The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-04-22
MEMORIAL DAY TOBE MAY 81.
Regular Date Falls on Sunday this
Year, OcCasloning Change to
Monday.

Memorial day observances will be
held on May 81 this year, according to
orders issued by Henry Nj. Nevins,
commander-chief of the Grand Army of
the Republic. May 80, the day that is
usually set aside for the decoration
of graves and memorial exercises by the
{ e.. A. r. and kindred organization, falls
on Sunday this year and the question
as to whether the day should be OBJ
served on Saturday or Monday has been
decided by the high officer.
The orders from the commander-in-
chief state that posts which have made
their arrangements for exercises on
Saturday, May 20, may observe that
day as Memorial day if the arrange
ments cannot be conveniently changed.
The children of the schools all over
q the country will be invited to observe
Friday, May %, by carrying out special
y programs which will include patriotic
songs and recitations and in many cases
4 addressed by old soldiers.
4 Nevins reviews the history of Memorial
day from it's institution by Gen. John A.
q Logan, then head of the Grand Army of
the Republic. Continuing, it reads as
follows:
"For forty successive years the Grand
Army Of the Republic has observed this
Z day by visiting the silent camping
ground where sleep our comrades, the
nations dead, and honoring their mem
Dry by garlanding passionateless mounds
with flags and flowers and teaching the
lessons of patriotism to all who may
unite with them and to the generation
growing up around them. Let us this
year do our full duty to those who died
that the nation might live, and with
5 tender hearts and loving hands honor
* their memory.
Upon department and post COM
manders the duty rests of attending to
the fitting observance Of the day. |
earnestly hope and desire that should
confederate grave be found in any
camping ground visited by the G. A. r.
that his grave may not be passed by,
but that flag and flowers be placed
upon it. The war is over and peace
resigns and the old flag floats over all,
and though he fell in the lost cause,
were he living today he would be found
s following the flag. Let us forgive, as
the nation forgave his comrades who
survived him."
The order of the two commanders
direct that Lincoln's Gettysburg adj
dress be read at each Memorial day
celebration, and that where G. A. r.
posts are located on rivers or lakes or
on the sea coast, the memorial services
shall include the ceremony of placing
flowers on the water in memory of the
sailors who gave up their lives during
the civil war.
Attention of the veterans is called
by the commanders to the fact that the
national encampment of the G. A. r. at
Denver, officially recognized June IA as
q the national Flag day, to be celebrated
{ by the display of the stars and stripes
to commemorate the date of the official
adoption of the flag by the continental
congress, on June Ia, 1777.
MOTHERS DAY MAY 8.
Commander Nevins devotes part OF
4 his address to the subject of observing
May o, the second Sunday in the month
as Mothers day. He says:
Through the instrumentality of Miss
Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia, Pa, last
year the second Sunday in May was
observed or set apart as Mothers day
and services were held in many churches
and between five and six millions Of
persons throughout the United States
celebrated the festival. On the second
Sunday in May this year the day will
be observed universally throughout the
land and will be universal fete day
for final worship. The white carnation
has been selected to be worn in memory
OF mother. Comrades, there is no class
OF men living whose mothers were as
patriotic, loyal and heroic as your
mothers from 1861 to 1865. No mothers
ever made such sacrifices as yours
did, and the commander in chief re
quests you on the second Sunday il
May to wear in the lapel of your coa1
white carnation or other white flowers
to honor the memory of your owl
mother, if deceased, and in reverence
for her if living.
HoW's This?