Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1885-05-31
MEMORIAL DAY.

/ NeIeU ERtGu HE IO
the Dead Hero s-The Address OF
A. l.. Fitzgerald, Esq. the Orator
OF the Day.
Yesterday morning dawned bright and
fair. During the early part it looked
as though the month Of flowers had re-.
served her fttest day for the decorating OF
the graves of the fallen heroes. The streets
presented an unusually lively appearance,
and eager horsemen galloped hither and
thither, making final preparations for the
days observance. Flags from q number
of the business houses, at hslf-mast, foated
to the breeze, and the peals from the bells,
summoning the fire laddies to the ranks,
made manifest to all that our little mount.
| ain town was determined to do all honor
to the mighty dead. Several wagons from
| the n~eighboring ranches, loaded down with
| the hardy son of toll and his family, sd-
ded no little to the scene and the object of
| the days conservation. At half.past 10
| O'Clock the Marshal and his aids were busy
assigning the participants to their
places, and By IL o'clock the turnout
was complete and did great credit
TO all concerned. The line Of march,
as published in the SENTINEL, was
carried out. until 1t reached Ruby Avenue,
where q rest was taken, during which a
heavy shower Of rain fell, but which
served to cool the atmosphere and allay
the dust, and thereby render it more agree
able for the procession TO move on. When
the line of march was again formed, the
Centennial Guard Band discoursed
ln~.4 - zee 1aa,l ~~.a Ar-~~sIl- d..
dead march, which would have done credit
to . band Of Q metropolitan city. Upon
the arrival Of the procession at the GENE.
terry, the graves Of the Union soldiers in
TERED there we're decorated partially with
California flowers and partially with the
native crop of our sagebrush hills, the
latter being the fresher and not less pretty
or less fragrant than the former. The
participants in the procession then formed
in line and arranged themselves in q cir
| Gle about the platform erected near the
entrance Of the cemetery for the occasion.
Rev. A. @. Dutton, OF Ruby Hill, invoked
she blessings Of the Almighty, after which
The President Of the day, Hon. Thomas
Wren, made some very beautiful and ap.
propriate remarks and then introduced A,
L. Fitzgerald, Esq, who was selected ss
the orator OF the day. With considerable
expression and spirit Mr.. Fitzgerald spoke
as follows:
Mr.. President and Fellow Patriots.
What means this ~assemblage? Why gather
this vast concourse Of people in the city OF
the dead To-day the great Republic
stands with barred head, fearful eye, and
subdued and swed spirit in the presence Of
its heroic dead. Is ii an idle ceremony, q
mere empty show? Is it a pageant gotten
up for the vain and frivolous, arrayed in
their gorgeous ~trappings OF the holiday o.
warfare, TO excite vulgar wonder Is the,
march,
"All the while sonorous metal blowing MARTA
soundsf'
Nay, this cannot be SO; for in this assem-
bly, stands horny-hsnded labor, busy
pushing commerce.; grave philosophy
polite learning; far-seeing Craftsmanship
grim : visaged war, and chsste beauty
and it II s never in the power OF vanity anC
frivolIty to draw together elements &c
noble.
Then, sir, why ia il that in thousands O.
: cemeteries to-day throughout the grea
} Republic the laborer, the merchant, tn,
mechanic, the jurist, the statesman, thu
q man OF letters, the philosopher, the mar
!. Of God, the armed soldier and lovely woman
' stand in Gods first temple, whose foo
the ever benignsnt bosom of Mother
Earth, the roof the majestic domed SIX,
> " that bends above u.s." and walled in b.
, the everlasting love Of the Eternal, in tn
= presence Of the dead and with careful
hands and loving hearts strew Spring
. first and brightest offerings upon the littl
mounds that mark the last resting plac
OF the u~nspeaking deadf
Sir, 10 is not q easy matter, nor one o
r frequent occurrence, even 10 the science
0 and arts, much less in those matters, whicl
touch the common life Of a vast people, I
find a word or even q phrase adequate I
4 the task Of aggregating properly As q de
4 scriptive so many particulars as this gath
|. ering represents. Yet it seems to me Their
Is one single word that sums perfectly an.
adequately the thoughts and acts and feel
ings OF the millions Of our countrymeI
t. who are this day employed as we are
. That word is-Patriotisml
Twenty-Five years ago this Governmen
was shaken by q oonvulsion justly an
only typifed in things physical by tn
wild rush of the c~yclone,th blazing wrat
F.. OF the volcano and the giant tread OF tn
, earthquake. Though, indeed, a quarter G
q century has since elapsed, it is still n
Astha hh0A
1t 10 well known to each mind that ha
since matnred. Such events, my country
men, never grow old.
I 1t Is not necessary. neither in this pres
ence proper or fitting, to attempt TO ami
lyze and show forth the causes leading u
to and producing that CONFUSION. Suff
oient be II here to say that the Ship {
State was tossing and its timbers creackinI
1 and cracking in the violence of the storm
The question of the hour was, not whethe
> the pilots. heretofore. in charge {
, her, could have steered the glorious bar
clear of the dangerous ATTITUDES, bu
whether the master builders. who selecte
the materials, laid the keel, and, afte
mortisiDg. boiling and bracing, construete
her, had with discriminating eyes locke
to each timber and spar aud sail and SAY
that the ship was staunch and tight !
every part and able to ride the mountai
waves and weather a storm OF so giganti
magnitude. The question OF whose faul
or sin or mistake, nay, even whether faul
or sin or mistake there had been, was nc
considered. The only consideration was
"Save the ship" And, AZ Saint Pau
- - aonaoI anI ahtnyraaL