The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-31
80 VETERANS GO
TO GRANTS TOMB
Sarcophagus OF the Great
Union General Is Strewn
With Flowers.

Some few hundred persons yesterday
put the heroes of the present from their
minds for long enough period of time
70 participate in solemn memorial ser
vices at Grants Tomb and to strew with
flowers the sarcophagus wherein lie the
ashes OF the great General Of the Union.
From the start OF the ceremonies
when the cruiser Seattle, lying close by
In the Hudson, fired a salute of twenty
one guns to the commander of the Union
rorces. until the proce ssion Of veterans
and admirers OF the dead moved slowly
out of the dimly lighted tomb to the
strains OF the Battle Hymn of the Re-
public" the services belonged exclu-
siveiy to the Unions defenders.
The exercises were conducted by the
Q. s. Grant Post OF the Grand Army
OF tho Republic. and about ninety MEM
oers OF that command, In their hand
some blue uniforms with an abundance
or gilt trimmings, occupied the benches
that were placed outside OF the tomb,
where Past Commanders Fenwick Y.
Hedley, William c. Peckham, Lewis L.
Pitcher and Commander George w.
Keller addressed them.
In the crowd there were also some
khaki uniforms, but to find, even among
the young troops OF the present day, a
more soldierly looking body than the
civil war veterans presented would have
been an extremely difficult task.
Past Commanders Discovery.
Past Commander Pitcher was deeply
moved when he made the discovery that
Capt Kellogg. commander OF the cruiser
Huntington. who sat upon the platform
with him, was the son OF one Of his
old comrades in arms and warm friends.
The veteran warriors listened with SOL
emn attention to- the reading OF Llncoln's
address by Past Commander
Pitcher. who told them that never have
the words OF the martyred President
meant SO much as at the present time.
Prof. Samuel p. Orth Of Cornell Unit
versity in making the principal memorial
GRAFTON referred to the present interna-
tional whirl. and made comparisons with
civil war times
He'said that neither compromise, soft
plattudes nor pacifism could have pre-
vented the civil war. He called the aged
veterans, the golden link between the
early colonists and the doushboyA Re-
ferring to the Kaiser he said. II would
like to have the privilege OF putting a
bunch of chrysanthemums on his grave
every Memorial Day.
II have no sympathy with the modern
upstart who wants to rewrite the Con-
stitution." he said; and I have little
use for curbstone prophets"
Cooperation Urgently Needed.
Speaking of present evils, he said that
class envy and hatred stand uppermost
among our dangerA and that cooperation
Of all free and wholesome units is
needed. He said that we must
all stand under one flag. and that each
man should have the right to work out
his own future, good or bad. without a
forced reliance upon the artificial struc-
lure of a socialistic state.
When he hailed Gen. Grants demand
'or unconditional surrender and said that
he sword must decisively defeat the foe
before diplomacy can be allowed to take
l hand he was heartily applauded.
After the speakers and the audience
had fled into the tomb preceded by a
quartet OF young women Chap
ain Edward e Stewart and Officer OF
he Day George n. Brown conducted
brief obseQuies The flowers which the
veterans and many OF their relatives had
been carrying were cast upon the sar-
,ophagus and several large floral tripures
aid In the rotunda. among them being a
wreath from the Chinese Consulate.
Taps were blown over the sarcophasus
md a benediction pronounced by the
past generation marched out into the
Drive, preceded by the colors OF their
post.