The Washington critic., 1886-05-31
IN MENIOKIAM.

IN MEMORIAM.
This day of memories. A day
when mothers eyes look backward to
the past and see their boys, rs men,
march forth to battle when wives re.
call the dreadful need that tore their
husbands from their arms and left
their children fatherle IS; when sweet
hearts, mingling pride with fear, saw,
half in smiles and half in tears, their
handsome lovers bravely go, and waited
long to hear the step that never came
again.
1t is a day of memories but time,
with tender touch, has laid its soothing
hand upon each bleeding heart aud
healed its wounds; and time has wiped
all tears away. The bitter grief is
gone and resignation makes rcmem.
brancc sweet. And so, when Earth is
glad with budding life and green with
hope, in that mid d.scason when the blue
forget menots of May bend forward
with kiss TO greet the roses born of
June, we, who enjoy the blessings those
we loved poured out their blood to gain,
come bringing, with our hands full
laden, memorials of flowers.
On one broad plain, ten thousand
dead forever rest; on some lone hill, or
deep in some dark valley far away, one
lies at peace, apart from all the world.
Upon the thousands and upon the one
alike, we place our offerings, remind
full that in one great cause they died
that cause their country. Here lilies
white, there violets blue, and every
where with roses red. we strew the
dust wherein they lie, that thus the
colors of the flag, beneath whose folds
they fell, may bloom perennial above
the emerald couches where they sleep.
The cause for which they made such
sacrifice was glorious. They saw the
nations peril, and with one accord
they came, as brave men, armored
with the right to do and die; and dying,
they have left to us heritage of re-
united States, country free for every
man, flag from which no star is lost
These dead are not as other dead they
are the worlds, and history is their
epitaph. Without stone to mark
grave, each lowly mound will stand,
monument Of everlasting fame. They
fought no battles for the sake of war;
they did not draw the conqueror's
sword; they spilled no blood to seat a
brave the perils of the sea, the dangers
of the field, to crafty tyrant's whim.
Theirs was nobler purpose. They
fought to save their country, undi.
vided; to make it one, not for them.
selves alone, but for those against
whom they fought. They died before
they knew the glory of their suffering;
but we, who have come after them,
have seen the triumph of their deeds
and know one nation wears their crown
of victory.
All honor then to those whose
debtors we shall ever be All honor
until time shall be no more
And as we honor them, let no neg
lect fall to the lot of those who wore
the gray, as honestly as did their
brothers wear the blue. Their hearts
were brave and strong, and though
they erred, their erring was the erring
of the child, which led astray, returns
obedient to its home. They fought
as did their brothers, for the
right, as they saw the right, and died
as bravely as their brothers died, for a
principle that in their view was equally
well-defined. The sons Of one grea
mother-their training was the same,
and North and South, Columbia's love
made heroes of them both. But the
past is past; there is to-day no North,
no South, no East, no West; one com
mon grave contains our dead, one COM
mon land confines our life. one COM
man flag floats over all. Let us, with
tender hands, strew immortelles on
every Northern hillside and in every
Southern vale, where sleeps soldier,
whose life blood stained the soil he
loved.
To-day resentment, anger, wrath are
washed away in tears, and faith and
hope and charity come down from
heaven TO fold about chastened peo.
pie their clinging arms of loving ten.
derness. Then, in the memory of these
- dead, dear to the great heart of the ma
tion, let us bury all other memories,
and in this new Union, sealed by the
blood of husbands, fathers, brothers,
sons, may we this day and until the
day of days, stand shoulder to shoulder,
pledged forever to one flag, one coun.
try. one destiny.
THE REPORTERS of our morning con-
temporaries who refer to the evangel-
lists Sam. Jones and Sam. Small as
illiterate and ignorant men may not be
illiterate themselves, but they are Ger.
tainly ignorant or-mallcious. Sam.
Jones was lawyer in a good town in
Georgia before he became a preacher,
and, while he may not be of classical
education, he has just such an educa-
tion and such manner of using 1t as
made the homely- minded Lincoln
great AS TO Small, he has held OH
cial position under Government at
home and abroad, and was until year
or so ago one of the brightest news
paper men In the South, and his
"Old ST. stories were read the whole
country over. We would advise "the
hnuaU not ~ LAT THAR nhaarunnoa of