"SETTING THIS MEMORIAL DAY AS ONE APART"

LINCOLN, MAN & MEMORY, DOMINATES CAPITAL

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On Memorial Day, May 30, 1922, "Abraham Lincoln, the man and his memory, dominated the capital of the nation for which he gave his life."

President Warren G. Harding arrived at Arlington to witness the ceremonies in honor of America's fallen heroes and would be on hand for the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial later in the afternoon.

The remaining contingent of the Grand Army of Republic* "marched down historic Pennsylvania Avenue" in route to the Lincoln Memorial.

In the words of the Evening Star...

"The chaste, white memorial, the dignity of the occasion, the green of the trees...and the...reflection in the pool...composed...a truly wonderful picture...setting this Memorial Day in Washington as one apart..."

*Grand Army of the Republic was founded in Springfield, Illinois in 1866 & became a permanent veterans' organization with 400,000 members in 1890 & including Presidents Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison & McKinley.

SOURCES

"The Grand Army of the Republic and Kindred Societies," Main Reading Room, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

"Throngs Pay Homage At Lincoln's Shrine, Honor Dead Of Wars," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., May 30, 1922, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/ 

 

 

Dedication Lincoln Memorial

May 30, 1922

Library of Congress

AMERICA WILL SHOW THE WORLD SHE WAS BORN TO SERVE MANKIND

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2325

PRESIDENT WILSON HONORS GAR VETS 

Arlington National Cemetery (JFK+50) One hundred years ago today, May 30, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson spoke to veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic* on Memorial Day at Arlington.  Arthur Sears Henning wrote that the President "invoked the spirit of the generation that saved the union to lead the nation to victory in the war on German autocracy."

Mr. Wilson emphasized that the United States was not only fighting for American honor and American rights but also to establish liberty across the globe.

The President said he did not pity the fallen heroes who lie here at Arlington but envied them because they died fighting for liberty.

Mr. Wilson said... 

"These men...died to preserve the instrument which we are using to save the world of free nations espousing the cause of human liberty.  America once more will have an opportunity to show the world that she was born to serve mankind."

*Grand Army of the Republic (1866-1956) was founded by Benjamin Stephenson in 1866 in Decatur, IL.  The GAR was a fraternal organization of veterans of the United States Army & Navy, Marines, & US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the Civil War.  The GAR dissolved with the death of its last surviving member in 1956.

SOURCE

"'Wilson Calls Spirit of '63 To Lead on Today", by Arthur Sears Henning, The Chicago Daily Tribune, May 31, 1917.

Stephenson GAR Memorial

7th & C Sts at Penn Ave
Washington, D.C.
Photo by AgnositcPreachersKid (2009)