti-naI cloud Till |
the norrow's sun scattered it up |
along the vaults of heaven in kisses
to the angels. that III Gods own !
good time shall descend to us again
people.