Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1910-06-10
THEY ARE MARCH
ING TODAY.

lRichmond Times-Dispatch.1
They come, beloved ones, from the
distant shore,
Where joy illumes with golden rays,
And softly in each sorrowing heart
they pour
Sweet mem'ries of departed days"
So read the words of the old song
that has carried many of US back to
''the brave days Of DID," the days
when you and l were young, Maggie, 4"
when life was worth living. when "the
despot's heel was on thy shore, Mary
land, my Maryland, and when some of
the older set thought that they would
all go home to the tune, "the girl left
behind me-"
The days of 1861 were brave days.
Everywhere throughout this country
men were rallying to the flag. and the
women, God bless their souls! were
cheering them on to do their duty. The
civilization of the country was in peril.
The Government which our fathers
founded was threatened with destruc-
tion, and out from their scabbards
leaped ten thousand swords for the
defence of principle. The storm has long
since passed; the fields once reddened
with the blood of our sires are carpeted
now with green, and today, all over this
land, men and women intermit their
daily vocations to pay tribute to the
men who fought for independence. The
victors and the vanquished meet once
more, not to renew the strife which
ceased more than generation ago, but
to bestow some kindly thought upon
the dead who lie all about us. 1t is
holy thing to- remember the dead, to
remind ourselves that we are because
they were; that we have nothing worth
while that we did not get from them:
that we are but pensioners upon the
bounty of their sacrifices for right.
Today. from mountain and valley.
from hill and plain. from well-kept city
cemeteries and from country grayeyards
all overgrown with weeds and grass,
and from unmarked graves all over this
land. they come trooping before US,
these hosts in gray. with guns no
longer in their hands. but with the peace
that passeth all understanding in their
hearts, to remind Us that we have q
heritage of honor which we were false
to forget. Here they come, with Robert
Edward Lee, riding on old Traveller, -
at the head Of the column, and with
Stonewall jackson at his side. Joseph
E. Johnston. and Albert Sidney John
ston. and ''Old Jube" Early, and Joe
Wheeler, and Wade Hampton, and j i.
f. B. Stuart, and Fitz Lee, and
Rooney" and the rest-a noble army
OF the greatest soldiers who ever fought
for just cause. with their shadowy
columns tramping on behind, all dressed
in gray, just men made perfect; troop
ing from their bivouacs on Fame's
eternal camping ground to be with US
on this holy day. when, with flowers
and songs and speech and prayer,
we thank the God of battles that such
men lived and died for us and for the
right.
All of us remember how Surrey of
Eagles Nest" saw them as in a, vision
that in the sweep of the storm through
the forests he knew that Jackson was
advancing. that A. p. Hill was coming
up, that "Mordaunt" and "Fenwick"
were instinct with life again, and how,
overwhelmed with the JOY of conflict,
ne reached out his hand for the sabre
on the wall to find that it was al! Q
dream. A dream? Yes, but a dream
which has filled the earth with the deed.
of the Immortals.
"StOop, angels from the skies.
There IS no holier spot of ground
Than where defeated valor lies.
By mourning beauty crowned"