The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-05-31
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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"
Wherever the Grand Army had a
post the order for the observance Of
Decoration day was obeyed, and even
thus early after the close Of the war
it had such strength and numbers that
there was no misunderstanding what
it meant throughout the northern
states. So important did this special
ization of custom which, of course,
had been practiced by many peoples
who had known sorrow for the dead
long before the western continent
witnessed its great civil war, seem in
the eyes of the nations lawmakers,
that congress resolved to have ac-
counts Of the proceedings in the vari-
GUS towns throughout the country col
lected and bound. This was done and
any one interested in those proceed
ings of 1868 may find copy Of this
book in the Chicago public library.
Chicago had the first celebration Of
a Decoration day under the auspices
of the Grand Army organization in
1868. Two years before this, in let
ter which was printed March IL, 1856,
in the columns of the Columbus
Times. a southern woman, Mrs. Mary
Ann williams Howard, widow of a
confederate officer, Maj. John H. How
ard of Milledgeville, Ga, 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 30
in other states, in four southern
states, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia
and Florida. Mrs. Williams was great
" 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.
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. AS every state Is in
dependent in its legislation, traditions
and customs, every state has power to
appoint its own holidays, but, despite
these variations, a spirit OF centrallza'
ton or the growth Of national spirit,
II YOU wish to call it that, has aided
in bringing about an approximate uni
formity 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 3Oth OF
May as a legal holiday dedicated to
the memory Of soldiers. Four south
ern states, as has been said, observe
the day on April 20, two on May 10
The only States in which Memorial
day is not listed as legal holiday are
Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada
Texas and Virginia.
It is a good custom this, which
teaches each succeeding generation to
honor the courage, patriotism and 10y
al gacrifice Of those who have prA
ceded it, A nation which does this IN
gpirit 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