Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-06-01


parted
Wac says that the dead do DOS know VI
tbs towers, | think they d.. fae dead
are nor dead The body sleers. tas the
seui lives AID Is aahiB6ered Notwo cities
or earth are in such RAID and constant
communication as earth and heaven AID
TIE TWO great Decoration Days Of north
and south sre better known IN realms
celestial than terrestrial With What ia
tsrest we visit the place Of our birth and
Of our hoyhood or girihood days Ar
have the departed no interest in this word
where they were born and ransomed. ard
where they suffered and triamphed, Ny
Bible does not positively say 80. nor does
my eatechisn teach il. but my common
sense declares II. The departed do know.
sad the hammered procession that marched
the earth yesterday 10 northern graves
and the hammered procession that marched
q month ago 70 southern graves, were &C
companied By two grander though inyist
bic PROFESSIONS thar walked the air-pro-
cessions OF the assembled. professions OF the
rnartyrei. PROFESSIONS Of the sainted-end
they heard the anthems of the churches.
and the salyo Of the batteries. and they
stopped down 10 breathe the incense Of the
lowers
These august throngs gathered this
morning in these pews and aisles aud cor
rldors aud galleries are insign ihcant COM
pared with the mightier throags OF heaven
who minSle in this service which We render
10 God and our country while we twist the
two garlands. Hail spirits muititudinousi
Hail spirits blesti Hail martysed ones
come down from the Kings palscesl How
glad are we that yor have come back
againl Take this kiss Of welcome and
these garlapds of "Reminiscences. ye who
languished In hospitals or went down
under the founders and the lightninss
of fredericksburg and Cold Harbor and
Murfreesboro aud Corinth and Yorktown
and above the clouds on Lookout Mount
ain
A UNIQUE sEEyICK
Among the thousands Of gatherings at
the north and at the south for Decoration
DAYS | am conscious that this service Is
unique, and that it IL the only one il
which there has been twisted two gar
lands, ore for the grave OF the northern
dead and the other for the grave OF the
southern dead O Lord God Of the Amer
lean Union. is IL not time that we bury for
ever our old grudges' Myl Myi Can We
not be at peace on earth when this mo-
ment in heaven dwell, in perfect love,
Ulysses ;. Grant and Robert Il. Lee, Will
lam L. Sherman and Stonewau jackson,
and tens Of thousands Of northern and
southern men who, though they once
looked askance at each other from the
opposite benks OF the Potomac and the
Chickahominy and the James and the Ten
nessce, now are On the same side OF the
river, keeping jubilee with some of those
old angels who near nineteen centuries
ago came down one Christmas night to
chant over Bethlehem, GLORY to God in
the highest; on earth peace. good will to
menr
have been waiting for some years for
some one else TO twist the two garlands
that today twist, but, no ono doing it, in
the love Of God and my country put now
nay hand to the work, and next spring
about this time, II am living and well.
will twist two more garlanCs for northern
and southern graves. and every springtime
until some man or woman whom | may
have cheered q little la the struggle of this
life shall come out and put pansy or two
on my OWN grave. But il the time should
ever come when this land shall be given
over to sectional rancor and demagogism,
and north and south, or east and west
shall forget what the good God built this
nation for, and it shall halt ON its high
career Of righteousness and liberty and
peace, and become the agent Of tyranny
and wrong and oppression, then let some
young man whom have baptized in in
fancy at these affairs 60 out to Greenwood
and scoop up my dust and scatter it TO the
four winds of heaven, for do not want to
sleep. and l will lot sleep In land ac-
cursed with secsionalism or oppression.
And now hand over the two gaylands,
both of which are wet with many tears
tears OF widewhood and orphanage and
childlessness, tears OF suffering and tears
of gratitude; and Us the ceremony must be
performed in symbol, there not being
enough flowers to cover all the graves, take
the one garland TO the tomb of some north
ern soldier who may yesterday have beei
omitted in the distribution of the sacra-
n.ent OF flowers, and the other garland to
the tomb of some southern soldier who
may a month ago have been omitted in tie
distribution Of the sacrament OF the flow
ers. and put both the wreaths gently down
over the hearts that have ceased TO beat.
God bless the two garlandsl God save the
United States of Anierical