The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-06-11

against Longstreet. 1t was Fitzpatrick
against Wade Hampton. It was Slo-
cum against Hill. 1t was o. @. How
ard against Hood. 1t was Sherman
against Stonewall Jackson. 1t was
Grant against Lee. And those men
who was under them were just as gal
liant, and some Of them are here,
and l detain the two garlands
| that I have twisted for the de-
| parted and in recognition OF hon
esty and prowess put the coronals
upon these living Federals and
| Confederates. North and South, we
| will make great fuss about them
when they are dead. There will not
be room on their tombstones to tell
how much we appreciate them. We
shall call out the military and explode
three volleys over their graves, max
ing all the cemetery ring under our COM
mand OF "Fire!" We will have long
obituary in newspapers telling in what
battle they fought, what sacrifices
they endured, what flag they captur-
ed, in what prisons they suffered, but
all that will come too late. One word
in the living ear of praise for their
honesty and courage will be worth to
them more than a military funeral
two miles long or a pile of flowers half
mile high and ten bands of music
playing over the grave "Star Spangl-
ed Banner" or "Way Down South in
Dixie" Now while they
ARE IN THEIR DECLINING YEARS
and their right knee refuses to work
because OF the rheumatism they
got sleeping on the wet ground
on the banks of the Chicka-
manga, or their digestive organs are
off on Through because OF the six
months OF prison life in which their
rations We're big slices OF nothing and
their ears have never been alert since
the cannonade in which they heard so
much they have been able to hear but
little since, in these cases call upon
the people OF the North and South to
substitute little ante-mortem praise
for the good deal of post-mortem eu-
logium. These two garlands that 1
twisted for Northern and Southern
graves shall not be put upon the grass
OF the tomb until they have first en-
circled the foreheads of the living. I
will let the front OF the wreath come
down over the scar OF a scalp wound
made by the sword of cavalry-man
at Atlanta and droop q little over the
eye that lost it's lustre in the mine ex-
plosion at Petersburg. Huzza for the
living! Gala lilies and camelias and
amaranths and palm branches tor the
living!
Among the thousands OF gatherings
at the North and at the South for
Decoration days, 1 am conscious that
this service is unique and that it is the
only one in which there have been
twisted two garlands, one for the
Northern dead and the other for the
grave of the Southern dead. O, Lord
God OF the American Un-
ion, is it not time that we
BURN FOREVER OUR OLD GRUDGEs?
My! My! Can we not be at peace on
earth when this moment in heaven
dwell, in perfect love, Ulysses S. Grant
and Robert E. Lee, William T. Sher-
man and Stonewall Jackson, and tens
OF thousands OF Northern and South
ern men, who, though they once look
ed aslSance at each other from the OPP
posite banks Of the Potomac and the
Chickahominy and the James and the
Tennessee, now are on the same side
of the river, keeping jubilee with some
OF those old angels who near 10 CEN
turies ago came down one Christmas
night to chant over Bethlehem: "Glory
to God in the highest; on earth peace,
good will to mem"
And now l hand over the two gar
lands, both of which are wet with
many tears, tears OF widowhood and
childlessness, tears Of suffering and
tears OF gratitude, and as the cere-
mony must be performed in symbol,
there not being enough flowers to
cover all the graves, take the one gar
land to the tomb of some Northern
soldier who may have recently been
omitted in the distribution OF the sac
rament OF flowers, and the other gar
land to the tomb of some Southern
soldier, who may, q month ago, have
been omitted in the distribution OF
the sacrament OF flowers, and put
both the wreaths gently down over
the hearts that have ceased to beat.
God bless the two garlands! God
save the United States of America!