Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-06-02
LOCAL NEWS
DECORATING THE GR1rJ \,


streets, and moved in the following order
Chief Marshal and Aids
Platoon Of Police.
First Regiment Band, ]. Hickman, lead or
First Battalion, First Regiment Delaware
State Militia, Col. =. A. Mncallister
commanding.
Department Officers, q. A. II.
W. y. McNsir, Department Commander
Thomas A. Smyth Post No. L.
Oliver Bliss, commander
DUPONT Guards Drum Corps.
Admiral $. Il. DUPONT Post No. 2, Guard
Capt. William O'Connor commanding.
Admiral $. j. DUPONT Post, No. 2. Il. II
Gregg, commander.
Charles Summer Post. No. A.
Lawrence +. Fisher, commander.
Captain Evan S. Watson Post No. 6.
James A. Price, commander
Captain Thomas M Reynolds Post, No. .,
Il. g. buckingham, commander.
Floral car.
Sons of Veterans and Cadet Drum CORPS.
Sons of Veterans,
John II. Harkifs, commanding.
Cadets of Thomas A. Smyth Post
The Harlan x Hollingsworth Company =
works were closed during the afternoon.
as also the rolling mills of Seidell &
Hastings.
Many of the grocery stores throughout
%.
Their example, however, was not very
generally followed by other dealers.
The procession marched at 2 ocloek
being delayed half-an-hour. There were,
not counting musicians, about 265 men
in line. Among them were some 40 on 50
comrades of Watson Post No. 5,who came
over from New Castle at noon
Seals wagon, gorgeous under pyramid
of flowers, was decidedly the prettiest
feature of the parade.
The procession moved up Fourth street
to Market, out Market to Tenth, and out
Tenth and Delaware avenue to the Brandy
wine cemetery,
Followed by dense crowd that packed
the pavements the procession reached and
filed into the cemetery at $50. The
crowd did not follow but blocked mp the
sidewalks and streets for half square
each way. This was because of the IRA
tional system of admission, requiring
each one to show ticket and thus fore
ing them to iileslowly one by one through
single little gate. Hundreds did not
get in at all till the ceremonies were over,
and many more were obliged to climb the
wall or give up all hope of witnessing the
celebration.
The firing party of DUPONT Post
marched through the cemetery firing vol
leys over the graves of the soldiers
buried there, while other detachments
strewed the graves with flowers. While
this was being done the First Regiment
Band played solemn dirge, the sperta-
tors standing with uncovered heads.
Department Chaplain VanIIorn then
offered up prayer. He gave thanks to
the tod of battles for the victories of the
past and the peace of the present and
hoped that when the warfare of life is
over, they all might I've enlisted in the
grand army of the redeemed in Heaven.
Department Commander McNair fol
lowed i'll short speech of farewell to the
sleeping brave and coincidence to those
who mourn their glorions death.
The procession then reformed and
marched over the remainder of til" route,
disbanding at the Opera House,
With the exception that absolutely no
provision had been made for representa-
tives of the press, the closing Memorial
Day demonstration at the Opera House
Monday afternoon was quite we'll car
ried out. There was a large attendance,
the house being well filled before the
arrival of the militia and members of the
q. A. R., for whom the orchestra chairs
had been reserved. The parade having
started half-an-hour behind time, they
were naturally that much behind time in
reaching the Opera House, it being 4
o'clock instead of $50 when they finally
marched in and took their seats.
The First Regiment Band played the
opening air "Amerca" which was fol
loved by suitable prayer by Rev. A. N.
Keigwin.
The decoration hymn was then sung by
picked choir, under the leadership OF
Mr.. j. A. Cannon and with Clarence
Shank at the piano. The selections rem
dered by this choir We're excellent
throughout full of Just those soft, plain
tive cadences especially suitable to an
occasion like this The audience felt this
and literally applaudel each selection.
After the decoration hymn Chief Mar
shall w. Y.iSwggett, who presided at the
meeting, introduced Rev. Il. w. Miller OF
Grace Church, who delivered an address
on behalf of the q. A. r., which was re-
ceived with trequentap applause. lie spoke
OF summer, autumn and winter having
rolled around since the last memorial
day. The graves of these quiet sleepers
snow, but Nature never torgets the dead
From her lap has sprung forth green
leaves since then and wild flowers tt
bedeck the graves of our fallen comrades
even the graves of those unknown to 0i
overlooked or forgotten by us, whether il
the little country churchyard, among the
woodlands, in the highways or byways OIL
down where they fell on the battle field
H., Al "A "A
Wherever it be, Nature has found til,
spot where the silent soldier sleeps anc
lung over it her mantle of beauty.
Into the great gulf that in 1860 and 70
yawned across and through our countr,
have gone our most precious possessions
the brave men, the talent, the patriotism
of our land. Thank God, that gulf i
closed to-day ; but the graves we visited
an hour ago tell us how great was tn
struggle and how fearful the sacrifice
We can never sound too lnftily the praise
Of the men who died to save our nation
Never We're men less aGtuated b.
motives of hate less Influenced by ambl
ton. We eome not here this afternoon t
mourn the loss of such men. We com
rather to rejoice that the nation has give
birth to such sons to teach tiel
Nllluren ana ours 10 marx lhelf eNdH'Ph'
tine OF the great lessons which tbi
struggle has taught MS that we can neve
learn too much is the fact that We are
nation. Ii we are not nation, for wha
have these men died They did not di
for Delaware; for the North for tn
East for the West; they died 10
America.
Another great lesson of the struggle
that we have put the Union before libert
and right before the Union. God pu
emancipation before all and raised II
grand old Abraham Lincoln to truly pre-
claim liberty throughout the land to n
the inhabitants thereof.
If could speak to the men of til
South to-day | would tell them that "
do not wish to perpetuate the memory
strife hut ii the perprtuatiOn of TIL
memory OF our fallen patriots be the pc
petuation of strife, let it he So But
would also say Men of the South, "
are, we always have been, n nation OF
tOrefathers stood shoulder to should,
under that flag at Bunker Hill thei
was temporary period of madness,
insanity on the part of the men of IL
South, but we have never ceased to be
nation and God grant that we never shal
The flowers We scattered ON their grave
to-day will be withered Tomorrow; hl
the memory of the brave will live 10
ever. The living members of the graz
army will pass away one by one, not fl
ahead see only n single sentinel waltz
to be mustered out; but ere their memol
dies ont in the hearts of true American