The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-05-19

man in behalf of the migratory MOngOl-
ians. Whether the matter be on the
side of humanity or international COM
itv. it is of very small concern whether
the exclusion of the Chinese be for
louger or shorter period of time, The
only point of difference in the two bills
is that of ten years. If it is good to eX-
clude the MOngolians for ten years, it is
still better TO exclude them for twenty
years. What consistency! If Guiteau's
Presidents vetoing of the first Chinese
bill was a noble act his signing of the
second bill was an ignOble one.
sTREw THEIR GRAVES IN SILENCE.
Memorial Day. is approaching. A
custom so touching and beautiful in it
self, as that of decorating the soldiers
graves with gaTlands and wreaths of
flowers by tender and loving hands, is
Que that-appeals so earnestly and strong
ly to the finer sentiments of our nature,
that it is not likely to fade away. If
there was nothing else to transmit to
generations yet unborn the simple and
still grand story of the Union and Con-
federate soldiers, we might safely trust
that the spring flowers, with their sweet
fragrance, will watt it to all who may
come after us. With an instinct tinged
with the divinity which glorihed the
great tragedy on Calvary, the woman of
both the North and South, who so brave
ly and silently bore the cross for years,
yearned to do Chistian rites of sepultuTe
and out of this comes the suggestion
that ripened into the custom of decorat-
ing with floral tributes the graves of the
fallen heroes.
If poets never sang again, if orators
were henceforth dumb, and the records
0Tx- 4 OF
more to be reproduced, the marble
shafts, silent sentinels over the memoir
les of the dead warriors, will with mute
eloquence still portray their virtues and
sacrifices to the living, The man does
not exist who in the time allotted to a
speech upon a memorial occasion can do
I Justice to the dead, and yet there are
many who in half the time can bring
trouble and modification to the living.
Let the strewing of flowers be perpetual
ted, but let it be done in silence. Let
there be a yelling up of emotions as pro-
fuse as the wealth Of blossoms which a
generous spring sun brings If tears
must come, let them be as refined from
the passions of the hour as the dews dis
titled from Heaven. Let US guard this
one occasion from the intrusion OF
speech, which may profane the sad ST.
lence that should enw1ap in its embrace
the memory of an affiiction which has
become part and parcel of our lives.
In all sincerity and seriousness, / put
it to our countrymen, both North and
South, if the time has not come when it
is proper, nay even necessary, to dis
/ pense with the oratorical features of the
celebration of Memorial Day. There is
no danger, that your children will not
I learn the history of the Northern and
/ Southern soldiers. Praise in eloquent
| speech cannot brighten the shield of the
| Union soldier, nor can defamation bluI
! the shield of the Confederate neither
! can eloquent tongue, trumpets, blare, or
! aTtillery'srOaT, awaken either the Union
I or Confederate dead to life and action
again. Let the wounds which mark the
| places of the dead soldiers be decked by
/ garlands and wreaths and by tender and
/ loving hands at each anniversary OF the
I hOnored occasion, but let it be done in
! unbToken silence. q. n. 5.