Decoration Day / Memorial Day
Posted on May 31, 2021 in Memorial DayFrom the Images of Old Hawaii website
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“Custom, which is stronger than law, has made May 30th a national holiday. We trust it will ere long be made a legal day of rest. Since the close of the late civil war it has been held sacred to the memory of the sailors and soldiers who lost their lives in defense of the Union.”
“Business is almost entirely suspended and flags float from public and private buildings, while the boom of cannon at sunrise awaken the people of of each city. Especially is the day observed in those towns and cities near which National Cemeteries are located.”
“At first, the day was one divided between sorrow and bitterness, and often the orators took advantage of the still bleeding wounds of those who lost friends to enforce sectional strife and advance their own interest …”
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