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Show THOUQHTB FOR MEMORIAL DAY. Dy Carrie Macmullen. The sentiments responsible for the establishment of decoration day ns an annual memorial to dead soldiers are complex, the feelings of those who participate In tho services are varied. It Is bard for a reasonablo being to understand tho necessity for tho slaughter of a icry brao and noble portion of, the human race tn order to eslabllrjp pence, prosperity and tho right fa purine happiness for tho re-"""Wing re-"""Wing portion. I'coplo go to tho eyneterles on ' decoration day filled ,ltli mixed emotions. It Is bard for a fathir and mother to understand why they should glte up their son In all the strength of his manhood, n sncrlflcc nn the altar of his country. Tho prHIIcRO ot placing a few flowers on his grao Is a small compensation for the great lost they havo sustained. If there were no llfo beyond tho tomb their gray hairs would come speedily In sorro" ,0 "" other new msdo gr- hesldo that of tho hero. A busl-'.iiss busl-'.iiss life Is n battle, but tho soldier carries his life openly In his hand, rrady at any moment to fling It away as a sacrifice for tho benefit of his men. Willing to do or dlo they went forth la their might to belch out death to nny to might rlso against our flag, lbs emblem of a free people, or to trttt with American magnanimity such foes as might fall captives to them. Such a man Is the soldier of the Culled States army, lie Is not an Ideal nan existing In ths Imagination Imagina-tion ot sums draamer, tmt a moving, sitrmiguro, full of snap In the very front line of realism. He Is not a man with n soul so dead that ho has atrcr said that this ts not his natlvo land Uclng, true to his country ho Is Itry likely to bo true, to bis father tad mother, true to his wife, true to lis children Many believe that war li an unmixed evil. In tho abstract It Is. It Is wholesale murder, brought about sometimes by the Incompetency if national powers to arbltrato their .ffercnecs and at other times by In-irrectlonary In-irrectlonary uprisings of the people, la either case, tho soldier, who repre-Kits repre-Kits force, execution of tho govern-tint's govern-tint's demand, la nn after consldera-tlsn. consldera-tlsn. The fighting comes last, and fre-euntly fre-euntly It Is tho last of the soldier. Tri, com tho grao with beautiful COVCIl THE OHAVE WITH UEAU71FUL KLOWEftS. stay-at-home countrymen Decorating Decorat-ing soldiers' graves Is too sad a service ser-vice to be considered lightly. To moko a fad of It would bo to commit a contemptuous sacrilege. Those soldiers sol-diers graves are the very altars of sacred liberty, a system of freedom. Imperfect as It Is, purchased by the blood of some of the world's best lowers of mch a martyr. Lltllo ho'll reck If ct hlin sleep on In ths grave wbr, a Yankee has laid him, ,, ould rather seo flowers through on, (Kir, on tbo little mound that represent, h, rMtiii placo tnan dried raMi 8ntl) p,trotlc tears t a Patrlof!grave. Is not a Urns or placo for ljjty write to rm before but we've rot s Mr ballle ahead tomorrow and 1 thausht I d Juat write tonlaht and aay how aorry t am anil a-hamed, and It waa oawaruirt but you II never tw n'hamed ot what 1 ve dona tine I come hack, nor the baby to1 bleaa htm! I ran t forget how ha looked that nlsht There irooa tho long roll That mem turn oul quick I ll nnlih thla tomor-rov tomor-rov Hut he never finished It It was never even addressed The last few lines were blurred nn1 blotted ns If the letter had been folded hastily snd thmst Into the writer's pocket He left nothing behind him to Indicate his real Identity no clue to start the letter on Its way to his 'deirest Mary." Wiien the reading was ended n hush fell upon nil of us From the amphitheater, amphi-theater, over tho heads of n thousand eager listeners, eame the resonant voice of the orator- "l.l us not forget tint the men who marched under this glorious flag, who fought under II, suffered suf-fered under It died for II. did so be-caiifo be-caiifo they loved It And whether their ashes He at the foot of splendid monument monu-ment or In the unknown grave, they deserve n tribute of esteem and gratl-tudo gratl-tudo from all who love their country and rcvero her flag " At last tho little woman found her voice "That's him!" she said, "that's Jim He loved his country and revered her f!ig, and that other, after thirty )etrs, surely that won't he counted up against him " She looked up nt us beseechingly, but before either of us could frame a reply another thought rnmo to her. "Oh, If I only knew whero his grave Is!" she exclaimed, "If I only knswl" Quick as thought tho veteran rnoke up "It's here, madam, right hers In this cemetery I was by It not half an hour ago" "Sho roso slowly to her feet, looking stendfnstly at him ns though he might make an effort to escape "Take ms there!" she said, "plraso take me thcrs now!" In her excitement her flowers had fallen to the ground I picked them up and gave them to her. Sho smiled at mo and slid, "I told you I should need them. I felt It I knew II " Ten minutes later, looking across ths "WHY. I WAS III3 CAITAINI" long rows uf grassy mounds with tbo afternoon shadows resting heavily upon up-on them, I saw Jim's widow kneeling by a soldier's grave, her hands clasped and her faro uplifted as If In grateful prayer. Ilcsldo her stood tho gray-haired gray-haired veteran, with bared head, and on Jim Hope's grave lay tho bunch of flowers brought by his widow In tho longing hope that tho good Ood would show her whero to place them. "1 wish only to add that n fow weeki later I Introduced In tho Huuso a hill to expunge from tho record tho charge of desertion against Jsmes Hopo, When the bill came up for final pas sago I read Hopo's last letter to bis wife. That letter carried tho day. When tbo vole was taUn thcro wo not a dissenting volco. Hut I never could Induco Jim's widow wid-ow to apply for a pension. "I can get along without It," sbi said. "They've got tho books fixed all right now doan there at Washington, and that's all I want. I'm satisfied and happy." |