Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-08-12

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On Saturday August Sth, the entire
country united in paying last tribute
of respect to Gen. U. S. Grant. There
have been other great funeral
demonstrations in this country, notably
upon the occasion of Lincoln and
| Garfield and the tragic character of
their deaths intensified the interest in
the last rites, but never before has the
country witnessed such pageant as
| was seen in New York on Saturday.
Though the center of attraction was,
naturally, at the actual burial, the
entire country joined in the funeral
services. From one end of the land
to the other business was suspended,
bells were tolled, professions moved
to solemn music, and in church and
hall and open air, funeral orations
were pronounced. All bitterness or
political differences which necessarily
existed when the dead man stood as the
the head of one of the great political
parties of the country, were swept away
and only the pleasant memories were
left to bring the entire nation in har-
mony at his tomb. The soldiers of the
Union and the soldiers of the Rebellion
united as pail bearers and mourners at
the grave, emblematic of that Union
which Gen. Grants great achievements
did so much to preserve and perpet-
uate. AS the formerly opposing ell
ements met at the tomb of the victor
ious General, it must have occurred to
the advocates of the ''lost cause that
the greatest blessing which ever befell
them and the country was when the iron
will, indomitable energy and military
sagacity of the man to whom they were
paying the last tribute of respect, pre-
vented their success. It was a novel
and wonderful spectacle to see the
leaders of two opposing armies, who "a
few years ago were bent upon the
slaughter of each other, now vieing
with each other for supremacy in doing
homage to the victor. 1t was re-
union, which, to have anticipated while
living, would have pleased and
comforted the great hero, whose last
years were filled with endeavors to &C.
ment the Union bought with Blood by
the stronger and more enduring el-
ement of Love.
THE DAY IN NEW YORK.
There had been some misgivings lest
the weather bureaus prophecy of local
rains should prove true and thus inter-
fere with the pageant. But when day
broke and the first rays of midsum-
mer sun began to gild the skies, all
doubts were removed, and the last pre-
parations for the ceremony were as
sured. The sun shone steadily through
out. To those who were compelled to
stand in the sun unprotected, with it's
rays beating down upon them, the heat
was oppressive, and not a few sue
combed to it; but stiff breeze blew up
at times in the shady hooks here and
there along the line and made the long
waits less tiresome and trying. The
hospital corps, which did its work in
an admirable manner, had it's hands
full, however, in caring for those who
were overcome by the heat, and the
police regulations were simply
perfect. When the daybreak came
it seemed as if New York did
not 20 to bed at all last night. The
same big, pushing crowd, that packed
the streets and jammed the hotels when
darkness had come, was still there,
and passed along the sidewalk in the
same slow manner, gazing eagerly at
the decorations and other sights. Big
trucks, lined with benches and chairs
and labeled "Seats to let,' ratified
along the uptown streets to occupy
some point of vantage, and the army
of carpenters hammering away at the
hastily constructed booths in the shop
windows and on the street corners.
Many men were sitting on vacant
benches and in advantageous points
along the line, and had evidently
passed the night there so as to estab-
lish their right in the eyes of the po-
lice.
A steady stream of people kept pour
ing into Broadway and lower Fifth
avenue from the lower side streets, and
once on those thorougbfares they
turned their steps up town. The
trains and boats brought thousands
to the early morning hours, and kept
pouring in multitude of people
until after the procession had started
They made the streets leading from the
ferries crowded with perspirIng mas:
of sunburnt sight seers who rushed tt
the line of march with gripsacks, cane:
and umbrellas in their hands in theil
eagerness to capture favorable place
to witness the parade. 1t seemed as i
the surrounding country had emptiee
its inhabitants into the city, and tha
they were all here to participate in :
: great national holiday. Young ant
old alike, clad in holiday attire, pushct
; their way through the crowd an.
marched in the order of the flying lin
to the upper part of the city. The hun
of the factories on the East side am
the noise and confusion of the bus,
world of trade were hushed in the It'd
of this army of spectators. Youn,