The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-06-10
A NOTABLE WEEK IN HISTORY

cviHZcQ WOIfu meHtOIidi oCA si1Co V0AS
held paying loving and eloquent trib-
utes to those who made the supreme
sacrifice in the great World war that
those who are to live after US might
enjoy the blessings Of free govern
ment.
Beginning on Sunday in Grace Fps
copal church with sermon Of most
touching and tender pathos by Rev.
j. J. Neighbor, chaplain of the Legion
local post; continuing on Monday
when our Victory Way and the unyeii-
ing of the two handsome shafts erect
ed by the Woman's Club to the mem
DRY and containing the names Of our
county's volunteers who made the SUI
preme sacrifice. were unveiled.
The spectacle was most inspiring,
especially the parade headed by the
members of the Legion followed by
the Spanish-American war veterans,
a remnant of the Confederate veter-
ans and a sprinkling of the G. A. RS,
the Daughters of the Confederacy and
miscellaneous gathering, all catch
ing the inspiration of the moment and
keeping step to the music of fife and
drum.
Reaching the front of the W0man's
Club house where stage had been
erected and fittingly appropriate
speeches were made by DR.. Moore
man, post commander, and Mayor r,
L. Anderson, Jr. Their remarks were
as apples of gold in pictures of sill.
ver," and will do to live. in history.
The memorial exercises ended on
Friday when the Daughters OF the
Confederacy gave dinner to the
Confederate veterans.
General Aver took occasion to pay a
tribute to the memory of that much
misunderstood chieftain of the South
Jeffersonl Davis, and Chaplain Neigh
Dor again won more plaudits for his
happy extemporaneous remarks.
Comrade Harris, being delegated to
thank the Daughters Of the Confeder
acy for the bountiful dinner took oc
casion to say that it was pleasing to
know that the beautiful custom OF
decorating the graves of those who
fell in battle originated in the South
and that a noble Southern. matron
was the author of the custom
He then read the letter of the au.
thor which gave birth to the custom
and it is a pleasure to reproduce the
memorable letter here for preserva-
ton and believing that it viii be read
with interest by number of our
readers.
The following is the letter:
Columbia, Ca. March II, 1866
To the Editor Colombus Times:
The ladies are now and have been
for several days engaged in the sad
but pleasant duty of ornamenting and
improving that portion Of the city
cemetery sacred to the memory or
our gallant Confederate dead, but we
feel it an unfinished work unless day
be set apart annually for its special
attention. We can not raise monu-
mental shafts and inscribe thereon
their many deeds of heroism, but we
can keep alive the memory of the
debt we owe them by dedicating at
least one day in each year to the EN-
belishing of their humble graves with
flowers. Therefore we beg the as
ststance of the press and the ladies
throughout the South to aid us in the
effort to set apart certain day to be
observed, from the Potomac to the
Rio Grande, and be handed down
throughout time as religious custom
of the South, to wreathe the graves
of our martyred dead With flowers.
and we propose the 26th day of April
as the day Let every city, town and
village join in the pleasant duty.
Let all alike be remembered, from the
heroes of Manassas to those who ex-
pired amid the death throes of our
hallowed cause We will crown alike
the honored resting places of the i'm
mortal Jackson in Virginia. Johnston
at Shiloh, Clebune in Tennessee, and
the host of gallant privates who adorn-
ed our ranks. All did their duty. and
to all we owe our gratitude Let the
soldiers graves, for that ray at least,
be the Southern Mecca to whose
shrine her sorrowing women, like pill
grims, may annually bring their crate.
full hearts and floral offerings. And
when we remember the thousands
who were buried with their martial
cloaks around them, without Chris
tian ceremony of interment, we would
invoke the aid OF the most thrilling