The Semi-weekly leader., 1921-11-30

"
publishing was written by young
matthews Ard to his mother, Mrs. G..
W. Ard with no intention of it's pub
lication. Upon reading the thrilling
and interesting document we re-
quested it of Mrs. Ard and take pleas
ure in sharing it with our readers.
The letter follows:-
Friday, Armistice Day.
November II, 1921.
Dear Mother:-
Mustn't lose minutes time in
writing and telling you about the
very impressive ceremony that we
attended this morning; in fact, very
impressive" doesn't do it justice at
all as it was quite the most inspir-
ing, the most reverent service that
l shall ever hope to participate in a.
gain. l mean, of course, the service
over the Unknown Soldier at Wash
ington which we heard at Madison
Square Garden here in New York.
The Garden is quite the biggest
Auditorium, if it might be called
that, l suppose, in the world; the
balconies extend completely around,
with the speakers stand arranged ir
the center of the arena, and it was
filled today with fifteen thousand
people from every walk of life, all
eager to do homage to the memory
of their dead.
Before we entered the Garden the
powerful electric megaphones which
had been put up outside the Garde1
began to peal forth the beautiful.
chimes from Arlington National Gem
etery, hundreds of miles away, and
here it was that thousands unable to
get into the Garden, heard the great
amplifiers trumpet the same cere-
mony that we heard within.
Inside the service was begun by
Chopin's Funeral March, then ga
merica, the Beautiful" and other ap-
propriate pieces, played and sung as
the various organizations such as the
representatives Of the Army and Ma
Wy, Union and Confederate Veterans,
Red Cross, Disabled Soldiers, and
then the Gold Star Mothers and 9TH
er kin of those who paid the su-
preme sacrifice, assumed the places
reserved for them in the arena.
Meanwhile the balconies were filling
rapidly as the people climbed higher
and higher into every available
space. Fortunately we had arena
seats just to the rear of the Gold Star
Mothers; but, as for that matter, one
heard all over the building, so per-
feet was the working of the sound
ing apparatus.
Col. Theo. Roosevelt, Assistant
Secretary of the Navy, was Chair
man and made short and inspiring
speech, at.its conclusion introducing
that son of Dixie, Hon. Martin w.
Littleton, who made the address. A
great address, too; not too long and
timed so that it would be over when
the services at Arlington should be-
gin.
Then came the awe-inspiring mes
sage from Arlington National Gene
terry arriving over the telephone and
flung out to us from an ampIifier
which looked very much like an or
binary desk in the front of the speak
ers stand. The announcement was
to the effect that the funeral cor
tege was at that minute entering the
cemetery hundreds of miles away
from where we sat here in New York.
The voice of the spokesman at Ar
lington could be heard all over the
Garden with even more distinctness
than that of Col. Roosevelt who had
just spoken to us in person, and who,
by the way, hasn't a very clear voice.
But Arlington had "cut in" again.
"The body of the unknown is now be-
ing placed in the amphitheatre. ST.
lence. Then President and Mrs.
Harding and distinguished foreign
guests are entering boxes reserved
for them" Silence again-a great
hush had fallen over the Garden.
Then Star Spangled Banner" play
ed by the U. S. Marine Band, at the
first notes of which the Garden, as
one man, rises to it's feet. After this
the Invocation by Chaplin Axton, ev-
cry word Of it heard distinctly, then
Attention" sounded by the bugler
at Arlington and the two minutes
silence out of respect to the dead.
What thoughts, what inspirations
standing there immovable with a
prayer on ones lips as the whole
country is hushed in silent and ten
der memory!
The silence is broken by the band
playing the opening chord of Amer
ica." Those in the amphitheatre and
on the hillsides at Arlington sing the
first stanza while New York and San
Francisco listen; then with the be-
ginning of the second stanza, my
Native Country Thee" New York
and San Francisco join in-how dis
tinct as we here in the Garden lift
cur voices and sing with those in Ar
lington, and to think of San Fran
cisco, three thousand miles away, lis
tening to the same thing that we are
hearing and joining in with Airing