Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-06-03
MEMORIAL DAY.


IOT Jllb uISb IlliCs ~ was lOIuldlly
observed by the members of Lincoln
Post, No. /, Grand Army of the Re-
public, and it is their intention to
keep it up in the future.
At half past O'Clock, A. NJ, the
members of the Post, in full uni
form, headed by a drum corps,
marched to the Episcopal cemetery,
taking with them large quantity
of handsome flowers which had been
contributed by the citizens for the oc-
casion. Here they found only graves
of Confederate soldiers, which were
strewn with floral tributes. From
| the Episcopal they marched into
to the Catholic burying ground, and
| decorated the graves of the Federal
and Confederate soldiers buried
there, and from thence marched to
Greenhill cemetery, where the beau
tiful and impressive ritualistic ceres
mony of the Post was gone through
with and the graves of the soldiers
of both armies strewn with floral
tributes. After the ceremonies in
the cemetery, they marched back to
the city, where they were joined by
the Mayor, members of the Council
and Corporation officers, and pro-
| ceeded to the Court House. Here
an impressive memorial ceremony
was gone through with, after which
Commander Rathman announced
that they had been disappointed in
getting a speaker for the occasion,
and that in consequence there would
be no address. He then called on
the Mayor, who, being taken COM
pletely by surprise, managed to ex-
cuse himself, when Hon. George f.
Evans being called on, made a short
speech highly pertinent to the ocea-
sion.
Thus ended the exercises of the
first formal observance of Decora-
ton Day in this city.
The custom of strewing flowers
upon the graves of the soldiers, in
recognition of the patriotic sacrifices
they had made, was inaugurated by
the women. The custom has grown
with each succeeding year since the
close of the war, and memorial day
is now recognized holiday, so pre-
scribed in the statutes of some Of
the States, and probably will, in
time, be so defined in all the States.
The beauty and solemnity of the oc-
casion are happily no longer marred
by partizan appeals and sectional
prejudices. For time the bitter
ness naturally engendered by sec
| tional strife kept the two sections
of the country apart in doing honor
to those who had fallen in that war
| fare; but as passion subsidized and
| animOsities died out the feeling that
| the whole country could justly hon
or dead heroes manifested itself land
| it is now a common thing for eX-
Confederates to join in paying their
tributes to the Union dead, and for
| the soldiers of the Union to take
an active part in decorating the
graves of the Confederate dead. The
| growth of this fraternal spirit has
had the benifcent effect of silencing
| the politician on decoration day, land
| the utterances of the occasion are
usually in behalf of peace and unity.
This was conspicuously so in the
ceremonies here last Tuesday. In
decorating the graves of their fallen
comrades, the members of Lincoln
Post did not forget or neglect the
graves of the brave men on the other
side who met them on the field of
carnage. The "bravest are the ten
derest, " and with gentle hands they
placed flowers alike on the graves of
those who wore the blue and those
who wore the gray.
Foes in battle, these dead heroes
sleep peacefully side by side under the
shadow of the solemn cypress and the
waving willow. 1t is meet that each
year, when the apple blossoms come
and the roses are in bloom, that sur
viving heroes should silently and
reverentially strew flowers over their
graves as a touching token to their
heroism, for
These are they who hold the camp for
ever,
Whose countersign no living lips
may speak;
For Fame has crowned their life long,
stern endeavor
Where kindly hands have laid them
down to sleep.
The solemn cypress and the waving
willow,
With stated y plumes, their pail have