The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-06-01
MEMORIES OF SOLDIERS
Whose Deeds Have Made History Brilliant
With their Record,

| 4laQo one OF general r6la4aIlOn IrOu
business cares and the multitude OF
troubles and anxieties that go to make
up this fretful world of ours. Everybody
looks forward to the annual ceremony OF
garlanding the graves of the dead sol
diery with the feeling that now day of
relief from toll can be spared from the
mOnOtOnOus routine. In fact, number
of people view the subject in the same
light as a circus, or other public scenic
display, that caters more to the eye than
| the innate perceptions. The annual OBJ
servance of the custom of depOsiting
upon the graves of deceased soldiers, the
floral wreath, intertwined with the eY-
ergreen, has obtained ever since the
close of the wal, and gains strength with
the practice of each succeeding year.
THE LONG LINE
of members of local posts followed by
| carriages containing speakers, civic
authorities, firemen, plOdding uniform
| ed secret societies, mounted aids, gal
Looping here and there on horseback, with
the long line of private vehicles bring
ing up the rear, containing friends of
the soldiers, and others melted by mere
idle curiosity to witness the display, is
a sight common to all our cities, on this
day, for the features in each case are
the same, while the various petty trials
and tTibulatiOns of the usual cOneOurse
of humanity who line the sidewalk on
the line of march, are patent to all who
| have ever endured the attendant
"crush." CantOn's experience on Tues
day was in no wise dissimilaT from that
| of other cities, except it be in the added
| intensity of the various phases above
mentioned, owing to the fact that an
unclOuded sky and an exceptionally
balmy spring day, caused larger crowd
| to turn out than has appeared on our
streets since the famOns Reunion Day.
EARLY IN THE MORNING
teams and country vehicles brought in
| their full quota of the rural population,
while incoming trains at the various
depOts swelled the lumber as the morn
ing wore on apace. The streets were
filled with the festive baby carriage,
whose sole mission is to entangle the
| legs of the unwary pedestrian, who is
sighting some distant flag or suspended
motto device, or listening to the inevita-
BILE bag-pipe stroller who follows in the
wake of all public demonstrations in
| the hope Of converting the nimble six
pence into the slow shilling and multi
plying the number of the latter.
DECORATIONS.
| The principal business places were
| handsomely, and in some cases elabO-
rately decorated with flags, bordered
with deep margin of sOmber black,
while numerous private houses in all
sections of the city were similarly
adorned. The programme, or order of
exercises, of the day, as published in
| last weeks DEMOCRAT, was fully carried
out, with the exception that Hon. Judge
| Meyer could not Otficiate as President of
the Day OwingtO the heavy pressure of
business suddenly accumulating upon
| him in the Probate Office in regard to
the Pond Law subject, which so vitally
interested a number of liquor dealers
about this time of the month. The sa-
loon men would probably not have been
so much in hurry at this time if they
had had the information which was
known later in the day, that said law
had been declared unconstitutional by
the Supreme Court Judges.
THE PROCESSION
formed on the square and Tuscarawas
streets, at 2 O'clock, and proceeded to the
City Cemetery in the following order:
Vice Presidents, T. C.. Snyder, ia
cob Miller, Joseph Biechele, DR.. A P.
POntius; Orator of the day, Lieutenant
Governor Richards; Chaplain, Rev Dixon,
of the Second NJ. E. Church, in open car
riage; Chief Marshal, Charles T. Old6eld;
Aides, w. o. Myers, Major A. VignOs.
| First Division, W. o. Myers command
ing-City Band, Grand Army of the Re-
public, 115 strong; Veterans, Cadets,
Children with flowers, Decorating Com
mittee, in hacks.
Second Division, Major A. VignOs COM
manding-DrumC Corps, Fire Police, Fire
Department, Civic Societies, Mayor and
City Council, City Officers, citizens in
Carriages, and citizens on foot on both
sides of Tuscarawas street, and an al
most endless procession, for upon look
ing back from the Cemetery HILL the
rear of the long line was not in sight
| back on TuscaraWas street.
| The graves of soldiers lying in the
| other cemeteries were decorated by ap-
pointed committees in the forenoon,
hence the chief attraction was the City
Cemetery ceremonies, which drew such
a large number. Viewing the Gene
terry hill from the road approaching it,
the human temporary population re-
sembled monster swarm of bees, con-
| gregated on a wild flower spot
The exercises at the cemetery were
performed in detail as follows: Singing
by the children, "Star Spangled Banner;''
prayer by the Chaplain; Music by the
City Band; grafton by Governor Richards;
singing by Concordia Society,"; short
address by COmrade Alf. Burnett; music
by the Drum Corps; singing by the chill
dren, "Oh, One Brief Day of Flowers
and Tears" Dirge by City Band, Nearer
My God to Thee," and decorating graves
by the children.
The little flower girls were very taste
fully dressed in white, with the national
cOlOrs represented in their sashes and
caps, and their sweet singing was a
prominent feature of the ceremonies.
THE GRAFTON
By Lieutenant Governor Richards was
delivered from the carriage, in front of
which were the little flower girls, next
the Canton Post No. 80, G.. A. R. veterans
and the citizens generally. The speaker
occupied nearly an hour with his ad-
dress, which was read from manuscript,
and among other things, he gave his
tory, or rather a recapitulatiOn of the
events of the war, which made Decora-
tiOn day sacred holiday on each sue
ceeding thirtieth of May, and concluded
his address with an appropriate poetic
recitation. He was followed by the
ConcOrdia Society, who gave some vocal
music in their accustomed well trained
manner, although the reporter, owing
to the thrOng, was too widely separated
from them to get full benefit.
| The address of COmrade Alf Burnett