Evening star., 1902-05-30
HARMONY CEMETERY.
Exercises Under Auspices of Frederick
Douglass Post, g. A. r.

The Memorial day exercises at Harmony
cemetery were conducted under the au-
spices of Frederick Douglass Post. G. A. R..
Of which Major Chas. r. Douglass is COM
mander. The beautiful day was responsible
for the turning out Of a large number OF
people, and by 1 o'clock. when the ceremo-
MES of the day started, each grave. no mat
ter how obscure, had been decorated with
flowers. The graves Of the soldier dead
each had a small American flag at the
head Of the mound.
Mr.. John P. Green, former member OF
the Ohio senate, was the orator Of the day,
being followed by ex-Representative George
H. White who delivered an address. The
choir from the Metropolitan A. NJ. E.
Church. under the direction of Prof. John
T. Layton, rendered several patriotic
hymns. At the conclusion of the exercises
Company A, 1st Separate Battalion, D. c.
N. G.. comma nded by Capt. E. L. Webster,
fired salute over the graves of the soldier
dead.
Mr.. Green's address contained sympathy
for the soldier dead, and was full of cheer
for the surviving comrades. He pictured
the battlefields with the colored man fight
ing for freedom and his country.
Continuing, he said:
1.-The great Frederick Douglass once said:
1T will be sad day for any people, when
they no longer have in their midst. any
great men to whom they can look for guild
ance and example in the paths which lead
to practical success and moral glory Sc 1
declare to you today. standing in the pres
ence of our hallowed dead who have gone
before us: 1t will be sad day for any peo-
pie when they no longer hallow the memory
of those to whose deeds of glory they can
look for inspira ton and emulation in every
sphere of manly and patriotic activity.
THE stage upon which our heroes acted
their part was as large as our whole land
the drama in which they were conspeu-
ously engaged was the saving of a nation
and the freeing OF people; they were in
spired by the love of liberty and. patriotic
ardor, while they played to an 'atten-
tive audience composed Of the whole civil
lied world.
The times which nodded and fashioned
these heroic men were, in some respects.
unique: never before had such existed in
this country, and let us pray God that they
may never again afflict us:
From the inception of our government
down to the beginning of the great rebel
lion for the destruction Of the Union the
moral forces of our land had been arrayed
against that pestiferous evil human slavery,
not inaptly termed by one the sum Of all
villainies;' By another, likened to the great
upas tree, the touch of which is fatal to
living forms; and also to- that strange plant
of the antipodes. facetiously called the
lawyer vine,' which, entwining some proud
tree of the forest in its close embrace,
finally smothers it in its relentless folds,
and then, proudly victorious, stands in Its
stead.
Those were the times when men of
nerve, intellect and moral courage were in
demand; and when, in titanic struggle,
quarter was neither asked nor granted"
During his address the speaker said: :
1.-THE total number of colored soldiers fur
nished by the states and territories during
the rebellion, as stated by the late George
w. Williams, in his Negro Troops in the
Rebellion, was 7a,975; of course, this has
no reference to many thousands of colored
men who served in the army as teamsters,
laborers and servants in many other ca
pacities''
Mr.. White in his remarks urged the peo-
pie to keep Memorial day. regardless Of
color, and remember that it was in men,
ory of those who had sacrificed their lives
in defense of their country