The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-24
DECORATING
THE GRAVES.
The Grand Army Posts Pro-
gramme for an 0bsery-
ance of Memorial
Day.
NO GENERAL PARADE.
Flowers and Songs and 0rations at
the Various Cemeteries In the
County. ns5

Time was when Decoration Day was, in
spirit, what its name implies, hereabouts
The Grand Army Posts sent their details
of veterans, with fife and drum corps, to
an appointed place of rendezvous The
militia furnished their sabres and Joined
the line Carriage loads of beautiful
flowers in care of maids, even more beau
tiful, and wagons of school children, in
which singing the praises of the veter-
ans beneath the sod, lent fragrant air of
variety to the procession.
But by and bye the militia droped out,
and then the Grand Army posts got too
tired to leave the district surrounding
their post lroonls, till now the observance
of Decoration Day has narrowed down to
somewhat mechanical sprinkling Of
flowers on the neglected graves, and the
greater part of the day is surrendered to
ordinary holiday amusement.
PREPARING THE GRAVES.
Neglected graves! That's true! The
Soldiers Plot in New York Bay Cemetery
is almost unsightly. Application has
preparation to improve it, but none Is yet
forthcoming, and the veterans are more
than half convinced that they will
have to put their hands in their pockets
themselves. Superintendent Kelly has
given assurances, however, that he will
have it in presentable condition for the
Memorial Day inspection.
The soldiers plot in the new cemetery
is in better order.
Memorial Day activities will really be-
gin next Sunday. Details from the posts
will visit the various burying grounds,
and mark with flags the graves on which
the flowers are to be strewn. Sunday
evening Van Houten Post will listen to q
sermon by the Rev. Mr.. Halloran in the
Third Street Methodist Church. Wilson
Post will probably march in solid platoons
to the Centenary Methodist Church.
THE PARADE.
And then there will be lull in the
activities of the season till Decoration
Day itself arrives. 1t has been already
intfmated that there will be no general
parade. AS a matter of fact, the
veterans will take the briefest route
from their respective headquarters
to the plots they are to decorate.
The down town posts will not g o uptown,
the uptown posts will not come down
town; and what might, if massed, be a
parade of attractive proportions win be
split up into lot of little details.
Van Houten Post will, as usual, ride in
cars to New York Bay Cemetery and pay
their floral tribute of love to the dead who
sleep there. and ex-Assemblyman Frank
o. Cole will regale them with an Grafton.
Zabriskie Post will sprinkle flowers
over the graves in Bergen Square burying
grounds and the Catholic cemeteries. The
line will be formed at nine o'clock, and
the Rev. Cornelius Brett will deliver an
Grafton.
George H. Thomas Post will decorate
their dead comrades graves at Weehaw-
ken Cemetery. The post will meet at
headquarters at eight o'clock in the morn
ing and march to Public School No. 8,
thence to the German American School,
to Central avenue, to School No. z, and
receive the floral offerings of the scholars
from their respective schoolhouses. DIR.
Murray will deliver an oration in Eng
lish, and Prof. A. Granert one in Ger
man. and the Arion Singing Society and
Teutonia Maennerchor will take part in
the services.
IN HoBoKEN.
The G. A. r. will parade in Hoboken
with body guard of the Second Regi-
ment. They will first fire salute at the
Soldiers Monument on Hudson Square
Park. The monument will be draped in
the national colors. 1t will be also strewn
the cemeteries in North Hudson.
Major Woerner Post, Sons of Veterans,
will also parade in Hoboken with their
floral offerings, which will be placed on
the graves of our dead heroes. The
Women's Relief Corps will have recep-
tion at the Assembly Rooms to welcome
the organizations on their return.
Stevens Naval Post will also parade
round Hoboken and Jersey City, after
which they will go to north Hudson.
Decoration is the first anniversary of
the erection of the Soldiers Monument.