The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1900-06-06
WEDNESDAY,, JUNE g. 1900
SCATTERED FLOWERS.
6ravessef Deceased Soldiers Dec
GRATED by their Comrades.

u fss -- rs, .
6raves,ef Deceased Soldiers Dec
GRATED by their Comrades.
| Decoration Day, 1900, has come
and gone. The old soldier living
has paid his annual tribute to the
old soldier dead. The Relief Corps
lady living has remembered her sis
ter departed. The rattle of the drum
has been heard, the slow march to
the cemetery has occurred, flowers
have been scattered over the graves
Of the departed, and the common
orative exercises have closed the
day.
The crowd in Redwood Falls was
not as large as it has been on some
other similar days, but the observ-
ance was more impressive, and as
for the Redwood cemetery it never
appeared to better advantage, the
lot owners, as well as the owners of
the cemetery having exercised un-
usual care in getting the whole
tract into good shape.
Although the schedule time was
$50, it was 10 o'clock before the
procession was ready to march to
the cemetery. It formed at the Post
hall and was led by the Redwood
Falls Drum Corps, then came the
John S. Marsh Post, Woman S Re-
lief Corps and citizens in carriages.
A long string of teams followed in
the line of march to the cemetery,
where the Post held the usual exer-
cises of decorating the graves of the
departed comrades, while the Relief
Corps did the same for their depart
ed members. After song, Scat
ter Sweet Flowers, by the Peabody
sisters, the return march to the city
began and was disbanded at the Post
hall.
At 2:30 the Grand Army and Re
lief Corps formed at the Post hall
and marched to the school house
where they raised the flag presented
to the public schools by the ladies
of the Relief Corps. After the ex
ercises at the school house the
Grand Army and Relief Corps, fol-
lowed by the school children,
marched to the school house where
the children sang GLORY to Old
Glory" and 'sNational Memorial
Hymn and then passed out
through the hallway.
After the large crowd had been
comfortably seated in the hall the
exercises began. Rev. F. J. Barack-
man led in prayer, then song by a
quartette, Mesdames Chas. Buxton,
and G. G. Johnson. and Messrs.
Buxton and Tompkins, with Mrs.
Cooper presiding at the organ, a
reading by Miss Adah Race, and
then another song followed by the
address of Elder Henry Goodacre.
The speaker was frequently app
plauded during the address. He
smoke as follows:
Decoration Day is the one day of all the
three hundred and sixty-five when the ma
tons thoughts are turned towards the
nations flag. The flag stands for the nation
and the nation stands by the flag. 1t is the
nations symbol
The best flag ever saw was living one
composed of children. Children whose
sparkling eyes were lit by the morning sun
and bathed in the blue lake of heaven: child
rem whose laughing faces were surrounded
by golden tresses that had canght the kisses
of the sunshine, and whose musical voices,
soft as if playing upon the harp of God
made doubly precious to me the old hymn,
as it leaped forth like bubbling water from
their merry hearts.
My country, tbs of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
OF thee sing.
It is beautiful thought to visit the
soldiers grave when nature has thrown her
green mantle of charity over it, and while
trimming that mantle with variegated
border of flowers. to decorate 1t with his
country's flag, the flag SO dear to the hearts
of the nation because the symbol of the
countys lite and honor.
These thirteen stripes tell of the thirteen
colonies that formed the original thirteen
States The resolution authorizing it was
adopted by congress on June IA, 1777. and
published September Sd of the same year.
It was to be flag of thirteen stripes,
alternate red and white, with thirteen stars
arranged in circle on field of blue in the
corner. In 1894 two new States being added
to the union its stars and stripes were in
creased to fifteen. But in 1918 1t was again
changed to the original stripes and the Sug-