The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-05-31
GRAFTON.
How Decoration lay was Observed
Eloquent Address by Ex-senator
Wiley.

GRAFTON, May 80.
Graftonisns pray for rain once every
day, but it is hardly to be supposed that
sny one was hard hearted enough to
pray for the showers we had to-day. Old
Prob is much below par at Grafton. The
flower strewers, the parade, the process.
sion, the warbling songsteTs, all were de-
moralized.
There was no procession and but little
singing and music. At about 2 o'clock,
notwithstanding the heavy rain, the
lorgest concourse Of people ever gath
cred on q similar occasion at Grafton,
had congregsted at the National Gene
terry.
The grass OF the cemetery was nicely
trimmed, the walks were clean, and 3
general appearance of neatness pervaded
the whole place. Mr.. M. NJ. Jefreys, the
Superintendent, deserves great praise for
the manner in which the grounds have
been kept.
Rev. j. L. Simpson, of the NJ. P.
Church at Waynesburg, Pa opened the
proceedings with prayer. Mr.. j. w.
Mason then introduced Mr.. W. I. Will
lev. The address of Mr.. Wiley was ex-
cellent, and but very few left the grounds
until its conclusion, though the rain came
down in continual stream.
at is remarkable fact that history
presents hardly en- instance OF sny great
civil or political reformation which has
not involved the sacrifice Of human life"
1t is, in CONSCIENCE Of services and sacri-
fees of the gallant dead, that our vision
is not filed with those terrible scenes so
grandly described by the greatest Of
American statesmen, and that we are not
to-day beholding "the sun shining on the
broken and dishonored fragments OF a
once glorious Union; on Ststas
dispersed, |: discordent, belligerent; on
land rent with civil teuds
and drenched in fraternal blood"
but are permitted TO "behold the gorge
ous ensign of the republic, known and
honored throughout the earth, still ad-
vanccd, its areas ard its trophies stream
inr ia their original lustre, not q stripe
erased or polluted, nor single star OBJ
scured, bearing for its motto no such
miserable Interrogation as Whist is all
this WORTH" nor these other words of
dsluslon and folly, "Liberty first and
Union afterwards" Mr.. Wiley asked
how would the dead from the spiritlsnd
answer us if we asked how wc should
express our gratitude for their services.
Would they not, whilst gratefully
recognizing the simple tokens OF our
homage strewn upon their graves to-day,
bid us, first of al to hang out of sight
forever the snimostIes OF the past.
SummJning all their compst.ots from q
hundred fields of battle from Gettysburg.
from Csttanoosa, from AppomaLtox, aye
even from Bell Isle and Andersonville,
TIL all the air around is filled
with their presence like the heavenly
hosts above the PLAINS Of Both
lehem, would they not renew that old
anthem, "Peace on carthl Good will 10
man? saying further, he knew thgt the
dead demanded of Us to stand firm by
the results of the struggle.
Mir. Wiley gave examples Of sLrug-
giles against the right and the truth from
other countries, and then referred TO the
struggle of slavery, Three hundred
years of personal bondage"
MIR. Wiley referred to the evils that
would be likely to affect the
prosperity if our Republic, refer
ring to the corruption Of which
so much is said and written. Ili.eracy,
a more serious evil, MIR. Wiley gave
some statistics of i.iLerscy taken from
the last sensus. Scepticism was the last
to which he referred. Mr.. Wiley con-
cluded by reading platform Of some
nineteen principles, suggested by the
dead for the consideration OF the living.
Decoration was Il failure. Had IL not
been for the rain 1t would have heeR the
erandest ever held in Grafton.