The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-05-08
AN AFFECTING SIGHT.

Tne FAFhuu OF tup ochoul bptboANuW Aste'
Old soldiers and Hardened Mem Moved 70
ToRrs-UnpFsSedsntsd Scenes,
Ntw York Correspondent Cincinnati Commercial
GGsells.
In abiding for about the last time 10
the Centennial Celebration, i can not
help reyerting once more to the parade
Of the schoolboys Of New York, That
will live in the memories Of all present
after all the rest has become faded
dream. One may forget the war ships
and the soldiers and the civic parade,
but one can never forget that appearance
OF four thousand school boys OF New
York. It Is still the talk on every hand,
Such perfection In marching was
never seen before.
AS the little fellows marched by In
files as straight as q rule, from curb TO
curb, their shoulders, backs and chests
thrown out, their cheeks flushed with
the proud pleasure OF being reviewed by
the President Of the United StateB, look.
ing straight ahead, paying no attention
10 calls Of proud fathers and mothers
and friends, following the flag, and step
ping with accurate football To the music
they produced as they went past in
seemingly endless array, they made 0
tremendous impression.
Women waved their handkerchiefs,
and cried and laughed almost hysteri.
cally, and men felt q lump In their
threats as they watched the little fellows
20 proudly marching by in perfect time,
department and alignment. No such
perfect marching as that was ever seen
on the streets OF New York before. Har.
rison himself was yisibly moved, and
Sherman was excited.
"What becomes OF your Anarchists
now?n shouts voice from near the
President, and "Ain't you glad you are
an American !" shouts another,
! have previously said considerable
about this memorable feature OF the
parade Of Wednesday, and ! close by
quoting from long article on this fea-
ture which the Sun has;
'Hear this that q skilled soldier on
the grand stand near Harrison's box ex.
claims, after watching for ten minutes In
silence:
az don't see how they doiti they step
like one man.
NAnd this from another veteran Of
the war.
d'The Seventh can't beat en-
"And this from Grand Army COM
mandant:
N'That knocks soldiers all out.
$50 the compliments were spoken,
and so the wonderful spectacle passed
BY, But even when II had all gone men
still talked about the display. That
night a Jolly Wall street man began dis,
Gus ling the boys and their exploit, He
told some OF the things noticed in them,
and aB he went on In his narrative his
voice became choked and his eyes got
wet. He was at certain club up town,
and In the group the Wall street man
was addressing was keen man with q
somewhat pessimistic disposition. He
half sneered at his friends surrender to
emotion, and commenced 10 talk him
self about the boys. Not q minute
passed and he, too, bad become silent.
He simply could not talk,
"Many other similar instances have
been reported, and though u Is astrange
thing for men about town, and about
such town as this, to be affected thus,
1t may be understood by all when the
march Of the boys Is considered not in
the light Of an ordinary spectacle, but as
an exhibition which was both q moral
and prophecy. There were four thou
sand Boys in line. II there Lad beer,
four thousand soldiers, and they had
marched lust % well as the lads, there
never would have been any, emotion
over the sight. The fact that there WeFe
on the march 80 many yonths=yonths
innocent Of all those signs which sntrcnl
men-seemed 10 stand plain before e!l
the spectators. What could oil the talk
about political corruption and bribery
and intemperanCe and lust matter nov
Here, at any rate, was o phalanx o. In.
nocence. Here were boys whose liyee
had not been sullied, and surely that
was something that appealed TO ones
emotion" 7r.