The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1895, 1895-05-31
From the First Page.)

pride OF rulers; but it is the proud
fact that the two great wars which
have been waged upon American
soil have been for none of these I;
that they were fought in support
Of principle of such far reaching
and penetrating character that
the material, political and moral
future of the world was involved
in the issue.
The first Decoration Day cele-
bration that / ever attended was
fourteen years ago to-day, when I
stood on Fifth Avenue, in New
York City, and saw the Grand
Army of the Republic, forty thou
sand strong, march down the
Avenue, with-a number of the old
battle flags floating over them.
The sight simply thrilled me, as
it does to this day, when ] think
of it. 1t is one thing to read Of SOL
diers in general. 1t is another thing
to look in the faces of the men who
were the actual participators in
the conflict; who themselves faced
death; and to see the flags, all
tattered and torn and shot to
pieces, which they and hundreds
of thousands of others like them,
had followed to victory and the
brink of the grave. There were
the very men who had dellber-
ately exposed themselves during
long years to the cruel exposure
of rain, sleet, snow and wind; to
the disease of camp and the shot
and shell of the enemy; seeking
no personal advantage; no aggran-
disement of territory; demanding
no indemnity when it was alhover;
giving back to their conquered
opponents every foot of territory
which they had bought and paid
for with their blood and with the
lives of thousands of their fellow
countrymen and the tears of the
widows and orphans at home
and all this, for PRINCIPLE.
1t is perpetual inspiration to
think of 1T.
Is it any wonder that the nation
that nation which exists today
solely because of what these men
did has set apart a day out of
each busy year to do honor to the
memory of the brave men who
laid down their lives that the
nation might live?
In doing this the nation is not
only honoring them, but it is
sowing the seed which will ripen
and make rich return in the years
to come, when the war for the
Union and the men who fought it
shall have passed out of living
memory and taken their places in
History alone.
1t is good for a nation to period,
ically pause andataks its thoughts
off from business and present
cares, and call to mind the grand
deeds in its history and the grand
men who participated in them.
What mum has done man can do.
The recalling of what the nation
has ACCOMPLISHED; of the gigantic
obstacles which it has met and
successfully overcome; of the
principles which the grand old
flag stands for; of the heroism
and the sacrifices of the men who
made it represent those principles
all these are direct inspirations
to loyalty and patriotism in the
future, when but for such re-.
minders memories might grow
dim and hearts respondless
promptly to the country's call in
the hour of need.
1t is peculiarly fttiug that
here, in far away Hawaii, we
should simultaneously with the
millions across the water be as
sembled for tie urpose we are.
Since the starsland stripes first
futtered in the friendly breezes of
Honolulu, subtle bond of sym
patty has bound Hawaii and Am
erica together, which distance
cannot break nor time interrupt.
When the echoes of Sumter's
guns rolled westward across the
prairies and mountains, thrilling