The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-05-31

Post Department Commanders.
Smyth Post Band.
lSmyth Post, No. !, Samuel j. Wood
/ Commander.
DUPONT Post Drum Corps.
DUPONT Post, No. 2, Henry Stradley
Commander.
H Garfield Camp, Sons OF Veterans,
Geo. j. Adams, Commander.
4 Drum Corps.
High School boys and lads from
4 schools Nos. ]. 4 and 8 and others
numerically in line, Past
/ Post Commander Joseph
I Duffy. Marshal, and
u Lewis B. Wright,
aid.
City Officers.
Mayor and Council, Board OF Educa
ton. in carriages.
4 After passing over the route an
nounced, the procession halted iI
4 front OF the stand in Eighth Street
Park.
EXERCISES AT THE PARK.
!, There was an Immense crowd at the
park when the veterans arrived, and II
presented an animated scene. Junior
Vice COMMANDMENT Chief, Peter b
lAyars, presided. and in opening made
a Few eloquent remarks, In which he
alluded to tho day and the purpose 70
which 1t is dedicated. The school,
children, led by ]. L. Clymer, director
OF music, sang America, after which
prayer was offered by the Rev. S. NJ
Morgan, Jr., of Mt. Salem NJ. f.
Church. The children followed with
Columbia the Gem OF the Ocean, "and
when they finished Chairman Ayars
introduced Chief Justice Charles b.
Lore. who was greeted with applause
AsYNoPsIs OF THE GRAFTON.
Y Soldiers OF the Grand Army Of the
lRepublic, your General Order No. 4
'IstYles this Memorial Day as the day
',of flowers and sadness, OF msmory and
,lhoDe."
J, Flowers you have already strewn
upon the graves OF the veteran dead
Ii in the spirit world they can look
down upon you to-day, what thrill
OF Joy and glndness must lie theirs,
lat this act OF homage rendered by the
fast fading remnant OF the old guard,
land by loving people. to the memo
4 ry OF those who fell In battle, or were
swept away Ivy wars scourges,
wounds and disease. Tenderly you
have trodden over their graves; low
ingly you have laid upon those graves
bouquets. wreaths and chaplets of
flowers plucked from mother earth In
this her spring timo. Flowers which
are natures spring promises of au-
ttumn's fruit and abundance, and which
ARE the earthly expression OF divine
perfection.
Most wonderful of oil in the page OF
human'history, you have strewn these
flowers impartially upon the graves
of Union and OF Confederate dead.
Those who wore the blue and the gray
alike have been tho recipients of Your
lho,tyfx. Tn he MI -
have barished the memory OF all faults
and cherished only virtues. The
choicest flower OF human virtue. char.
lily, hus bloomed this day In all Its
lfulIness, while as representatives OF q
united people you have decorated the
GRAVES OF the nations dead. Then in
deed IL has been u day OF flowers, the
promises OF Gods love and forgive
mess to fallen mon.
! 1t has also been a day OF sadness.
II he flowers, the wreaths, the chaplets,
all these tokens OF your love have
been laid upon graves; laid over the
dust OF the gdend, in burial places
where the dwellers have lost the pow
lers OF speech and are silent In death.
They represent many desolate home,
many widow, m my an orphan, many
a home III winch the light went out
and the strong urn OF support and
protection YVES broken. when tho dead
warrior was laid In his now decorated
grave. IL Ia sad to remember that the
strong man has fallen; that broken
hearts and darkened homes, and long
years OF struggle and agony cluster
lmayhap about each little mound in
the graveyard. 1t Is atday of sadness.
but we remember that they were
brave and true, and that they now live
In the memory of the people.
In speaking OF the surrender OF Cen
eral Lee and his army he said: This
day carries US back twenty-eight
years to the 9th day of April, 1866
when at Apron attox Cont House the
most gigantic war OF modern times
ended in the surrender of General Lee
to General Grant. At daybreak on
that memorable day, pressed by the
OF Sheridan In front, by the
infantry OF General Grant In the rear,
by the Union army, the
SO, 900 half starved Confederates, who
had eaten little or nothing since the
morning OF April LIST. eaw General
Leo ride out Of the Confederate camp
In his best uniform, beRlrt with his
sword. TO ask for mercy at the hands
OF conQuerlng Grant. As he came
back again from the interview with
the terms OF surrender, an eye witness
says:
Whole lines of battle rushed up to
their beloved old chief, and choking
with emotion. broke ranks and strug.
gled with each other to wiring him once
more by the hand. Men who had
fought through the war. and knew
what the agony and humiliation OF
that moment must be to him, stroye
with refinement OF unselfishness and
tenderness, which he alone could fully
appreciate, to tighten his burden and
to mitigate his pain. With tears pour
Ing down his checks, General Lee at
length commanded voice enough TO
say: Men, we have fought through.
out the war together; have done the
best could for you
Not an. eye that looked on that
scene was dry" and yet they were
rough and rugged men. familiar with
hardships, dangerous and death in
thousand shapes" 1t is said. there is
no passage In the history of this war,
which FOR years to como will be more
mentioned and gratefully
remembered than the demeanor on
the 9th day OF April. 1885. OF General
Grant to General Lee." His bearing.
and that OF the officers about him, was
the perfection of delicate courtesy and
real greatness to fallen foe. Some
OF You veterans. perohance were there
That day, eye witnesses OF that surren.
der: To such this day of memory
will bring back fully the scene.
10 all OF you this day brings the
memory OF the days In camp OF on the
by the cheerful biyounc fire or
on tue lonely md fearsome picket
post; the fearful horror before the bat
tie, then the reckless dash through
storm OF shot and shell. How you
stood, Union and Confederate on either
side OF the line. shot each at the other
N cold blood, then forgetting war In
and snapped coffee and sugar for to-
bacco; gently calling each other Fed"
and .'Reb."
Referring TO the results and lessons
OIL the great conflict he said:
1t wiped out the one blot on the ma.
TONS escutcheon, human slavery.
1t taught both sections, north and
south, that manhood knew no section
Al lines, but was common pro-
duct OF this young people; this unique
blending OF the blood or the best ma
lions oil the old world. 1t taught US
to respect each other.
1t taught US that these sister states.
born In the forest, cradeied In the
hardest struggles of pioneer life,
nursed OF liberty and chosen OF God,
In the oond OF Union, were TO he the
leaders OF nations; not sundered in
warning fragments, but cemanted In
the enduring bonds oil national life.
1t taught all our people to revere
anew the nag OF our country and all
1t symbozlios-life, liberty and the
pursuit OF happiness with the least
possible abatement of individual
rig htsIno flag ever iloated over ship
citadel or hearthstone that meant SO
and arnrezasd eueh r,oaal,,lII