The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-05-30
MEMORIAL DAY
An Impressive Tribute to the
War Heroes
And q Lesson in Patriotism for
the Nation.
IT WILL 1--we FOREVER
The Line of Veterans Grows
Shorter Each Year,
But q Grateful People Will
Never Forget.

home neighborhood of the soldiers.
and the wives and sweethearts of the
fallen Confederates walked through
the battlefield at night with torches.
and picked out their dead loved ones
Many Confederates were killed so
near their own homes that their
bodies were buried in the home ceme-
terry at first interment, and 1t is as
serted by southerners that during tho
three last years Of the war, the wo-
men of the south sought out these
graves each spring and covered them
with flowers, both as tribute to the
soldier buried there and the others
who had fallen at distant points and
were inferred in field trenches. But
the southern decoration day is not the
day established by the Grand Army
of the Republic and endorsed by an
act Of congress which makes 1t
time for nationwide observance.
Congress recognized a day set aside
for tribute to the men who fought to
preserve a nation. It is a day CALI
ing attention to both victory ind loss.
Impressive ceremonies have been
built up around the observance OF the
day, and no other rites equal in gran
deur the conception of Decoration
day service over the monument to the
Unknown Dead. The invocation, the
volley of musketry and the sounding
all. 1t serves great purpose by not
only honoring the dead, but inspiring
the living. When the time comes for
the last Civil war veteran to pass on,
he may do so with the assurance that
he and his comrades have done more
to promote patriotism than all the
sermons OF books could do. Thou
sands of the boys who fastened to
enlist when war was declared with
Spain, got the spirit that led them to
the recruiting sergeant from watch
ing the military services on Decora-
ton day. When they were little chill
dren they saw the inspiring pageant.
asked questions and were told OF the
heroes Of war. They were told why
grandfather or father was wearing
blue clothes and walking In the
street instead Of riding in the family
carriage, and told that the white
monument without a grave represent
ed thousands Of graves that were un-
marked; in the services Of death, they
were taught the objects Of life, the
greatest of which is patriotism.
At the close Of the dedication ser
vices Wednesday. hundreds of old SOL
diers packed their grips, said goodbye
to new-found friends. and hurried
home. 1t was not that they had
enough of the town, or were hOmesick,
1t was because they must be at home
on Saturday or before, to attend a sa-
cred duty, the marking of the graves
of soldier dead in the home cemetery.
and the services in memory Of dead
comrades and fellow soldiers. no mat
ter where they may be buried. The
ranks at the different G. A. r.. posts
grow thinner, and it has reached
point where 1t takes the entire MEM
bership of some posts to perform the
duties that were formerly assigned to
committees appointed for that pur-
pose. The Sons of Veterans are grad
ually assuming the active work Incl
dent to Decoration day. against the
time, not far off now, when there will
be no veterans to march in the parade
or place the little silk flags In Gods
Acre. But SO long as they are able,
the fighters of the early SOS will take
a prominent part in the annual SER
vices. -
1t has been estimated by some that
all the Civil War veterans will be gone
by 1896, but it is pessimistic esl
mate. The Mexican war was fought ID
years before the opening of the Civil
War. and 40 Mexican war veterans
draw pensions in the one state of Kan
sas. 1t should be further considered
that In the Mexican war. the demand
was not the demand Of the Civil War.
Very few Mexican war soldiers were
under Is years of age when they en-
listed, while thousands of boys under
16 fought in the strife of the Rebel
lion. A few real soldiers were only IS
years old, and some of the drummer
boys, who are entitled to the name OF
"old soldier" were still younger. Cor
poral Klein, who Is now In the PEN
sion department at Washington, was
but IL. An optimist can see the pos
sibility of a good showing of Civil War
veterans in 1885, but it must be admit
ted that thousands Of them will not
be here. They have reached the age
where the death percentage in any
walk Of life Is nearing high tide. and
the treatment of soldiers in the Civil
War was not exactly what a reputable
physician would prescribe as an aid
to longevity. When outdoor exercise
10 suggested for the boy as an aid to
future health, it does not contemplate
sleeping in the mud, eating poor food
and not much of it. carrying load of
gun, ammunition and baggage out of
all proportion to the size of the little
boy with the burden; nor as a further
outdoor exercise, being shot with an
ounce slug OF lead, then lying on q
field Of pain and thirst until an over
worked hospital corps can carry him
to q poorly equipped butcher shop
where further torture Il inflicted. And
that IL what some of even the more
robust of our veterans received In the
way OF treatment. They may march
fully conduct their business or even
make . living by manual labor, az
thousands Of veterans arc doing. but
the days of '63 robbed them of part
Of their allotted time: The war left
its mark, and when the breakdown
comes, q rally IL more difficult by
reason OF the hardsnips Of half q CEN
tury ago.
Of soldiers, and after the war, Kan
sas was chosen ~ q home by Thousands
Of soldiers who had fought under the
banners Of other states. It was a reg
ular ''old soldier state. where veterans
were given the preference in private
and political life. The q. A. r. was
at one time its greatest brotherhood.
At the annual encAmpments the vets
engaged In contests OF skin and
strength: they wore full uniforms and
drilled. Topeka was q center for war