Telegram-herald., 1890-05-30
OFFICIAL PAPER or THE CITY,



On the 18th day or April, ls52. just
one year after the fau OF Fort Sump-
ter, Mrs. sarah Nichols Evans, who
4. ed recently NJ Des MONIES. Ia, ,tOgeth-
er with the wife and twO daughters Of
Chaplain MAY. OF the second regiment,
Michigan volunteers. decorated the
graves Of many brave patriots buried
on Arlington Heights In May Of the
next year the same ladies' performed
the same loving service IN the same
place. A year later they decorated
the graves Of the heroes bured at Fred
ericksburg.
such Nas the origin Of Memorial
Day. One OF its chief beauties lies IN
the naturalneEs and touching simplicity
OF Is ceremonial. Those four
ladies', out OF the fullness OF their low
ing and patriotic hearts, sought to
honor the memories Of those heroes
who were among the first 10 respond to
their cOuntry's call and fall IN her de-
fense. An elaborate ceremonial would
have been impossible under the circum-
stances. Love, honor and devotion
would have been buried beneath an elab-
crate ritual and the real purposes Of
their loyal hearts have been made sub
servent to ostentabous display. They
devised no new method OK showing
their respect 70 the dead. but their
hearts worship went out spontaneously
10 those buried heroes, N that form
of expression which, from time
immemoral, has been recog-
nned as peculiarly sppropri-
ate. The beauty. the fragrance,
the delicacy, the innocence and the
freshness OF flowers have, to the tender
heart, ever symbohzed pure love and
devotion. 10 was eminently fitting,
therefore. when Memorial Day was es-
tablshed. that THIS natural ceremonial
should form the center piece of the
whole days observance.
Itlswell, TOO. that the trials. hard
ships and prvatous Of our heroes
should be recalled, rocounted and
taught to our children upon this sacred
day. The long and tedious marches,
tns scanty rations, the broken slum-
hers. the silent watches. the shock Of
battle, the awful mutilatiOus. the
crowded hospitals and the lack OF wo-
mans nursing, which decimated their
ranks and left the survivors = shat
tered and broken hand. are topics
that should never be forgot
ten, ss they 60 % make 10
a record Of heroism and patriotic devO-
ton never equaled IN this worlds bis
tory. May this day close with our
memories Of the herolc dead revived
and intensified. and may those mem
ores be ever present with ia, amidst
the pressing duties and responsibilities
OF another busy year.
And Why should We not today also re-
uember the heroes who are vet with
usr one by one they arc receiving the
silent summons and their numbers arc
RAPIDLY lssscning. We can not tel
which ones. but we know that some Of
those whom W. rlset uron the streets
t0fav W. 10 the rscip-cutsof memorial
offerings another year. Then let us
resolve. 1pou ths Memorial D1v. that
nothing shsll he feftuud0ne thst can m
any wlT rec1mpenss the old soldier for
his sacrifices snd show cur apprecla-
ton Of 3 - services.
Jawrs n TrTVFT SAYS be wants t0 ~
governor IF Michigan. Wben man
only wants ltt'e thing Ike that he
eurht to have re-. J.mn-y. ola boy. and
trs stare Legislature with e, no one
else hss any use f'~ F--
80 Jsu-rrL The letter proposition mas
be fr1s. but Saginaw county h1s taken
up much cf Che Ieg stature tme irr
rrr ths lasf few sessicns. IN saginaw
forres III stav at home, the problem oi
snort sessions WI soon he solved.
w.v's words are often prophetlc
Vas Grover Cleveland speaking q ths
t5an future present, vhen he sfrucs
cF hrs famous phrase, "irnoc1ous tes
uerlder
II "a ...>-az---sf- -~rr-t-4 traf tr-