Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-06-14

bids going into particulars. | feel sure
it will serve to depict its horrors to you
/ If tell you that the nations of the world
have expended forty-two thousand mill
| lion dollars in war, while thirty-five
times the population of the whole world
have fallen in battle Looking on these
things, am not right in charging you,
Christian men and women, to pray every
day of your lives that the Lord Will
hasten on the day which he promises in
the words, "They shall beat their swords
into plowshares and their spears into
pruning-hooks. Nation shall not rise
up against nation, neither shall they
learn war any more
think this annual decoration of the
graves of northern and southern sol
diers will help on that day of peace.
Mark well that this is one of the first
years since the civil war when by COM
mon consent all the graves of both sec
tions have been decorated. Why not?
Is it not time to give up the old grudge?
| say, let them all be covered with gar
! lands the graves of the fallen, whether
they be Nermonters or Georgians, New
Workers or Alabamians. The time has
come to blot out all the ancient tends.
The dead are at peace. Why should not
the living be at peace also? The boys
in blue and gray went down into the
same tent for the night, side by side they
laid their heads upon the same pillow of
mother earth Their arms are stacked.
Their march is ended. Their last battle
is fought. sleep on. We mighty host of
Federas and Confederates, till the morn
ing light shall break through thy lowly
mound, and the trumpet shall sound
the reviele of your last grand muster.
brothers engage in mortal combat and
both are slain. The mother hears the
sad news, rushes to the spot, and, kneel-
ing down, places her right hand on one
and her left on the other, weeping bitter
tears of unfeigned sorrow. She never
asks who spoke the first harsh word or
who struck the first rash blow. She
bows and mourns over each. as an i'm
partial mother should. God grant that
this week the United States government
will come down to the graves of the
fallen heroes of the North and South,
and, placing her hands on both, pro-
nounce her benediction of peace and
love. At Arlington Heights five years
ago, as the story is told, a northern
woman put a wreath upon the grave of
her fallen husband; a southern man who
wore epaulets during the wars came up,
took that wreath, tore it in pieces and
scattered 1t to the four winds. He had
the epaulets of soldier, but he had no
soldiers heart One OF our great Amer
lean orators has said, ~ would that
all the garlands that have been laid
on the graves of northern and southern
men were lifted and linked together,
each garland link, and with that long.
bright. beautiful chain this whole land
might be bound together in peace and
amity." \ beautiful thought this, and
| might add that this is the only chain
America would ever humble herself to
wear
But, you say, it is such common
thing for one to fall in battle and so
many lose their lives in public strife
what need of coming with so much rever-
ence and affection to the graves of these
American soldiers? | answer, that Just
as there is some little green plot on yOn
, hillside which claims your special love,
, so the graves of those men who have
t fallen for their country deserve and have
our remembrance and special care. This
) is our family plot IN the great national
| cemetery. And this week this nation
will go out to find the graves of those
valiant heroes, and place on them
, wreaths of flowers as pledge of loving
2 memory and a sure and certain hope OF
f the resurrection.
Now Decoration day is at hand. lift
up your wondering eyes and see all ovel
| this broad land, from the Atlantic tC
the Pacific, the people gathering in tho
r cemeteries. They are bringing flowers
} The bands are playing the grand
r marches, and the deep-voiced cannon:
< are the heart-throb OF the nations mourn
ing. They bring wreaths of flower:
= that signify the conqueror. They bring
crosses of flowers that typfy awful suf
l fering. Some Of them are white, which
4 means victory. Some of them are
t crimson, which means the ruddy glare
of musketry and flowing blood. But, my
2 dear friends of the Grand Army of the
2 Republic, Notwithstanding the enormous
e quantities of flowers that will be pluckeC
| tomorrow, there will be thousands, aye
5 tens of thousands of graves missed; anC
/ so today would like to twlne two OIL
] three wreaths and let them down In the
r right place. The first would like t,
ci oaptltr un1ar tho xUaVae ~ tho doc,