The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-30
DECORATION DAY.

Decoration Day again, with its
wealth of tender memories. 1t is the
day set apart for tributes to the ma
tons honored dead, to the men who
gave their youth, who poured out their
lives on their country's altar. We are
drifting away from the purposes that
actuated the establishment of Decora-
ton Day; we are losing sight of the
fact that this is not a holiday, but a
holy day. You will find in your news
paper today more about the resort
opening and the various sporting
events than you will find about the ex-
ercises in the cemeteries where the
soldiers are sleeping.
The thoughtless youth of the land
are neither less nor more thoughtless
In Utah than elsewhere. And they are
abetted in their thoughtlessness by a
large proportion of our adult citizen
ship. Some states have a statute which
forbids baseball games and like events
on Decoration Day. We believe the
law is wise one. There are so many
other days for baseball, for football,
for bicycle racing, for shooting con-
tests. The memory of those who saved
the union asks but one. Shall we not
give this one day to them?
Well do we know that f1attery has
no power TO soothe the dull, cold ear
of DEATH" But there are in this coun-
try thousands of living veterans. With
hair that the passing years have
whitened, with limbs that tremble as
they march. with eyes that lack the
lustre of other days, and hearts that
beat more for the past than for the
present, they are waiting with pa
thence for their names to be called in
the great muster roll of the beyond.
Are not these men entitled to the
honor of one day in each year, one day
that shall be theirs exclusively. one
day on which we may all unite TO do
them honor?
1t isn't much that they ask, and every
one of US, in our hearts, knows thew
are deserving of much more. Nearly
half century has passed since the
white. whose limbs are feeble whose
strength is pitiful now, were bows
then. Their hearts were afiame with
the fire of patriotism. They went out
at the call Of their country to meet
fcemen well worthy of their steel
they fought the good fight Thousands
upon thousands of them never came
back to their wives, their mothers.
their sweethearts.
Thousands more came back manned |
for life. But by their valor on many |
a Geld that ran red with the best blood |
OF both north and south, they preserved |
the honor of the flag and saved to /
their posterity a nation so great that
It's like has never been seen in all the
world The cruelest war in history is
over now. The country is one country.
the people one people There is No
longer bitterness between the men of
the north and the men of the south
between those who fought for the
stars and stripes and those who fought
for the cause that was lost.
The swords are sheathed. the
pistols holstered, until-which God
forbid-it shall be necessary for
both north and south to draw
them in defense of their common coun-
try. If that day should come again
as II did come in the war with Spain
the young men of all the sections will
fight again, as they did fight in 1898.
under one fisg. And let US not forget
that the men TO whom today we paw
tribute made possible the one flag. the
one country. AS we go to our recre-
atoms let us at least give them one
thought.