Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-06-03
Decoration Seryices.

graves of deceased soldiers, was yesterday
performed in this place. The services
were imposing and appropriate to the day
and the occasion and were participated in
by large ooncourse of people, number
ing thousands in the aggregate.
At 115 p. m. the comrades of Post
Roberts No. IA, Department of Vermont,
Grand Army of the Republic, assembled
in their Hall, in Phoenix Block, and as
sorted and prepared the flowers which
had been obtained for the occasion. The
contributions for particular graves were
also arranged in order by the committee.
At As the comrades of the Grand Army
were formed in procession under the
direction of Maj. John II. Harl eton,
Marshall of the day, and marched to the
Congregational church. The Rutland
Hook and Ladder Company and killing
ton Steamer Co. No. 8, met at their respec-
tive Halls at about the same time
that Post Roberts assembled, and, as
the procession of the. Grand Army
appeared in the street, these fire COM
panies Joined the procession Each of the
Comrades of the Grand Army wore white
gloves and !. red, white and blue rosette,
draped in Grape, and carried a small bo-
quet of assorted flowers. a United States
flag properly draped was also borne in the
procession. The fire companies were in
full uniform, the Hook and Ladder Com
pany under the command of G. w. Hill
lard, and killington No. 3, commanded
by Chester Kingsley, each company bore
national flag.
On the way to the church the process
sion was joined by the Masonic fraternity
preceded by Tyler with drawn sword.
: The procession arrived at the church
and took the seats reserved for them in
the centre of the house. The church was
filled to overlooking by the people who
had come to participate in the ceremonies.
The services at the church were com
menced by the reading of the Hymn COM
meneing,
Thy footsteps Lord with JOY we trace"
by the Rev. Professor NJ II. Buckham,
which was sung by the choir.
The Rev. a. +. Bailey then read the
Goth Psalm, and offered prayer, after
which the Rev +. Mills read the hymn
commencing,
Friend after friend departs"
A. NJ a1nso &C ~, a;,,,,;,., a., pa,, l.
Mills arose and preached memorial SER
mon from the words found in the twelfth
chapter OF Exodus, Goth verse, and il
shall come to pass when your children
shall say unto you-what mean yc by this
service"
The sermon was an able production,
well calculated to make the occasion one
of profit and interest to all that heard it.
1t commenced by showing the power
which the Creator manifested in His de-
liverance of the Hebrews from the hands
of the Egyptians. When the children of
Israel found all hope banished and had
lost all confidence in man, and trusted
only in God, their prayers assembled +"
No.. ANA uou raised up a dellvercr IN
the person of Moses He laid the petit
tons of his people before Pharaoh, bnt the
king being hardened, he refusedto let the
the people go, and God determined
to teach him there was one greater than
the King of Egypt. Miracles were per-
formed, but not being successful, God
sought to bring him into subsection by
means of vexatious plaques The course
and Scriptural history of the various
plaques imposed upon the Egyptians until
the Hebrews escaped from their bondage
was recited. and after their deliverance
God instituted a memorial service to keep
in remem brauce the deliverance of his
chosen people. and the ceremonies Of the
Passover are 10 this day observed by
every Hebrew family. And as part
of the service, while the ceremony
is in progress, the youngest child
present who is old enough to do 50, hay
ing been previously instructed, cries out
in ii loud voice, What means this service
and then the story OF the deliverance of
Israel is repeated
s., too. when the woman broke the
alabastcr box of ointment and poured il
over the head of Jesus, there were those
among the disciples who were ready to
raise the same question, and exciaim, To
what purpose this waste this valuable
ointment could be sold and the proceeds
used to alleviate the suaegings of the
poor! but Jesus, knowing their thoughts,
said, Let her alone: she has wrought "a
good work &c.
Now there aye undo4btedly many here
to-day and many who are not here, who
are ready to cxclaim, " why all this
waste OF time to what purpose Is this de-
of Eoral beauty - We can re-
holy feeling in this memorial service,
that it awakens in Us holy feelings, and
we mean hereby to express our recogni-
ton of the hand of Providence in our late
struggle. For thirty years good and true
men have prayed earnestly for freedom,
and that the black blot of slavery might
be obliterated from our land, but they
were not prepared for the answer of their
prayers, and when they were alarmed by
the tocsin of war and astounded by the
booming of cannon that battered down
Sumters walls, they stood back aghast at
the magnitude given the question by the
call of our now sainted President for
$4,000 men. They then even supposed |
that small portion of that number
would be amply sufficient to quell the
and bring back peace and |
quietude to the land. Time passed on,
and on the 22d day of July, 1861, the tel
egraph brought tidings of the defeat at
Bull Run, still nothing convinced
them that the battle was the Lords, |
and that the purposes of omnipo- |
- l.