Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-05-31


more of Joy and gratitude than of sad
ness. And so it Is with these honored
dead who gave themselves for cause
dear alike to them AMI to US. 1t is
no longer that we should grieve for
them. We glory in their heroic deeds;
we are grateful for the heritage which
they have left to us; we revere their
but grief-let 1t not be named
on this gladstone day. SO does 1t grow
to be not a mournful, but joyful day.
an yet another way does our Memo
rial Day become better and richer
year by year. Not only have personal
and individual griefs given place to
this holy joy, but with the passing Of
the years and healing Of the old
wounds, with the coming Of new issues
and the achievement of new national
success, the old bitterness of the. civil
conflict has lost Its place In our hearts.
1t Is not now the savage JOY of victory
or the hard bitterness Of defeat. Par
tisan interests and sectional jealousies |
have given way to a larger and broader
spirit. Today by order of the Com
mander-in-chief of the Grand Army Of
the Republic the graves of Confederate
soldiers who were buried in northern
cemeteries are being decked by the
same hands and with the same flowers
as are the graves of the Union soldiers.
In their death they are not divided,
and in the death OF these brave men
Is the country united more firmly per-
haps, than it could ever otherwise have
been. And how much richer and wor.
their becomes the observance of this
day as personal grief and partisan
feuds are forgotten and we can think
only of the interests Of our common
country
"Three days of national obseMance
we have which are essentially and
broadly neutrality-suspicious. Day,
Thanksgiving Day and Memorial Day.
The Fourth of July must ever stand
as the great day in our national cal
endar-the birthday of our nation, the
reminder of our dearly bought liberty
and Of the beginning of our national
existence. For in the occasion and
the achievement which that commem.
crates was wrapped the germ of all
the later glories of the nation. But
liberty has been achieved and perpet-
uated and the country's destiny work
ed out by the cooperation of two
forces-the power of God and the cour.
age and wisdom of man. God has been
with us; His eyes upon us; His nand
guiding and sustaining us. This fact
we reyerently recognize on our
Thanksgiving Day. But the blessings
of God become available only through
the courage and fidelity of men. Those
qualities and the men who had them
we celebrate on this Memorial Day,
the All Saints day of our patriotic
calendar.
The Courage Of Man.
"Why has the nation become great,
and why do we look for greater sue.
cess In the future? is 1t because the
| finger OF destiny points to America,
or solely because the Divine purpose
has marked us for enlargement? No.
Destiny brings no victories to the cow
ard. The hand of God drops no bless
ings upon the head unworthy to re-
ceive them. II is through no magic
of fate, no favoritism of fortune that
the nation has won what it has, but
because, in addition 10 the goodness
of God, there has been courage of man.
So on this day, not forgetting the Di-
vine mercies, we would remember the
virtues of the brave and loyal men,
who have seized the preferred bless.
ings, who have fought the battles of
the earlier time and so have transmit
ted to us our heritage of liberty and
union.
"The real purpose of this day is not
that we should with vain and idle
words pay our weak tribute of praise,
either to dead heroes or to their liv-
ing comrades. They have no need OF
that. History has preserved the rec.
ord of their deeds and grateful ma.
tons applause can give but little
qualification to them. 1t is more i'm
portant that we, the living, and es
pecially we of the younger genera
tion should be still and hear the mes
sage that comes from these gallant
graves. Here is an eloquence that Il
not mere breath, the silent and con
vincing eloquence of great deeds sim
ply done. 1t gives us such admonitions
, as ever come from the men of war tt
the men Of peace-the exhortation tt
courage and endurance to unselfish
} ness and service to energy and vigil
ance, to the eagerness of youth ant
the wisdom of age. These are thu
same old virtues that won the bat
, ties of the past and will win the bat
, ties of the future. This Is the mes
) sage of service and peace whicl
} comes from the men of the sword an,
, musket to the men of our more qule
! time.
: Keep yet the law; be swift in al
obedience;
: Clear the land of evil; drive the roat