_A STORY OF DECORATION DAY FOR THE LITTLE CHILDREN OF TO-DAY._
I want you to listen to a sad, sweet story to-day, and yet one thatought to make you glad,--glad that such men have lived as those of whomI am going to tell you. It all happened a good many years ago, in factso long ago that your fathers and mothers were little boys and girls inkilts and pinafores, some of them mere babies in long clothes.
One bright Sunday morning in April the telegraph wires could be heardrepeating the same things all over the land, "Tic, tic; tictic; t-i-c;tic, tictic;--tic, t-i-c, tic; t-i-c; tic, t-i-c; t-i-c, t-i-c, tic,"they called out, and the drowsy telegraph operators sat up in theirchairs as if startled by the words the wires were saying.
"Tic, t-i-c, tic; tictic; tic, tictic; tic; t-i-c, tictic;--tic, tic;t-i-c, tic," continued the wires and the faces of the telegraphoperators grew pale. Any looker-on could have seen that somethingdreadful was being told by the wires.
"Tic, t-i-c, tic; tictic; tic, tictic; tic; t-i-c, tictic;--tic, tic;t-i-c, tic," again repeated the wires. There was no mistaking themessage this time. Alas, alas, it was true! The terrible news was true!Even the bravest among the operators trembled.
Then came the rapid writing out of the fearful words that the slenderwires had uttered, the hurrying to and fro; and messenger boys were seenflying to the great newspaper offices, and the homes of the mayors ofthe cities, and to the churches where already the people were beginningto assemble. For the deep-toned Sabbath church bells high up in thesteeples had been ringing out their welcome to all, even the strangersin their midst--"Bim! Baum! Bim!" they sang, which everybody knew meant,"Come to church, dear people! Come! Come! Come!" And the people strolledleisurely along toward the churches,--fathers and mothers and littleones, and even grandfathers and grandmothers. It was such a bright,pleasant day that it seemed a joy to go to the house of God and thankHim for all His love and care. So one family after another filed intotheir pews while the organist played such soft, sweet music thateverybody felt soothed and quieted by it.
Little did they dream of the awful words which the telegraph wires wereat that very moment calling out with their "Tic, t-i-c, tic; t-i-c; tic,t-i-c; t-i-c, t-i-c, tic;--Tic, t-i-c, tic, tictic, tic, tictic; tic;t-i-c; tictic."
The clergymen came in and took their places in the pulpits. In eachchurch the organ ceased its wordless song of praise. The congregationbowed and silently joined with all their hearts in the petitions whichthe clergyman was offering to the dear Lord, Father of all mankind,Ruler of heaven and earth. Some of them softly whispered "Amen" as heasked protection for their homes and their beloved country. Did theyknow anything about the danger which even then hung over them? Perhapsthey did.
In many of the churches the prayer was over, the morning hymn had beensung, when a stir and bustle at the door might have been noticed, as themessenger boys, excited and out of breath, handed their yellow envelopesto the ushers who stood near the door ready to show the late comers tounoccupied seats. First one and then the other ushers read the message,and from some one of them escaped in a hushed whisper, the words, "OhGod! Has it come to this!"
And all looked white and awe-struck. The head usher hurried tremblinglydown the aisle, and without waiting for the clergy man to finish readingthe announcements of the week, laid the telegram upon the pulpit desk.
The clergyman, somewhat surprised at such an interruption, glanced atthe paper, stopped, gasped, picked it up, and re-read the words writtenupon it, as though he could not believe his own eyes. Then he advanced astep forward, holding on to the desk, as if he had been struck a blow bysome unseen hand. The congregation knew that something terrible hadhappened, and their hearts seemed to stop beating as they leaned forwardto catch his words.
"My people," said he in a slow, deliberate tone, as if it were an effortto steady his voice, "I hold in my hand a message from the President ofthe United States." Then his eyes dropped to the paper which he stillheld, and now his voice rang out clear and loud as he read, "_Our Flaghas been fired upon! Seventy-five thousand troops wanted at once._Abraham Lincoln."
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I could not make you understand all that took place the next week or twoany more than the little children who heard what the telegram said,understood it. Men came home, hurried and excited, to hunt up lawpapers, or to straighten out deeds, saying in constrained tones to thepale-faced women, "I will try to leave all business matters straightbefore I go." There was solemn consultations between husbands and wives,which usually ended in the father's going out, stern-faced and silent,and the mother, dry-eyed but with quivering lips, seeking her own room,locking herself in for an hour, then coming out to the wonderingchildren with a quiet face, but with eyes that showed she had beenweeping. There were gatherings in the town halls and in the churches andschool houses all over the land. The newspapers were read hurriedly andanxiously.
And when little Robert looked up earnestly into his Grandmamma's faceand asked, "Why does Mamma not eat her breakfast?" Grandmamma replied,"Your Papa is going away, my dear;" and when little Robert persisted,by saying, "But Papa goes to New York every year, and Mamma does not sitand stare out of the window, and forget to eat her breakfast." ThenMamma would turn solemnly around and say, "Robert, my boy, Papa is goingto the war, and may never come back to us. But you and I must be braveabout it, and help him get ready." And if Robert answered, "Why is hegoing to the war? Why does he not stay at home with us? Doesn't he loveus any more?" then Mamma would draw her boy to her and putting her armsaround him, and looking into his eyes, she would say, "Yes, my darling,he loves us, but he _must_ go. Our country needs him, and you and I mustbe proud that he is ready to do his duty." Then Robert would go away tohis play, wondering what it all meant, just as you would have wonderedif you had been there.
Soon the Papas and Uncles, and even some of the Grandfathers, put onsoldiers' uniforms, and drilled in the streets with guns over theirshoulders, and bands of music played military music, and the drums beat,and crowds of people collected on the street corners, and there weremore speeches, and more flags, and banners, and stir, and excitement.And nothing else was talked of but the war, the war, the terrible war.
Then came the marching away of the soldiers to the railway stations, andthen the farewells and cheers and waving of handkerchiefs and theplaying of patriotic airs by the bands of music, and much more confusionand excitement and good-bye kisses and tears than I could tell you of.
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Then came the long, long days of waiting and praying in the homes towhich fathers and brothers no longer came, and silent watching forletters, and anxious opening of the newspapers, and oftentimes thelittle children felt their Mamma's tears drop on their faces as shekissed them good-night,--their dear Mamma who so often had sung them tosleep with her gay, happy songs,--what did it all mean? They could nottell.
And all this time the fathers, brave men as they were, had been marchingdown to the war. Oftentimes they slept on the hard ground with onlytheir army blankets wrapped around them, and the stars to keep watchover them, and many a day they had nothing to eat but dry bread andblack coffee, because they had not time to cook more, and sometimesthey had no breakfast at all because they must be up by day-break andmarch on, even if the rain poured down, as it sometimes did, wettingthem through and through. What were such hardships when _their countrywas in danger_?
Then came the terrible, terrible battles, more awful than anything youever dreamed of. Men were shot down by the thousands, and many who didnot lose their lives had a leg shot off, or an arm so crushed that ithad to be cut off. Still they bravely struggled on. It was for theirbeloved country they were fighting, and for it they must be willing tosuffer, or to die.
Then a hundred thousand more soldiers were called for, and then anotherhundred thousand, and still the bloody war continued. For four longyears it lasted, and the whole world looked on, amazed at such courageand endurance.
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Then the men who had not been killed, or who had not died of theirsufferings came marching home again, many, alas, on crutches, and manywho knew that they were disabled for life. But _they had saved theircountry_! And that was reward enough for their heroic hearts. Thoughmany a widow turned her sad face away when the crowd welcomed thereturning soldiers, for she knew that her loved one was not with them,and many little children learned in time that their dear fathers wouldnever return to them.
War is such a terrible thing that it makes one's heart ache to think ofit.
Then by and by the people said, "our children must grow up loving andhonoring the heroic men who gave their lives for their country." So invillages and towns, and cities, monuments were built in honor of the menwho died fighting for their country. And one day each year was set apartto keep fresh and green the memory of the brave soldiers, and it hasbeen named "DECORATION DAY," because on this day all the children, allover the land, are permitted to go to the graves of the dead soldiersand place flowers upon them.
BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
A STUDY OF CHILD NATURE.
THE VISION OF DANTE. ILLUSTRATED BY WALTER CRANE. A STORY FOR CHILDREN.
CHRISTMAS-TIDE.
Works by Denton J. Snider
I. Commentary on the Literary Bibles, in 9 vols.
1. Shakespeare's Dramas, 3 vols.
Tragedies (new edition)
Comedies (new edition)
Histories (new edition)
2. Goethe's Faust.
First Part (new edition)
Second Part (new edition)
3. Homer's Iliad (new edition)
Homer's Odyssey
4. Dante's Inferno
Dante's Purgatory and Paradise
II. Poems--in 4 vols.
1. Homer in Chios
2. Delphic Days
3. Agamemnon's Daughter
4. Prorsus Retrorsus
5. Johnny Appleseed's Rhymes
III. Miscellaneous.
1. Walk in Hellas
2. The Freeburger's--a novel
3. World's Fair Studies
4. Commentaries on Froebel's play-songs
5. Psychology and the Psychosis
6. The Father of History--Herodotus
In Story-land Page 16