Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-05-13
MEMORIAL DAY,

| Swiftly the year has rolled around
and Memorial Day is once more drawing
near;-the day that of all others, is
fraught with the saddest and most sor
rowful, the proudest and the tenderest
memories; the day when grateful and
Borrowing nation pays loving tribute tC
the brave and daring men who freely
gave their lives when their country
called.
Many years the grass has grown green
Ger the numberless mounds, which,
with loving fingers, we shall again
wreathe with fragrant flowers, but scat
tered here and there we shall see a
newer grave, and then we shall kno,c
that Patriotism still lives.
We know that however often ouI
country needs them, her sons will be
ready to answer to her call; we know
that her daughters will be ever willing
to give of their dearest and best, in her
hour of need. And, as we look back
over the years that have flown, we can
see that those who have mourned in the
loneliness and silence of sorrowful
hours, for the heroes who fought and
died twOscOre years ago, for the freedom
of race who had been born and bred in
slavery's chain, cheerfully gave up their
sons and grandsons to the service of
their country, when the oppressed and
dOwn-trodden of foreign nation held
out their trembling hands towards
America for help and succor.
Proudly we watched them march
away, under the starry folds of our
mighty banner, knowing that many of
them would find their last resting place
in another land than ours. And now,
all we can do for our fallen heroes is to
keep their memory ever fresh and green
in our minds, and come each year in the
beauty of May, and, with loving hearts
and reverent hands, place on the mounds
heaped above each faithful breast,
bright blossoms of spring that shall be
an emblem of the unspeakable bright
ness and infinite beauty of freedom that
glorifies the lives of those who have
been freed from the shackles that bound
them in slavery and oppression.
This we may do, and also, in grateful
recognition of what our soldiers and de-
tenders have done, it behooves us as
a nation to keep forever burning on our
affairs the fires of patriotism, and our
hearts forever open to the cause of right,
of justice and of freedom; and our
hands ever ready to defend the helpless
and defenceless of all nations and all
races.
Looking back, we see, all along the
pathway that marks the progress of our
country, countless graves of heroic men
who have yielded up their lives that
America may in truth be called
1.-THE land Of the free
And the home Of the brave"
As we look back, we can see that the
path the sons and daughters of America
have trOdden, in the years that are past,
has been marked by hardship and priva-
ton, by bloodshed and death, by sorrow
and loneliness unspeakable, and on this
Memorial Day, let us reverently, with
bowed head and Bonded knee, dedicate
to ourselves, to our children, and to our
children's children the duty, the priv
lege and the pleasure of making this day
a sacred day. Let us always keep it as
the Nations day of sorrow and gladness
sorrow for those near and dear ones
who have gone out of our lives, and
gladness for the unmeasured peace and
happiness that the sacrifice of their lives
brought to millions of our unfortunate
brothers and sisters; and 80, with sweet
flowers and martial music under the
stars and stripes of our waving banner
we will do honor to our c0untry's noble
dead. PHEBE WILEY BENsEL.