The morning call., 1893-05-27
KINNE'S SARCASM.
How Shall Memorial Day
Be Observed =?
ARE PICNECS IN ORDER =?
Caustic Comments on Both Sides
and the Public Will Do as 1t
P!easeS.
ARE PICNECS IN ORDER .?
What is Memorial day for?

What is Memorial day forP
Is it to be a day for tears ana sadness
about the old soldiers who fell in the war
or day of glorifcaton OF their deeds by
people happy and proud In remembering
what they have done?
Then again. how are the people to show
their sorrow or their joy?
Those are the questions the people of
the Grand Army of the Republic are being
asked since the general committee in
charge of Memorial day exercises passed
the sarcastic resolutions offered by Colonel
c. Mason Kinne IN regard to DR.. John
Gray and the Church of the Advent and
its proposed picnic on that day.
Colonel Kinne said yesterday: "There
is no necessity whatever for Memorial day
except to inellcate sentiments of loyalty
in the young. 1t was declared holiday
for that purpose and not for the purpose
of holding picncs. l am very glad til al
the resolutions were published and hope
they will make the church people recog
nize that we stand in relation to Memorial
day just rs they do toward the Sabbath
don't want it desecrated."
Colonel Kinne more than any other
member of the Grand Army en- this coast
has fought against making any use Of
Memorial day by the public except to re-
we're the memory of the fallen dead as an
object lesson to the young.
Colonel Smedberg said: II don't sup
pose it makes much difference whether
people go to Sausallto or anywhere else on
that day as long as the principal object
OF the outing is to observe the purposes
for which the day was made a holiday.
Ii were a minister and thought that
could in my own way inculcate ideas of
patriotism IN the minds Of the children,
| should try to do it in that way 1t is
only question of how we can accomplish
the object for which the day was made
holiday. L don't believe in making it
simply a day for having good time. l
don't want the people TO go out and shed
tears all day any more than / want people
to make Sunday too serious day."
A prominent minister was asked about
1t and said: II don't see that Sunday
school picnic is any desecration of Meme
rial day. The Grand Army people are
overlapping their province in debating
just how every one should observe the
day. There is only small proportion of
the whole people in the Grand Army OF
the Republic. and l don't think that they
have monopoly of all the patriotism in
the country nor that they should tell the
millions grown up since the war who
would gladly shoulder arms in its defense
if occasion arose just how they should
celebrate 4 day that is more in honor of
patriotism impersonally than in honor of
those individuals who fell in defense of
their country"
The general committee In charge OF the
Memorial day exercises, or at least many
of them. are rather bitter against DR..
Gray, and say that the resolutions should
have been much stronger, and state that
an Invita- tion for the Bows Brigade of the
Church of the Advent to Join them in their
procession was sent to the pastor and
refused.
Kev. John Gray said yesterday that he
had never received an invitation for the
Boys Brigade to join the Grand Army of
the Republic in the Memorial day process
sion. He said:
81 should have been glad to have ac-
cepted it and the boys could very easily
have gone in the procession and then gone
over to the picnic"
Oscar 5. johnson, secretary of the
Memorial day committee. said: Each
and every post of the Grand Army Of the
RrpnhIis is bound by law and custom to
observe this national holiday.
I'm every city where there Is more
than one post it has been deemed proper
f0T all 10 unite in carrying ont the exer-
clSes OF the day; and the posts of San
francisco have done so up to this year.
For this purpose there have always been
appointed delegates from each post 10 act
in behalf OF the same as a general Memo
rial day committee.
IAN the posts except one will this year
Jointly observe the day. and there Is n OF
the slightest clash or i'll feeling on the part
oi either post or any of the comrades on
That account, because any post has per-
feet right to observe the day by itself.
There is, as far as | know. the utmost
good feeling existing among both comrades
and the pests, and the only regret is that
all cannot be in every place at once.
The only executions TO this have been
caused by SONS few chronic grumblers and
malcOntents, of which our organization. in
common with all human organizations, has
got its full share.
The only correct correspondence and
0iffereh ce of opinion existing has been set
forth AS published under the full names
and ofica! signatures of the comrades,
post or general committee.
Five posts viii jointly, as usual, Oh
serve Memorial day, Tuesday next, the
30th, by procession. comDosed of United
States troops, National Guard. Boys
Brigade, Mexican Veterans, Kreger
Verein, Grand Army of the Republic,
police escort and invited military and civil
guests, forming in Market and Nav Mont
gomery streets and reviewed at Van Ness
avenue and Ellis streets.
Next, exercises at the Grand Armv plat
in the Odd FnlloOs' Cemetery, among
which exercises there will be tho unwilling
and dedication OF n monument to the un-
known dead, presented by the several
Wnmen's Relief Corps of this city.
programmes will be distributed at the
cemetery.
"A detail is furnished from the five
posts for every other cemetery to deck
with flowers the graves of our dead"