Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-05-31

National cemetery yesterday after
noon were like those in the city, of
an unusually imposing nature. The
Grand Army posts of the three cities
assembled in Moline, where they
were consolidated under the COM
mand of Col. Henry Egbert, OF Dav-
export, who was marshal OF the day,
and the line of march taken up to the
island.
The Exercises.
The exercises there consisted of the
sounding of the reveille by Miss
Grace Williams. Otto's band played
a patriotic selection. Prayer was
then offered by Rev. Geo X Hoover,
state chaplain of the q. A. Il. depart
ment of Iowa.
The Grafton.
The Grafton. a mastery effort, was
delivered bv Gen Byron \. Beeson,
of Des Moiues, state treasurer of
Iowa. and whose subject was ''Patri-
otism." WAR Is an educator of pa
triotism. -" the speaker held. land yet
there are those who discourage its
teachings. as they discourage every
lnlnU lnal mas lllt ~Nili 'is'iiNN VI u
aration for war. They fondly dream
that the time will soon come. Is al
most here. when there Will be no
more war. They soar high into the
realms of sentiment. and become so
| imbued with an abstract feeling OF
| love for their fellow men, that they
| ignore the plain facts IN the case
| They close their eyes to the tact that
| so long as ambition, aVarlce ana re
venre are attributes of human ma
ture. so long will there he war e
| NAV cry peace, peace. but until man
| kind is remenerated the laws OF pres
| ervation will cause us to meet force
| with force. and as there are no i'm
| mediate indications that the day OF
| mans regeneration is at hand, 1T be-
| bovos us to instill into the minds OF
| the Young that spirit of patriotism
! which makes good honest citizens in
| peace and loyal heoric soldiers in
| war. Twenty-eight years have come
| and gone since our country bade a
| clad GOOD bye to sanguinary war and
| heartily welcomed honorable peace.
| and ii i a patriotic inspiration to
| look over the faces of the audience
and see men who. with drawn sabers.
| rode after Gems Sheridan, Stoneman.
| KiInatrick. Gricrson. Hatch, Wilson
| and other illuStriOus cavalry leaders.
| and men who. with firmly grasPed
muskets. fought beneath Sherman,
| Mead. Mcclellan. Hancock. Logan
| and Mcpherson. and who combined
made the resistIess column OF victory
| that marched under Grant from the
| beginning to the end i'll the most
| eventful war that ever placed the
| banners of liberty high advanced up
| on the progress road OF humanity
| We know rs we look upon them that
| as the winters of age are falling upon
| these heads. there is a spring eternal
| within their hearts. the ovcrfloWln9
! fountain of loyalty. whose waters
| are sweetencd by the duties of char
itv and made clear and pure by the
| greetings of fraternity.
The speaker spoke clOquently OF
the composition of the Union army,
| of the painful partings at the break
| ing out of the war, of the suflerlngs
| and privations of the soldiers, OF
| the mum Der who persisted on the bat
| tie fields of the south, and of the full
| magnitude and significant outcome
| of the conflict. The education re
| ceived during the four and hall
| wears of military service rendered
| largely to develop leadership.
| Now. my comrades said Mr.
| Becson. there has been n sort OF
| lingering fear in the minds of some
of us that our country would forget
| that we saved it; forget our hardship
and trials. and our perils in main
! tanning the liberties OF the people, IN
| preserving and handing down to
| postcrity those priceless Jewels OF
| human liberty Fear not: there IS
no trouble at all about that. Right
| here on this beautiful government
| island the homage that was done us
| today and now. is homage involun-
| tarilv given. 1t has been given be
| fore and will continue to be given in
| every corner of this country of ours,
| in every portion of the civilized
| globe wherever our old soldiers
| march"
| In conclusion the distinguished
| speaker said:
| LET us not throw off the tingc OF
, sacred sadness that clusters about
| Memorial day, but let it live as the
| day of sweet remembrances OF our
| comrades whose lives went out that
| this free government might he pre-
| served to coming generations. Let
| monuments be erected to the patri-
| OTIS memory. Let orator and poet
| chronicle his worthy deeds. And
| when the marble slab no longer de-
| picts to our eyes his manly figure
| when eloquence and song can no
| longer charm us with the recital of