The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-05-24
MEMORIAL DAY.

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S. w. Corner Fifth and Chestnut
Streets.
PHILADELPHIA, April 2S, 1900.
"Tenderly beautiful is that great
memory" which draws us to oui Mem
oral Day; the day for flags and flow
ers and music, to be dedicated and
given to those comrades Of ours who
are dreaming in the sleep of death;- =
the day on which we give all our
thought to those glory crowned heroes
whose heart-beats are stilled forever
and forever.
The choicest phrases of prose and
poetry; the sweetest language of flow
ers and most beautiful symphonies of
music have been called on and culled
from for thirty-four years to pay hom-
age to those dead comrades of ours !;
to give tribute to the memory of the
brave boys who shared privations with
us in the field, or with US faced dang
ers on angry oceans bosom, and who
have answered the last roll call i yet,
after the lapse of all these years, after
more than third of a century has
glided by on the swiftly, silently NOV
ing wings of time, our hearts are at
tuned, by memories OF danger and of
daring and of suffering by remember
ances of the march, the bivouac and
the battle. by recollections of wounds,
of prison horrors and of death, to sing
again the old sweet song of loved and
loving comrades, to tell again the old
sweet story of affectionate comrade-
ship.
And the dear old flag The grand
est of all.national emblems shall be in
tertwined with the flowers, the music,
the poetry and the eloquence, and as
we decorate with natures brightest
and most beautiful flowers each little
green mound of soldier and OF sailor
dead, we'll plant there too the starry
banner. Let us touch the strings of
the harp of memory, as angel choirs
sing:
"sleep, with the sunshine of fame on thy slum-
TIL walked by some hand less unworthy than
mine"
Interest other societies to take part
in the loving duties of the day, bring
the men, women and children OF the
community in which the Post is locat-
ed to participate with you.
II. Memorial Day is the proper
and only title applied TO May goth by
the Grand Army of the Republic.
Decoration day is a misnomer and Is
used by those who seek to divert the
day for races, games and general
sporting purposes. Comrades and
their friends, newspapers and the
people generally are urged to discon-
tinue the use of any term other than
Memorial Day for May goth.
III. Divine service on the Sunday
preceding our Memorial Day Gn this
instance May 27th) is an important
feature and all Posts will arrange for
memorial and patriotic church services
on that date. Churches, pastors anc
congregations of every denomination,
will gladly welcome the Grand Army
OF the Republic and officers and COM
mittees of Posts can arrange with the
pastors for sermons referring to the
results achieved for christianity and
humanity through the success of the
Union soldiers and sailors.
". Comrades should visit the
schools during the week of May aIst
to 26th, telling the children what
Memorial Day means, telling them
the story of the War and what it cost
in hardships, privations and suf'erings
to preserve the old flag unsullied and
to keep our country undivided. Have
the children join with you with flowers
and music.
V. The Commander-in-Chief
makes an appeal to Comrades ard
Posts for contributions for flags with
which to decorate the tens of thous-
ands OF graves of our comrades who
lie "under the dew and the sod"
throughout the South. Posts and
comrades located in the Suthern
States are numerically and financially
weak. They attend to the sacred
duties of Memorial Day, but they need
flags for decoration purposes. Con-
trlbutlons for this purpose should be
sent to Thomss ]. Stewart, Adjutant
General, Independence Hall Phila-
delphia, who will acknowledge the re-
ceipt of all such monies, turn the same |
over to the Quartermaster General
who will purchase and forward the
flags. Every Post can afford to make |
a donation for this purpose and it is
hoped that the responses will be lib
eral and prompt.
By command of Department Com
JAS. F. MORRISON.
HENRY ]. JOHN,
Asst. Adjutant General. |