The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-28

Union dead ana the Confederate dead with natures
bright. blooming flowers. II Is contamination, and,
should say. devouy DO wished, holding In itself
the omen Of that better humanity for which the best
spirits OF America ara framed.
OBJECTIONS DECORATION DAY ANSWERED..
Two objections made TO the observance Of this
part OF those who declare that perpetuaes bitter
ness. In my OPINION however, " pcrpetuatcs nothing
Flowers DO not perpetuate; they iaac They las, but
q day or Two and then gone. Monuments oil brass
and stone perpetuate the memory OF bygone events,
and how often unhappy They last when the deeds
Of character which they commemorate should be for
gotten-shouid be buried IN u eternal oblivion How
many Of tho mon uments OF the Old World stand in
Gent cities, unmeann NJ, needing Interpretation,
and Interpretation that must reach behind the
scenes which they commemorate in order 10 make
them interestingly But flowers arc strcwu and die
There is no commemoration in their sleep, therefore
must they DO fresh every year, ana cannot sirew
these flowers once for all The. feeling must be
feeling DIES the ceremony dies, and the
occasion disappears Flowers never perpetuale
passion. sympathy, forgiveness They are the
worlds decorators, beautiners anu sweeteners They
not IN the gardens Of the earth only, but IN the eds
on tho hillsdes, IN the DARK damp and unwholesome
places; high up among the mountains, where the foot
OF man can scarcely ciimD-yea up among the highest
recesscs, IN some sheltered nook, where CLEAN OF
sunshine now and then comes and Keeps fresh patch
OF green there VIII DO found the flowers gladdeuIug
all The surroundings
THE LATE WARS MgAyIxa
Flowers are always beautcous 10 the eye. They
bring tho sentiment OF universal and brother
hood wherever they are, aud is this not tho sentiment
with when we should be lmbued on luis nnlyersary
OF Decoration DayY II Is indeed; for the Decoration
Day should be aday OF UNIVERSAL good feeling universal
brotherhood. universal compassion and sympathy aud
forgiveness There was AN equal rscttude on both
sides III tue struggle OF gigantic civil war. There
was as much right aud AS UGH wrong ON side
the other There Was all the difference between right
and wrong that there ever be, tor the war was
battle between two absolutely Gushing eemcnts-tbe
world Of light and the world OF darkness II was
between world and tho new between slavery
and freedom, between light and darkness, between
good and OWL II was an rrcpressible conflict, that
began lar back beyond the history OF man. IL has
been growing and growing, first displaying itself in
one country then IN another, until finally II cumi-
mated on our own SOIL We do not disguise tnat iac
but we know, IN view OF that fact, that the
elementary one. IL was struggle Of cvili-
zation. II was war, not between States.
not between armies; il was really a war be-
tween the order OF things that was passing away
and the order OF things that was coming in Il was
provldcntia war-a war in which the very universe,
IN which ali mankind had a stake Nobody made It.
Il was Destiny that touched the rst gun, II Provi
dencc that fred the first shot, II Fate that drew the
hrst sword. II could not be helped. No wisdom, no
plan, no iorethought, no Kindness, compuston,
could prevent It. II would come IN the order OF things
the stroke oil destiny was sounded. That the APP
pointed moment and We all were the victims. Mens
were hghtng or their homes Tor their hresdes, Tor
ull that dear TO them, the institutions that
had been bequeaIhed TO them by their ahers for the
love OF their own society, Tor their IDEAS their hopes
the education OF their children. the train,
ing OF their families. They fought honestly.
earnestly, sincerely and maniully, with the utmost
devotion and neroism Then we fought Tor the ideas
that loved for the belief that held for tho
ETY. IN which We moved, for the institutions under
which we were existing. There was equal devotion.
an equal heroism at the BEST both Sides There
ianatcism on both sides; there was meanness both
SIDES there was low spirit OF adventure on both Sides
On both SIDES, North aud South, men went into the
light because was 0gnt and died. having nothing to
i've tor, and there were men and women VINO gave all
they had-heir youth their love, their future this
world, all that they priced on eartt or In heavcn-to
the cause to which they were staked by destiny
Therefore cover all the graves with Gods
flowers We don't make tho flowers; we
neither color them nor give them their fragrance
The universal spirit OF nature, OF omniprcsence given
by perpetual cnehcence, makes them by l,s
settled power OF creation and allows the opportu-
nifty and the privilege OF spreading them wherever
our love prompts Therefore say to the objection
that the observance OF Decoration Day perpc tuates
bitterness, that II falls 10 the ground. that has
standing To be sure all our institutions subject
to degradation and abuse. All motives are mis-.
construed by some, but this holiday, coming tho
last day OF spring, just as the summer opening,
when all the people wish to be abroad IN the FIELDS
and in the open woods-such holiday, to DO sure. In
AZ unlikely TO be forgotten AS Is memory ITSELF