The Forrest City times., 1891-06-05

cod. Both garlands are fragrant Both have In them the sunshine and the shower os this springtime. The coiors of bOtL were mixed by him who mixed tho blue of the sky and the gold of the whiteness of the snow crystal. And I do not care which you put over thc Northern grave and which over tho Southern grave. Does any one say: "What is the use? None of them will know it; your Decoration great waste of flowers" Ahl I see you have carried too far my idea that praise for tho living is better than praise for the de- parted. Who says that the dead do not know of the flowersy l think they do. The dead are not dead. The body sleeps but the soul lives and is unhndered. No two cities on earth are in such rapid and con- stant communication as earth and heaven, and the two great Decoration Days of North and South are Netter known in realms celes. tial than terrcst sial. With what interest we visit the place of our birth and of our boyhooi or girlhood days! And have the de- parted no interest in this world where they were born and ransomed and where they suffered and triumphedy My Bible does not positively say so,nor docs my catechism teach it, but my common sense declares it. The departed do know, and the bannercd pro- cession that marched the earth yesterday to Northern graves and tn, hammered process sion that III irched month ago to South ern graves were accompanied by two grandcr though invisible processions that walked the air, processions of the ascended, processions of the martyred. proces,ions of tho sainted; and they heard the anthems of the churches and the salvo of the batteries, and they stopped down to breathe the n- cense of the flowers. These august throngs gathered this morning in h:se pews and asles and corridors and gallarles are insignificant compared with the mighter throngs of heaven who mngle in this service which we render to God and our country while we twist the two garlands. Huil spirits multitudinous! Hail spirits blest! Hail martyred ones come down from the Kings palaces! How glad We are that you have come back again. Take this kiss of wei come and these garlands of remini>ceucc, ye who languished in hospitals or went down under the thundars and the light nings of Fredericksburg and Cold Harber and Murfreesboro and Corintli and York town and above the clouds on Lookout Mountain.
 Among the thousands of gatherings at the North and at the south for Decorator Days, l am conscious that this service is unlque and that It IS the only one Tn 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. 0. Lord God of the American Unlon, is It time that we bury forever our old grudges?
 
 when this moment in heaven dwell in per feet love, Ulysses $. Grant and Robert k. Lee. William Y. Sherman and Stonewal Jackson, and tens of thousands of Northern aud Southern men who. though they oncs looked askance at each other from the op- positc banks of the Potomtc and the Chick ahomny and the James an the Tennessee. now are on ths same siie of the River. keeping jubilee with eoms of those old angels who no,r nineteen centuries ago cam down one Christmas night to chant over Bethlehem: 'Glory to God In the highest; on earth peace, good W Il 10 men,"
 And now l hand over the two garlands, both of which arc wet with many tears, tears of widowhOod and orphanagc and childlessness, tears of suffering and tears of gratitude. and ns the ceremony must bc performed in sym ol, there not being enough flowers to cover all ths graves take the one garland to tic tomb of some North. ern soldier who may yesterday have been omitted fin the distribution of tho sacrament of flowers and tue other garland to he tomb of some Southern sollicr. who may, a month ago, have been omitted in the distribution of the sacrament of the f1ow- CTS, and put both the wreaths gently down over the hearts that have ceased 10 beat. God bless the two garlands! God save the United States of America!