The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-06-01
MEMORIAL DAY.


A custom so touching and tender as
strewing the graves of our heroic dead
In the early springtime, was not long in
liking Itself in the affections of the
American people, whose shrewd, prac-
teal sense is complemented by fine
sentimentality and susceptibilities of
highest order.
IL is quarter Of a century since the
1rst formal order was given for the
observance of Memorial Day. General
John A. Logan was Commander in
Chief of the Grand Army of the Re-
public, and at his comm aud the then
small membership of that now mighty
order, decorated the soldiers graves at
Arlington and at isolated points
throughout the country,
Year by year the custom has extended
until now in every city and town and
village in the North, Memorial DayEis
recognized as a national holiday.
Memorial Day was anticipated by a
Evans, wife of George Ii. Evans, a
soldier in the 2nd Michigan Infantry,
who followed her husband to the army
and for three years and nine months
minlstered to the sick and wounded
soldiers of the camp, hospital and
battlefield. -, -,
April 10, 1862, with the Chap In's
wife and daughters, che decOrutcu the
soldiers graves at Arlington GumsJery,
across the Potomac from Washington.
The next year, 1868, this was repeated
and in 1864 the graves Of Che soldiers
at fredericksburg were decorated.
The women Of the South very early
began to decorate their soldiers graves
with flowers, also Ill A ,rll, when the
Southern hills and wales are 80 lavish in
the trsG bloom of spring.
General Logan had much OF the poet
as well AS the soldier IN has compost
tion, aud with al his OClsqueutsi his
heart was 40 teudUr as a wumdu'S, es-
psclally where bis CJmIaieS q the Dat
tie were concerned. WDeL C!!led to
command the veterans of peace, he de-
termined to engraft the memorial OF
the flowers upon the customs of his
country, and hence the famous order
of May, 1868.
General Logan was familiar with
what the women of the North and
South had done, but it is said his reso-
luton took form upon receipt of a let
ter from German soldier early in May,
1868, saying that in Germany it was
customary for the people in the
spring to visit burying grounds
and place flowers upon the graves of
relatives and friends, and suggesting
that the Grand Army set apart a day
for the decorating of soldiers graves.
General Logan designated May 30,
because In the North flowers are few at
an earlier period, and because at that
time roses are in sweetest bloom at
Washington. The day was for years
known as Decoration Day, until, in
order to bring about a better obser-
vance, the Grand Army enjoined the
use of Memorial Day.
Memorial Day involves much more
than professions and parades to the
cemetery, and the decoration of SOL
dier's graves with flags and flowers.
There are hundreds of places all
over the land, particularly
in the west, where no SOL
diers lie buried, yet where the
day is sacredly kept in the purest
spirit.
Memorial services are held and ap.
propriate programmes carried out and
in the little burial grounds, with their
few scattered graves, rude monuments
are erected and strewu with flowers;
and by and by the wooden shafts are
replaced with granite and marble in
memory of the men who saved the
nation.
OF late years, flags and flowers, or
the money to purchase them, are sent
| by the women of the north TO the great
national cemeteries and battlehelds of
the south and where they have not their
representatives to place them the
United States troops have been Of
| ficially detailed to perform the work.
Tens of thousands of children Join
each year in the beautiful observance
of Memorial Day, and new songs, new
literature, new ceremOnials, are yearly
evoked to extend and perpetuate the
the sweet customs Of loyalty and fidelity
they enact.
Cn, touching feature of the day, now
almost universal, is the remembrance OF
the unknown dead, who sleep by the
tens of thousands on the battlefelds of
the south. This highly poetic custom
of erecting memorials and placing
floral designs, "in memory of the uu-
known dead" promises TO enrich the
land with rarest permanent works of
art.
Memorial Day has already had an
ennobling effect upon national life. 1t
is a day of object lessons, sacred to
friendship and fidelity; patriotism and
kindness and peace. 1t teaches rever-
ence for the flag and gratitude to its
brave defenders, OF all our national
holidays it is the most far reaching in
its in press and its growing favor with
all classes and conditions of people is
its sign of perpetui'y,
Tomorrow, at San Francisco, a mag
rifcent marble monument, 40 the
Unknown Dead" will be unveiled, the
Governor of the State, himself a
veteran, making the dedlcatory ad-
dress. The poem of the occasion, "Our
Unknown Dead" Will be found else
where, to be delivered by George
Osborne. a well known actor and ORA