The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-05-29
AN HOLY WORK.
The Task to be Performed by the
People OF Illinois Tomorrow.
The Home Decoration In the Morning
ION the Island in the Afternoon.


Deck them with garlands, those brothers OF ours;
Lying 30 silent by night and by day,
Sleeping the years Of their manhood away;
Years they had marked for the joys OF the brave;
Years they must waste in the sloth of the grave
All the bright laurels they fought to make bloom
Fell TO the earth when they went to the tomb.
Give them the need they have won In the past;
Give them the honors their merits forecast;
Give them the chaplets they wore in the strife,
Give them the laurels they lost with their life.
Cover them over-yes cover them over
Parent, and husband, and brother, and lover;
Crown in your heart these dead heroes of ours,
And cover them over with beautiful flowers"
The memorial day obseryances in Rock
Island tomorrow will be very quiet and,
solely under the auspices of Buford Post.
In the morning the post, headed by
Bleuer's band, will parade the principal
streets, then proceeding to the soldiers
monument in court house square, deco
rate the shaft with wreathes and flowers
The ceremonies will be strictly according
to the G. A. r. ritual, Rev. Pierce con-
Quoting the religious services.
In the afternoon, Buford Post, the
Rodman Rifles and many other citizens
will go to Moline, on special train pro-
vided BY the Chicago, Burlington & Quin-
cy road, leaving here at 9 O'Clock. The
train will stop few blocks from the
Government bridge, and a procession will
be formed and march across to the Ma
tional cemetery on the Island, where the
three cities will join in the services at the
decoration of the graves of the sleeping
heroes, Graham post acting as master OF
the ceremonies, and Gen. b. NJ Prentis
will deliver the Grafton.
The men who fill the cemeteries of th G
north were among those who fought fol-
just cause, and although they were
moved down by the thousands, they sue
ceeded in abolishing slavery and gaining
grand victory for the union. Can we
forget the men who less than quarter Of
a century ago left their homes and fami,
lies, and suffered all the deprivations and
woes of war, that our union should be
preserved2 The men who armed Vicks-
burg, and whose loyalty to the stars and
stripes was not to be conquered by the
horrors of Libby prison, or of Anderson
vile? In how many hundreds of peace
tul cemeteries throughout the con-
tinental republic today rests beneath
the precious sod, thousands who gave
their all for us2 Is their one then, who
will hesitate today, to scatter flowers over
these sacred spotsf Let us hope, wher>
ever patriot lies, shall patriots gather
and loyal hands shall lay the blossomin2
wreathes, entwined with loving and great
full memories and dewy with tears tina
tell of pride and sorrow both on thost
hammered mounds, beneath which res
the forms of men, the flower and beauty
of their time. who plunged into the re(
fog that stretched 1000 miles along tn
ridge of battle, that the flag of an I'M
broken nationality and an inviolable free
dom might forever float above the repub
lies undivided and imperial domain.
All who have flowers to donate for thu
purposes of the day will leave them at TIL
armory this afternoon or this evening
and this evening everybody is invited tt
assist at the armory making the garland
and wreathes.
| Bring fowers-give flowers of every hue
| From garden-bed and field,
| To deck the green above the breasts
That made the northern shield;
| Pluck of the purple apple-blooms,
| And roses white and rare
But not for marriage affairs now,
Nor for the young brides hair,
Ask lilies for their palest buds,
And violets for their blue,
Ask wood and dell for greenest leaves
/. For those who died for you;
And lay above The bosoms cold
Where brave hearts now repose
/ no liasn mia tha oil