The morning call., 1894-05-31

made a few remarks appropriate to the
occasion. He spoke of tue day and its
Significance, and told how that by good
! fortune there was present General \. Z.
Chapman. the very man who inaugurated
the occasion which they had annually
celebrated for the past twenty-four years.
In conclusion General Sheehan read few
lines from a poem in concentration of
the dead.
The Veterans quartet rendered the
memorial ode, from the lines:
Comrades, we gather here to-day,
Our sacred duty TO perform.
Miss Virginia Foltz then rendered re-
citation, 1.-The New Liberty Bell" which
she gave at the last Fourth OF July cele-
bration. Veterans listened to the irrin g
tale with evident interest, and burst f
applause greeted the patriotic cOnclusi0n
of the poem.
Another song, Cover Them Over With
Beautiful Flowers" was rendered by the
Veterans quartet.
General Chapman was then presented to
the gathering to give the Grafton. "In Me-
moriam." In opening the orator said /:
The Puritaus Of New England gave US
our Thanksgiving day; the patriots of the
Revolution gave us our Fourth of July;
/ but il is the Grand Army of the Republic
that has given Us this. our Memorial day.
The halowed memories that cluster around
! these great national holidays are at once
/ the inspiration and the safeguard of our
nation. No man ever Matched treason or
! had disloyal thought whose soul was i'm
bued with the true significances of these
national observance"
The orator spoke of the immortal band
I OF 1776 and the noble army of patriots of
! 1861" and told the history of early Strug-
| giles on the rugged and inhnspiable shores
| of New England, COMMENTED to be free"
! He showed how that band spread, until
now. Il see stretched along our Eastern
! shores 100000 of people FESTIVE and pro-
| testant under the tyranny of the mother
country. and ! hear them suddenly pro-
claim liberty throughout the land 10 all
/ the inhabitants thereof.
Comrades, citizens, when Memorial Law
| was first Instituted and first observed the
graves OF our fallen heroes were fresh.
| The day was one OF uDutterabie sadness.
! The world has never witnessed scene
! such as transpired on this continent on
! May 30, 1868. unless il was on that day Of
universal mourning when the immortal
/ Lincoln was laid at rest"
! But the most interesting part of General
| Chipman's address was when he told how
Memorial day first was inaugurated.
"Ihere is a Leaf" he said. 'of history
back of the general order directing the
posts of the Grand Army of the Republic
TO convene upon the 30th day of May. 1868,
when for the first time this day was cele-
brated. AS the only living witness of the
y ~
of this holiday.
81 happened TO be the acknowledgement
of our organization upon the staff of our
then commander, General John A. Logan.
A letter came to me from a cOmrade in
Cincinnati, who stated that he had been IL
private soldier in the Union army. He
suggested that il was possible by calling
upon the various posts to have floral
offering laid upon The graves of the soldiers
aud sailors of the Union. and urged that a
day be fixed for some observance in honor
of the dead.
There seemed to me to be an insDira-
ti0n in this suggestion. and l at once wrote
4 general order and took 1t to General
Logan for his approval. / told him the
idea had come 10 me from an unknown
private soldier. He took the order. looked
IL over and nterlined paragraph In his
peculiar style OF glowing eloquence, handed
IL back, ana, seemingly filled with all his
old ardor of wartimes, said, This is a
noble and patriotic conception; lose no
time in promulgating the order
ut was then late in April. | desired
that the day should fall in the springtime
because of the sentiment and poetry of
the season. We required all the time pos
slbie Tor preparation, aud besides in the
extreme north the season Of flowers was
al The close of springtime. The 31st of
May OF that year fell upon Sunday, and
therefore fixed May 30 The order went
Iorth on May 5, 1868. upon its mission.
ana Memorial day was instituted"
ln conclusion the orator said: HThe
drand Army of the Republic is high