The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-06-01

REv. RkAD's {
He Sent His GREETING to His Old
Comrades,

He Sent His GREETING to His Oh
Comrades.
Rev. G. W. Read was unable. b,
reason of sickness to attend the Ms
mortal exercises last Sunday. bu
sent a letter of greeting, which wa
read by Comrade Slease. The lette
was as follows:
Friends and Comrades:-
For more than thirty years | hat
the privilege of joining with other.
in the observance of this day. On,
year g | was not able to be will
you, but the comrades of the 'Blut
and the Gray" called ON me. and ex
tended their greetings. Today | have
been asked to send you a short greet
ing. and I esteem it a great priv
lege. On last Memorial day, / thought
it the last one I should probably eyel
see. and that today, comrades would
scatter flowers over my grave. Goo
has willed otherwise. One who greet
tO0 A"C ioot yCdI, OdDLdlu Lea, uOW
sleeps with the majority; one more
grave to decorate. one less in the
number of those who took part with
him in the great drama of '61 to '65
ut is probable that 80. 900 of the
Blue and Gray have answered the
last roll call the past year; so, OOO
graves added to the large number so
lovingly decorated. SO.OOO worn and
MANNED old bodies laid t rest.
Comrades, those of us who still
remain are approaching the hour of
twilight. Soon we will hear Taps
and the lights will all be out in this
life. These thoughts give a solemn
undertone to what is left of this life
There Is a sadness in our fellowship
today, and yet this very sadness slim
ulates Il affections. and enables us
to listen to the voices of the past
and see visions of the future. Voices
that have been speaking to us for
more than forty years, have kept our
hearts in tender remembrance, and
we see those faces still. not old and
gray are they as they appear to us.
but young and strong and beautiful
as they were when they said good
bye. so full Of hope and vigorous
manhood. Many mothers are still liv-
ing who have a vacant chair at the
table and a vacant place in their
hearts, left by the going away of the
dear boy who has never come back.
The memory of the past is sweet. the
hope of the future Is strong. But
what of the present? Thank God. We
have a reunited country. and the
men in Gray have the right of bro
therhood with us, and they enjoy it,
too. Not two nations. but one. One
in boundaries, one in fellowship, one
in effort, bound together and cement
ed by the memories Of the past,
even the blood that was shed In our
strife.
"The men. who with such devotion
to what they believed to be right
maintained the struggle for four long
years, and who took UP the pursuits
OF peace afterward, have made our
example that will stand as a lesson
for their children.
To-day as multitudes. all v er the
country, are concentrating the
deeds of heroism of our soldier dead
it is a glorious thing to realize that
the thousands. who were arrayed
against each other forty years ago.
are mingling their tears together as
their memories crowd upon them,
Time has bound up the scars upon
the old battle fields and the wounds
of those bereaved by the war.
ut is a great blessing that both
North and South have permitted the
passing years to smooth out the trOu
bles of the past, and leave with us
love. harmony and peace.
"Our remembered dead have gone
to a world where there are no bat
ties, no Blue no Gray no trouble
no strife. They are out of reach OF
all such things. The thought of leav
ing this world and the forced sepa
ration from friends. brings a feeling
of sadness, but we know hat it is
ours to enter life. to fight it's bat
ties. to enjoy its blessings. and its
friendships. and pass out on the 9th
er side into a larger life which Il
eternal.
1T is our privilege in this life. tt
open our hearts and ponr out oul
gratitude, not only upon the graves
and memories of the dead. but upol
the pathway of the living, Let us re
member also, that peace has her bat
ties, and her victories no less thai