The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-05-25
IN THE SOUTH ], 1
Princeton has ALWAYS taken
Observation-Disclosures

very active and enthusiastic part
lin patriotic celebrations and espe-
cially in it's Memorial Day exercises
and for that reason we thought
you would be interested in know
ing how the "other side" does.
There is no day set apart by the
State for the decoration of confed-
crate soldiers graves, but each
town selects it's own time. In
fact a large part of the South has
not been observing such a day un-
til within the last few years. Wish
ing very much to hear what the
speaker would say on the subject
we took care to reach the cemetery
in good season. The time set was
May IS at 5 P. NJ. All not taking
direct part in the exercises came
to the cemetery early and assem-
bled around the speakers platform.
About 6 o'clock the procession en-
tered the cemetery, three officers
wearing broad red and white
sashes and mounted on horseback
directed its movements, following
them was the band in decorated
coach, and next a coach contain
ing eleven young ladies represent
ing the seeded states, behind
them the confederate veterans.
The speakers stand was placed
among the confederate graves and
on this platform were seated the
ladies representing the states, in
the order of secession. The exer-
clses began with the doxology,
followed by prayer. Then the
people sang my Old Kentucky
Home.' The speech lasted only a
very few minutes the most of
which is given below. He began
ny referring to the horrors of war,
the loss of life and desolation of
the land, he then said: 1T is a
wonder the nation did not abandon
war long ago. But it is in the
blood. War develops the heroic
in man as nothing else does. The
ancients draped their wars in poe
try, the American Indian chants
Of deeds of valor and has created a
warriors heaven, to which every
one who dies in battle, will ascend
directly, and there he will quench
his thirst with clear water, which
he drinks from the skull of his
enemy. We are lineal descendants
OF the Norseman, the Viking and
Saxon, those grand old warriors,
and we have followed in their foot
steps. Civilization has helped to
remove some of the horrors of war.
and many are willing to arbitrate,
but others are not and it is not
strange that the descendants of
these warriors in 1860-61 went to
arms at the call Of their country
and fought to the end. In the
wake of all armies 60 those who
soften the pangs of suffering, who
care for the wounded, who cheer
the Respondent. I refer to the
noble women Of the South. To
them we owe the preservation of
relics, the gathering of historical
details, the decoration of these
graves. Their influence has been
and will be the motive power to
keep alive the memory of those
who have gone beyond; and we
trust that as years 60 on the last
survivors will be spoken of as, he
was confederate soldier, and we
will instruct our youth so to feel.
Not to love war, not to keep up or
inspire sectional feeling but to re-
member those who died for what
they thought was right.
Why do we decorate these
graves! Not to cultivate a war
spirit or sectional strife but be-
cause the confederate soldier has
won niche in the temple of fame
for doing his duty as he saw it,
and no fair-minded American will
withhold that praise. Their names
will 60 down to the ages as those
who fought when all possibility of
hone had fed IT. vuo,,1J bo ,,,o,,,,,