Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1903-05-29
Tomorrow Our Nation Mourns
Her Dead, and We Will Oh.
serve the Occasion.
MEMORIAL ADDRESS
BY F. R. HAT HAWAy
An Excellent Program Has Been Ar
ranged. and Weather Permitting
II will be Well Carried Out.

sadly today are the mufred drums rolling;
Craped are the flags, though with victory
Sorrows dread knoll in lonely hearts tolling;
Thickly the soldiers graves are clustered
round
Comrades in war days will their loves tribute
following the low graves on Memorial Day -"
Tomorrow Is Memorial Day. The
day this grand and glorious nation hon.
ors and reveres the memory OF its mar.
tered heroes, who fought and died for
the cause they thought was right. Let
us do all honor to them on this occasion,
when our country is enjoying all that
prosperity can accomplish.
There are many versions of how the
custom originated and when it first
thought Of placing flowers upon the
graves of our soldier dead, but perhaps
this one, as told by veteran who wore
the blue, is the most pleasing to accept
as the true one:
lit was just Al years ago the 18th
day Of last April. Two little girls
children OF Michigan army chap.
lain-were the first TO lay spring
flowers on a soldiers grave, dug in Vir.
ginian soil, and from that little act of
childish impulse grew up the custom
which is now nationally observed, north
and south. The army chaplain was
Franklin May, a Methodist minister,
who resigned his charge at the first call
to arms and marched to the front. At
Camp Michigan on April 10, l862-the
first anniversary Of the fall of Sumpter-
the little girls were wild flower gather.
ing, and had their arms filled when
they came across grave rough, un-
marked mound that had closed over
some Northern boy for whom taps had
sounded that first twelve.month.
'Oh, let's put some flowers on this
grave, cried Josephine, he is a soldier
boy
I'm a trice they were down upon their
knees heaplng nosegays over that bare
hillock and clasping their hands in
childish delight at their happy thought
On their way home the little ones
planned to go the next day, gather
more flowers and put them on all the
graves. When they were about 10 set
out on their trip, Josephine told Mrs.
May OF their project, and the sweet
thoughtfulness of this child fancy
appealed TO the older woman and to-
gether they placed the blossoms on
the thirteen graves--all that they found,
union and confederate alike, among the
thousands that were to rest at Arlington
and along the shores Of the Potomac.
"The next year they did the same
thing. and the next, each time in May,
and now for the soldiers who fell ut
- a on bah ..N1 al L.Ss l. Al
old dominion. What they did was
noticed and soon others began to do the
same. There was opportunity for all,
for as the months went by graves were
faster than ever before in
history, and before the close Of the war
the custom had spread quite rapidly.
chaplain May, his wife and their
two daughters, lie buried in Mountain
Home, Kalamazoo, Mich"
In 1865 Gen. John A. Logan issued
that famous order of his as commander.
in.chief OF the G.. A. r. which set apart
May 30 as Memorial Day-a date chosen
late in the spring in order to give the
flowers chance TO outfank every
snowbank in the north, however late
the spring might be. Then Official rec
ognition was given to its observance by
congress. Since then many of the states
have made the day legal holiday.
In observing the day now we should
that it is not for jolifcation,
and all sports and amusemsnts should
be put aside. Our business place have
promised to close at O'Clock and the
following excellent program has been
Continued on Page Four