Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-11-12

highest officers of every military arm
of government and a trudging, little
group of the nations most yalorous
sons, the Medal of Honor men. Some
were gray and bent and dropping with
old wounds; some trim and erect as
the day they won their way to fame.
All walked gladly in this namcless
comrades last parade.
Wilson Attends Funeral
Behind these came the carriage in
which rode Woodrow Wilson, also
stricken down by infirmities as he
served in the highest place of the
nation, just as the humble private rid
ing in such state ahead. had gone down
before a shell or bullet For that
dead mans sake, the former president
had put aside his dread of seeming to
parade his physical weakness and risk
ed health. perhaps life, to appear
among the mourners for the fallen.
There was hand clapping and cheer
here and there for the man in the car
riage, a tribute to the spirit that
brought him to honor the nations
nameless hero. whose commander in
chief he had been.
After President Harding and most
Of the high dignitaries of the govern
ment had turned aside at the White
House. the procession headed by its
solid blocks of soldiery. and the bat
talions Of sailor comrades, ,aoved on
with Pershing, now thanked by Secre-
taries Weeks and DENLY FOR the long
road to the tomb. 1t marched on,
always between the human borders the
nation had made for itself Of the great
avenue; over the old bridge that spans
the Potomac, on up the long hill to
Fort Myer and. at last, to the gate of
the great cemetery beyond where sol
der and sailor folk sleep by The thou
sands. There. the numbering guns Of
drew their horses out Of the long line
and left to the foot soldiers and the
sailors and marines, the last stage of
the journey.
Ahead, the white marble of the
amphitheater cleaned through the
trees. 1t stands crowning the slow
slope Of the hills that swept upward
from the river and just across was
Washington, its clustered buildings and
monuments to great dead who have
gone before, a moving picture in the
autumn haze.
Thousands at Cemetery
People in thousands were ;npving
about the great circle of The alnphi-
theater. The great ones to whom places
had been given in the sacred enclosure,
and the plain folk who trudged the long
way just to glimpse the pageant from
afar, were finding their places.
Above the platform gathered men
whose names ring through his history.
BRAND. Foch, Beatty, Balfour, JAG
ques. Diaz. and others in brilliant
array of pomp and power. They were
followed by others, Baron Kato from
Japan. the italian statesmen and offic-
ers, By the notables from all countries
gathered here for Saturdays confer
in American life, too, too old to walk
beside the approaching funeral train.
Down around the circling pillars the
marble boxes filled with distinguished
men and women. with cluster of shat
tered men from army hospitals, accom-
panied by uniformed nurses.
Faint and distant. the silvery strains
of a military band stole into the big
white bowl Of the amphitheater. The
slow cadences and mourning notes of
a funeral march grew clearer and the
roll and mutter of the muffled drums
grew louder.
At the church where choir waited
the hero, comrades Of the dead lifted
his casket down and, followed by the
generals and the admirals, who had
walked beside him from the capitol, he
was carried to the place Of honor.
Ahead, moved the white-robed singers.
solemnly. Carefully, the
rasket was placed above the banked
flowers and the marine band played
sacred melodies until the moment the
tnd Mrs. Harding stepped to
replaces beside the casket: then
he crashing, triumphant chords Of the |