Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-05-30
Thursday, May 80, 1918.
Memorial Day.

The day that all creeds and parties
7hsc:,.c and the day which this year
r.e m ADDED sisnifcancc-with our
hundreds %: thousands Of boys IN
lboli g.. home and abroad honorins
lie H;.e ana fighting for our homes
md 80 right IS the wcarcrs Of the
iii, do III dal- long passed.
Tho. -cnks Of N" !ctcranS Of 'ol-'
rc xocuMy thin and 'lcir steps are
l.,terlng. Du, the spirit is there ana
HE encouragement given the boys IN
Khaki is as sincere and Strengthening
n. that from younger lips.
lie. II; spare no observance of tho
Nv that win he cheering to the Bays
in Hue and lot Us remember that eN-
nv cheering word or decd for them
i, a message If milar import to the
BOYS n Khaki.
Ellis PARKER Butlcr of The \is'~
lsntes writes from the heart in ""
following article. which is partlcu-
larry appropriate TO Memorial Day
BLUE, GRAY AND KHAKI.
Whcneve~ here in the little town ~
Flushing. on Long Island. we nave
had n ratriotiC affair in connection
With tho present great world-War the
little handful of aSed men. who are
all that is left of the Grand Army 81
the ReDGblic here, have had seats on
the platform. In the parades fh"y
have had their place in the line
seated in automobiles. Last year
When these aged veterans had their
annual Memorial Day parade. the
permit I'd the Liberty Loan Comnlit-
tees automobiles to occupy a place
in the line.
No doubt, when these old mci arc
asked to the seats of honor in AFFAIRS
having To do with the present var
only, there is desire. on the part or
those who invite them. to honor the
men who fought through one war ara
who have lived to see another anu
more enormous war. Sitting on the
Platform or in the automobiles tie
Old men may think Even in tncSe
mighty times we are not forgotten y
They are not forgotten Indeed,
they are more freshly and moro i'm
Iortantly remembered than they have
been for many years. 1t is hardly 100
much to say that they are only now
being remembered Except on the
one day-Mcmorial Day-set aside in
lonor Of their dead comrades. the Old
men in blue have been fairly we'll
forgotten. They have been sub
merged in the onward rush of new
times ard new interests. and not re-
membered except when they pu. on
their uniforms to place the flowers on
the flag marked graves. When, 20
secure a few dollars for one purpose
or another, they held some small If
fair, we remember with something
Ike surprise that they were still
alive. Then we forgot them again.
These old men seem, as they sit on
the platform in these days. rather 81
lent and unmovcd. There is so mucn
enthusiastic youth and lively patriot
ism in the seats facing them that ~
contrast they seem stolid and unin-
tereSted. What they are thinking of
it all | cannot tell. They are very
old men. many of them, and many If
them arc none too well. for they have
TIC lntirmitics of age. No, | canitot
guess what they are thinking. one
may be thinking that he would I've
more comfortable in bed; another
may be thinking how pitiful it is tina.
b. should have fought and lived 10
see in his last days, new and great
CT war as if wars were never to end;
another may be thinking of similar
meetings end similar patriotic fer, o.
that loaped into being when Sumte,
was fired upon.
TO the audi6 nee in the hall and to
1he onlookcrS in the street the ap-
poarance of these old men in Their
tiue uniforms has a meaning. how
ever, that Fan be put into words |
rave no doubt that all through the
South tho present patriotic meetings
ana parldeS are honored in this same
way by the men who wore the graz.
hope so. Right or wrong. wrong ar
wight, the men who fought on eth II
side of the Civil War were. to tie
fullest Of their belief Offering thel.
lives from the finest motives Of pa
trotism, and their presence on plat
form on in parade today is an in
SEPARATION and a blessing Let me not
Confederate veterans at patriotic
meeting today is a whit finer than
the similar presence of a band of the
old men in blue, but there is some
thing soul-upifting in the sight e
such men consecratng by their pres
cnCc the cause of the united nation.
They fought, they We're defeated, tney
are honored. and they bless the new
effort of the united nation They
were nc slackers, those old men IN
tutternut. Men knew where they
stood, Their presence on a platform
must be bitter rebuke to the half-
hearted and the semi patriotic. If
some wizardry of Time could make
those old men in gray young again.
and raise their comrades from the
grave and give them youth, we know
where they would stand. To a man
they would be with the boys IN khaki,
fighting to make the world safe fer
democracy. To Il man they would
be Americans, and they would be
Americans frcm the ground up. and
through and through.
wish we could have, here in
Flushing, or out yonder in Iowa, OF
in Oregon, a band of the old men II
gray to sit on the platform at IA
triotic meeting. as we have the o!c
men in blue sitting. / know how we
would feel when We saw them seat
cd there before us. with the flag OF
Cur country over them and perha rs