The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1924-05-29
Memorial Day to
Honor Hero Dead
Most Significant Occasion
Given Over to Paying
Tender Tribute.


W. men who have fallen In this
country's wars, is regarded by
many as the most impressive Of pa
triotic holidays. To that heroic band
who died serving the country so gall
lantly in earlier days, the World war
has added its thousands Of young men
who entered the same fiery furnace In
which their fathers died. Now, in OBJ
scrvance Of the day, veterans of re-
cent wars join with surviving veterans
Of the Grand Army of the Republic,
that old, magnificent, matchless army
of men who are grizzled and gray.
Between the veterans, old and
young, there is a common bond. Both
have fought that right might prevail.
The spirit of service and sacrifice of
these men is alive today although the
issues for which many of them fought
long have been settled.
Memorial Day is one of the most
significant occasions of the year. It.
shows the sentiment Of the people
toward those who gave their lives for
q good cause and it teaches a lesson
in patriotism which is without parallel.
Memorial Day cannot be too tenderly
revered by old and young, by those
who took part in one of the nations
great struggles or by those who simply
know Of it as history" some one has
said.
The observance of Memorial Day
was inaugurated by a general order,
given May 5, 1868, by Gen. John A.
Logan, commander in chief of the
Grand Army Of the Republic. The or
der designated May 80 of that year as
the day.
First Observance in South.
The honor Of the first observance OF
a decoration day In connection with
the Union dead Is due James Redpath
and DR.. e. H. Hawks, who In May,
1866, held memorial services over the
graves Of prisoners who died in a
stockade in Charleston, s. @. Soldiers
and children marched through the
streets and more than 10000 persons
participated in the ceremony.
General Logan's order, Issued to all
posts of the Grand Army, an organiza-
ton then In its infancy, said:
The soth day of May. 1868, is desig-I
mated for the purpose of strewing with
flowers or otherwise decorating the
graves of comrades, who died in de-
fenSe of their country during the late
rebellion and whose bodies now lie In
almost every city, village and hamlet
churchyard in the land.
We are organized, comrades, as our
regulations tell us, for the purpose,
among other things, of preserving and
STRENGTHENING those kind and fraternal
feelings which have bound together the
soldiers, sailors and marines who unit
ed to suppress the late rebellion What
can aid more to assure this result than
cherishing tenderly the memory Of our
heroic dead, who made their breasts
a barricade between our country and
its foes? Their soldier lives were the
reveille of freedom and tattoo Of rebel
lions tyranny in arms. We should
guard their graves with sacred vigil
ance. Let no wanton foot tread rudely
on such hallowed grounds. Let pleas
ant paths invite the coming and going
Of visitors and fond mourners. Let no
vandalism of avarice or neglect, no
ravages of time. testify to the present
or to the coming generations that we
nave LOTBOIl6us dS a PCoPkOf tAAc SNS-
of a free and undivided nation.
If other eyes grow dull and other
hands slack, and other hearts cold in
the solemn trust. ours shall keep II
well as long as the light and warmth
of life remain to US
Let u.s. then, at the time appointed
gather around the sacred remains and
garland the passionless mounds above
them with the choicest flowers OF
,ringtime; let us raise above them
t.e dear old flag they saved from dis
honor; let us. in the solemn presence,
renew our pledges to aid and assist
those loft among us sacred charge
upon the nations gratitude--the SOL
diers' and sailors widow and orphan.
1t is the purpose of the commander
In chief 10 inaugurate this observance
with the hope that 1t Is kept up from
wear to year while a survivor Of the
war romans to honor the memory OF
his departed comrades.
Day Generally Observed.
Memorial, or Decoration Day, is
now set apart in nearly oil states and
territories Of the United States as
day for decorating the graves Of dead
soldiers OF the Civil war and other
later wars and for holding suitable