Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-05-29
Memorial Day is Most
Beautiful of Holidays
WHOLE NATION WILL PAUSE TO-
MORROW IN REVERENCE TO
FALLEN HEROES
By H. o. BISHOP

On the thirtieth day of this month
the people of America will honor their
soldier dead with the placing of beau
tiful flowers on their hallowed graves
and the utterance Of generous words
of praise and thanks. Memorial day is
becoming more and more significant
with the passing of years. On that day
will be remembered and honOred the
men of the Revolutionary war who
fought for freedom from oppressive
Old World domination; the soldiers of
the War of 1912, the second conflict
with Britain; the brave men who
fought their way across valleys and
mountains in the War with Mexico;
those who waged the terrible conflict
for preservation of the Union, 1861
1865; the men who took part in the
affair with Spain, which brought free
dom from Spanish oppression to Cuba
Porto Rico and the Philippines; ana,
finally, the soldiers of the World war,
the most awful conflict in the history
of our country.
National Observation
Memorial day will be observed in
every village, hamlet and city in this
country. At Washington, the capital of
the nation, it will be impressively OBJ
served by those who fought in the
Civil war, the Spanish-American war
and the. World war. These survivors
will assemble in the white marble
amphitheater in Arlington cemetery,
across the Potomac from Washington,
where more soldiers and officers of
more wars lie buried than anywhere
else on the American continent. It is
doubtful if there is a more beautiful
cemetery anywhere in the world. This
assemblage will be addressed by Pres
ident Calvin Coolidge. At the front of
the amphitheater, a short distance
from the stage where the President
will speak, is the tomb on the un-
known soldier.
1t is on Memorial day that the most
beautiful sentiments and the most
patriotic words are spoken. Some
years ago the beloved Mckinley said
Blessed is that country whose SOL
diers fight for it and are willing to
give the best they have, the best that
any man has, their own lives, to pre-
serve it because they love it. Such an
army the United States has always
commanded in every crisis of her his
tory. From the War of the Revolution
to the late Civil war, the men followed
the flag in battle because they loved
that flag and believed in what it repre-
scented.
That was the stuff of which the
volunteer army of 81 was made.
Every one of them not only fought,
but thought. And many of them did
their own thinking and did not always
agree with their commander. A young
soldier Of the late war was on the
battle line ahead of the color guard,
hearing the Stars and Stripes way in
front of the line, but the enemy still
in front of him. The general called out
to the color bearer. Bring those colors
back to the line and quicker than
any bullet that young soldier answer
ed back, Bring the line up to the col
ors' 1t was the voice of command;
there was a man behind it, and there
was patriotism in his heart.
$50 nigh is grandeur to our dust,
When duty whispers low, Thou must
So near to God is man,
The youth replies, I can
And so, more than two million brave
men thus responded and made up an
army grander than any army that ever
shook the earth with its tread, and en-
gagged in a holier cause than ever en-
gagged soldiers before.
What defenders, my countrymen,
have we now? We have the remnant
of this old magnificent, matchless
army, of which | have been speaking,
and then as allies in any future war,