Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-16
A MARCH TO THE GRAVE.
A Grand Army Procession is Necessarily
Solemn Thing.

The best part of yesterdays demonstration
as is true OF everything else in the world was
before II began. There is passage in the
Roman history of that unconscious old realist
Gibbon, where he gives picture of the gath
ering of the Gothic tribes. 1t makes one see
them sweeping down together under northern
misty skies, through dim northern woods, and
it is worth a great deal more than the whole
account of the war which follows. After get
ting that picture one doesn't care a rap how
the came out. There was something in the
hour -after-hour inward rush of hundreds of
thousands of people yesterday forenoon that
was like that old Gothic gathering. We had the
same gray sky and the sitting mist at any rate.
The hill on the common was the place from
which to see it. and the best hour was about IL
o'clock. There was one mighty roll and throb
of drums Two bands playing near each other
make horrible cacophony; fifty bands, all play
ing at once, at a little distance, and you in the
midst, lose all their individual sound in sort
Of strange, wild harmony There were the gay
uniforms of the musicians, bright patches OF
color here and there; the nOdding standards;
the moving blue lines of the Grand Army posts,
some marching this way, some that but all
tending in general southwestward direction;
around all the great moving ocean Of specta-
tors. surging on in the game direction, with
white dresses OF women like 1ecks OF foam oil
the dark waves; above, and framing the scene,
| Tie raw green MASSES OF elm-tree foliage, seem
ing to be borne onward by the northeast wind
toward the same goal and noble towers OF
buildings rising above the foliage-altoSether
u grand and imposing sight. full OF high in
spiration; and you. you diiletante Boston art
lists you scorned 1t, and puttered away
at your commonplace canvases, some
where long way of, missing the
picture that might have immortalizcd you!
Tho first thing that a thoughtful person
pkl nfi N Ohger a Arm mr.
cession is necessarily solemn thing. In spite
Of all the merriment OF great reunion and the
horse play Of the veterans on the street the
color of the whole thing is somber. The march
is simply march to the grave. All humanity,
to be sure, is engaged i'll "a march to the grave;
but humanity will be replaced and the Grand
Army of the Republic will not be replaced.
Shoulder to shoulder, in broad, solid phaianx,
| with the swinging lope Of Il great victorious
army, the Grand Army marched. under yester-
days leaden sky, in its own funeral procession.
1t would be folly to say that the veterans were
not conscious OF this and did not often show it,
| in spite OF their proper tendency to get the
most fun out OF the encampment they could.
| The presence of the Sons OF Veterans seemed
to be q solemn thing to most OF
| them. II like to see you fellows" the
Listener heard one grizzled old soldier say to
| the commander of q camp Of the youngsters
''and don't like to see you. l commanded a
company once that looked just like your CON-
| paQy. Dv heaven. IL Whb Just tuCu " company
| to that led out in lS6l-smooth-faced
chaps, all the way from eighteen to twenty-five
| with blue coats and jaunty caps and all that
| We don't look SO jaunty today, eh? Well, We
| see ourselves in you las We were-and as we
amt, and that's one reason why don't much
| like to see you around"
| The typical Grand Army post was not by any
means one of the handsome city posts thai
| were SO well represented in the line. These
| wel-dressed city men correspond with the more
/ theatrical regiments and generals that wen
/ out early in the war. Soon the service took the
| wind out Of those theatrical regiments ant
| generals; they .'hatted out" as the boys said
| and the business Of saving the Union settled
| down upon the shoulders Of the plain fellows
| with staying qualities, who had the metal il
| them to bear the horrible. dull grinding
| monotony of war. The dingy. sun-burned
| grizzled unkempt country Grand Army post,
| represent the victorious monotone of the war
| Their stopping shoulders look as il they were
not unacquainted with such things Us KNAPP
sacks. Their thin and hollow cheeks tell o.
| ill nourishmcnt upon bareback and bat
bacon, and their scraggly chin boards OF tn,
scarcity Of raxors and shaving soap. Thei
SLOUGH hats and their half uniform, with blue
coat perhaps, aud no matter what sort o.
trousers, tell OF tho disarray that long, dirt,
marches brought the volunteers to. Your hel
melted, white-gloved post, like the Lafayette
OF New York, is handsome beyond doubt
but il 10 made up Of picked men. with none,
| to back them. Wait till the Maine or New
| Hampshire post comes up, some Of who's,
members have to travel II miles to attend
post meeting. They are poor men, and the,
are in war yet-the hard war merely for
chance to live in the world. Life is solemn
struggle with them. Their thin faces, thei
bent shoulders, show it. They are your tru,
veterans, and il is the sight OF them, with tn
lope Of the 'foot cavalry" still in their stit
legs, that makes the heart beat fast