The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-30

HbTtCultuTlSt s hand
"A year ago these mounds beneath
which dead heroes sleep were strewn with
| Earlands by living hands and watered by
| tears from living eyes The flowers they
spring Jnai gave the HOWeTS has long
since passed away summer and autumn
and winter have come and gone Each
grave has been wrapped in it's winding
sheet Of snow. and bleak winds have sung
dirEes over the spot which the living had
deserted.
Never before in the history Of human
passion ana SeiflShueSS. has been witness
ed an annual ceremony or Office similar
in its design and general observance to
TINS partly funereal, partly triumphal- but
wholly peculiar and appropriate CeTeno-
ny Busy millions of our Republic pause
and COIn in this universal conservation to
The brave dead Of the most charming and
choicest Of God $ gifts But this IS q day
70 which the whole loyal country looks
forward with pleasure. mouTDful pleasure
1t may BE-, and to WHICH II VIII look back
with satisfaction
To-day the quick pulse Of business
stops the contest of excited traffic
ceases the great hand Of industry rests,
and Why Because The children the or
phans- the widows, the mothers, the
friends, and the comrades Of the saviorS
of our country are jCuTEtyIng UP 10 their
saviors' sepulchres with their annual Of
! teTing of flowers ard tears, frankincenSe
and E1Errh- Because today appropriate
tribute is paid to them who laid down
/ their lives on the altar of their country
because the terrible fact Of the great civil
war Is still fresh in our memories. its
| mOuTDful effects are at our feet. and its
glorious trophies are throughout our land
Because that great army which bore the
embiens Of war so iTTeSiStibIy and sue
| cssSiuiiy Is tocay bearing the ernblens OF
peace and forgiveness snd love.
his office to the dead IS peculiar
From earliest recorded time until now
| the great and titled men Of the world
nave ever had their memories cherished
and refreshed by enthusiastic admirers
IneTe mas ever been herO-WOTShip. but the
heroes WOrShioed have been Caesars. or
EmPerors, or generals, OF great captains.
but nowhere in the records Of the past
DO we ind q great and uncomfortable PEG
pie gong out as We DO today. TO pay those
tributes to the memory of the private sol
aIeTS- Their deeds have been forgotten
aIg the-r graves have been as nameless
ana unknown as If they had been made
IN the bosom Of the trackless deep. But
comrades, with Is ali are alike we know
no distinction by rank. except the rank
o. DUTY performed And he who served
MS country faithfully, and did his duty
wen. deserves as much Of honor and Is
TEEN although he be privat Re solder.
as the COmmandeT-il-Chi
ne American Republic decorates the
graves of her private soldiers with en-
oteLnS Of the peoples grateful tribute to
Jhelf most deserving sons; not in sorrow.
not IN mourning for these our ceremonies
partake more nearly of the gladness of
a holy festival The iuperishabIe marble,
The arm and SCriIutured vase and brazen
cody enduring monuments Of grief. are
not the chosen tokens of our care and
| remembrance We strew tie resting
places or OUR soldiers with fiOEerS-th he
most .DeauLful Of the treasures IaviShed
by Cod s love on earth flowers fresh as IS
me STatlt ilde IN our hearts TO the depart
cd ones for their sacrifices: flowers. fra
grant as the glory of their brave deeds
IN the nostriis Of nations flowers. perish
able indeed as their bodies but like the
lInIHoEfa al part 10 3a remembered year by
year forever. What more fitting decora-
ton therefore can we bring to q soldiers
grave save one
I'VE VIII raise over il the starry flag Of
the nation that is hallowed by his blood.
To the patriot soldier the banner under
winch he ars has q high and E-bIe sig
u'iICaDCe. To him II is the symbol Of pro-
lection. authority. and power II is -he
emblem Of his country's glorious memo
TieS OF the past and bright hopes Of the
future On its folds he sees ernblazoned
the great Deeds of patriot heroes who
nave gone before. written for his rever-
enCc- his devotion his worship Sacred
10 his love. endeared to every emotion
ne VIII follow his flag as the pillar Of
cloud by day and the pillar OF fire by
night He viii fight that il may be tri-
unphaHt and honored- He viii brave
death and wounds that i may not be dis
hcnCrea- and dying he asks no richer
shroud than its folds. and desires that he
may be borne TO the grave by the music
70 the sound Of which he has followed it
in victory. and that his last requiem may
be the ToiIeys Of his comrades which he
has heard IN its defence in Iife.
A WELCOME DUTY.
ITO Us, Droudest Of nations. has been
given this Welcome duty. to inauEurate
this yearly commemoration of the vaIor
OF the soldiers Of the people. It has been
reserved 10 Republic first as an epoch in
time 10 honor as most precious her com
mon dead Wei may il be 50. for the bat
ties they fought We're IN defence Of the
HDrTtleS ana laws OF the common people
To them has arisen a Erander, . nobIeT
memorial than ever the pride OF pDmu Of
kings or the wealth wrUnS from crushed
people, yet raised 10 chief or warrior
Free GOEeTGneut-tfIe triumphai arch to
our heroic deaG-spTeads from ocean TO
ocean spanning the continent and like
the DOW OF promise assures freedom.
equality of right. and equality OF protsc-
ton 10 all men under laws founded on the
VIII Of the people alone
Brothers. late our foes in battle, but
brothers still, this country was always
our joint inheritance This flag was al
ways our joint banner The glory. OF our
past belongs 20 both Of US: our grand
Sirss and our fathers stood side by side in
battle. sat side by side in council. The
glory Of the future belongs to both Of US
This purified land, this great united peo-
PIE, these broad acres, stretching from
ocean 70 ocean, yet bound by cord OF
commerce that made OF oceans near
neIEhbOTs and Of mountains level plains.
this boundIess wealth, this tfTeless ener-
81, this hunger for progress. this thirst
for knowledge, il Is yours. II Is OUTS, and
no man can take Il from US unless we
ourselves deSpOiI ard destroy the rich in
herftance. over brothers graves let
brothers quarreIs die. Let there be peace
between Us: nay more, let there be love
between Us, that these swords We have
learned 50 well to use may strike only at
the common foe
we are today locking down on a car
pet Of flowers spreading from the AdIrOn-
dacks to the Gulf. we are decorating the
graves Of American soldiers brought from
the South and the North, the Feast and
Porto Rico, IN Cuba. in the Philippines,
and il China There can be no stronger
bond than that created by the united
valoT of American SOldieTy. made Up Of
men OF all sections Of our country and
fighting in one common cause.
We are nation regeueFated, united,
baptized anew Thank God. comrades,
that we have been thought worthy to be
pCTtakers Of that baptism Of blood Thank
God that We STOOD side by side with these
beloved martial dead in the supreme mo-
ment Of their lives When we meet today
we pledge each others lips and hearts
in tie sacramento c = Of immortal mem
ter take away. We pledge each other and
the grave to defend all that We have now
a Union from whose Government escape
by notification OF secession is impossible
nation whose nDnarCh-Ihe whole peo-
pie Of all the States-apDroache more
present 0mnipUteut, unuiSceut attributes
of Deity The voice Of the people is the
voice of God When we crown the dead
with fi0Wers-eternal types of spTing-we
celebrate this resurrection Of the nation.
To her. dear mOtheTland. all radiant with
imperial pride in the midst OF her mourn
ing. TeSpleuGeut Ia her Jewels set In heav-
on T-E rg-ffh rrr