Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-05-30
Memorial Day.

memorial Oay.
Today, as on every May Goth for two
score years the American people pause
from all other pursuits to do honor to
the patriot dead, those who gave their
lives for the perpetuatiOn of the Union.
This custom of Il national Memorial
day, or Decoration day, as it is COM
monty called, is peculiarly an Ameci-
can institution, and one which is n
credit to the patriotic sentiments of
our people. In every section of our
land Thousands ana hundreds of thou
sands of the little tents of green, where
veterans of tie Civil War are sleeping
their last long sleep, will be strewn
with fragrant flowers of spring, and
loving hands will place at their heads
duplicates of the glorious old flag
which they followed in battle. There
will be professions of survivin:,
veterans, moving slower along the
street than in earlier years, the ranks
thinner than they were a year ago;
ana with them will be sons of veterans.
school children. and various organ
izations proud of the privilege of TAX
ing part in the ceremonies OF the day
There will he martial music; the
inspiration of oratory; the flags at half
mast. the suppression OF ordinary bust
ness, and other features that make
Memorial day sacred and precious to
the hearts of the people.
Thus, in our own beautiful city and
in thousands of others throughout the
United States. will Memorial day be
celebrated: but here as els where there
will be many evidences that the day is
not only Il holy day set apart in conf
momoratiOn of the nations dead, but
that 1t is also n holiday for the
enjoyment of the masses. The
tendency to make Memorial day
grand spring holiday. with ex-
cursions. athletic sports and other
pastimes wholly out of keeping
with the original purpose of the day,
has been much discussed in the past
few years. and not little deplored by
all conservative citizens. And yet that
tendency Is inevitable. 1t does not
mean that the new generation of
Americans is lacking in reverence for
the patriot dead. or in appreciation Of
what the Civil War meant to this
country. More than half of our pr esent
population.-and they are the ones that
are now bearing the heat and burden of
the day.-have come here since the war
ended, either by birth or by immigra-
ton. 1t is not to be expected that
they can feel the personal reverence,
and the same sorrow which is felt by
the old soldiers themselves and by the
older generation in general. The
younger generation feels toward the
heroes of the Civil War much as tn,
older generations have felt toward the
heroes of the Revolutionary War and
the pioneers who blazed the way Of
civilization in this country. There is
no want of appreciation OF want of
reverence in either case, but gradually,
in both, the personal element has
passed AWAY. and the true estimate of
those who have gone before is shown
In the life and character of the new
generation, and in it's use Of it's rich
inheritance.
With fully half our population. as
has been said. the Civil War is a mat
ter of history, AMI that, the masses CT
our people. without any wish to inter-
fere with the highest uses of Memorial
day. nevertheless make it a glad, spring
holiday is nothing so strange after all.
1t does not indicate by any means that
American people are guilty of ingrati-
tude to the boys in blue. On the con-