The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-05-30
veterans stIIl survive to march In the
procession which is part Of the
days observance.

veterans stIIl survive to march In tho
procession which Is, . part Of tho
days observance.
The first Memorial or Decoration
day which these veterans OF the Grand
Army Of the Republic recall each year
was not, as 1t is now in most of the
states and even In Alaska and Porto
Rico, q legal holiday. It came as the
result Of an order issued by Gen. John
A. Logan, national commander OF the
Grand Army Of the Republic. then .
young organization. II was In May,
1868, that Adjutant General N. p.
Chysman conferred with General Lo.
gan concerning the matter OF having
the Grand Army inaugurate the Gus.
tom of placing flowers on the graves
Of Union soldiers at some uniform
time. Following this conference Gen.
eral Logan issued an order setting
aside May 30, 1868, for the purpose
of strewing with flowers or otherwise
decorating the graves of comrades
who died in defense of their country
during the late rebellion and whose
bodies now lie In almost every city,
village or hamlet churchyard in the
land"
Chicago had tho first celebration Of
Decoration day under the auspices
of the Grand Army organization in
1868. Two years before this, in let
ter which was printed March II, 1866,
in the columns of the Columbus
Times, southern woman, Mrs. Mary
Ann Williams Howard, widow of q
confederate officer, Maj. John H. How.
ard of Milledgeville. Ca. had suggest
that April 26 of that year be set aside
as the date ito wreathe graves of our
martyred dead with flowers" The
suggestion was followed and that
date, April 26, is now observed as
Confederate Memorial day, and set
aside as a legal holiday, as is May 80
in other states, in four southern
states, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia
and Florida. Mrs. Williams was great
ly beloved in the, south. During the
war she was as active in doing all she
could to serve the southern side as
her husband and was the moving spir'
it in putting into operation what were
known as "wayside houses" in which
care was given soldiers en- route to
battlefields. When she died at Co.
lumbus, Ca, in 1874, she was buried
with military honors. 49,. ...E
Two southern states, North Carolina
and South Carolina, observe May 10
as their memorial day. In New Mex
leo it is left to the governor to ap.
point the day. Az every state is in
dependent in its legislation, traditions
and customs, every state has power to
appoint it's own holidays, but, despite
these variations, q spirit of centraliza-
ton or the growth of q national spirit,
If you wish to call it that, has aided
in bringing about an approximate uni
for1nity of date for Memorial day in
most of the states. Thirty-four states
and Alaska, Porto Rico and the Dis
trict of Columbia observe the Goth OF
May as legal holiday dedicated to
the memory of soldiers. :: Four south
ern states, as; has. been said, observe
the day on April s26, two on May 10.
I It is a good custom this. which
teaches each succeeding generation to
honor the courage, patriotism and 10y
al sacrifice of those who nave pre-
coded it. A nation which does this in
spirit every day as It does in special
ceremonies one day each year may
fearlessly face the future, confident
that it will be worthy Of the past