Year: 1876

This pleasing incident in the his
tory of our country has made its ap'
pearance and, honored, passed into
the remembrance of pleasing recollec-
ton. Throughout the country Deco
ration Day was honored with hap
PLY becoming grace, but we have seen
no account of the ceremonial that has
been 80 pleasing as that We quote from
the Virginia Chronicle. The following
is from date of May 29th:


At the meeting of the veterans oi
the late war on Saturday night, at the
Odd Fellows hall, there were about
seventy-five in attendance-the Grays
largely predominating over the Blues.
Major Creigh called the meeting to
order as Chairman, and Colonel Stone
was elected Vice President.


COLONEL STONES REMARKS.


Colonel Stone being called upon for
speech replied briefly as follows:


GENTLEMEN: feel much honored
by the compliment you have paid me.
This is an assemblage which gratifies
me exceedingly. l regard it as a good
omen for our country to see people
who were arrayed against each other
during the late war meet so soon on
terms of friendship. l welcome as
brothers all those who met us in the
battles of the war; / welcome them In
the same spirit with which, after Lees
surrender we took the oath Of allegi-
ance to the Government,w with no men
tai reservation. I am glad of an op-
portunity to participate in the Memo
rial Day exercises, to honor the dead
by strewing flowers over their graves.
We Confederates have no dead on
these bleak hills, but will strew fiow-
ers just as freely on the graves of Fed
eral dead as though they fought on
our own side.


The Colonel's speech was hailed with
applause, and the work of clasping
hands across the bloody chasm began
In earnest.


"LET THE PAST BE BURIED"


Major Foote, son of ex-senator n.
S. FOOte, of Tennessee, who fought on
the Confederate side, was next called
upon for speech. He said:


1, too, meet you here as brpthers.
The war is over. Peace is proclaimed
through all the land. We all look
back with pride to the glorious achieve
ments ON either side. We honor the
dead in their graves, caring not
whether they fought under the blue
or the gray. 1 can take by the hand
any man who has shouldered his gun
and gone to the front and participated
In battle. The men whose graves we
purpose decorating during the war
were not working for wealth or posi-
ton. They fought for what they be-
lieved at the time was right. Let the
past be buried. We propose to meet
our late opponents in the field in q
spirit of brotherly friendship. Loud
applause.


RECONCILIATION AND PEACE.
Captain Lord said:


While I am thankful that none of
your dead are buried here, am sorry
that we have no opportunity to recip-
r0cate your kind utterances by deco
rating the graves of your fallen COM
rades.


Rev. Mr.. Jenvey; who had been
elected Chairman, was called up and
said:


remember when l was soldier
boy, that an old clergy man used to
come to our camp and pray. He
prayed that the Almighty would over.
whelm and bring to naught the plans
and devices of the enemy. If my life
is spared until Tuesday next, L shall
pray that all animosity between the
different sections of our common
country be buried. I shall pray that
the spirits of the illustrious dead may
be with us on that day and counsel us
to lead noble and upright lives. We
should remember only that we are
decorating the graves of brave men,
who have stood the brunt of the battle
on many hard-fought field. Honor
to them.


Captain Donovan being called out,
said:


can but repeat that I am heartily
glad that the day has come when we
who participated in the late strife can
meet once more las brothers. The tri-
ais of the past, thank God, are over.
This telling Of Reconciliation must
have been creeping into our hearts for
a long time. l am glad that l have
lived to see it.