Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1909-06-03
DECORATION DAY.

Day is always an occasion OF soiem-
nifty. The emotions that it excites
and the recollections that 1t arouses
are always peculiarly complex. Ire
children of fathers who sought 10
take each others lives honor their
fathers valor and 1t Is impossible
for them altogether to forget the
fierce enmities of the Rebellion.
There cannot be fighting without
foes. nor can 1t be maintained that
both sides in the civil war were right
Neither side can admit, as It decorates
the graves of its heroes, that they
fought in a bad cause, and expression
must be denied to some OF the most
intense feelings of the human heart
There can be no doubt that the
effect of this necessary self'rerres-
sion has been to exalt and purify the
sentiment attached to this Gay. TIE
ordinary exultatlon of triumph has
gwen place to a calm satisfaction
with the results of the fierce conflict
IN the one hand and tranquil res
ignation to them on the other. North
glorifies its success as the establish
ment of principle rather than as an
exhibition Of the valor of its soldiers;
the South sanctifies its defeat be-
cause of the devotion its heroes dis
played to the cause in which they be-
lieyed. On such an occasion the ques-
ton of the merits of the controversy
cannot be raised. We must assume
that those who fought on both sides
believed they were in the right, and
mo further seek their merits to dis
close" What we have thus been LED
TO commemorate has been'military de-
votion in the abstract rather than
in the concrete. To our children
whey they, in children's fashion, ASK
us which soldiers were the good ones
and which the bad ones in this war
we can only say that they all thought
they were right But when our chill
dren go further and ask us then why
neople who meant to do right should
kill each other, what can we say but
that men have not yet learned that
war is murder?
Yet, after all, what more impor-
tant lesson can be taught as we visit
the graves of those who laid down
their lives a generation ago? In a
thousand ways our youth are in
structed that when their country en-
cages in war, 1t is the duty of all citi
zens to devote themselves to the at
tainment Of military success. This IL
patriotism, this is Righteousness. But
on the other hand, the same doctrine
is taught among our enemies, and
thus we have the spectacle OF right
eousness arraying moral beings IN
mortal conflict with each other. 1t If
true that upon many natures wal
may have an elevating influence, be-
cause it rouses the moral nature with
lofty ideals of devotion, of self-sacrl'
fee, of beneficent achievement. But
we cannot forget that against these
gallant souls are arrayed others also
gallant, and that war In its best form
means the mutual slaughter of those
who are willing to sacrifice themsel-
YES for high ideals.
Yet this, however strange 1t seems,
is the best side of war. Let our chill
dren be told that in war we are not
seeking glory or new possessions, but
we are warning only to end war. Let
them understand that what we COM
lmemorate in decorating the soldiers
graves is not their physical courage
or their military success, but the spir-
It of conservation, Of devotion to the
Hottest ideals, in which they fought.
Let them be taught to regard war
as something in itself hideous and
corrupting, to be engaged in not as a
glorious pastime for its appeals to
manly emulation and its Indictments
to valor, but as a solemn duty, an
awful exercise Of the citizens great
est mower.