The Portland daily press., 1881-11-01
A BRILLIANT SCENE AT CITY HALL.
Eloquent Address by Department Com
mander Haskell.

Post No. 2, G. A. R., was brilliantly inaugur
ated last evening. City Hall was turned into 6
| scene of enchantment, as if by the waving o.
| fairy wand and flashed thousand different
| colors from the crystal emblems that adorned
| its walls on every hand, while the gay flags
and bunting, the pretty booths, the attire o.
| the ladies, the badges of the committee al
| added to the general effect. As soon as the
visitor set foot within the outer doors, stream
| ers and flags of all nations greeted him or
| every side Facing the grand staircase wal
| the Grand Army seal that, as Commander
Haskell said so forcibly in his speech, "repre-
sents $4,000 living defenders of our country
To the right, eft, and in front, decoration sue
ceeded decoration An illuminated sign with
the word 'cafe" in letters of fire on blue
ground, directed the visitors steps up the
fight of stairs to the third story for refresh
ments In the corridor, close by Reception
Hall, Masters C. W. Small, G. x. Gage and
W. F. Cobb printed the Fair Gazette, and is
sued neat cards, for small price, at fancy
bazaar. Close by the hall doors wraps and UNI
brellas were gathered in, and as soon as the
City Hall itself was entered a gift certificate
was handed over by the gentleman in charge
of that department. while the flower girls beset
one with their winning smiles.
The decorations have been fully treated by
us in former issue. 1t is enough to say here
that their beauty has not been overstated, and
that the effect will be enhanced to even great
or degree tonight, by the addition of locomo-
tive headlights in either corner of the hail.
The flower booth and Rebekah's well, with
their superb floral decorations, (the former es-
pecially set off by gilded cages filed with song
birds, Chinese lanterns of fantastic shapes, and
vases of gold fish D the fish pond with its seduc-
tive chances; the old fashioned oven of baked
beans, its youthful walters nattily dress with
white aprons and square white paper caps: the
sewing machine booths Respondent with all
the furnishing that marks an elegant drawing
room; and the ward tables with their thousand
and one articles, that it would be impossible to
enumerate, but which give style and finish; all
this proved very attractive.
Last evening there was very good attend
ance for the opening night At S.15 o'clock
Past Commander Nickerson assembled the stage
escorting Department Commander Gen. W. G.
Haskell of Maine, Assistant Adjutant General
d. 81. Holmes of Lewiston, and Senior Vice
Commander J. II. Raymond of Bath. Aide
de-Camp Ellis Lawrence of Massachusetts,, of
the staff of National Commander Merrill were
present in the hall but did not go on the plat
form. After an introduction by Commander
Nickerson, Commander Haskell made most
eloquent and forcible address of which the fol-
lowing is comprehensive abstract:
Commander Haskell's Address.
Mr.. Chairman, Comrades of Bosacorth Post,
Ladies of Bostosrth Relief Corps, and Peo-
pie Of Portland:
Your committee have wisely, perhaps more
wisely than theyl knew, imposed upon me
limit, Gan address not exceeding fifteen min
utes in length, said the letter of the chairman
to me. presume he expected in that time to
receive something both witty and sensible.
Witty, because the wise old proverb hath it,
"Brevity is the soul of wit" and sensible, be-
cause a new proverb may be introduced run
ming thus "Brevity is the soul of sense" l
promise only the breyity.
cannot be witty, if would, in such place
as this. The occasion is suggestive of some
thing else. / trust to be at least sensible.
am called here to offer some few words at
the opening of a Grand Army fair. am call
ed, because for the time l am privileged and
partment of Maine, Grand Army of the Re-
public-a body of some $500 men, every one of
whom on land or sea, performed whatever
duty was charged upon him, in aid OF the sup
preston of the wickedest attempt to subvert
republican government this world has ever
known. am called, that may commend to
the kindly consideration of the citizens of Port
land and the strangers that may be within
her gates, the attempt of Bosworth Post sof
that Grand Army, to replenish, by legitimate
and honorable methods, its charity fund.
And, so called, you will permit me, / am
sure, to say something as to the causes which
combine to create the necessity for such an oc-
casion as the one which calls us together this
night. For L believe, and L would have you
believe, and have your belief find liberal and
generous expression here, that this fair is
something removed by many degrees OF merit,
from the ordinary gatherings held for charita-
BILE purposes. Your churches, and your various
organizations for the welfare of portion of
needy humanity, come to you now and then
and ask your patronage in furtherance of their
objects. They are all worthy, and it is to the
credit of the people of your city that all of
these meet with success; receive the outpour-
ings of your aims, best bestowed when encour-
aging the work of willing hands, for it is a
feature of these fairs that they return you the
equivalent for your money. All these may be
looked upon as genuine contributions to the
cause of charity.
But, as 1 have said, the enterprise now open
ed is one which appeals, and which 1 trust,
will find its appeals needed, to sentiment
which should have place in all human hearts
before that of charity-the sentiment of JUS
tice. And if at any time the saying should be
heeded-"Be just before you are generous
it shall be my endeavor to show you that this
is the time, that so your love OF justice may be
made manifest.
Twenty years ago last April, and onward for
about four years from. that time, 1.-THE State of
Maine, in common with the loyal sisterhood OF
the North, was called upon for the best, the
bravest, the most promiseful of all her sons,
hat 11non tho fiald of hattln or the decks of
ships at whose masthead foated the flag of
our Union, they might uphold the honor of
that Union, and maintain and perpetuate the
government bequeathed us by the heroes of the
struggle for American independence. That
object attained, the remnants of the shattered
regiments came back to their homes OF IT,
945 men who b ad gone forth, with arms in
their hands and purpose in their souls. ,322
had laid down their lives, almost half of them
upon the fields of battle, or from wounds there
received the others from disease contracted in
the line of duty. There are no figures to show
the thousands who came back, some with but
a single arm, some with single leg, some
with bodies riddled with bullets, some with
some broken and starved by confinement in
those bells on earth, the Confederate prison.
pens. But they came back, some to live, but
as many, perhaps more, to die, soon or late,
from the effects of their service.
When these men left their homes we know
what promises were made them. Their farms
should be taken care; their places in store or
shop or shipyard should be theirs on their re-
turn. Or, if the fate of war should send them
down to the graves of patriots, then those they
left behind, the fathers and the mothers, the
wives and the children, should be tenderly
cared for, and the shadow of want should
never fall athwart theirlthresholds. In few
honorable instances these promises were kept.
In most cases they were forgotten. But the
men came baek-those who did come back
and gradually found their way into the Cum
pany of the workers. And peace reigned.
But there was no companionship like that of
old comrades of the tent and field, the march,
the bivouac, the picket and the hospital. If
there are any men on the face of this earth
whose hearts go most completely into their
hands, when palm strikes palm, they are the
men who have together looked death in the
face on battlefield, in hospital, on shipboard,
in prison stockades. The Society of the Gin
cinnati was an almost inevitable outcome of
the Revolutionary war; but it joined in it's
fraternity only the officers of the army. The
spirit of democracy had made some progress
since 1888. The officers of our later army had
been very largely the associates of the privates
in civil life before the war of the Rebellion
They returned, to be again the civil associates
of the men they had commanded. Rank was
dropped when they returned to peaceful pur-
suits. And SO, when they saw how comrade-
ship might be better perpetuated by organiza-
ton, they came together, officers privates,
marines, Sailors but better than all, and more