The evening times., 1900-05-30

The services at the Soldiers Home Gene
terry this morning were Of beautiful sim
plicity and impressive solemnity. The
gently sloping lawn in front OF the col
umned temple Of fame was covered with
| the grey-haired veterans and their young
er comrades OF the Spanish war and a large
multitude Of visitors who had come to de-
pOsit tokens OF love upon the last resting
places Of their departed beloved The
! speakers. the Governor Of the Home with
his family, the invited guests, and the re-
eeption committee occupied seats on the
! speakers stand. which was gracefully
decorated with the folds Of the stars and
/ Stripes.
At $50 the parade formed and marched
TO the music OF the Soldiers Home Band
10 the speakers stand in the following or
/ der: Soldiers Home md. committee and
/ ofhcers OF the Home, orator, chaplains. and
/ poet invited guests, Henry Wilson Post
I No L, G. A r.; Garrison Army and Navy
| Union. veterans OF the Home. visitors
l. p Williams. Senior Vice Department
/ Commander and Chairman OF the Com
mittee. opened the services and introduced
/ Rev JJseph T. Kelly. who invoked divine
/ blessing. Representative James e Watson
! Of Indiana delivered the grafton He said
I that God is behind al history and He mas
I woven into IL a grand philuhophy.
Mr. Watson dwelt al length on the
causes OF the civil war and the cruelties
Of slavery. He said that every deed OF
/ heroism in ancient history can be equaled
IN our own history. as the true hero lives
today In our own country.
Gen George D. Ruggles. Governor Of The
Home. made a short address, speaking as
follows:
My Comrades: Our flag is at half-staff;
4 yet around Us are all The evidences Of hap
I plness and a holiday No small arms flr-
ing party awaits Us; our battery. which
/ shall so soon thunder for the national
( salute, gives US no yOIleys over an CDen
( grave; and We have not the soft ncte OF
1 the bugle sounding the requiem Of a sol
, der just fallen asleep in death So. this
/ Is not day Of grieTous mourning II Is
/ rather one OF gratitude and THANKSGIVING
for the patriotism. the vsiOr. the example
OF our heroic dead from the foundation OF
{ the GOveTumeut-aye. from the establish
/ nenJ Of civilization upon our shores Upon
. the graves Of all these patriotic dead,
1 wherever they may lie, We place the tribute
I Of our homage and our Affection
Since last Memorial Day. eighty-tw
I names have been stricken by death from
! the rolls Of this Soldiers Home. Three
: veterans had service II the FIo-ida war
4 teen others IN the Mexican war. Of whom
I fiye served also in the civil war. Wills
Z tWenty-six more served in the civil var
/ three In the Spanish-American war. M
nearly all the rest in Indian wars Peace
! 70 their ashes, OF them all, ffry-0ne lie
/ within This enclosure Happy and secure
/ is the resting place Of the soldier or sailor
I within a national cemetery. Children and
! grandchildren may remember the graves
I OF parents and grandparents. but later
/ generations soon forget
/ Neglected graves are more than fre-
quen~i cemeteries give way 10 the en-
/ crOachmeut OF growing cities. and build
( inSs for the living replace the homes Of
Z the dead But national cemeteries 90 not
: disappear our beuefcent Government does
! not forget the graves Of its dead are
I kept green forever When these he3dstCnes
! may crumbie By the disintegra-Ing effect
Z Of time, they VIII be replaced again and
J again. continuously Visitors 10 these
! grounds VIII then read upon such stones
/ Inscriptions Identical with those low
/ placed upon these originals they VIII re-
I gard with greatest interest ta5se graves
+ of the soldiers OF the long. long ago. and
. viii utter Q blessing upon their memories
We come today 10 visit old comrades.
/ because they can not come 10 Us. upon
their graves we scatter flowers. because
/ We cannot place them in their hands, We
! the bivouac and the battlefield we call
I to mind all that was good and noble II
/ the characters Of these men II. accord
cOrding 10 poor, weak. eTring human IA
I JUre. there VAS aUEht Of fraiIJy in any
+ OF their lives. We leave all that 10 The
! tender mercy Of the fOrgiving God
And as We 90 hence 10 the flagstaff,
and there stand uncovered while TIE IA
I JiOnal ensign is raised TO the masthead
we shall recall an the glory Of the COiOrs;
and. locking 70 the future We may see IN
| the vista Of the years before US. through
all the centuries beyond US, the soldiers
I yet unborn, coming from North. from
South from East from West. coming 10
I wear the uniform. coming inspired by the
I examples OF their predecessors. coming in
IegiOls 10 love. TO honor. to defend that
I flag. and so 10 carry into continued exc
I CuJiOu for all time that high resolve. e1un-
I ciaJed for ali Americans by the great Lin
! coin. that Government Of the people. by
! the people, for the people. shall not perish
7 from the earth "