CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1909-06-03

Army of the Republic honored the
memory of the soldier and sailor dead
yesterday by placing wreath OF
flowers upon their graves and in
extolling their patriotism and self
sacrifice in offering themselves upon
the altar of their country.
The people of Canon City at, large
honored both the living and the dead
by laying aside the cares of business
and assisting in the sacred cere-
monies.
Memorial Dayy" has a wider and
more charitable significance in this
year of grace 1909 than it had twenty
years ago, when hatred and bitter
ness existed between two great sec
tons of our common country. Then
the strewing of flowers upon the last
resting place of the soldier dead was
confined to the North, and to those
who had been victorious in the tre-
mendous struggle over slavery which
distracted our fair land from 81 to '65.
Now it has become national in its
meaning and those who wore the Con-
federate gray, no less than those who
wore the Federal blue. now have an
nually strewn upon their graves by
loving hands posies and wreaths of
immortelles. The healing of the
wounds produced by the war and the
adoption of common hope and am
bition for North and South has re-
suited in a united people and has
paved the way for honoring those
who fought under the STARS and
Bars" as well as those who battled
under the Stars and Stripes" in the
historic strife between the states
forty-five years ago. Each fought for
what it believed to be a great prin-
ciple of government and we now pay
homage to their convictions; to their
integrity and their bravery.
Never has there geen a greater in
terest shown in Canon City in the SER
vice and ceremonial of decorating the
graves of those who followed the col
ors in the dark days of the war than
was the case yesterday. Led by the
members of Greenwood Post, No. 10,
G.. A. R. and by its auxiliary organiza-
tions, Greenwood Relief Corps, U. S.
Grant Circle, Ladies of the G. A. r.
and Rockafellow Camp. Sons of Vet
Grams, a great throng of citizens
wended their way to Greenwood GEM
etery where the decoration and mem
orial services were held. On entering
the cemetery gates the old soldiers
deployed in skirmish line and placed
wreath of fragrant bloom upon the
mounds reared above the sepuchers
of their dead comrades in arms.
There lies buried in Greenwood and
Lakeside cemeteries one hundred and
twenty-five soldier boys who wore the
blue, and half dozen who wore the
gray during the war; each of which is
marked today by a floral tribute
placed there by some loving, patriotic
hand.
The services at Greenwood ceme-
terry were the most elaborate and were
OF the most solemn, but interesting,
character. The man or woman who
witnessed them and did not feel the
sacred influences of the occasion
must have been destitute of those
finer sensibilities which are the main
springs Of ones moral and religious
nature. At the mound raised to COM
emmorate the unknown dead the rit-
ual of the Grand Army of the Repub-
lie and of the Woman's Relief Corps
were read. A feature of the service
was the laying of wreath of flowers
in red. white and blue upon the
mound by the Relief Corps in honor
of those who died in battle and a
wreath of laurel in commemoration
of the women Of the North and of the
South who gave up their husbands.
sons, brothers and sweethearts that
they might fight for the flag they
loved. At the Confederate monument
a servece was held in honor of those
who fought so valiantIy in "The Lost
Cause" There WAS an address by
Capt. H. M. Mingay and a short talk
by Mayor G. r. Tanner. who was a
soldier in the Confederate army. Bo-
quets Of beautiful flowers were rever-
entity laid about the base of the monu-
ment In kindly memory of those brave
men who had been mustered out of
the military service by the Great
Commander.
An interesting feature OF the march
to the cemetery was the strewing Of
flowers on the waters OF the Arkansas
river from the First street bridge and
the launching of a flag-decorated and