Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-06-01

i. orders. To him there should be no
bulletin of praise. To him there should be
: inscribed no record even in the history of
the country which should give but a page
/ hereafter to the deeds of an administration
To him there was nothing to call him forth
: to give his life TO his country, except that
. which should be the impulse of all-duty ,
l duty well done See him as he leaves his
home. The loved wife, the still more dearly,
in another sense, cherished mother, or the
little children which should cluster round his
knees no more; trace him to the camp of in
? struction, there to learn the rudiments of the
, art of war; follow him into the camp, in the
field, or through the deprivations of the
bivouac and the march, or the death-sleep in
the deadly miasma of the swamp, or the
scorching plain; see him as the battle came
on, he in the front, we as officers in the rear
Think OF that, and then say to whom should
we pay honor. On whose graves should we
strew flowers, garlands and wreaths, and drop
the tear of sorrow year after year, generation
after generation, as we teach our children to
do reverence to the comrades of their fathers.
who laid down their lives for their country.
On this spot it is but right that here we
should shed our tears, not only in memory of
:, those who sleep under the pleasant green sods
which cover these graves within our sight,
but IN memory OF those who, il the far-off
plains OF Georgia, the swamps of Mississippi
or in Tennessee, or among the cliffs and hills
OF Virginia, have found an unknown grave
and whose only mark in the roll of honor is
1.-The unknown dead" To them, and over
them, and over those they have left behind
them, we may well weep, and weep tears Of
sadness, for life in each one of Them noble
life given to country, to honor and to glory.
Aye, we may here turn and weep 1t is man.
illness to be heartbroken here, for the grave of
earth's best nobleness is watered by tesr.
Therefore, to them, youth-young men,
young maidens--let your hearts go out in
everlasting gratitude to those who gave all
and got nothing but the remembrance in the
heart of each one of you; to those, any one
of them, of the noblest men of them all,
who went forward at the call of duty
to do battle for his country in the
hour of that countrys greatest need
We therefore, [ say, whenever we gather
around, as year after year hope all may do
and as l hope each one and all will teach
your children, and let them pass the word on
from generation to generation until time shall
be no longer, teach them to reverence the true
hero of the war, the common soldier, who
marched at the call of duty. He is worthy
of all your commentators and all your
tears ; and the remembrance of him and the
feeling that every man shall have hereafter,
that if he does the like, so in like manner he
shall be honored, will relieve this, our dearly
loved land, from all standing armies and ne
cessity of all armed preparation for war; for
on every hillside, in every valley, from every
mountain top and along every plain, when
ever the bugle call comes, men actuated by
the same sense of duty shall spring up for
their country, good citizens, good soldiers,
ready to do battle for its honor. And with
such an army of defenders, what nation in
the world shall dare to touch that flag with
an unholy hand: Not one Not one, from
iall no hroo IS h. W..
then, is the duty that you are doing to-day.
This the duty in which it gives me great
pleasure that it has been my good fortune to
| have the honor to meet you. And here with
deep reverence to those loved ones we have
lost let US pledge ourselves, our children, and
our children's children to the country, to the
Government, to the liberty, to the glory and
the honor of the land for which they fought
and died. [Applause.I
At the conclusion of General Buffers re-
marks the Post was called up. and under
direction of Superintendent Farnswroth the
grave of every soldier in the cemetery was
visited and decorated with flowers. In this
duty the soldiers were assisted by many
ladies and gentlemen who came prepared
with wreaths and bouquets forsthe purpose.
Soon after, the procession was again formed
and marched to the hall of the Grand Army.
where it was dismissed.
| ATTENTIVE GUESTS.
After supper a committee of thu Post, con-
sisting of the President of the Day and the
Grand Marshal, invited the special guests.
General Butler and party, to drive about the
city. The invitation was accepted, and the
| party was conducted to several points Of in
terest and through several of the residence
streets, and along some Of our pleasantest
drives.
During the drive, the gentlemen of the
| party, and especially General Butler, were
very earnest in inquiries concerning the con-
dition of the public pulse on the Chinese
question, and the sentiment of the people
relative to the various methods proposed to
check Mongolisn immigration. The inquiry
relative TO prices of land, labor, building
! general development, earth production, etc,
here was equally as frequent The expression
of the visitors concerning Sacramento as 3
! city OF beautiful homes was very comph-
mentary.
1t THE THEATER.
/ In the evening the Metropolitan Theater
was filed by a fine audience, about equally
composed of men and women. On the rising
/ of the curtain Sumner Post was seen in line |
salsting after which it marched from the |
stage, which was occupied by the officers Of
the day, members of the military staffs
singers and others who were 90 take part in |
| the exercises, which opened with selections by |
1
/ follows Invocation, by Chaplain Frost. Che |
rus, Decoration Day" by forty male voices
| from the Apollo Club, j. J.. Skinner director |
Miss Gertie Gerrish accompanies. Recitation !
4 Decoration Day. written for the occasion
and recited by Miss Matte X. Powers. 1t
was full of the vigor and earnestness
of warm patriotism, and the refer
ences to Memorial Day observances were of
poetic grace and tenderness.
The mixed chorus then sang s. Honor the
| Heroes in Blue" Miss O'Brien, by request,
repeated Mrs. Ballou's poem, the Apollo
| Quartet sang " Rest, Soldier, Rest, and then
Senator Grove l.. johnson was introduced as
the orator of the day. Mr.. ,Johnson's Grafton
was frequently and warmly applauded. 1t
will appear in the RECORD UNION in full on
Saturday. The orchestra played the serenade
Pleasant Dreams, and Mrs. W. G. Fitch
with good effect sang Tender and True,
! Miss Gertie Gerrish acting as accompanist.
COLONEL o. u. BARRETT
| Was then introduced as member of General
! Buffers travelling party, and explained the
absence of the General by stating that he
was so fatigued he found it physically
/ impossible to attend, and had been compelled
TO seek rest, of which he had been recently
greatly deprived. The speaker then reviewed
the causes of the'late war, and coming to its
results declared that history nowhere shows
ton in $50 years between victor and con-
quered as has been accomplished between the
South and the North in - years. lie referred
at length to the courage of the American
women during the late war, and said it re-
quired greater courage to give up husband,
son and brother to the nav of war and to
stand by and protect the orphans that war
makes, than it does to take place in the front
rank in the heat and excitement of battle.
Miss Hattie K Palmer then recited 1.-The
Gray and the Blue" the chorus Of mixed
voices sang "Our Comrades Sleep" Miss
Edith l.. Dickson recited THE Search for
the Slain" and Albert Hart gave recitation
of Memorial POEM" The exercises closed
with the chorus Flag of Our Heroes" by
the forty male voices. The audience was
then dismissed and the exercises OF Memorial
day were at an end.
NOTES AND INCIDENTS.
| It is admitted that yesterdays exercises
were the best ordered, most varied and salts
/ factory yet had under the management of
Sumner Post
| General Butler and party stopped over
here at the especial invitation of Sumner
/ Post. The General was met at the depot by
a committee of the Post. consisting of G.. w. |