Evening star., 1911-05-27
fifty Dears Ago ann aom.
Bp the Gburfbman.


7TIE fact that just half century has elapsed since the
W north and south first locked in deadly combat
will give special distinction and lend peculiar tender
ness this years observance of Memorial day Already
having many reminders of revival of stirring and
inspiring memories Anniversaries of the departures OF the
first volunteers being held Bronzed veterans who In
those days but beardess boys being pictured in
the newspapers and their
ly sought The school children fortunate who
hear their modest but thrilling story of their campa
their imprisonments and their escapes Not too much
be made of these relatively few survivors, of whom
will be here celebrate the centennial OF the beginning OF
the Give them the right of way in assemblies posi-
tions of honor the platforms and lift the hat to them
Memorial day they walk with bowed figures and some
thing suggestive of limp in their gait.
But if this commemoraton ended in string OF
"reminiscences it would fail to accomplish its largest good
What is to if possible the influence that
the throb of the love of country touched young life
the plow the forge, behind the counter in the
schoolroom War is terrible thing, but there is
compensation for all its horrors in its appeal to that which
highest and most heroic in the human breast Those
four long, weary, bloody years witnessed tremendous
subtraction of energy from commercial undertakings The
nation poorer financially for it, the development OF
the country in certain directions mpeded and delayed
but against this fact place the glorious record OF
daring assaults upon the ntrencments OF patient
picket duty of accomplishing endurance of prvatons and
loneliness of the development of the spirit of comradeshp
and broheness camp and the field and Of the knit
ting of the country together that of national
unity last emerged from the conflict stronger than
before that today Massachusetts and Virginia, Maine
and South Carolina in their devotion to the flag
Behind all this the energizing spirit OF great and
unsefsh conservation They ordinary young men,
averaging perhaps better than the same
number of young would today; they far from
perfect but they have their everlasting credit the fact
that when the crisis came and chance to do the heroic
thing they did stop consider whether the pro-
posed of conduct physically safe commercial
y prudent whether they would get something out of
the transaction Their desire show themselves
loyal to meet the couns need whatever the personal is
That spirit is not dead among us. To be sure, the
chances quite slim that any young today will be
called upon take up against the foreign invader
Half century hence may all beyond the bound
of possibility But does field remain which ardent
hgh-minded youth find chance for that which is
nobest in them? Those were troublous times, but
MAJ Henry L. Higgnson said in recent address to
Times of peace may be times of moral enervation, of
community of personal retrogression Those
glad inspiring words-honor duty servicewhch rang
the of the boys in blue fifty ago have lost
their eternal significance.
Throughout Dixie too there is eternal devotion to the
who the gray. Living, he is honored In death
his memory is revered and flowers are placed on the
greensward above him.
1t is true that glamour attaches to the perform
of the everyday, ordinary duties and that
may sometimes rise to the emergency of great opportr-
nifty who will pass average to show himself
pure true brave and sacrica but the patriotism that
requires for its expression the handling powder and
let's the sword and the batteax far inferior the pa
triosm that scrupes not do the steady dayby-day
work of good citizen.
To secure righteous laws, to that they prop
ery administered to provide safeguards for young life
the way of parks and Fairgrounds fight tuberculosis
and bad to that and who toll in fac
tories not in daily jeopardy of their lives through
the possibility of fire disaster that might be avoided
such commonplace service which should have attention
today that may the issue fathers of the
Blue and Gray fifty years ago and poured out their
blood If, the poet has said, Death for noble ends
makes dying sweet living for noble ends makes living
sweet.
And just for moment this line brings to mind mother
of Washington who has just passed into the great beyond
True to the trusts of life after having passed through the
days when the Blue and Gray were marching toward
each other she lies in yonder cemetery and as we
mortas reckon things has already heard the Good Shep-
herd done thou good and faithful servant She
lived for her home and her family and believed that in
addition to her devotion to the earthly church she at
taned that perfection for which she placed in the
world fully carrying the idea that living for noble
ends makes living sweet And this coming Memorial
day. when the flowers of nature give their perfume in
honor of those who the Blue those who the
Gray so will they this incense for this representative
of motherhood who in the evening of her life has lust seen
the Prince OF Peace beckon her from beyond the river
and needed his loving call, "Come unto Me- ~