The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 31, 1895, Page 1

all VOLUME LXXVIL—-NO. 172. SAN FRANCISCO, FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 31, 1895 PRICE FIVE CENT EMORIAL DAY IN THE CITY, STATE AND NATION ) EMORIAL DAY was impres- sively celebrated yesterday. Per- ‘g 7/ haps nowhere better than in Cal- / ifornia, the Garden State of the Union, can the full significance of the occasion be so ideally carried out. Nowhere else can out-of-door arrangements for the ceremonies be so confidently made; nowhere grow more profusely the flowers which have been beautifully selected as t to the heroic dead. And yesterday was an ideal Memorial day for San Francisco. Under the blue and silver of the sky’'s triumphal arch in the golden sheen of the sun’s brightest rays, the whole City did honor to the mem- ory of those who had died to make its be- ing a possibility. Business was generally suspended, and while many sought com- mon means o f relaxation and enjoyment, | there was a vast number that did not for- | get the sacred duties of the day. From an early hour the cars passing toward the C with people laden with flowers. As the hour for the parade drew near, the side- lining the route of march were d. Later the various burial places e exercises were held could hardly ac- commodate the multitudes in pious pil- ge. out in better force nor trimme? shape. flowers were plentiful and their ar- zement by fair hands worthy of the occasion. Many a significant word was spoken in the addresses of the day, and general acceptance of the occasion was recognized. The far-seeing participants in the day’s honoring sowed patriotism broad- cast, and many a child held shoulder high to allow him to see parade or orator, or t bt to lay a flower on a nameless grave, c: t some of the precious seed. The formal exercises were held at the National Cemetery in the Presidio reser- vation and at the Odd Fellows’ Cemetery. AT THE PRESIDIO. Exercises In the National Cemetery Above the Sounding Sea. Toll the slow bell Toll the low bell! Toll, toll, Make dole For them For them Once more, farewell, farewell ! [From an original poem by John Vance Cheney read at the exercises by Mrs. Nellle Holbrook A vast concourse of people made their to the National cemetery in the Presi- servation, where exercises were held under the auspices of George H. Thomas Post No. 2, Department of California and Nevada, G. A. R. Amid the last resting- places of the heroic dead, beside the roofs of living comrades of the regular troops, with fair m and oratory, accompanied by the booming of minute guns and the distant anthem of the sea, impressive cere- monies marked the significance of the day. It was nearly noon when the strains of the Fifth United States Artillery band an- the arrival of the procession formed on Central avenue, be- n c and Jackson streets. First R. H. Warfield, grand marshal; C. A. f the staif; aids—A. J. ttle, . W. Howell, E. T. | inn, A. Mautner, followed States Artillery, commanding., Then came . G. C.; Third Regi- 1 Battalion, N. G. C.; n Revolution; Vet- ornia, G. A. R.; George Post, T. K. Stateler com- ace Mann School pupils and zes. almost deserted barracks, where »d at halfmast, through the lines ing spectators, and the silent ones setin the hillside sward, wound its solemn way to the t of the Georgze H. Thomas Post on the eastern slope, where a temporary rostrum had been prepared for the exercises. Na- tional flags fluttered from many a point and the face of the rostrum was concealed beneath a tasteful arrangement of blos- soms and foliage, focussing in a handsome ) rait of General Thomas. The portrait faced the post monument and between seats had been arranged for special guests. Every inch of space on the platform and ing points of vantage was filled with interesting humanity as the echoes of a salute of twenty-one guns announced the opening of the exercises. As they pro- ceeded a special detail of regulars were decorating the graves, including the pa- thetic rows of nameless headstones simply inscribed “A Soldier,” with a number, and not a single one was permitted to go un- honored. After an overture ‘‘Jerusalem, the Gold- en,” by the band, Frederick Frank leader, J. C. Currier made a brief introductory speech in which he welcomed the com- rades to the annual memorial exercises. It was the first time the Sons of the Ameri- can Revolution had participated as a body and he welcomed their advent, as well as that of the navy and National Guard rep- resentatives, the Mexican Veterans and the public. Rev. A. C. Hirst offered an eloguent prayer and then Mrs. B. E. Paxton, as- i by a grand chorus of the McKenzie Musical Society, rendered the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” in a spirited man- ner. Comrade sha Brooks then made a brief “Gettysburg dedication” address. He said that our forefathers had generated a great Nation and it remained for the pres- ent generation to perpetuate it. His aundi- ence had come to dedicate a portion of their work in the r¥sting place of those who gave their lives to consolidate the Nation. But it was rather for the living to dedicate their lives to the preservation of that success to which the glorious dead had given a full measure of devotion in order that government of the people, for the people and by the people might not perish from the earth. The band rendered, “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” and then the president of the day introduced Mrs. Nellie Holbrook Bhnn, who he said hardly needed introduction to a soldier audience, as her heart and’ hand were ever ready to assist the cause of the old soldier. Mrs. Blinn recited ““The Fallen,” an unpublished poem by John Vance Cheney, specially written for Mrs. Blinn. She rendered the lines with re- markable fire and dramatic expression, so that despite the force of a fresh breeze she held her audience in thrali from the first to the last line. A The “Star-spangled Banner” was then given, the soloists being Miss Minnie k cemeteries were crowded | he military organizations never turned aham, Brevet Brig- | Yy, SOMMER AoRN e w21 nea wr UNDER WREATHS OF FRAGRANT FLOWERS THE NATION’S HEROES ARE RESTING TO-DAY. Powell, Miss Pauline Gehret, Miss Louise Fetz, Miss Emily Jehl, Miss Etta La Chavelle, Mrs. W. F. Muhiner, Mrs. James Igo, Mrs. John Pettee, and they being assisted by a grand _chorus and military band. The feature of the exercises then ensued in the form of an oration by Samuel M. Shortridge. - Mr. Shortridge was intro- duced by Captain Currier asa “gentleman whose voice and hand for Republican prin- ciples were always ready in behalf of the army and na: % Mr. Shortridge said in part: “This is a day for mourning and tears; a day rather for golden silence and reflection than for silver speech. Uncovered by the graves of our heroes we stand sadly yet proudly, regretful and yet thankful. We have not come to open old wounds, to stir up old animosities or resentments, but to impress upon the hearts and memories of our youth that the dead fell not in yain, to write upon their lives that the American people is not { unmindful of the tears, the blood, the | death through which this flag has passed which now rears itself in glory, and to im- | press upon age ourappreciation of the past. This day is set apart that we may pay. a poor debt of gratitude to those who bled and fell that this blessed banner of the morning stars may float free forever to the breeze. [Applause.] “As in the older days the Roman wives and mothers went forth on the Appian their darlings missing from the ranks, so we, to-day, in the sound of the mighty Pacific and elsewhere t&'nughom our great country, step forward to embrace the re- mains of the men who risked everything that their country might live. We wel- come them here; we strew flowers for them; we cannot by human utterance tell them how we love and revere them. We assure the brethren of the Grand Army that our hearts are with them—that great, noble army that went forth to rescue our land. “Ah, but, my friends, to those who an- swer not, to those who died with the name of their country on their lips, what shall we say? They cannot see us, their ears are stopped to our material expressions of gratitude. They are past all weary marches and cruel fights; on the eternal camping grounds their tents are pitched. And of those who poured out their life- blood, reddening the plains and hillsides, the memories remain with us forever. “Grand Army of the Republic—and by that I mean all those who fought and struggled and feared and hoped and prayed for their country—I tell you your movement was inspired by the noblest sentiment and was the grandest that ever existed down to the present hour. [Ap- plause.] And this Memorial day was set aside to express gratitude for your work. ‘While not here, as I said, to stir upstrife, yet I maintain and will say that your cause was eternally right and eternally just. [Applause.] “Thank God that white-winged peace hovers over the land from Plymouth Rock to yon Golden Gate, where the sea chants an eternal anthem; that over fields once red with carnage vines and flowers creep and bloom; that over land and sea Ameri- cans receive fitting recognition every- where. We have one constitution, one hope, one destiny, and if we are proud of all this then we have the Grand Army and the soldiers and sailors to thank for it all. I would not plantin one boy’s heart a sin- gle seed of dissension, but I tell you, fel- low-citizens, the way,to make the banners way to meet.the returning legions to fall | upon loved hearts or to look in vain. for | | | | | of our fathers the greatest in the universe is to write on our hearts a love for country and a detestation of treason in every form. “Let this thought go forth on the breeze 1 that the nation that forgets its heroes should perish by the wrath of God forever from.the, face of the earth. I personally feel myself unworthy to stand by the side of the humblest soldier who fought for his | country, but if the words of one too young to participate have weight as representing the younger generation, let me say im- pressively that the soldier who fought must be guarded by the Nation he saved. [Con- | tinued applause.] At this hour there will recur to you the names of the great soldiers and statesmen who suffered for their devotion. We think of that great man after whom this post | was called—General Thomas. We think | of Sherman, Sheridan, and all the generals of the war, but if one higher than others be recalled we think of that silent, stead- | fast and immortal man, General Grant, and our hearts swell as we pronounce the name of Abraham Lincoln. “Yet T would ask you to think of the un- named- dead, those who went down into the dread valley unknown, who sleep all over the State. I beg of you to remember, as Lincoln said on the field of Gettysburg, no words that I can. utter can add to the enduring fame of those men. They are a priceless legacy, and the youth of this country should remember that if they de- sire to deserve that inestimable bequest they must be, like them, true to the call fo duty. “‘Let them remember that this flag of the stars and. stripes has never been de- feated. In the dark days of the Revolu- tion, from Monmouth to Valley Forge, from Queenstown Heights to the far South, this flag floated above that of our foes. Under Jackson in all foreign wars its glory was undimmed. Let our youth be mind- | | ful and grateful that we have this undi- vided country, this perfect liberty, this one free flag. [Applause.] **And to the dead and living I again pay the thankful tribute of a country now free. I can raise no adequate mofument to them ; you can raise no monument to them; you can add nothing to their fair fame be- cause it is eternal. *‘But from my ephemeral words let this one thought remain. plains of Marathon where the Athenian heroes met and destroyed the 'Persian hordes coming to destroy their country there is an earthen mound which has been standing there for over fifty centuries, an eternal and solemn reminder to the ages that those who die for their country shall not verish: from the memory of men. So let our monument to all our heroes be this land of liberty, domed .by the limit- less skies 'and caressed by the un- trammeled winds of heaven. . As long as SCENE AT THE USketched yesterday by & ““Call® artistd il NATIONAL CEMETERY, PRESIDIO—S. M. SHORTRIDGE DELIVERING THE’ ORATION. In Greece on the | these mountains Jift themselves above the plains, as long as these waters roll and their waves are burnished by the orb of | day, as long as there shall be one Ameri- | can whose heart beats with patriotism and | Tove of liberty, so long shall the fame of | our soldiers and sailors live—thank God, | for evermore!”’ The close of his speech was greeted with | long-continued applause. The. audience and the musical society g ‘“‘America,” the band played “Red, | White and *Blue,” and the formal pro- | gramme was over. Many lingered at the | drill ground, however, to watch the clever parade of the Horace Mann Grammar School pupils, who under the direction of | George Miehling went through many evo- | lucions. But the cemetery continued to attract loving attention, and' by the efforts of the ladies of the Seven Pines Circle and other organizations and individuals every lonely grave was honored with its tribute of fragile blossoms. Clace s nd ODD FELLOWS’ CEMETERY. After the Imposing Parade a Great Throng of People Decorate the Graves. About the monument ‘erected by a grateful people” in the soldiers’ plat on the heights of the Odd Fellows’ Cemetery a great throng of people had gathered by noon yesterday. All the paths leading up the hill and especially the wide carriage road by which the procession was to pass was lined with people as indeed was every perchance a soldier lay. The monument near the top of the hill was trained with evergreen and a flag floated at halfmast beside it. ‘A platform had been built and wrapped with flags, facing down the hill, from which the ceremony was to be directed. The sun shone brightly and the wind was perhaps hayve been desired. The soldiers’ burial plat had been roped off and only those having to do with the ceremonies of the day were permitted within the inclosure. A strain of music is carried by the wind up te the heights, and the throng of peo- ple there turn their eyes toward the gates, a quarter of a.mile away and below. The procession is entering the grounds, as may be seen by the massing of people in that direction and the occasional flash of sun- light from a soldier’s sword or the silver instruments of the band. The slow cadence of Chopin’s funeral march marks the measured progress of the head of the line up the hill, the somber roll of the drum and the deep sob of the horns drawing nearer and nearer, the mounted marshals leading the way and re- straining the impatience of their horses, the crowd parting for them as they come. The deep intonations of the minute-guns of Light Battery D are speaking from the hill opposite. Up past the Odd Fellows’ big mausoleum, and then round the new cemetery, and then forward again until they approach the last ascent and the marshals ride on past the monument out- side the inclosure. The veteran infantry- men, with reversed guns, file between the guards and form about the graves, and the ‘moaning of the music ceases, although the minute-guns which have been timing with their thunder the long approach still punctuate the ceremony till ifs close. Now is to take place that for which the day was set apart and preliminary to byway that led to the remote graves where | a little more demonstrative than might | the City since 10 o’clock in the morning. Itis to strew with flowers the graves of their dead—the most beautiful and fitting ceremony known to all the world. The procession started promptly at the appointed time from Battery street on Market. The route led to Golden Gate avenue, thence to Van Ness avenue and up the avenue to Turk street, where the line ‘was reviewed by Colonel Shaiter. The right of the line was given to the police, 200 strong, all in their new uniforms and helmets, two companies armed with ‘Winchesters and all under command of | Chief Crowley on a black horse and headed by a brilliantly bedecked band. Captains | Douglas and Short wore swords and re- ~ peated the orders of their chief. The po- licemen made a very solid and imposing appearance. Grand Marshal Charles Edelman fol- lowed the police, attended by his chief of staff, J. A. Whitesides, and the following aids: Lieutenant-Colonel P. M. O’Dea, Major Z. A. Kirkpatrick, Captain W. M. Kingsbury, Frederick A. Woodworth, F. R. Hanley, Thomas Wilson, L. V. Brown and Isadore Simon. , Then came the United States troops,com- manded by Colonel W. R. Shafter. His detachment consisted of the First United States Infantry Regiment, Captain Frank de L. Carrington commanding, and Light Battery D, Fifth United States Artillery, Captain Benjamin K. Roberts. The de- tachment was headed by the First United States Infantry band. Following came the National Guard contingent under command of Colonel William Macdonald of the Second Regi- ment. The following organizations were in line: Second Regiment of Artillery, Lieutenant-Colonel Dennis Geary; Signal Corps Second Brigade, Captain A. A, Hanks; First Troop Cavalry, Captain J. L. Waller; Battery A, Captain Hugh T. Sime. Marshal C.J. Evans had command of the Second division. His aids were Major S. W. Grove, Captain Samuel Bishop, Captain A. B. Donnelly, James Kiernan, J. W. Knowles, A. Watson. In the divis- ion were several garrisons of the Regular Army and Navy Union, several companies of the Fifth Regiment, N. G. C., and the First Regiment of League of the Cross Cadets, Colonel W, C. Mahoney command- ing. C. J. Hanley was marshal of the third division, with Major William Murray, Lieutenant C. Kirkpatrick, J. M. Collins, J. H. Riley, Abraham Loane and S. Car- penter acting as aids. In the division were a number of earriages containing the president of the day, J. H. Banfield ; orator of the day, W. W. Case; poet, C. W. Kyle; chaplain, Rev. E. McClish; Mayor Sutro, City officials, officers of the German Krie- ger Verein and daughters of the members of the verein, with decorations for the graves. The Associated Veterans of the Mexican { War and Lincoln, Garfield, Colonel Cass, General Meade and Liberty posts of the Grand Army of the Republic brought up the end of the division, together with a number of carriages containing disabled veterans and also several vehicies loaded | with floral tributes to be placed on the graves of the fallen. Among these was a magnificent model of the old warship Pen- sacola done in white calla lillies. After passing the reviewing stand many of the oldest of the veterans fell out of the line and took the Geary-street cars, but the great majority marched behind the Vet~ eran Firemen’s band every foot to the | cemetery. ‘With their arrival the ceremonies at the graves began. President of the Day J. H. Banfield stepped upon the platform and in a short address announced the purpose of | their gathering there. He said that the appearance of the veterans must indicate to every one that the time was fast ap- proaching when they, the onlookers, the young men and women who knew about war only what they read in history, must relieve them of this duty—the veterans would not much longer be able to perform it. From this great concourse of people who had come with deep interest showing in their eyes, bearing flowersin their hands, he knew that the Grand Army could safely leave the performance of this duty to their care. He reminded them that not alone the graves before which they stood were being strewn with flowers, but the grave of every soldier known in the land whe fought for the preservation of the Union. Again the band performed a dirge and Comrade Eli McClish offered a prayer. He thanked the Father for Grant and Lincoln and Sherman and Sheridan and the long | line of leaders and the great army of citi- | zen soldiers who had stood and fallen— many of them—to save the old flag. Comrade J. J. Lyon read Lincoln’s Get~ tysburg address—the famous little address that has taken its place among the classics and forever attached Lincoln’sname to the saying that “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not be blotted from the earth.” The Veterans’ Quintet—H. W. Luther, Harry Brewer, L. Howell, T. C. Masteller, | George H. Robinson—sang the “Memorial Ode.” C. W. Kyle, the poet of the day, read some verses entitled, “At Freedom’s Shrine,” of which here are the opening two: Herolc deeds make holy days. The holiest day of all the years 15 this, when all the Nation pays Its debt of gratitvde in tears, And wreaths with flowers—God’s smiles divine— These graves which form fair Freedom's shrine. Our noble dead, whose earthly fame ‘Was written with their loyal blood; Indelibly each hero's name Withstands the roll of Time’s great flood, And through Its gathering ages far Shines on, a bright and glorious star. Then the orator of the day, Rev. W. W. Case, was introduced. The wind was now blowing almost a gale, in spite of which the orator managed to make himself heard for quite a distance. Addressing the mem- bers of the Grand Army and citizens he said: “We come together to-day in pursuance of an order and usage of the Grand Army of the Republic, sacred in the hearts of the American people, to strew flowers upon the" graves of our departed heroes, men who gave their services to their country and their lives for liberty. “The day comes to us under the shadow of a great calamity. A great ship has gone down at sea, carrying with her to death a long list of men and women and children, the surviving friends and rela- tives of many of whom are among us ‘which the pageant of citizens and soldiers | had been marching through the streets of stricken with sorrow. “It calls to my mind those dark days