OCR Text |
Show PARADE OF THE FIRST. The honors bestowed upon the First division of regulars at the national capital cap-ital were merited nnd from the vice president down to the-humblest citizen of "Washington there was an evident determination de-termination to show the American warriors war-riors that their gallant struggle in behalf be-half of humanity was appreciated to the fullest extent. Fifty-four years ago Sherman 's victorious army marched through the streets of Washington and the parade was neviewed by President Johnson. Many a grizzled veteran of the Civil war will recall the speetriclo presented and those who took part in it will be thrilled with pride as they read of the march of tho First division, headed by General Pershing, down historic his-toric Pennsylvania avenue, wearing the laurels gained on the blood-soaked battlefields bat-tlefields of France and Belgium. So fifty years hence we may assume that the "boys'' who went through it all and lived to return to their native land will never forget their welcome home by the officials and people of the capital capi-tal of the country. The other combat divisions hav nil returned .and been mustered out. Taken together, regulars, national guard and national army, these men const it ut - one of th best f inhting forces ever placed in the field in ancient or mo i-tii times and after they once got fairly started it did not take tho i- ru.an- long to make up their mi:vl tha' their hoj.i of universal dimina'r''n h:id b'-rn wrecked and that the b-"-t thing th'-y could do would be to make pf.-u-e upnn the best tTins thy could squire, t'tah had sons in-many of t'H-se divi;f-!:s and nest month the rep'. of the enmmon-wenl'h enmmon-wenl'h will pay h'se l.-"-r s ho re..': re and in the ful'ns of their l 'ar(s tknnk God that so many brave ?oT ber w. ,-itii-rre-1 t!i? Btorrn of sht and -h'-li. Hut t ! fatli'TH and ino Y.ti . f the y-i who returned will not for' d '!.o-e v. ho made the pr r, a r i i" i " an 1 th-y will mingle tiieir t--;irs with '!. V-e-reaved parents who er.t t: ir t."ns for'ii to die in freedom's holy i,a:-p. Vesf erday the mern bers of f he g'. I-Innt I-Innt T'irst division marehrd ia Tfvir-w for the h'ist tim': before fe-iug d'-ninbil-irrd. But next y-ar and annually for thp next two generations at the re will be reunions of ft 11 the tru v. !to fought on land and sa, 04 v: 11 ih''- who wr-re und"r artui ai.'l aunifii.g t'.e ordrr dLfeting theni to prorrwl to V,e front to do or dir. fio, T.hi!'.- we pay tribute to the men who were f irt f o go over and la-t to eornc bank, we desire de-sire to gl o ri fy the nan: of the A m erica eri-ca n soldier and bestow the liih' -t honors hon-ors without d; intion of rank npnn earh and every man who srvd in tho army or navy anil ne'ed well p.-irt. |