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JUNE 2; 1911
The Commoner.
13
73JB$BPTO
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Memorial Day
Once more we place the flowers of
May
Above the soldier dead;
Green mounds above the Blue and
Gray
Who fought in that long yesterday
When war's grim horrors spread.
We hear the bugle's mournful tone
Sounding out "Taps" once more;
Place laurels on each low grave
stone Marking the graves long since grass
grown,
And the old flag flying o'er.
We see the thinning ranks march by,
Halting and slow of tread.
But the old lire lights each soldier
eye;
Each hand salutes as the flag waves
high
O'er the City of the Dead.
Slowly the weight of passing years"
Burdens the once strong forms.
Absent the old-time rousing cheers;
Only the soldier's unshed tears
After the battle's storms.
Slowly, so slowly, they march today,
Bowed by the passing years.
Soldier of Blue and soldier of Gray
Who grappled in that dim yester
day Comrades today in tears.
Tenderly, lovingly, flowers they strew
There where each comrade sleeps
"Under the old flag's rippling flow
As soft winds, sighing, come and go,
And Honor watchguard keeps.
Sleep, soldier; sleep, In rest well
won.!
We of .the later days,
Knowing your duty so nobly done-
yill . not- forget while the long years
run
Your well-won meed of praise
Soldier asleep wherever it be,
By river, brook or lake,
Sleep till the sound of God's reveille,
Ringing abroad o'er the land and sea,
Tour eyes to glory wake!
I saw two grizzled old members of
the Grand Army of the Republic lay
a wreath of blossoms upon the grave
of a man who had fought with Stone
wall Jackson and I knew that all
over this broad republic, from lakes
to gulf, no southern soldier's grave
was -left undecorated if northern sol
diers could reach it; and I knew that
thousands of graves of northern sol
diers, scattered over the sunny south,
.were decorated by the hands of men
who had battled against them more
than a half-century ago.
about twenty years ago, and they
have kept us so busy over sinco that
wo haven't had time to remember
anything but the necessity of trying
to keep up with thorn." In Colum
bia, S. C, on the day our convention
was entertained in that city, I saw
more American flags displayed than
I ever saw in any northern city of
similar size in one day. I was told,
too, that every member of the mili
tary company that paraded for us and
became our escort, fought in Cuba
and was the son of a man who had
worn the confederate gray during
18G1-65. Honestly, the flags took
on a newer meaning to me that day.
You
can grind your own Meal,
urAbaiu, mutiny. Hire. Uorwi.
I 1- - a
mwcni.oio. .no cracx rmn tor
poultry. MUr wan a wilier it
you ltTO thiamlll. OmU I3.M Freight
rrcpaiu. unnui r&ty
UQU t(UICK. LMII
a luotliiio.
M A
Bkck Hawk
Grist Mil
Writs for Fire Book,
Agent wanted.
A. H. PMTCrf, line)
C(rUVM. TWMI.
AlMMUMflUAllMfc
VotaBbtliMf.
A Memory of Memorial Day
Every year Memorial Day comes
home with more force to thousands
of homes. Last Tuesday was Me-
morial Day, and while this "Sabbath
of the Soldier" has always been a
sacred day to the Architect of this
department, it has taken on a new
sacredness, for last Tuesday was the
the first time the comrades of the
Architect's soldier father were called
upon to strew the blossoms of spring
above his grave; the first time the
tiny flag that father fought for was
planted above the sodded mound that
covers his last resting place. That
grave is hundreds of miles away
from the Architect's home, but he
knows that the loving hands of for
mer comrades and the tender hands
of the women of the Relief Corps
strewed flowers upon it. Memorial
Day takes on a new and deeper
meaning when you have contributed
of your family circle to the rapidly
increasing number of graves wherein
sleep the men who fought for the
old flag.
Treasured in the archives of the
Architect's family is an old japaned
tin box. It contains a' lot of letters
written by the soldier father while
in the field, and they were handed
down to the son by the little mother
who went to her revard many years
ago. There are several old brass
buttons cut from the father's old
army overcoat, a belt buckle and a
worn and moth-eaten "Aunt Sally
bag" filled with rusty needles and old
buttons and broken bits of thread.
And tucked away in the bottom,
wrapped in oiled silk, is the first flag
the Architect ever owned. It was
made by his mother more than forty
years ago. It really is only half a
flag for it is flag only on one side.
When it was made it was just a trifle
difficult to buy flag material be
cause flag material was scarce and
the wherewithal considerably scarcer.
The field of blue 1s made of flannel
carefully sewn upon a white back
ground. The stars are crude and not
correctly arranged, and the red
stripes are merely strips cut from a
piece of red flannel. The flag is about
ten. inches wide and fifteen inches
long, and it is sadly faded and worn.
But although the Architect lacks con
siderably of possessing the wealth of
Rockefeller, twenty-dollar gold. pieces
enough to cover that flag would not
suffice to buy it. It was first flung
to the breeze by a very proud and
happy boy on July 4, 1868. Wrapped
up with it is a much larger flag a'
real bunting flag that the Archi
tect's oldest boy proudly raised over
the house the day war was declared
between the United. States and Spain,
and kept floating there until peace
was declared.
I can remember the time when the
animosities of the Civil war were
bitter and seemingly undying. The
first proposition made to decorate the
graves of ex-confederates Bleepng in
northern cemeteries was met with a
storm of protest; and for long years
no hands strewed flowers above the
graves of northern soldiers sleeping
their last sleep In the southland. It
Is all so different now. Last Tuesday
The day is fast approaching when
there will be no living comrades to
strew flowers-upon the graves of the
comrades who have answered the last
roll call. But the day will never
come in the history of these re-United
States when there will be no loving
hands to decorate the graves of tho
soldier dead. Time has softened the
bitterness. We only remember what
the results were, and we know 'that
it was the greatest war in tho history
of the civilized world for the very
simple reason that the two armies
were made up of Americans.
Last August I made a little jaunt
down south. At Columbia," South
Carolina, the delegation of which I
was a member was entertained at
luncheon by the Columbia Commer
cial club. While talking with a mem
ber of the club, who wore a button
telling of membership in the Con
federate Veteran's association, I ven
tured to ask a question concerning
, fanner of the old confederate
veterans towards the men from the
north who were so prominent In
southern business affairs. He said:
"My dear sir, we owe meo meu
Funny, Butr
An "angleworm" is all curves.
A crow can not crow.
Tell a woman she is kittenish and
she smiles; tell her she is a cat and
she becomes angry.
When wo are young wo like to bo
called "old man," but when we are
old we like to be called "my boy."
We say wo are "going to take the
train," knowing that tho train is go
ing to take us.
When we know a man is square we
like to have him 'round.
A baseball diamond is square.
Y A nr1 IP TV nr ,Q becuhtc on rum
Free report n to Vatentablltty Illtntrxted Uuldi
Hook. And I.1M of Inventions Wanted, ientlro.
V1UTOII J. EVANS & CO., Washington, J), a
Truo Blue
Ragson Taggs "Say, bo; If youso
eats dat hunk o' bread I'll report
youse t' do Peripatetic Artists'
Union."
Upson Downs "W'ot's do matter
wit' de bread?"
Ragson Taggs "It's unfair. Ain't
de yeast in It bin workin'?"
Suro
"What makes you think your song
will become popular?"
"It's so silly that it will not ap
peal to people who have brains
enough to appreciate really good
songs.
"Kiddies Six"
That Is the title of a new book
of my own verses that I am going to
publish if enough. o( my friends
among The Commoner readers sig
nify their willingness to purchase
copies. The book will be cloth
bound, upwards of 200 pages, and
contain what I deem to be the best
of the verses I have written for The
Commoner during the- past six or
eight years I call It "Kiddies Six"
because most of tho verses were in
spired by my six little ones not all
of them so little now. The book will
cost one dollar. If you want a copy
drop me a card. When tho book is
ready for delivery I will notify you,
then you can send the dollar. Al
ready I have received more than half
enough orders to guarantee the cost
of the edition. Do you want to fur
nish the rest one at a time? Yours
expectantly, WILL M. MAUPIN.
Brain Leaks
You can't always Judge the weight
of tho fish by the heft of the nibble.
A lot of people have worried them
selves to death over things that never
happened.
The man who is looking for a
bright boy to employ never calls
around tho pool halls.
A lot of people wasto time pray
ing for things they are expected to
hustle out and get for themselves.
If all the things we plan for to
morrow had been accomplished yes
terday there would be very little left
to do.
Tho average woman's idea of a
good neighbor Is one who always
brings back considerably more than
she borrowed.
The time of year is at hand when
all of us men who work would give
a lot If we could keep as cool as
from the north more than I can tell I a lot if we could Keep
you They began coming down here tho average woman looks.
VOMD OF AUSALOM. Thoro Isiioutory
oven In fiction, mere patkeMc and Interesting
than tho story ofDavld and hi rebellion non,
Absalom. This photograph shows Absalom'
Tomb, known In Oto Klble a Aspaloin' Place,
erected by lilniBelf noarly 3.WO ye am ago. Thl
Illustrate but ono of the 448 woadorful 7 In. by
10 In. photographs In the marvoloua
Self-Interpreting Bible Library
Consisting of 4 splendid volumes, containing
tho cornpleto authorized verxton of tho Bible,
tOKOther with all tho Helps, Table, Commen
taries, Alius, Dlctlouartefl, Photograph and
Sldo-Llghlsnccaiary to enabloanyonotounder
Btnnd tho Barred Scriptural. It makes reading
tho Jllhlo n plcasuro und a delight, and opens sp
a world ofbenuty and Interest thnt has becu al
most mcnnlnKlcfla to tho nvcrruro reader. In
troduced and edited by Ilishop John H. Vincent.
Kndorsed by Ulshop D. O. Tuttlo, Itov. Frank
W. G-unsaliiH and leading ministers or all protec
tant denominations.
THE 4di ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPHS
Realizing how much easier it would bo to ap
preciate tho Illblo if every ono could visit tho
noly land and kco for themselves tho place
and scones of Illblo history, tho Boclety equip
ped a special Expedition at a cost of$25,W0to
tour Illblo lands and to sccuro actual photo
graph of all tho places niado sacred by tho foot
steps of Christ and tho great events of BIblo
history, Tho result 1 a truly priceless collection
of 418 wonderful Biblical and historical photo
graphs, byTncans of which tho Society now
brings BIblo T-auiis to us In our own horse.
THE ATXAS OF I FOLK LANDS
Consist or ono largo folding map of niblo
Land Khewlugrouto covered by our Kzpodltlon.
together with full pare colored rnnpi of Canaan,
Babylonian Kmplrc, I'oreian Emplro,Klngdom
of Jud.io and Israel, and many others mado ex
pressly for tho Socloty.
TUI5 OilOSS INDEX
Prepared for tbefirstdmefn connection with the Scrip
tures by means of which every person, place and ereot
recorded In die Scriptures U now readily accessible.
lUmiKnmo IHmtraUd Portfollo-ftting
To readers of "The Commoner" who respond promptly
we will mall free a copy of our splendid, 48-paf e portfolio,
"Footsteps of the Man of Galilee," containing beautiful
7-In. by 10 In. photographs of principal scenes fn Christ's
life secured by our Photographic Kxpcdltion to rales
due, with description by our author, and sbowUg new
and Interes method of Bible reading. Send for U at
once.
TEAR OFF, SIGN AND MAIL TO-DAY
THE BIBLE EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY,
tXl KUUgtn irsBKt, Ckleago.
Mall me without obligation on tay part free copy of
"Footsteps of the Man of Galilee," a handsome, 48-page
portfolio, containing photographs of principal scenes la
Christ's life and full particulars of your Special Intro
ductory Price and easy payment plan offered to "Com
moner readers.
NAME.
ADDRE8S.
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