Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-06-05

child. many of them never to return,
were not In earnest when they put
their life into awful exigency. Wit
ness the last scene at family pray
ers mp among the Green Mountains or
down by the fields OF cotton aud sugar cane.
Men do not sscrihcc their all for fun. Men
do not eat mouldy bread or 20 without
bread at all for fun. Men do not sleep un-
sheltered in equinoctiai storms for fun.
There wee some no doubt on both sides
who enlisted for soldiers pay or expecting
opportunity for violence and pillage or
burning with revenge, aud thirst for human
blood, but such cases were SO rare many OF
you who were In the war four years never
confronted such an instance OF depravity.
But we must not deiain the two garlands
any longer from the pillows OF those who
for quarter OF u century have been pros
trate In dreamless slumber, never oppressed
by summer heats or chilled by winters
cold. Both garlands are fragrant Both
have In them the sunshine and the show
OF this springtime. The coiors OF both
were mixed by him who mixed the blue
of the sky and tie gold of the
sunset and tile green of the grass aud the
whiteness OF The snow crystal And l do
not care which you put over The Northern
grave and which over the Southern grave.
Does any one say: ''Whut IL theusey None
of them Will know IL; your Decoration
u great waste OF flowers" Anil see you
have carried too far my idea that praise for
the living Is better than praise for the de-
parted. Who says that the dead do not
know OF the flowersy | think they do. The
dead are not dead. The body sleeps but
the soul lives anu is unblndored. No two
cities on earth are in such rapid aud con-
slant communication us earth aud heaven,
and the two great Decoration Days OF North
and South are better known in realms celes-
tial tDan terrestrial. VITA what interest
we visit the place OF our birth and OK our
boyhoo1 or glrihood days! And have the de-
parted no interest IN this world where they
were born and ransom d and where they
suffered ana triumpheuI Nv Bible does not
positively LAY senior does my catechism teach
-. but my common sense declares II. The
departed do know. and the hammered pro-
cession that marched the earth yesterday TO
Northern graves aud III hammered process
sion that marched "A month ago 10 South
ern graves were accompanied by two
grander though invisible professions that
walked the air. PROFESSIONS OF the assembled.
professions Of the martyred. professions OF
the sanied; and they heard the anthems OF
the churches and the salvo OF the batteries,
and they stopped down To breathe the in.
cense OF the flowers. These august throngs
pews and alsles and corridors
and galleries are insignitic ut
compared with the migbtier throngs of
heaven who mingla In this service which
we render TO God end our country while
We twist the two garlands. Hail spirits
multitudinous! Hail spirits blest! Hail
msriyred ones come down from the Kings
palaces! How glad we are that you have
come back again. Take this kiss OF well
come and these garlands of reminiscencc,
We who languished In hospitals or went
down under. the thunders and the light
nings OF Fredericksburg and Cold Harder
and Murfreesboro and Corinth and York
town aud above the clouds on Lookout
Mountain.
Among the thousands OF gatherings at
the North and at the South for Decoration
Days, / am conscious that this service is
unique and that 1t IS the only one in which
there has been twisted two garlands, one
for the grave OF The Northern dead and the
other for the grave Of the Southern dead.
%, Lord God OF the American Union, is IL
time that we bury forever our old grudges?
My My! Can we not I've ut peace on earth
when this moment In heaven dwell in per.
feet love, Ulysses :. Grant and Robert L
Lee, William IT, sherman and Stonewall
Jockson, an tens OF thousands OF Northern
aud Southern men who. though they once
looked askance at each other from the op-
posite banks OF the Potomic and the Chick
ahomny and the James an the Tennessee,
now are on the same site OF the River
keeping jubilee with some OF those old
angels who netr nineteen centuries ago
ctme down one CHRISTMAS night To chant
over Bethlehem: GLORY to God In the
highest; OH earth peace good W II 10 men."
And now | hand over tie two garlands
both OF which are wet with many tears
tears OF widowhood ard orphanage aud
childlessness, tears OF suffering and tears OF
gratitude, and rs the ceremony must be
performed in syml oil, there not being
enough flowers to cover all The graves. take
the one garland TO tie tomb of some North
ern soldier who NAV yesterday have been
omitted In the distribution of the sacrament
of flowers, aud the other garland to IN,
tomb Of some Southern soldier, who may,
month ago, have been omitted I'm the
distribution OF the sacrament OF the flow
ers, and put both the wreaths gently down
over the beirts that have ceased to beat
God bless the two garlands! God save tn
United States of Americal