The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-05-31

faced the Fourth Avenue front to Learn
what il all meant. In less time than
it takes to tell it every nook and
corner of the vast building was packed
| with humanity, and those unable tC
| gain admittance sought favora BILE posi-
tons on the outside where they could
/ see through the open doors and win
dowS
John Martin, Judge Leander
l Stillwell of Erie. orator of the
| day. Judge Ralderston, County Com
| missioner Harmon, Rev. Don S. Colt,
Rev. Griffith and others occupied seats
on the front of the stage, while back
| of them was Miss Jessie Clark with her
| class of school children, who opened
| the exercises by singing America"
7 Commander Martin put the crowd in
good humor at the very start by an
| nouncing that some one had lost a
| valuable cape and in describing It
| John said it was blue with some kind
/ of a white stripe in it, and at this the
[ women who never seem TO have any re-
/ gard for the feelings of great,
awkward man." laughed right out in
| meeting, and the little girls clapped
btheir hands, and then the men laugh
! ed too, in order to make it appear that
| they understood the joke.
| Miss Clark and her 200 school chill
| dren fired up the old soldiers by sing
l
which Adjutant Caldwell read the fol-
! lowing general order:
! TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO.
headquarters Grand Army Of the
Republic
General Orders No. 8.
81. Twenty-seven years ago the
beautiful and impressive custom Of
strewing flowers on the last resting
IL. h
| licly observed and each year since has
witnessed a more general observance
Of the day. Memorial Day" is now in
deed time when a grateful people OF
a great nation vie with each other in
honoring the memory OF its soldier
and sailor dead, who died that the ma
ton might live. and also showing to
the survivors of that great shrugged,
that our republic is grateful, and does
honor the men who dared death, IN its
defense, and whose sacrifices and
! brave deeds shall be told in song and
story to the rising generation, that
they too may learn to love our country
and its flag, learn what it has cost to
preserve our free institutions, learn
that we have the best and most liberal
form of government on the face of the
earth today, learn that eternal vigil
lence is the price of liberty learn that
it's. constitution guarantees to all its
citizens, free speech, free thought, po-
litical and religious, free ballot which
is the patriots weapon in time of peace,
learn that the safety of the nation lies
in having every citizen protected in his
rights, learn that educa ton and patri-
otism go hand in hand, that we are one
nation, and that our motto is One
Country and One Flag and that flag,
Old Glory, the Stars and Stripes, the
flag which on this Memorial Day
Il
sailors grave in this broad land.
Now comrades let us all enter earn
estly into this patriotic work. Fall
in with your post in all its efforts to
fittingly observe the day, with flowers
and tears for the dead, cheers and
smiles for the living. Since last Mem
orial Day a full division of our Grand
Army has been mustered out by death.
Let us close up our ranks, and stand
shoulder TO shoulder as we journey
down the western slope of time.
I'll. Department. commanders will
suggest to post commanders that they
ask the different schools in their vari-
Friday afternoon preceding Memorial
Day, and that a detail be made from
each post to cooperate with the teach
erS in this work.
III. Post commanders should also be
reminded of the fact that their Mem
orial Day exercises should include at
tendance upon divine service in body,
Sunday evening, May &c. This Gus
tom has grown to be considered second
only to the services on Memorial Day
and the commander-in-chieft trusts that
every post will make arrangements for
this observance.
". The auxiliary organizations of
the Grand Army should be invited To
participate with the posts on Memorial
Day. School children and patriotic
citizens generally should also be in
vited. Let the day be. truly a Mem
orial Day to our soldier and sailor
dead.
by command of
THOMAS c.. LAWLER,
"Commander-in-C Chief
&C. C. JONES.
"Adjutant General"
WAS HERE SEVEN YEARS AGO.
After the reading Of the general or
ders Rev. Don s. Colt invoked the di-
vine blessing after which Commander
Martin introduced the orator of the
day. Judge Stillwell. He was greeted
with cheers. His speech was to the
men VINO carried the muskets and it
goes without saying that it pleased
the old soldiers.
He congratulated the people of Wich-
tia for the spledid display they had
made on this Decoration Day He was
accustomed to speak in school houses
or in modest court house and he
doubted his ability to make himself
heard by such a vast concourse as now
Were assembled in this great struct-
ure.
He said this was the first time that
he had visited Wichita in eleven years.
He had heard of Wichita in that eleven
years, of its growth and prosperity, !
but the half had not been told to him.
l.,
satisfy himself that Wichita was
very remarkable city what he had seen /
today would satisfy him and he would |
say | want no more evidence but like |
the queen Of Sheba would eXclaim the |
half has not been told.
He said it was peculiar with the /
American people that they had very /
few secular days. You can count them |
on the fingers Of one hand. There is |
growing up in the cities of this coun- !
try the observance of Labor Day, but |
it is not general. We have but two |
days set apart 10 remind us that we |
are citizens of the United States.
Decorat ton Day always had the effect /
OF making him tell the truth. Nothing 4
that can ever be said or done VIII eff 1
face from the minds of living soldiers 4
the recollectiOnS Of thirty-four wears
ago. Fired by patriotism they march |
ed. slept. stood guard and fought to- }
gether, but as the years roll on our .
ranks are thinned and he never heard 1
any music that effected him like the /
dead march played with the fife and /
drum and these ceremonies of DecOra- /
ton Day were not necessary 10 remind 4
the old soldier OF the war for the Union. /
THEY ARE VOTERS NOW. |,
He said there were men in this coun- !
try whe have been voters for nine years
who Were net born when the Southern /
Confedercy went 70 pieces and up0n
such men the government OF this coun- 1
-