The San Francisco call., 1897-05-31
MANY GRAVES
WERE DECORATED
A Large Number of Visitors
at the Cemeteries
Yesterday.
To-Day, However, the Ceremonies
Will Be Generally
Observed.
Exercises TO Be Held at Old Fellows
andkths National Gene.
teries.

Although Decoration day will be cele-
braied to-day on account of the Both fall
ing on Sunday, it was by some observed
yesterday, and many of the graves at both
Odd Fellows and the National cemeteries
were decorated. The decorations WERE
however, not general, but here and there
graves were covered with flags and flowers
in loving memory of the heroic dead.
At the Presidio yesterday there was a
constant stream of visitors to the pretty
hillside burying ground. Some OF the
graves had the most beautiful floral deco
rations, but on some there were but little
bunches of dandelions and other wild
flowers. However, to-day they will all re-
celve their full share and no grave will be
more beautiful than another.
The monument erected in honor OF the
dead soldiers and sailors in the National
Cemetery stands all ready for unveiling
to-day. The exercises there will be as fol-
lows:
Overture, First United States Infantry band /;
prayer, c. A. Macomber. chaplain. United
States army: 1ntroduc ory, President of the
Day Comrade John Tuttle, commander OF
George II. Thomas Post; "Memorles Sacred and
Address" (Lincoln) Hoibrook Blinn; ''Battle
Hymn OF the Republic (Howe) Knicker-
booker quartet; Grafton, Comrade General N.
P. Chapman, commander Department of Cali
knickerbocker quartet; National airs, First
United States Infantry band; minute guns,
section Light Battery, Third United States Ar
tllery.
The programme will be in charge of
George II. Thomas Post No. 2, G. A. r !,
at Odd Fellows Cemetery. The exercises
will be held at an early hour in order to
enable those who wish to participate at
the National Cemetery.
Following is the omplete programme to
be given at Odd Fellows:
Minute guns, platoon Third United States
Artillery, Lieutenant c. ID. Palmer; music
Veteran Firemen's band; memorial ode, pu-
Edelman, president of the day; Llncoln's 8
Gettysburg address, Mrs. Clara F. StarKe; mu-
sic, by the band; poem Lorig ginal), c. w. Kyle i;
Grafton, Mayor James D. Phelan; ode, pupils
Hearst Grammar School; dirge, by the band !;
strewing graves with flowers by comrades !;
parting saiue, Lincoln Post firing party.
Six OF the Grand Army posts attended
Central M. E. Church last evening. The
church was most beautifully decorated,
and the veterans just about filled the
church. DIR. Ollie preached a patriotic
sermon on Memorial Day" He said:
The Nation owes much to the gallant John
A. Logan and 10 our honored department COM
mander, General n. P. Chapman, for having
set apart the 30,h of May as Memorial uay-a
day sacred to patriotism, TO memory and tears.
Pairiotism-what is it? Did you ever stop to
reflect what il EN- braces? There is born in
every manly breast the determination to de-
fend the thing he loves. We strike down the
enemy that would invade our homes, and
guard family and freside at the peril of our
lives.
There is no sen ntiment so strong al love; no
sacrifice too great for those We love- That is
the underlying principle of true patriotism ;
the foundation of loyalty to country. 1t is
that sentiment which gives TO human govern
mentS their strength, security and perma-
nency. 1t is that sentiment that nerved the
hero who, at the first tap of the war drum.
took hurried farewell of wife and little
terles in the darkness, to bare his bosom to
storms of iron and rows of glittering steel, to
press over the breastworks slippery with
blood and to plant the flag on the heights OF
victory, or TO sleep in a soldiers grave wi III
Old Glory for winding-sheet
One result OF the war was to give this Nation
new rank among the nations OF the earth
and prove 10 them the permanence of man
hood government. When the war began some
OF the European nations nsted this upstart
republic and dreaded the influence of its ex.
ample, but it had a very insig nificant
place among the nations. In 1861 we had a
standing army OF 10000 men and a navy OF
shi ips so few and oid-fashloned that they were
ludcr ously insignificant. It's treasury was
empty and for some years its revenues had
not been equal 10 its expen dltures in time of
peace; its credit was lower than that of any
other grea: nation-so low that five millions
of United States bonds had to be placed in
drblets and at II per cent interest.
But at the end of the war Europe looked
across the Atlantic and saw restored and re-
generated union.
And to-day the fnanciers of Europe see in
America the most overfowing treasury, the
largest revenue and the least burdensome
debt in the world. The bankers of Germany
invested in United States bonds during the
war and they proved the most lucrative secu-
rites ever held by any nation, for We were the
collateral that secured them.
In England the capitalists bought Confeder-
ate bonds and, thank God. they proved per-
manent investment, for they have them yet
We have to-day the largest, cheapest most
efficient aud formidable army in the world 1t
consists of more than ten millions OF Ameri-
cans, and when the last roll OF the Grand Army
shall be called when taps shall nd for the
last time, when the last comrade SHALL pass
over to the campfire OF the majority on the
other shore, ii any man shall a SIX for the mon
ument OF the Grand Army he shall be told to
look around him upon the greatest, most
glorious and freest nation beneath the sun
and behold in it the monument of the Grand