Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-06-05
in HONOR OF THE FALLEN.
An Unusually Large Attendance at
Memorial Day Services.

plan. Gdrlng the early morning nOur
the heavens were threatening and
looked as if the days program woul'
have to be abandoned. Before noon
however, the clouds cleared, the sui
came out strong and dried the mud ant
the afternoon proved an ideal day
The program at the court house squar,
consisted of few selections by tn
band, and vocal music by quartett
composed of Messrs. A. V. Gearhart
Paul Kopplin, e. P. James and Edwin
Howard. Atty. G. B. Bird then mad
an address as follows:
LADIES AND GFNTLEMEN:-We ar,
about to proceed to the cemetery oil
this city to decorate the graves of thos,
lying there, who bore arms for thei
country. The number of those goini
to that last resting place is increasing
year by year, while the number o
their comrades joining in this cere
mony is year by year growing less
We are all hoping for the time to com,
ceremony there will be none who wer'
OOLui AdCo III VI bAOoC WIN
gone. 1t is not that we are anxious Il
see the thin blue line vsaish away
no one, of course, wishes that-bu
rather We hope that never again may
it be necessary to engage IN bloody
strife for the preservation of our coun
try or the maintenance of our rights
We are all looking and hoping for tat
time when war shall be no more, anC
we know that if this be so, since the
allotted time must come to every man
there will be a time when NO snrvivor.
of such a strife will exist upon the
earth.
But, while we are able to decorate
the graves of those who lie in this and
other cemeteries throughout this
nation, there still remains a vast mul
titude who never can be honored in
this manner. The exigencies of wal
require that many q soldier must find
q last resting place upon the spot
where he drew his last breath, and
this reminds as that the call of patriot.
ism sometimes requires that a person
shall not only give up his life for his
country, but shall also give up what tc
many is even dearer than life-the
right of Christian burial where lis re.
mains may be honOred for time tC
come in the memory of loving friends.
It is because of this fact that this mon.
ument in the Court House Square has
been erected to the unknown dead
Twenty years ago today it was
dedicated. The pedestal and shaft
were the gift of Cutler Post and Other
citizens of this community who made
voluntary contributions. The figure
piece upon the top was the gift Of
from the public treasury. Before we
proceed to the cemetery to honor those
there resting in peace in known graves
it is fitting that we should pause q
moment to recall these others and tC
do honor to the memory Cf that vast
multitude who are compelled to rest
no man knows where, with no stone tC
mark their burial place and no record
to record their names. To that end
before proceeding with the services OF
the day, we decorate this monument
that being all that we can do in honor
of these unknown.
But it is possible there is something
else we who are here in this communi.
ty may do. If it was worth while to
erect this monument, it certainly is
worth while that we should do all we
can to spread abroad to the community
the significance of this granite shaft
and a knowledge of what it stands for.
/ presume if twenty men were picked
out at random upon the street, not
more than one of the twenty would be
able to tell to whom this monument is
dedicated. This should not be so, and
it is asking but q small tribute from
us that we spread abroad in the public
mind the knowledge of this fact, SO
that, in the hum of traffic and the
busy mdrmur of the commerce which
surges about this Court House Square,
as it must in time to come continue
more and more to do, those engaged in
this busy work may pause for q mo-
ment to remember that the Opportuni-
ties of their-day are furnished them by
the sacrifices of an unknown multi
tude, who lie unburied and 1nremem-
bered by name, but who still should
and must continue to have warm
place in the hearts of the American
public.
They found their resting place upon
what seemed to them at the time as
foreign soil, We know that the nation
was always one so far as sovereignty is
concerned, but it, nevertheless, is q
fact that so far as sentiment and asso-
citation and all the practical things of
life are concerned the North and South
were in effect as foreign to each other
as are foreign nations. 1t is, however,
worthy of remembrance that by the
sacrifices of those who found their
graves in the distant South, this nation
has in fact been united and cemented
together more firmly and completely
than it ever had been before, not only
so far as legal jurisdiction is concerned,
but also in the hearts and affection of
united people, and we all fondly
hope and trust that it may continue to
be from this day hence for ever more.
Following Mr.. Birds address the
march was taken up to the cemetery.
At the soldiers monument the ritual
services of the G. A. r. were performed
and followed by a selection from the
band, the people repaired to the chapel,
where Rev. FIR. Brennan was intro.
duced and spoke as follows:
Members Of The Grand Army, Ladies and
Gentlemen.
With sentiments of love and graft.
tude the American people stand today,
with bowed heads and sorrowing
hearts, al the graves of their derjarted
soldiers. With loving hands they
weave garlands of the flowers of May,
and place them upon the graves of the
Boys in Blue" and the "Boys in Gray"
In the North and in the South, in
every cemetery where sleeps the Ameri-
can soldier, flowers of sweet remem.
brance, are scattered above the ashes
of those who fought and suffered and
died for American independence, and
for perpetuity of American institutions
Solemn music and mournful. song
eulogies spoken by eloquent tongues
daring deeds of gallant soldiers re
counted, the great events of our glori
Gus history recalled, our beautiful flag
the stars and stripes, at half mast, these
things sll remind US of the day we cele
brate, the S0th of May, Memorial Day
Something of what | mean was beau
tifully and forcibly expressed by one o.
our own poets:
REST on, embaimed and sainted dead