Daily Republican., 1880-05-31
GRAVES AND GARLANDs.

GRAVES AND GARLANDB.
| The Memory OF the Soldier Dead
StFewiDE the Graves with Flow
eys-An Appropriate Celebration
Decoration Day was never more ap
propriately celebrated than on satur
day last, and the manner in which tn,
ceremonies were conda daoted is creditablt
to the G. A. R. The procession for tht
parade fermed at Fourth aud French
streets at 3 o'clock. The officers were
a. follows:
Col. Macsllister, Chief Marshal, with
his aids, Adjutant-G General J. P. Pos
ties, Col. Peter Mccullough, Lieuten.
ant. Colonel VIM. Y. Swiggstt, Major S.
Redmond Smith, Adjutant General W.
IS. MsNair, all mounted.
The procession consisted Of thirteen
policemen, smyth Post, No. l, 81 mem
bers, commanded by James Mcdowell
and Daniel Ross; Dupont Post, SO mem.
bers, commanded by DR.. J. P. Wales
and s. s. Johnson; boys from Brandy
wine Seminary; Dupont Guards, 25
men; American Rifles, 80 men; (the bat.
TALON was commanded by Lieut.. Col. J.
N. Wood, and the companies, respect.
lively by captains Curtis and Bucknas.
ter junior and senior o. U. A. NJ, 5J
men; several carriages, containing dis
tinguished persons.
The procession finally halted before
the Wilmington and Brandywine Gene
terry and the military companies went
through the manual Of arms. They
then marched into the cemetery with
reversed arms, the bands playing the
dead march. While members of the
G. A. R. were decorating the graves, ,oc-
casionally the militia fired salutes.
AT THE SPEAKERS STAND.
Between four and five o'clock large
crowd gathered in front Of the speakers
stand. The band performed the Kaiser
Frass March, a prayer was offered by
Rev. G.. W. Miller and America" was
sang by Messrs. C. B. Rhoades, George
W. Stone, N. R. Benson and J. C. Rip
perger.
Rev. A. N. Keigswin called the day
the National flower day. Flowers, said
he, express the emotion of the heart.
We are not here merely for affection or
christian or courageous sentiment, but
for country, sentiment upon which
freedom and equality are Eased.
E. T. Taylor read a poom, the first
line Of which rsn thus:
" Make room for loves sweet Offering o-day."
Adjutant General W. s. McNsir made
very interesting address and said:
We meet for no empty show or grand
parade, but to do honor to our heroic
dead. Stricken hearts are weeping,
mourners kneel by the graves, children
with hushed voices and silent tread
deck the graves of those who fell. 1t is
an annual sacrament of sorrow.
This is memorial" of all who died
that the nation might live. History re-
oerds the deeds Of our leaders, their fa-
miliar forms, cast in bronze or sculp-
tured in marble, worthily grace many
q pedestal. but those flowers record the
heroism Of all.
The humblest of our slain has a
crown of remembrance brighter and
more enduring than the diadems of
kings.
When the clouds of war
o'erspread the Union skies and few
stars in the blue field Of our banner
waxed dim, others shone with added
lustre in the darkness of that treason
able night. Wayward sons dug the
grave of the Republic, but she had
other and "loyal" sons, who fresh from
the quiet villages and hamlets of their
native States, rushed to the defense.
Sustained by noble patriotism and
inspired by heroic spirits, they stood
mid scenes of carnage
wounds and death.
Rather than cast a single stain upon
our ensign or blot a single star from
its folds by disgrace they were content
to wrap 1t about them as a winding
sheet and drop with it into an untime-
ly grave.
To Columbia's loyal sons was COM
mitted the mission of freedom to man
and death to tyranny. Their voices
still speak from the silent tomb and
tell as to love and cherish Virtue and
Religion, Liberty and Truth.
Many sleep where they
fell, their names unknown, but their
devotion to their country shall shine
'srever as stars in the armament. We
cannot, if we would, forget the gallant
men who sleep in piteous, nameless
graves far from home and friends.
These beautiful flowers
will fade, these mounds will be leveled
'ut these dead shall live. The noun
aims may crumble; the clouds may
'ease to weep; the springs to gush; the
ills to sing; the rivers to flow; the
'eean to heave; the starry lustres of the
irmament may fade away as wasted
spers; the pale moon may shed her
light no more; the sun itself may dis
.ppear forever, but these souls shall
till remain and their glorious deeds
hall shine SIS stars forevermore. II
Eli Crozier made some very brief re-
marks. R. c. Fraim, Esq, referred to
Mr.. Crozier's unceasing and untiring |
aber in obtaining funds for the pay. I
aent Of the debt upon the Soldiers and
;ailers monument and gave the deed to q
Washington Jones, Esq, member of 9
he Monument Association. (
The procession re forming marched /
0 Eighth and Market streets, where IL h
n
The graveyards and other cemeteries a
'ere visited in the morning by men, a
ers OF the G.. A. R. Peter; s. Blake, h
d., visited . number of buryine a
rounds and decorated the graves Of his a
cad brethern. Al
In the evening the First Battalion Of :,