Show r t s sr sa r a y yati r ria 7 9 Y Yi i I I II II I Is O lk 4 1 F S a w A Ai Ae i 0 t e t n tt t e er I i 1 r 6 r I Ay I t t 1 w wAy II I f 4 i r i y ye e a ai I a y let a bv 4 1 w AT A cv GRAYS By ELMO SCOTT WATSON WATSON I Alt AIU Y every ery American Is i familiar with the story or of orthe oy rt the origin of ot Memorial t how day day how a group of ot el a women In Columbus Il s soon after aeter the close of ot the theR Ch II war ar decided to set aside prU 20 V IJ as a special special cial day for tor decorating the graves gra of ot Confederate dead how on that date In they covered wIth flowers ers not only the graves of ot their on kinsmen but of ot Union soldiers as aswell aswell aswell well how the story of ot this tills gracIous act was reported In northern newspapers newspapers pens pers the next nest spring and sent a thrill throughout the orth and how It led directly the next nest year to the issuing 0 of the famous amous Order No o 11 by Gen John A Logan which resulted In the ob observance 0 of a national memorial day from that time on nut But not many are areso areso areso so with the Hie store 0 of how bow a poem also resulted from the action ot of these Ulese southern women semen omen and the part It played In doing a away way with Ith the bit which had been carried 0 over er from the war between the states In Ithaca 1 there lived lI a ayoung ayoung ayoung young lawyer a ayer yer named Francis Milts SIll hen hen he be heard what the Columbu Columbus Col Columbua umbus umbu Miss women omen had hall done It In Sf Ird him to write the verses erses he be gave ga the title 0 of the I Inc lue und and the Gray hon Iten hen this poem was as published It seemed to strike a responsive chord In the hearts of ot thousands and It was rei rioted ranted and later uter sit set to musIc and sung According to one historIan the thi In n Ing and reading of rindiA roam ilM dl's more to re reestablish har y f any uny of ot the tile well thought out sans i vans aos of reconciliation 0 of the dIp dIplomats diplomats The late Chauncey il M 1 Depew In one ot of his famous addresses es In referring to the custom 0 of decorating the gra graces eoJ 0 of the tile soldier solder dead deaf on Memorial day said thus out of ot sorrows common alike alile to North and South came this beautiful custom Although the lu In for tor the observance of or Memo remo Memorial Memorial rial day came from a group 0 of south bouthern era ern women It was wad the large group 0 of northern men coen who kept the custom alive e In Its earliest earnest dais davs This group was the Grand Army 0 of the Republic The Grand Army 0 of the 1 or orthe orthe orthe the G C A R II ss liS s It la is more familiarly known kno was lr organized In Decatur III April C Q ISM lit itt the suggestion 0 of Dr DrIs n Is IsY Y teon on and Chai Into 1 J JI Ji JI I 0 of the 1 Illinois In infantry Infantry fantry Its membership was as composed 0 of northern veterans Herons 0 of the Civil Ch 11 war and at one tiro time this membership reached the total 0 of IS its most famous commander command or er was Gen John A A Logan who as prevIously noted Issued the tile famous order which led lell to the regular observance ance of ot Memorial day In the words ot of one a 0 OAR A R veteran whose remi IThe The Blue and the Gray B the th 00 now cJ oI the th inland river 9 the th Beets fleet of 01 Iron bv have Oed fled Wier the tb blades of the th gave rave ru rue r Q quiver y Asleep ar are r the ranks of the th dads deada Under the th sod od and the lh dew X We Wa tiny ting lIn the tb Judgment day d yi Q Under the th one on the th Blue Q gUnder Under UDder the th other the th Cra Cray y The flees to La the ot 01 glory 5 Those Thos In the th gloom loom of defeat delet X 1 All AU with the h bottle battle blood gory ory In the th dusk of eternity meets n e tl Under UDder the th sod 00 od end ani nj the tha h de dew W the th Judgment da cU L n 0 Under UDder the th laurel lurl the th Blue Q rt Under r the tha ih willow the ih Cra Cray Crap Q From the silence al 01 sorrowful on houn Th The desolate mourn mourner so ro Lovingly laden Uden with flowers lower Ahk Alike for the friend and the roe fat Under UDder the sod end nd the dew Wilt Walt ng K n the tb Judgment Judt cU dey Under the th rose roue ro the th Blue Under UDder the lilies liUe the th Cr GraySo Gray Cray So with th ao an equal splendor Th me morning sun un ra rays rn VV w th tb a touch tender On the th blossom Me blooming Under for aD 1 Under the t sod 00 od and od nd the th dew the th Judgment da cU with gold old the tho th Blue Blu Mellowed with gold old ol f the ere Cra So when the th ummer summer On forest and field fild or of pain gale With an qu equal murmur The h cooling drip of ol the th tb raLa I Under the sod and eod the dew the th judgment Joy day tt et with the th rain raLa the th Blue V Wet WIth the th rain rain r the C Grey adly but not DOt with The Th generous erous dad dd wa was done In 10 the storm torm or of the re years that arc rad fod nr ng No braver bottle wu wan wont Under the sod and the dew Wallin the Judgment day cuy Under the blossoms the DIu Blue Under UDder the garlands the Cra No more man Jor aben 1511 hall the th war i cry v sever Or the lh winding riven rivers be red The They h our anger ner forever 01 When the they laurel the th graves i of ou deed dead i Under UDder the sod 00 j j end tics the h dew dw j Wa W the Judgment de day Lov Love end lean teara for r th tb the Diu Blue T Tear and LOeI lov love for the lh er Grey Mil stile Finch Flach 0 of the earlier observances 0 of Memorial day were published In a aNew New V e lork newspaper ne last year It It for many years that the thc ob observance ser servance of or the day In the spirit 0 of Order t No o 11 was left lect to the veterans only while others made merry on this legal holiday going to horse races prize fights and all 11 kinds of ot noisy amusements This class called It Dec Decoration Decoration Decoration oration day As a rule the veterans made no protest to what that hat seemed to them a desecration 0 of the day They met and carried out the tho mandate 0 of Order No o 11 and did so patiently and devotedly nut Cut 0 of late years there has been en a marked marLed reaction As the old ohl men grew fewer ver In number and went vent about their sacred duties more slowly and wearily all that they had hall lost In num numbers bets bers and physical powers seemed re re- returned returned re returned turned In moral and spiritual strength In many villages ond and cities all over the land sports are nearly or quite abandoned and the eople join heart henrt heartily lIy ily with the few veterans In blue as they come together to bold hold their situ simpie pie services All alike seem to realize that It Is not for tor the living And while there may be tears tor for them too the day Is for the memory of ot the CO Union soldiers who sho ho gave gaye their lives that the nation might Ilse Few rew veterans In blue how how true that statement Is of the men who have hae ha e kept alive all the tradition 0 of Memorial dry Is more apparent each year when the Memorial day parades wend send their wa way through the streets 0 of American o flues and villages II ages In ISO President Andrew Johnson stood tood In a reviewing stand on anla aula 1 I avenue In and saw OO men the soldiers 0 of Grant and Sherman pass by In 1315 President II it itson son stood on the same spot and saw I tile the survivors ors 0 of that first grand re- re reI re review view siew march once more down Penn PennS I S h anla avenue In r 50 O years the oo had been reduced to less than O And tha that t Is t 0 of how v the ranks 0 of the men who wore the Blue as well as those who sore ore ft ore tile the Gray Cray hn have hate e been reduced by time So It Is easy to see that the time Is near at hand when neither the Gray Graynor Graynor Graynor nor the Plue Pine will be represented In the Memorial l day parades which honor the themen themen themen men who sho ho lost their Ih lives es when tile the United States was as In the llie throes of the greatest cull ch 11 war In But Butas Butas Butas as the gaps began to appear In the ranks of the Blue and the Gray their places were taken taLen by men who sore ore the khaki 0 of 1593 and the 0 D or of 1913 Nor tor J or Memorial day now Is more than a day 0 of memory for tor tile the Blue and the Gra Gray Grai This Is a day for tor honorIng our soldier dead the countless host ot of those who ga gave gale e up their Ih lives es In Inthe inthe Inthe the Ch II war ar the Indian wars the llie Spanish American war tt-e tt I In insurrection and the orld orld war Conceived as a 11 8 symbol ai 0 of forgive forgive- forgiveness forgiveness ness nes for civil ch 11 strife and a nation re- re reunited reunited re reunited united It has bas become the S symbol 0 of a nation more strongly united than ewer er before because It honors the memory not not only 0 of the men who tou fought bt un on under onder under der two different flags but also the memory 0 of their bons sons and grandsons who fought and died for tor one fia fa flan OrigInating hating In the South but taken up and made a permanent national observance once ance mainly by the orth North the spirit 0 of Memorial day now knows no North orth no South no East Cast no est cst It honors the llie fighting men 0 of no particular sar ar but of ot all nil wars cars ars It Is the tho symbol of Americas America s gratitude to her fighting men who ho tease have died In her defense |