Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-06-04

were events winch even 70 cOntenIpOr-
AIRY appreciation appeared without a
historic parallel
In the secntaneity and persistence of
the citizens devotion to the saving
of the nation, under the inspira-
ton Of sublime idea, and the respond
ling impulse Of their splendid manhood,
Christendom witnessed and wondered
as it saw, the most impressive demon
stration of patriotism that had ever
gloriiied a people or illuminated the his
tory of any age, and at the conclusion
OF the mighty struggle, beheld a true
republic Of freedom, under whose out
stretched arlnall men stood free and equal
before the law and none could be slave
firm and Observation-Disclosures at
last through the sorrows, the sufferings,
the martyrdom of its people--a republic
dedicated i'll the fiery baptism of war,
with Few sincerity, to be, under God,
the worlds greatest champion OF liberty,
a leader of civilization, an enlightener
of mankind. doubt not that the most
prevalent thought of Memorial Day is
that it is beautiful custom of these
organizations of the Grand Army of the
Republic, the Womans Relief Corps and
the Sons of Veterans. That il has little
or no meaning beyond the sentiment
that called it into being, of permitting
those who are bound together by an
especial bond of friendship, who are of
a charmed circle within which many
are not permitted to enter because mem
bership in your venerable body depends
upon loyal service in and an honorable
discharge from war which closed
nearly forty years ago, also that you
may recognize this friendship and yearly
bring your offerings of peace and love,
that you may testify to this friendship
and unite more closely the fraternal
bonds among the living members of
your rapidly thinning ranks, and honor
the dead. That such motives and pur-
poses are laudable no one can deny, and
that they are sufficient for the sacrifice
involved may be strongly asserted
Because can conceive of no nobler
organization in all the world than your
own. Nor can conceive of any greater
honor coming to an American citizen
than to be privileged to honorably wear
,as bn
tured in war from the enemies of the
union, and i'll future years, may be after
the last one of you shall have gone to
his long home, the greatest honor any
American citizen can have conferred
upon him, will be TO have the badge of
the Grand Army of the Republic fas-
tened upon his breast by the president
of the United States even as "a king
might confer the Victoria cross or the
badge of the Garter. Yet am impressed
that while You have thus been respond
ing TO these sentiments, you have at the
same time, unconsciously, perhaps, yet
surely, been fulfilling Divine purpose.
1t is not only in compliance with senti-
ment, but it is wise and in accordance
with Divine love that we set apart GER
tain days in which to commemorate
great events in our history Amid these
busy times it does us good to pause and
reflect upon the heroic achievements of
our fathers in behalf of the land they
loved. 1t seems to me that our envir-
onment today is most happily suited to
the emotions and impressions that bring
US together From Maine to Florida,
and across the whole breadth of this
mighty country, and reaching on across
the seas TO the beautiful Orient, the
people of this mighty republic are gath
ering as we come together today to
briefly recall the history of our land and
bring flowers to bedeck the graves of
the dead To lay their garlands at the
feet of the honored living, and to incul-
cate so far as they may in the minds of
the younger generation, deep and whole
some lessons of patriotic pride in their
country, of devotion TO truth and the
nobility of an honored character.
This is day for memory and tears
a festival and a funeral The republic
is not ungrateful today. The busy
wheels of a nations activity stand still
in honor of her dead heroes. Aud she
honors herself in so doing. IT'S we'll to
pause long enough to look over the
struggle of the past and to glance at the
future, so millions of our people gather
in similar audiences TO this in memory of
our heroic dead. This is time honored
custom born of love. With the old SOL
diers here the memory of the past is a
part of themselves and they live it over
today. But most of us were too young
to realize the cruelty of the awful war,
nor can the soldiers tell all they felt
and endured But some here recall the
forming of companies, the presentation
of the silken flag stitched by gentle