flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard of the land." A following paragraph explained: "It is the purpose of the Commander-in-chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades." The order by General Logan originated the formal celebration of the day in the Northern States. The word "memorial" was not used in the order. By common consent the festival was called "Decoration Day." After a few years, in the early '70's, the leaders of the G. A. R. decided that the title "Decoration Day" did not express the real purpose of the services which had come to mark the observance of the day, and they changed the title to "Memorial Day" and it has ever since been officially known by that title. However, the vast majority of people outside the membership of the G. A. R. clung to the title "Decoration Day," and even now it is probable that a majority of the people prefer this title. General Logan did not claim that he conceived the idea of Decoration Day. It is a matter of record that on June 9, 1865, one month after the surrender at Appomattox, the women of Richmond, Va., went to Hollywood Cemetery, leading a large body of men who marched there, and they placed flowers upon the graves of Confederate soldiers, and also upon the graves of Union soldiers. It is a common tradition in the South that Southern women, at each springtime, strewed flowers upon the battlefields above the dust of soldiers, Confederate and Union alike. In the states of Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi, April 26 is the annual "Decoration Day." North and South Carolina both designate May 10. In the Gulf States, the season of flowers is at its height in the last week of April, and therefore Decoration Day is observed. a month earlier than in the North. May 30 (1901)-Hall of Fame for Great Americans formally opened, 1901. It is a building on the grounds. of New York University, provided by funds given by Helen M. Gould. Names of Great Americans are selected by a jury of 100. A bronze tablet bearing the name of each person selected, is placed in the Hall. May 31 (1775)-Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, year 1775. It is alleged that Col. Adam Alexander, early in May, 1775, called upon the people of Mecklenburg County, N. C., to appoint delegates to a convention which would devise ways and means to aid their brethren in Massachusetts. The convention met at Charlotte, N. C., on May 19, 1775. The Declaration of Independence, it is alleged, was adopted by this convention after nearly two weeks, thus antedating the Declaration of Thomas Jefferson and his associates by more than a year. But the fact and date of the so-called Mecklenburg Declaration have not been proved to the satisfaction of all competent historians. The controversy has lasted from the time of the Second Continental Congress, and probably never will be decided. May 31 (1819)-Walt (Walter) Whitman, sometimes called "the Good Gray Poet," born at West Hills, Long Island, N. Y.; died at Camden, N. J., March 26, 1892. An extreme cultured group of literary critics in America and Europe assert that he was the greatest poet America had produced up to the end of the last century. The rationalistic critics generally admit his genius but deny his rank as a poet. His best known work was "Leaves of Grass" (published in 1855), a series of poems dealing with moral, social and political problems of American life, in irregular rhythm or prose rhythm form, which form is commonly known as vers libre or "free verse." He was the first great writer of the English speaking peoples to use this form. Ralph Waldo Emerson said of this book: "I find incomparable things said incomparably." George Saintsbury in his "History of English Prosody," writing about American poets, expresses this opinion: "After Poe . . . the poet of genius, and Longfellow, the poet of exceptional and wide-ranging talent, . . . there is an unusual aptness in Walt Whitman, another poet of genius who devotes himself to formal, as to other, revolt. ... From Whitman's actual experiments it is clear that had he chosen, and taken the trouble, he could have written beautiful verse proper." May 31 (1862)—Battle of Fair Oaks, Va. (or Seven Pines), year 1862. The advance guard of the Union army of the Potomac, numbering about 10,000 men under Gen. Silas Casey, was attacked by about 15,000 Confederates under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and Gen. James Longstreet, a few miles east of Richmond. The sanguinary struggle lasted all day and part of June 1st. Casey was reinforced by 5,000, and, at the end, the Confederates retired to their intrenchments at Richmond, leaving the Federals master of the field-a technical Union victory. Each side lost about 7,000 men in killed, wounded and missing. Considering the numbers engaged, this was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. May 31 (1889)—Johnstown, Pa., Flood, year 1889. Long continued rain caused the Connemaugh river, in Pennsylvania, to rise and break the dam eighteen miles above Johnstown. The enormous mass of water rushed down the valley as fast as a swift railroad train, and destroyed the lives of 2,142 persons in the low lying section of Johnstown. The value of property destroyed was officially estimated at $9,674,155. May 31 (1913)-Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution adopted. It reads in part: "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years." Prior to the adoption of this amendment, United States Senators had been selected by the Legislatures, and not by popular vote. JUNE June 1 (1792)--Kentucky was admitted into the Union, year 1792. June 1 (1796)-Tennessee was admitted into the Union, year 1796. June 1 (1813)-Battle between the U. S. S. Chesapeake and H. M. S. Shannon, year 1813 (War of 1812). Captain Philip Broke of the British frigate sent a challenge to Captain James Lawrence of the American frigate lying in Boston harbor to come out on the high sea and fight. Lawrence sailed out on June 1st, before the challenge was delivered. The duel was fought in Massachusetts Bay, about 18 miles east of Boston light house. The two ships were well matched as to size, armament and sailing power. The crew of the British ship was superior in character and discipline. The battle began about 6 p. m. and lasted only 15 minutes, when the Chesapeake, her rigging shot away, her captain mortally wounded and the British crew boarding her, surrendered. Captain Lawrence, lying below decks and dying, whispered his last words to his men near him, "Don't give up the ship!" The phrase became a battle cry of the nation. The American crew, numbering 340 men, lost 47 killed and 99 wounded. Of the British crew of 330 men, 24 were killed and 83 wounded. · June 1 (1864)—Battle of Cold Harbor, Va., year 1864. Gen. U. S. Grant (Union, 65,000 men) vs. Gen. R. E. Lee (Confederate, 35,000 men in intrenchments). Confederate victory. The battle lasted until 1 p. m. of June 3rd. At noon of the last day the Union forces delivered their most determined assault; it was repulsed with great loss; it is estimated that 6,000 Union men fell killed or wounded in twenty minutes, while the Confederates lost less than 1,000 in the same time. The Union troops were withdrawn, and Grant made a new plan to take Richmond. The Union loss in the three days' battle was re ported as 1,769 killed, 8,411 wounded and 1,537 missingtotal 11,717. The Confederate loss was not reported; it was estimated at 3,500. June 1 (1898)-Trans-Mississippi International Exposition opened at Omaha, Nebr., year 1898. The total attendance was 2,613,508. June 2 (1851) The Maine Law, an act "to prohibit drinking houses and tippling shops" was approved by the Governor, William G. Crosby, year 1851. Thus Maine was the first "prohibition" State in the Union. June 2 (1862)-Gen. Robert E. Lee took command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, near Richmond, year 1862. He relieved Gen. Joseph E. Johnston who had been wounded at the Battle of Fair Oaks (or Seven Pines), May 31, 1862. Lee continued in command of this army throughout the Civil War, until April 9, 1865. He was never actual commander-in-chief of the Confederate forces. (See Birthday of Jefferson Davis, June 3.) BIRTHDAY OF JEFFERSON DAVIS, PRESIDENT Jefferson Davis was born in Todd County, Ky., June 3, 1808, less than a year before the birth of Abraham Lincoln and at a place but a short distance from Lincoln's birthplace in the same State. He was descended from Scotch-Irish and Welsh ancestry. His father, Samuel Davis, was one of the border pioneers. He was the youngest of nine children. The early parallel between the lives of Davis and Lincoln has furnished a subject for speculation to many writers. Lincoln moved north to Indiana and later to Illinois where slavery was forbidden. Davis moved south to Mississippi where slavery was accepted as a divine institution. If Lincoln had been taken south by |