Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1906-06-07
The Date of Decoration Day.

ne question VI transferring
Decoration day to the last Sun
day in May suggests a number of
arguments in the affirmative. 1t
is certainly unfortunate that a
day dedicated to the memory of
the nations defenders in its
greatest crisis should be per-
verified to recreations that have as
little appropriateness to its
original purpose as a secular
song at a church service. The
decoration of the hallowed graves
of the great dead, and the COM
memoration services, are all b t
lost sight of in the athletic
sports, excursions and merry
markings by which the day is
made not only disrespect to the
surviving veterans of the civil
war and an irreverence toward
the departed soldiers but real
injury to patriotism and to the
appreciation of the great history
which teaches the responsibilities
of citizenship and the dignities
of the nation.
1t is only fair to say, however,
that no disrespect and irreverence
are intended. Human nature
being what it is, such a use of
any holiday is inevitable, unless
that holiday be associated with
the sacredness of the Sabbath,
which has still sacredness,
however great the confusion of
popular thought in regard to its
proper observance. The Ameri-
can people have none too many
holidays, and when one is
appointed at the most beautiful
season of the year-when the
impulse to sport is the greatest
it would be public of far deeper
feeling and thoughtfulness than
any which can be found in the
world today that would keep
Memorial day as it ought to be
observed This is no justifica-
ton or excuse for the misuse of
the day, but the statement of a
fact-which is a fact-however
deplorable.
Would it not be better to
observe the last Wednesday or
Thursday in May as a Spring
Festival, without any connection
with patriotic or religious IDEAS
Let the children loose from school
and men from their work shops
and women from their kitchens
simply to have a good time just
as they please, without any blame
attaching to such merry-makine
so long as it is pursued in goot
order and decency. And make
Memorial day Sunday in which
the sacrifice and immortal life o
the saviours Of the Nation shall
gain added significance from thu
remembrance Of the sacrifice an,
eternal victory of the Saviour o
mankind.
No one would expect that thi
change would make the observ
ance entirely satisfactory. Multi
tudes of thoughtless peopl
would be as unmindful of tn,
teachings of suce a day as the,
are of the grand inspirations o
every Sabbath. But it would b
a gain.
If this change is made Their
must be an improved appreciation
of what Decoration day means
on the part of churches an
> ministers. Any such aloofnes
as shown on the observanc
already held on the Sabbatl
preceding Decoration day mus
: be abandoned. Nor must ther,
be any jealousy for churcI
interests when patriotic interest
are made prominent. Their
+ must be the full recognition O
their part that love of countr
and reverent memory of tn
heroic dead are essential element
! of religion. 1t is in the powe
, of the churches to make of sue
a day a great and benefcient re
ligious and patriotic festival.
And what could commend tn
threatened sauctity of tn
Sabbath more than this: II
bring into it, not on this da
alone, but also on all tn
Sabbaths of the year, the grea
interests of mankind, to empha