The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-05-30
MEMORIAL DAY
PLANS PREPARED
AMERICAN LEGION is RAISING
FUND OF 100000 FOR GRAVES
IN FRANCE.
POPPY THE OFFICIAL FLOWER
Blood-Red Blossom of Flanders Field
VIII Be Put on Resting Place of
Every American Who Died in the
Service.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

WaShlngton.-1n Washington in this
month of May the soldiers of our wars
are preparing for Memorial day. LII
Arlington, the national cemetery, lie
thousands upon thousands Of soldier
dead. Within the last three years the
bodies Of 5000 comrades of the World
war have been laid to rest under the
trees shadowing Gods Acre on the
Virginia hill which rises from the bank
of the Potomac within sight of the
country's capitol.
This year members of the American
Legion are trying to raise a fund of
100000 to be set aside to bear interest
which car be used to purchase flowers
for III decoration of the graves of the
dead In France. In addition, an at
tempt is being made by the Legion
naires of the District to raise another
fund, the interest of which is to be
used through the years for Memorial
day purposes in Arlington and In the
smaller cemeteries of the capital city.
The preparations for Memorial day
in the capital this year are on a larger
oNQhC Than CNCl iiOdoaito
upon thousands of ex-service men die
during every year, and never can there
be a lack of names on the soldier death
list until war for all time shall
pass away. No grave is neglected,
whether it be that of one who fought
In the Revolution, or of one for whom
taps was sounded after he had laid
down his rifle as a soldier in the reg
ular army of today.
Poppy the Memorial Flower.
Some time ago the largest organiza-
ton of ex-service men of the World
war voted to supplant the poppy of
France with the daisy of America as
the Memorial flower of the Legion.
Quickly after this action was taken it
was reconsidered and the poppy has
come back into its own. 1t is difficult
to find any man who served in the war
for civilization who does not hold to
the poppy as the proper floral emblem
Of an order whose men fought in the
fields where the blood-red flower grows,
In Washington today peoples are be.
ing sold for the benefit of the Memo
rial day fund for the graves Of the
soldiers of the World war. Possibly II
is not generally realized how many
women there were who actually en-
,tered into the armed service of the
United States. Many ONE were en-.
listed for semi-military duty. Some OF
these duties involved personal danger
to the enlisted. This month in Wash
,ington the ex-service women are en-
gagged In the work of making peoples.
1t is difficult to tell without the use of
the sense of touch that the flowers
which they are making are not the
peoples of Flanders Field. On every
grave of a veteran of the World war
in France and In the United States on
Memorial day peoples will have a place
with the flowers of the homeland.
In France the greatest Memorial day
exercises will be witnessed at Romagne,
where about 10000 American soldiers
lie awaiting the reveille. The French
great tract where the majority of the
American dead lie buried. From q
height near Romagne can be seen
Mount Faucon and the ~shadowing out
lines of the Argonne forests with all
the fields of battle which lie in be-
tween. There on mountain, on hillside,
on plain and in valley Americans gave
up their lives for liberty. Most of them
lie virtually where they fell, and on
May 30 of this year and on May 80 of
all the years to come they will not be
forgotten.
Fund of ss5o,ooo Is Needed.
1t is understood that the sum of
S350,000 will be necessary TO insure
that on every Memorial day flowers of
America and France will be placed
upon the resting place of every Amer
lean soldier of the World war. The