Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-27
GAR. GLADTO
GET SUPPORT OF
YOUNG VETERANS
Hundreds of the Boys Who
Fought Against Germany
to Aid the Old Men
TO PARADE ON FRIDAY
Civil War Survivors Ask That
Day Be Given Over to
Soldiers

With hundreds of youths who
last year were fighting with the Hun
on the fields of France or were get
ting ready to cross the Atlantic for
that purpose, back in their homes
and taking a part in the ceremonies,
| Memorial Day this year will be quite
different from any previous one.
But the veterans of the Civil War,
as usual, will be the leading figures
in the celebrations. They will be
largely in charge of the preparations
and in very few instances will they
give over any of the work to young
er hands.
The observance this year will be,
to large extent, much as ordinary.
A parade will be held, as usual
after which various delegations of
veterans will go to the several ceme-
teries in this city and vicinity and
fire salutes over the graves of dead
soldiers.
Day For Soldiers
Noah A. Walmer. a private in the
One Hundred and Twenty-seventh
Volunteers, which fought at Fred
ericksburg and Charlottesville with
the Second Corps, under General
Hancock, expressed his thoughts to-
day and the thoughts of CT. A. r.
men in general when he said that
this approaching Memorial Day
should be marked with solemnty
and more than the usual amount of
participation.
1T is rather inexplainable, he
related, that when the Harrisburg
troops came back from the Civil
War this day of tribute to the sol
diers who gave up life for the cause
was rather overdone. AS 1 recall,
the G.. A. r. was organized in 1866,
at the suggestion of General Logan,
and May 80 was set for the one day
to decorate graves of soldiers. In
the course of several years our cere-
mony here became species of
frolic, for it was taken part III by all
secret fraternities and clubs. on
one occasion, the Harrisburg ctmc-
terry was too small to hold the
| bois ferrous crowd. 1t was for this
reason we cut out so, many unit par
ticipants and limited the pageant to
| military companies. The sacred
function had lost it's meaning and
significance, and all G. A. r. men
! hope that this year those sentiments
will be observed.
The Posts Request
There is a point which we have
| talked over at post headquarters
which the Harrisburg public should
also give heed to. This day was es-
| tablished for the decorating of SOL
diers' graves exclusively, and now it
has become an occasion for whole
| sale decoration, so it is now a fact
| that many a humble and perhaps
unnamed soldier is remembered by
one little flower, while graves of ci-
villains are abundantly decorated.
| Out in our cemetery is a plot OF
graves, some of which are unidenti-
fed. We G. A. r. men always put
all our tributes on these spots, while
| the public neglects them"
Veteran Walmer then went on to
narrate how very slowly the Civil War
veterans fell in with the grave decorat-
| ing idea, but as they waxed older the
| meaning became more and more vivid,
and they realized htat to keep these
memories of American heroism fresh,
| this Memorial Day was the greatest
| function.
1.-THE boys who fought in this last
war are somewhat spoiled" he COM
mented when another Civil War vet
eran related how returned soldier
| from France Sdlu ne WOulu dC-
counts with Uncle Sam for check
of 5000. 1.-THE Civil War boys were
mighty glad to get their pay; and
would like to see these young men i'm
bibe our feeling and join with us to
take care of decorating graves. There
are very few of us left and it would
be sad indeed to think that the custom
of Memorial Day should die out. Men
who fought in our Civil War believe
these returned men will be making a
grievous mistake il they do not unite
in one great body, a unit like the
G. A. r. The lesson of the Spanish
War, whose veterans established two
different associations, neither of which
now get the publicity due them, should
convince that one great band should
include all that fought and all that
were in service, no matter what their
employment.
This is a great mistake to discrlm-
mate. / know boy who put in 16
months of hard work at camp, but
did not get over, although that was his
life's ambition. When he came home
here the other day he sneaked in the
back gate and. after taking off his uni
form. hid it in the stable. He was
afraid that he would be jeered for not
SelllnS III dClioh' Nho'hSi iiiShN u
NINE a lawyer, failed to get over be-
cause he developed such skill in train
ing men at camp that Uncle Sam would
not let him over for the action.
"The G. A. r. did not discriminate
and it will go into history as a loyal
unit which stuck together until the
last man died. The same should be
the attitude of this new organization
every man with honorable discharge
should be welcome to join. 1t may be
uphill work developing this body of
millions. but that is the right and logi-
cal course. AS years pass every man
who took part in any way will realize
more and more the significance and he
will be glad to be assured that when
he lies under the sod his fellow-citlzens
will remember his sacrifice Decoration
Day.