Arizona weekly citizen., 1891-06-06
ENTERED TIE posTorE .ck kA-2D-CLAssMATrEI
HERBERT BROWN Manager
From Fridays Daily.
DECORATION DAY,

Tomorrow Will be Decoration Day, a
national holiday. The Grand Army OF
the R.pu ohc throughout the United
States will pay the annual floral tribute
to their comrades who fell in battle or
who were gathered to the bivousc Of the
dead in more peaceful times. or all our
national holidays, Decoration Day
stands out the most prominent, and
should survive al others, for is it not
dedicated to the memory of men who
saved the country from disruption, and
made it perpetual?
Tomorrow, throughout the entire
langth and breadth of this grand repGb-
hc will be seen thousands Of gray-head
ed men in line, marching to the onbs OF
former comrades in arms, tt place there
on their tokens Of eve in simple flower
a tribute of respect more eloquent
than the splendid euiogy Of some wordy
orator. 10 too many cases these flowers
will be placed with an infirm hand; but
as each succeeding year thins the ranks
of Americas heroes, they have the
proud conscience that younger gener-
atirn will 10 turn cast the same holy tri-
butte TO their memories as will be laid
upon the G. a K. tombs in the morn.
In the celebration OF Decoration Day
Snere is psrfect freedom to participate
or abstain, bat rs if by one accord the
entire American Union is unit in sol
emnizIny the day as the most sacred in
our history. Fidelity 10 the flag, fidelity
to the cause OF freedom and self-gcv-
erament was what these veterans fought
for ic the late civil war; they gave their
lives iG their cause.-the cause Of Amer |
ica, the cause Of good government. |
How well their deeds are appreciated !
today. Not alone by their comrades,
but by the very men who at one time |
wors the gray, are their names revered. |
The lesson taught during our late war,
was that of Fidelity; the idelity OF our
honored dead has placed our flag |
upon a pinnacle higher than the Highest |
in national independence and strength, |
and replaced the cloud Of strife with |
that Of prosperity and happiness.
There is an indescribable feeling OF !
ven, ration and patriotism that wells up
in the heart of every true American /
az hs views the rapidly diminishing !
columns Of the @. A. R.-In many cases
headed by the bullet-pielced colore,
round which our dead heroes rallied |
time after tIme-keepirg martial step
towards the cemeteries where sleep
their former CO onrales. There is a Ian
guage Of words spoken and written,
there is language OF signs and tokens,
and OF flowers, all appropriate to this
most beautiful national ceremonial, but
the language of an old soldiers moist
eye, as he places his simple blossom
upon the grave of some departed CON-
rade, IS too sacred for utterance. AS
years roll by, younger hands will in turn
strew flowers over the grave of each civil
war veteran as the last bugle note calls
him to the assemblage OK tie silent
heroes of America, but his memory and
deeds will be as fresh to US as the flowers
we place upon his tomb.
Twenty-six years have elapsed since
the eni of the war. Ii now, while tender
hands scatter flowers as lm artially as
the MINER rain falls upon the graves
of the blue ald the gray-if in these
latter days the survivors of the struggle
revisit It's scenes, they may behold the
old forts covered With waving grass,
the aattIeielis with ripeHiRg grain, and
the crater ut the deadly mine mossy
hollow f.lsd WIG SDSers. Decoration
Dsy is the result OF this radical change,
and means charity for ell, malice to
none, only aoral tribute to the true
and faithful and brave.
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