The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-05-30
LIBERTAS IMPERATRIX.

been an especially honored day in
Honolulu. There have been reasons
for this. Many of our honored citi-
zens were men who had fought in the
Great War, and as they passed away
the town, apart from any patriotism
in the direction of the United States,
naturally drifted towards a beautiful
idea.
But the tendency has grown and we
have come to honor the United States
as we honor no other nation upon
earth. We admire the others, our ear
ly instincts may go to the others, but
to the United States we give ourselves
from our very hearts, as to the coun-
try to which they belong. 1t is some
thing to say that not the mere acct
dent of birth, but the mature judg-
ment of the men and women makes
us choose the United States as our
ideal and as our goal.
Decoration Day marks above all
things a harmonizing of antagonistic
elements fought out on fair field
grander for any nation that the pres.
ent crisis. The Blue and the Gray
have long buried their animosities. AS
honest fighters they had done this
long ago. The two men who strip or
the two school boys who strip and
have their honest fight generally find
in their opponent IA good honest
friend, frequently allie long friend,
and when anyone begins calculating
upon ill feeling he finds he has mis-
calculated, sadly,
The above argument cannot be bet
ter illustrated than by the present
condition of affairs. 1t was the pri-
vilege of the editor of this journal to
read the names of those generals who
We're assisting in the organization of
troops for the present campaign of
the United States. and the roster con-
tanned the grandest living names on
either side, and had but deaths hand
stayed, at this juncture the United
States would have seen the names of
the very greatest, those best soldiers
and moss true gentleihen, side by side,
Grant and Lee. Their survivors have
long since crossed }tltheir hands in
peace. Those great; .men would have
united their genius to meet the ext
gencies of their united country, and
the gallant dead of both North and
South would have las gallantly met
the foe of the presenttday as their pos
terity is ready, to do.
This makes this Decoration Day,
which we celebrate and give honor to,
more solemn and more affecting than
any that has been honored. We have
been accustomed to stand before the
graves of the Blue and the Gray and
to think of the beauty of their re-
union in death and that the survivors
could meet in such kindred and chas-
tened spirit. But this day is some
thing greater. There will not be on
ly the veterans of past battles who
will be marching up the Valley today,
TO do honor to their comrades who
have fought the good fight and died.
That tramp is a grand and an honor
able tramp, but there is as great and
as grand tramp sounding on the lis
tening ear; it is the tramp of the
young men in the full flush of youth,
leaving their homes, their mothers and
sweethearts, and going forth to die
for the honor of their country and for
the honor of humanity.
This it is that will make Decoration
day of 1898 "A day to be remembered
in Honolulu, a day to be remembered
in every state and every territory in
the Union. On the Charleston, on the
Monterey, on the transport Picking,
in the Pacific, in the Atlantic, on Gu
ban shores, on Florida Keys, in New
England homes, in Southern homes,
the same grand sound will seem to
rise up which bravely sprung from the
throat of Goth, Dacian and Lydian
centuries ago
Ave Caesar, Imperator, Morituri to
salutant!
But now it is not Ave to Caesar, il
is nobler, greater aspiration, a
more ringing cry
Ave Libertas, Imperatrix, Morituri te
salutant!
And with no better battle cry can
the United States soldiers and sailors
go to Manila and Cuba, for they go to
Il put an end to wrong.