Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-05-26
GOING TO THE WAR.

my last recollection of the camp in
which we were mustered in," said the
old soldier, was of my mother. We
HAD been in camp for days, for weeks,
in fact, filling up the regiment and
drilling and getting equipped and get
ting ready generally. Finally we were
mustered in, and the next day after
that we started. 1t was nightfall
when we fell in for the last time in
the company streets of our first camp
and marched ont and formed on the
color line There was a great crowd
there, relatives and friends and sight
seers come to see the regiment off.
In front of my own company ! could
see my father and mother, come to
see the last of their boy before ne
went to war. I was the apple Of my
mothers eye, | knew that and I had
expected to see her break down COM
pletely when the regiment marched
away, but she stood as firm as a
rock When the regiment came
home, we marched up through the
same street that we had marched
down years before-night again It
was tOO-with a band of music, with
fireworks flying everywhere and with
crowds on the sidewalk cheering, TO
the town hall, where there was ban
quet and a speech from the mayor,
and so on. When this was nearly
over, my father and my brother who
had come to meet me, went to tell
my mother | was coming. Home
was half a mile or more away, a
bunch of us men of the regiment
started from the hall together. They
fell off one after another until finally |
went on alone along the familiar
street. 1t was bright moonlight.
Far ahead at the corner of the street
down which | must turn for home, !
saw her. She was waiting.
when l had come to her, she lifted
up her hands and pronounced my
name. That was all And then her
arms were about my neck and my
old blue overcoat was wet with her
falling tears. Her son had come
home. New York Sun.
MEMORIAL DAY FOREVER.
More than thirty years ago, when
General John A. Logan, then COM
mander in chief Of the Grand Army Of
the Republic, issued the order desig-
mating May 80 as decoration day
(since changed to memorial day. and
called upon the members Of the posts
to assemble in their halls, march 10
the cemeteries and with appropriate
ceremonies strew flowers upon the
graves Of the departed soldiers, he
did service for his country only sec
ond in value t. that country TO his
deeds as a regimental, brigade, divi-
sion, corps and army commander
That year, 1868, the Grand Army was
new, and its members composed OF
young men. There were no gray
hairs. dull eyes or bent forms then.
These young men the day before
gathered blossoms and deposited them
in their halls, On the Goth they as
sembled, formed line and marched to
the cemeteries, lovingly placing the
blossoms OF spring upon the graves OF
their former associates, sang a patri-
otto air and disbanded
From that small beginning in 1858
Memorial day has grown to be one of
the most impressive and useful Of all
Of the holidays. The ceremonies in
troduced at the call Of Logan three
years after the war have resulted In
thousands OF patriotic sermons.
preached by Jews and gentiles. Pro-
testant and Catholic; thousands Of
addresses many Of them by the first
orators OF the nation: beautiful. i'm
pressive and attractive ceremonies in
nearly all OF the public ana private
schools yearly.
In these memorial ceremonies