Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-30
AT ST. ELIZABETH'S.
Ceremonies Over the Graves Attached
to That Institution.


A miniature flag waving amid clusters OF
flowers made up the decorative form that
today marked each of the 1900 mounds
where repose the soldier dead whose de-
cIining years. following the hardships oil
service were passed as inmates of the Gov
ernment Hospital for the Insane. Two
cemeteries one situated among the hills
mile beyond the institution and surround
ed already with natures yerdure, and an
other located on the hospital grounds, con-
tain the remains of these insane dead Inc
duty of decoration was performed by com
mittees representing the John A. Logan fte-
| lief Corps, No. Z, from Anacosua, ana the
| ladies of the hospital. In the early morn.
| ing hours they fixed the flags in place ana
| the flowers. forwarded abundantly from
| the public schools in Anacostia ana the IN
stitution's greenhouses, were used in the
making of the garlands In the meantime
preparations for the journey to the asylum
| by the members of John A. Logan POST
No 13, which was in charge or the cere-
monies and the accompanying procession
| from Anacostia were being made. The as
| sembly place was in the Masonic Hail, at
Washington and Pierce streets, where the
local post has headquarters. Here the band
| of the government hospital, under the dl-
| rection of Prof. Caldwell, was stationed,
| rendering during the hours of gathering
series of patriotic selections. A large num-
| Der of conveyances sent by the institution
| for the children of the public schools and
| other participants were soon filled. Ihe
| procession moved from the Masonic Hall
at 10 clock. the band escorting the mem
bers of Logan Post at the head OF the col
umn. Following came the speakers and
guests in carriages while the school chill
dren. numbering over go. occupied the rear
Of the line. Numerous small f1ags hao been
distributed and made waving points of color
as the parade advanced. The route was
down Jackson street and along Monroe
street to the Congress Heights cars where
the veterans were given seats in the trolley
cars, to form in line again at the main
gateway of the hospital on arriving. A
battalion of 300 soldier inmates of the asy-
lum with open ranks and headed by the
colors, was in formation to receive Them
When the visitors had passed through the
ranks the old soldiers of the institution fell
in behind and the march to Poplar Spring
the scene of the exercises, was taken up ID
the sound of the drum In the hospital de-
tachment that witnessed the ceremoniee
were legless or armless veterans. Younger
soldiers there were present also, as in the
| audience were men who had taken part
in the Cuban and Philippine campaigns.
Another portion of the audience was COM
posed of several hundred female patients
| in charge of nurses
The sylvan amphitheater where the stand
and seats were erected was shaded by the
| interlocking poplar trees, beside rustic
| spring, and afforded an ideal spot for the
exercises. The stand. which was occupied
| by the speakers the members of the choir
and guests, was draped with flags and
] bunting. The band was stationed close by.
| Those who took part in the singing, which
| was directed by Mr.. Edward I. Davis, were
| Mrs. C. A. French, Miss Carolyn Casteel,
| Miss Katie fudge, Miss Bertha f. Roth,
| Miss Leah Jenkins, Miss Ida Jones, Miss
Daisy Bowman, altos; Mr.. G. w. Jones'
| bass; Mr. George Thorne, Mr.. Edward 7.
| Davis, tenors Mr.. Daniel c. Smthson and
| Mr. Watson Isaac of the choir of the Ana
| costa Methodist Episcopal Church assisted.
| Mrs. Elizabeth Nelson was the organist.
| The committee on decoration on the part of
| the hospital comprised Mrs. H O'Brien,
| Mrs. Meloy, Miss Ethel McClanahan, Miss
| Jessie Browning and Miss Ada Posey.
| Those representing the Woman's Relief
| Corps were Mrs. Margaret B. Tew, Mrs
| Emily Frisbie Mrs Mary E. Simpson Mrs
| Emma Emo and Miss Annie Anderson.
The program included the sounding of the
| Assembly by the bugler. then the Flower
| Song by the Hospital Band, then came the
| opening remarks by Post Commander A. b.
Frisbie.
Called to Order.
| Commander Frisbie, in calling the assem-
| bly, to order, said
Another year has come and gone, year
| of heat and cold, of storms and sunshine
| of fading verdure and springing flowers of
life and death, and we have here assembled
| once more to perform that sacred duty for
which this day is set apart.
mot all who assembled here one year ago
are with us today Some are absent for
| reasons best known to themselves, and
some have answered to the last roll call on
| earth, and have been removed to higher
| sphere. OF the members of this post three
have pitched their tents in the grand en-
| campment, and he who then welcomed US
| to this institution has passed from earth,
| and that duty now devolveS upon another.
AS we go from this place let us take
| with us into our daily lives a renewed de-
votion to home and country. remembering
| always that eternal vigilance is the price
! of liberty; and although demagogues, for
personal greed or partisan gain, may go up
| and down the land predicting the direst dis
| asters unless they are elected to Office and
| their party is placed in power, that the lib
critics of the people will be destroyed To
| all such are faint and weak-hearted and
| who see, or profess to see, the adoption of
| certain policies of which they may not APP
| prove, the end of free government. L would
say as did the poet:
Light up your eyes Responding freemen;
| Fling TO the winds your needless fears.
He who unfurled our glorious banner
Said that 1t should thousand years"
Following Mr.. Frisbie the choir sang
"The Clarion Voice of War Is Still" and
| then an invocation by Rev. Chas. o. Isaac.
| after which "Tenting Tonight was sung
| by childrens chorus, and then brief ad-
| dress of welcome was made by DR.. w. A.
| White superintendent of st. Elizabeth's
| Hospital.
| DIR. White said 1t gave him great pleasure
| to welcome to the precincts of this hospital
/ upon this day, so dear to the hearts of
American citizens. the members of the q.
A. r. and their friends. and to aid them in
| the performance of the sacred duty for
! which they came. He declared that many
| of us who are living today have very little
appreciation of those troubled times. really
only very few years ago, when the brave
| soldiers who lie buried In the asylum
/ grounds helped to fight for the principles
/ which they believed to be right, and per-
formed untold numbers of gallant deeds,
few of which relatively have ever found
their places on the pages of history
TT Is just such occasions as this which
gave us an insight Into the beliefs and the
heart of the nation" he added, "and
believe that In those countries where gal
liant deeds and noble lives are not revered