Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-05-31
CHALLENGE OF
OUR DEAD HEROES
Annual Memorial Throughout
City and County-Beautiful
Tribute To Dead Heroes


graves of the departed, is being Of
icially recognized Monday by the
commercial world in Richmond, as
well as elsewhere, banks and various
other business establishments being
closed for the day. There were
special services at local churches Sun
day in honor of the occasion, and at
not few, was the subject of the
shadow of the recent war recalled.
The annual tribute to the dead was in
evidence both in city and country and
the flowers, gathered for the annual
decoration were in profusion. Their
beauty and fragance is being dis
tributed in that silent, subtle manner,
which brings to many the comfort
ing assurance that their dead are not
| forgotten.
In a special Memorial sermon to
fallen heroes at the First Christian
church Sunday morning, DR.. Homer
Carpenter, in part, said:
"Following the custom of the year
America pauSes today with uncover
ed heart in the presence of the
memory of our dead heroes who have
fallen on the field of honor. From
out land all billowy with the graves
of noble dead, who with lofty abandon
have dedicated life to the high ideals
of this republic, we look wistfully
across the sea where, in new made
graves, lie thousands of the loved
sons of America. There they asleep,
our noble dead, after having given life
in support of the loftiest ideal which
has yet been lifted up in our world
In the heart of India is the most
magnificent monument in the world,
the Tai Mahal. 1t was builded by an
Indian Mugul in memory of his wife
He had loved her with tender love
and when she went down into the
Gethsemane of motherhood, and the
child came up alone, he said "I will
build to this Indian princess the most
costly anu beautiful monument n the
world". Across the entrance to thai
tomb tonight are these words "To ar
. undying love-, are words which
we all belive tonight could be
craven upon every white cross IT
France and upon the gray grave
stones of our heroes of the homeland
Fortunately America has not beer
a nation of conquest, and those who
, have been called upon by her to "pay
the full measure of devotion" have
fallen as fine crusaders, as champion;
of freedom and justice. The Wa
, of the Revolution, that of 1872, the
! Spanish American war and the re-
cent world war, were all wars ir
| which America was the champion O.
| justice and equity and human liberty
And thus, though these heroes sleep
in narrow graves, as they have staked
life for lofty ideals that have won
for they have saved life in giving i
away.
If these dead heroes shold speak to
us tonight, wonder what they would
say? If those noble sires of the
Revolution, men of iron and oak who
blazed the paths of civilization in
! the west should speak, wonder what
they would say? If the men who
faced each other in the Civil war, the
saddest tragedy of the centuries
could speak wonder what they woule
say. If those who died in trench anC
training camp and ship in the re-
!cent war could speak, 1 wonder wa
they would say? Of one thing we
may be sure, they would not speak il
empty platitudes, or in passing
pleasantries but would bring to YOU
generation and mine a mighty chal
lenge to the living from the dead
In the challenge of our deac
heroes there would be the call t.
Sacrifcial service.
Tonight we stand in the presence O.
the memory OF the men who believed
that in order to save life, one mus
give it away We may be sure tha
these men would hold that no citizel
of this republic can be worthy o
them who fell on the field of honor
who would not in sacrifice and sci
forgetfulness fail to support in time
of peace the lofty ideals for whic
they gave their lives in war.
b If our men who fell at Chatea
3 tThierry and Belleau Wood coul
I.speak tonight. 1 wonder if they woul
scorn the ease with which our cit
zerny fell back into the old paths S
: quickly forgetting the lessons OF tn
. war. II they would net rebuke
$ national congress which has hel
: back the peace of the world TIN
these long months.
= In the challenge of our dead hero'
4. there would be a call to great az
ventures for God.
2 Naturally men are conservative Sc
r. protection and self preservation pl:
: 1arpe h,1y,np of oa,1tion earlv in 1if