Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-05-28
MEMORIAL DAY IN
THE OLD HOME TOWN
Shows the True Spirit of the
Hour More Clearly Than
in the City---A Day
of Memories.

While Memorial day has become a
national holiday, observed as such in.
every city in the land, it is in the
small toWn-the old home 1oWn-that
one gets the proper conception of the
spirit OF the day, remarks the Kansas
City Times In the big cities there will
be the hush of noise, the rest from the
hurly-burly of the daily grind, and
there will be gatherings in public
places and in various cemeteries, and
speeches and the formal decorating of
the graves Of the veterans who fell in
battles fighting for their country, and
there will be an unusual number of
informal visitors, too, who will scatter
flowers upon the resting places of
their dead.
But the big city is crowded place,
full Of strangers. Even the names on
the marble stones in the cemetery are
strange to us. There is no sympathy
in the big city, save the common SYM
pathy that binds those who sorrow.
Out in the small towns our hearts
turn to them for this day as naturally
as they turn to the old home town
and the old home folks at Christmas
tide.
1t is one of the facts that has inn
pressed itself upon the industrial
world that tile rush is out of, not
into, the big cities on Decoration day.
In that it is different from all other
holidays. Travel takes the same course
on this day that the feet of sorrow
tread when the family chain is broken.
We follow our dead to the old home
towns and lay them to rest in the
quiet cemeteries on the hills. Today
we are taking the pilgrimage OF love
to the hill where they sleep.
We know what is going on in the
old home town today, even though we
are shut up in the city. 1t is much
the same program we witnessed when
as lads, we learned to distinguish be-
tween Decoration day and any other
holiday Programs haven't changed
much. The parade in the morning,
which never starts on time; the SER
vice at the graves of the soldiers who
sleep there on Woodlawn hin, the
salute to the dead by the firing squad
of comrades from the g. A. R.-hOW
the line has thinned, and how feeble
those remaining among them are be-
coming-and afterward, the address
by the orator of the day. The parades
and the program are incidents of the
day that make it appear like old
times to you, but that is not the
thing that takes you to the old home
town today, nor takes your thoughts
there, if you cannot be present in
the body" as Squire Woodbury. will
say, as chairman of the day-he is
always chairman of this day, in the
old home town-when he speaks of
those who are not there to hear the
speaking.
As you recall, or as you will see it,
the parade is raJher simple one,
compared with the big parades you
see in the cities. 1t is not long
procession, and there does not seem
to be much order about it. The old
home town cornet band, which always
leads the parade, is not the best band
you ever heard, either. It needs
tuning up, you judge by the discord-
ant notes, but, for all that, you Want
to see the Decoration day procession.
1t is the old home towns way of
doing things, and you have come to
associate it as part of Memorial day.
But that scene at the cemetery:
There's a big bouquet of flowers on
every grave. Aunt Maggie Snow has
arranged for that, bless her, for she
has been president of the committee
on decoration as long as Squire Wood
bury has been president of the day.