The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-30
TODAY IN HISTORY
Memorial Day In the North.
MONDAY, MAY 30, 1910.


Today Is Memorial or Decoration day
In the north-the day upon which the
graves oil the soldiers who fought in the
army of the north during The civil war
are strewn with flowers, and on which
appropriate ceremonies are held in the
churches and cemeteries.
The Confederate states honor their dead
In a similar way, although there is no
day set aside by all the states for such
Memorial day in Alabama. Florida.
Georgia and Mississippi; May 10, in North
and South Carolina. and the second Fri
day in May is confederate day III Ten
nessee.
James Redpath is credited with the
suggesting OF Memorial day. He was in
Charleston, S. G.. soon after the war
closed. and the Memorial day inaugura-
ton was merely an incident that hap
pened while he was there. His first idea
after the conflict was 10 raise the is-
norant colored people. just out OF slavery,
TO higher level and he sought to use
the lever OF education with which TO
do IT. lie offered his services gratuitous-
~ as superintendent oil the schools of
Charleston-which offer was accepted
by General Hatch, commanding the dis
trict for the whites, and by General Sax
ton. representative OF the Freedman
bureau, for the colored.
During his stay OF between three and
four months he reorganlzed all the day
schools and established evening schools
for adults, libraries, etc. He visited the
| colored schools frequently, and talked
with the little ones about decorating the
graves OF their friends and defenders who
| fell In the fight for their freedom. II
was we'll along In April, and following
one OF these speeches, one OF the little
Let's all of us go an get a'mfuls an
mfuls OF posies, an lest hide the graves
from, sight, TIL we CANT see en- agin
Mr.. Redpath said that little sentiment
| OF the colored sirl set him TO thinking.
and in few days he announced to them
| that they could tell their neghbors and
playmates everywhere that they would
decorate all the graves on May day. and
all OF them could bring as many flowers
as they wished
The day came, and its general observ-
ance astonished no one more than it did
Mr. Redpath himself over ten thousand
persons, with a full battalion OF soldiers.
participated in this first celebration OF
| Memorial day. which occurred May J..
! 1865, in Charleston
From that day the custom spread with
great rapidty. and in 1869 General John
| A Logan, Commander-in-c chief of the
| Grand Army OF the Republic. changed the
| date 10 May 30
Another source credits the suggesting
OF Decoration or Memorial day 10 Cen
eral c. l.. Mathies. German who fought
| in the union army.
| In General Logans establishing Of May
80. he named the day Decoration day, and
| IL bore that name until 1884 when it was
changed to Memorial day by the Grand
4
der establishing May 30 was written by
| Adjutant General Chipman OF the G.,
a, r.
| The first observance of the custom in
the north was in 1865 at Waterloo, n. Y,
wnen General Murray had the veterans
OF his post decorate the graves of their
comrades, In 1867. T, G. Campbell OF
| Cincinnati. o., marched his post to the
graves and laid wreathes on them, In
| 1865. following General Logan's request.
| there was general observance Of the
1 ,l1,,rp l1I1Y.i ed
| On May so, Joan of Arc was burned in
| 1913. De Soto discovered the Mississippi
in 1889; the Hall of Fame was dedl-
Sated IL in Ne New York City in 1901 II Is the
1862. II is the birthday OF Peter the
| Great Q672); Alexander Pope. the Eng
| liSn poet Q74D, James Woodrow. the
noted southern clergyman and educator
| t1S2S), and General Frederick D. Grant
| 1S50), 1t is the date upon which died
King Arthur (542); Peter Paul Rubens
the painter Q640): Charles X. or France
Q51N. and Yoltaire, French dramatist
and poet (17TS.)