The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1920-05-26
NATION HONORS
ALL HER, HEROES
Arc Now Enshrined in the
COuntry's Heart
SACRIFICES WE'RE NOT IN VAIN
Holy Joy Of Those Who Know the Sac
riflces Were Not In Vain Dis
tinguishes This Day

Memorial day is the day of the dead,
the veterans of three wars; but, though
newly cOnsecrated by the fresh and
poignant sacrifices of those who pass
ed away in the great war of liberation
over there" there cannot be now any
more than in the past, any associations,
but those of true joy and honorable
pride, far removed from the despair OF
causes lost, or from griefs over those
whose death is without meaning and
end without result. For 1t Is the holy
joy of those who know that the sacri-
fees were not in vain that distinguished
this day of days this year, coupled with
the realization that both those who
went and those who remained joined
freely in the oblation on the altar Of the
country with an unfaltering belief In
the fine nobility of the obligation and
the deep significance of what it meant
for the common good. ~ tsE
While the ceremonies on this side fol.
low the usual lines, heightened by the
opportunity to pay fresh homage where
homage is due, the tribute that Is paid
over there" beginning with the cere-
mony at Suresnes, near which has been
developed the American cemetery near.
est to Paris, at which President Wilson
Officiated last year. in the very pres
ence of the dead themselves, takes on
an especially moving character. For
in nothing did the American expedi.
tionary force and all it's helpful acces.
sorry agencies, such as the Red Gross,
so distinguish themselves as in their
concern that the last resting place Of
those who fell abroad should be neith-,
er unknown, unmarked nor unhonOred.
As result OF thissdetermined and con.
secrated effort of all services, the new
graves of the hero dead, be they locat-
ed where they fell, or removed to the
permanent centers Of burial that hav
been, selected at appropriate places as
the official American cemeteries, will re,
ceive every attention that Ia their just
dueS from their brothers in arms A"over
there" and a grateful country. The
graves, all separately, and singly mark
name and title, no distinction Of rank
being allowed in the Identifying symbol,
will be decorated, one and all. And
while much that has been devised as
to the handling of these special ceme-
teries has followed the plan of the Brit.
ish, who have been at work at the
problem much longer. yet a peculiarly
American touch is given in that this
annual commemoration of Memorial
day, so familiar to us all, is new to our
allies, and to the French, though they
have gladly coOperated with the
American forces in order to make the
day truly notable one and one Of
general and significant commemoration.
So far as the general cemeteries 60
we have followed the British in the plan
for the separate graves, but they have
gone little further in that each large
burying place will be dominated by a
tall cross and plain altar stone, de.
scribed by kipling as the Gross Of
Sacrifice and the Stone of Remem.
brance," the stone bearing the inscrip.
tion; also suggested by kipling, Their
fS,,s
this. the great concentration semeter-
les of the American forces, such as
Romagne-sur-M r-Montfaucon, the largest,
containing $4,000 graves of those who
fell in the Meuse-Argonne battles, will
represent little more than the smplic-
ity OF Quaker burying grounds, since
the permanent memorial monuments
that may be erected are yet to be de-
termined. But there is no question of +
the mpnumental effect of the comment
oration, nor will those who lie in the
smaller cemeteries or in the little
French churchyards be overlooked to-
day or in the years to come.
This is all as it should be. And quite
as those at home would wish it. And,
as has happened in the case of the old
er celebrations, even though the day
brings its fresh and deeper sorrows, at
the same time there must be felt every
where the comforting sense that the
country and those who have passed
away were equal to their task in the
world crisis. 1t is but meet and proper
there fore. that all should insist that
wherever they may lie each and all who
paid the final debt shall be marked from
among their fellows. dead and living
by such seemly and ceremonial OBJ
servances as we have set up here for
generations and are now repeating
abroad. Respect and recognition for
what they did and proper honors for
the hero dead lend dignity to the living
glorify all sense of duty and discipline
and lift all life into the nobler channels
of a humanity that is not, as Is writ
of the beasts of the fields, without aim
or hope but serves understandingly
and not in vain.
Day Of Solemn Observance M
ThOSe who nnQt hiring them Scl,,nx