The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-05-10
SUNDAY, MAY 10. 1908.
MEMORIAL DAYS.

3 Whether the Southern memorial observ.
A,,ces had their origin in New Orleans
columbus, Richmond or elsewhere Is Q
disputed question that we cannot under
khke to decide. Indeed, we are told that
Sh soma countries for ages 1t has beer
The custom of the people annually to re
dsair.y to the cemeteries and bedeck the
graves OF their friends and kindred Will
Mowers but the custom We inaugurated
went further, and included the resting
places OF those. of our army who were
unknown to us. as well rs those of our
6wn circle. And thus our memorial OBJ
eervances began.
Il The very first return Of springtin1e af-
ter Appomattox the women and mon OF
the South set about doing this work
Hkey not only, went to the cemeteries to
carry flowers: but took with them there
towels and shovels with which to repair
4 The mounds. for In the stress and hurry
pf war many graves had been rudely
r,ade and needed to be freshly mounded.
s Sin those days there was absolute sus-
bension of business in Richmond and the
people went to the cemeteries in the morn
+ uS, ClTIlCu luICH Will hliSiAi' thiiA WOAnSN
pn the graves until the afternoon. and
s then devoted themselves to memorial ex-
ercises. In that way the graves Of our
Heroes were put into decent condition. and
the memorial observance custom became
GRATED
TOurs were memorial days; "decora-
Hon day" was tho name given their own
observances by the people who mourned
the Federal dead. But In The nature Of
things Northerners could not be SO deeply
Interested in their days of mourning as
we were In ours. Here in Richmond, for
instance IS OOO. graves reminded us of the
war, while in most Northern cities OF our
population the soldiers sections of their
cemeteries did not include one-tenth of
that number. Here the war came close
to us, literally and hguratively. We could
NOS say that some of our folks were in
the army. but that "all" of them were,
We of the South took part in soldier life
In every phase. Every drum beat, every
shot fired at the front echoed in our
homes. and every soldier of ours shot
down plunged a nelghborhood into grief
1.-THE war was at our doors and we saw
lis herosms and its horrors It's glorles
1nd its agonies, Its lights and its shad-
y pws, and the images it engraved upon
our memories are ineffaceable. For four
Years It absorbed and enveloped all other
thoughts. We knew that 1t was going
on and that our lines were thinning and
BUR larders growing .leaner every day
hnd we could think of nothing else.
~ No wonder then that our memorial days
Found the people intense In their feelings,
poignant sorrow filling their breasts and
Gut,lttle of riope TO awaken aspirations
for the future. Very slowly, indeed, this
feeling abated. 1t is not yet wholly ex-
tinguished. but 1t is not given man always
TO mourn. Happily, the glories OF the
past remain with us, while many of our
Eriefs are buried.
The observances at Oakwood Cemetery
always have been interesting. In those
grounds there are more Confederate
graves than In any other we know Of
1G,040-and they have always been well
attended to. Annually, on the 10th of
May, the anniversary of the death of
stonewall Jackson. the Ladies' lakewood
pleHoTlal ttSsoClhtloila NtcpFhteS tnOSe SOL
hiers' graves and executes a suitable pro-
sramme of memorial exercises.
lakewood was newly established Gem
stery when the Confederate war broke
out. Most of the soldiers buried there
Hiec from wounds or disease at chImbo-
rnzo Hospital while most OF those buried
at Hollywood died at Jackson and Winder
Gospitals-two other mammoth military
hospitals that stood on the level ground
between Reservoir Street ana Shields
Grove. OF this great army corps of the
dead It may be truly said:
No grander heroes ever died.
No sterner, battlcd tothe last.