The Arvada enterprise., 1913-05-22
ar G9V INrE ,RERz7Y

NNW-N of a national official sympathy with
V2E1Sy the bereaved who have lost sons
brothers and sweehearts in their
countrys service 1t will witness the final results
OF the nations attempts to do all things possible
for those bereayed and for the memory of the
dead 1t Is big task, and the manner of its
accomplishment is the story Of tribute paid to
one OF the noblest sentiments that has ever been
lodged In the breasts OF people.
In that attempt since 1900 for instance the
United States government has supplied free Of
charge 100000 headstones to mark the graves of
soldiers and sailors who have done her service.
To the cemeteries of the great cities, to those
OF the quiet hamlet, to those the borderlands
OF civilization, these headstones have gone.
This Memorial day they offer themselves to a
scattered multitude fitting places for the be-
stowal OF floral wreaths The unmarked graves.
through the efforts of the government are grow
Ing fewer.
In the national cemeteries alone there are the
remains of $4,000 unknown heroes who have met
death In the defense OF their country, and who
must, because OF the loss OF their identity be
denied individual recognition. Yet the nation has
exhausted every resource in attempting to find
the names of these heroic dead. The very futil-
ity of these deaths, from the standpoint OF the
credit received by the as individuals calls
forth sentimental appreciation of their service
that overshadows that accorded the men with the
handsomest monuments The unknown are being
reinterred In sacred ground, their graves
being kept green and great monuments are being
erected to them, collectively
Every effort Is being made to prevent the re-
currence in the future of the tragedy of the "un-
known" grave. At the department army
regulations have been drafted and put into execu-
tion that rigid that in the future it will be
impossible for the soldier who fights for his coun-
try to fail of Identification wherever he may fall.
Above all this, the government has developed
a system of careful and generous disposition of
m lpa of tha load gp1I t1,,t
offers the greatest possible recompense to the
aggrieved and the best possible chance for the
perpetuation of the memory of the glorously
dead for the remains of any who dies in
the service wherever his end may come, are
transported to any other spot on the globe that
be designated by his family and there given bur
ial with military honors. All this is at the ex-
pense of tho government for the glory of the
dead and the consolation of his family.
Finally, the government ls marking the graves
and placing monuments over the remains of the
Confederate soldiers who died in the northern
prisons and hospitals during tho Civil war.
Wherever any dies for whom It can be
shown that he served in the United States
army or navy the Federal government stands
ready to furnish for his grave n headstone of
marble neatly inscribed with his name and indI-
eating his military service. The government has
a large contract with firm In Massachusetts to
furnish these headstoncs, Under the contract
10000 such hoadstones were delivered last year.
An average OF 5000 year have been so deliv-
cred for the last score OF years. Since this pol
Icy OF marking the graves OF the military dead
was inauguratod In 1878 there have probably
been 100000 stones that have gone forth and
which today standing over the graves Of
men who once fought for their country Tho ma
uon ia willing and anxious to continue their dis
tibution Of monuments free Of charge, with
freight paid TO any point, It is hoped that event
ually every grave OF every soldier will be marked
with stone that will survive forever
The graves OF all soldiers and sailors who arc
buried in national cemeteries are so marked
when the identity OF the individual is known
There are some so such cemeteries with n total
OF 100000 men buried in them But OF this great
aggregate Of assembled dead OF the military there
are $4,000 buried beneath the slab OF the "un-
known There are acres and acres Of these
white hoadstones that mark the graves Of soldiers
whose Identity was never established At Fred.
ericksburg Va, there 81 another IL 900 graves Of
men whose mothers never know where they rest.
ed. There are 5000 OF them at Memphis: II 600
Mt Salisbury n c.. 5000 at Richmond. 1000 at
Nashville, and similar and smaller numbers scat
tered over the country q whole At the great.
est OF the national cemeteries that ut Arlington
opposite Washington, d. C.. there is q single great
monument that marks tho buryinE place Of 2lll
unknown soldiers whose remains were gathered
from the battlenolds OF Virginia.
But the unknown population OF the national
cemeteries is TO be prevented from largely in.
croasng.
To-day when man is inspected for active duty
. metal tag OF Identification Is a part OF his