St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-04-02

consigned to lingering suffering and to
death unnoticed and unwept except by
the waiting, loving ones at home.
| Think for a moment of the thousands
of men like you and me or like your
husband and brother, who FASTENED to
the field at duty's call, impelled by
loyalty and love of liberty and country,
who sleep in death to-day unhonored
and unknown, but who saved our
country's liberty to us.
1t has been said by one of the chief
officers of the G. A. r. in Vermont,
"Our order can hardly be called Sc
cret organization, as is shown by its
many public meetings and we cannot
too often refer to the objects of the Or
canization,- which are as follows:
LIST. To preserve and strengthen
those kind and fraternal feelings which
bind together the soldiers, sailors and
mariners who united to suppress the
great rebellion and to perpetuate the
memory and history of the dead.
in arms as need help or protection, and
to extend needful aid to widows and
orphans of such as have fallen.
Sd. To maintain true allegiance to
the United States of America, based
upon a permanent respect for and idel-
| ity to the national constitution and
laws; to discOuRtenance whatever
tends to weaken loyalty or incites to
I 4. alAalI or
in any manner impairs the permanent
cy of our free institutions, and to en-
courage the spread of universal liberty,
equal rights and justice to all men.
By another the order is thus spoken
! of: "The G.. A. r. is an organized per-
petuation of the convictions of patri-
otism that won in the great struggle"
Its banner is as distinctively the en-
| blem of a patriotism that knows no
compromise, as is the cross the witness
of changeless faith. This is its high
ideal. In it's practice it has never pre-
tended to general purpose of beneti-
cence. It's fraternity is for the COM
rades whose faces never knew frOwn
when the flag of theiI country was
wreathed for victory. It's charity is
! for those of its own household, for
those made desOlate, need | say by
whose hand2 Its loyalty means that
undivided devotion to the country s
flag and laws that has in it no place
/ for homage for the flag of treason
Il Il. 4 .l,I Nl.aAf Al
for nay comrades and myself that it
NAV be permitted us i'll the society we
have formed for preserving our memo
res of the past and doing what we
NAV to increase the stock of loyalty i'll
| the rising future, that we may be per
mitted within its narrowing bounds
always to live the thought phrased by
a departed cOmrade that "they who
| fought for the Union were right, ever
/ lastingly right; and that they who
/ fought against it were wrong, everlast-
iagly wrong" To these definitions of
the organization it may be added, that
tits composed of honOrably discharged
members of the Union armies called
forth to subdue the great rebellion.
Within its doors none on whom rests
the stain of dislOyalty can come, with
in this brotherhood only those can en-
ter whose unsulled record of a soldiers
life proves them the deadly enemies of
treason. Pledged by binding obliga-
tons to teach and practice fraternity,
charity and loyalty; made comrades
of the G. A. r. by forms and words ia
mliar in scenes of trial and danger
each member is reminded that the tolls
and dangers of our soldier lives are
over, that it's memories alone remain
and that to preserve them an ever-liv
ing influence for good in all our hearts,
is the object of the association. Re-
minded how often in army life the
safety of thousands rested upon the
courage and faithfulness Of one how
strong the tie which bound comrades
to one another in sickness, distress,
and danger that fraternity in deed if
not in word marked everywhere the
true soldier; he is instructed that fla
ternity without regard to former rank
is the broad foundation stone on which
the order rests. But he is eXhOrted to
even higher duties in symbols, words
and ceremonies which say to him, ebay
after day you see manned and helpless
brave men who dared death for our
country, now dependent on others OF
left to want. The widow and orphans
once enjoying plenty now need a help
ing hand" In beautiful words you
have heard set forth the great virtue
of charity. But for IL kind providence
You might also be shattered in limb,
or helpless from incurable disease, OF
you might sleep beside your dead com
rades, and those dear to you be left to
the charity of needless world. Let
the memories of past dangers make
YOU ready to stand by those who stood
by you, who helped those who have no
earthly helper, for who like soldiers
can sympathize with disabled com
rades, or the families of those whose
ties with US were welded in the fire of
battle. Into that fire the spirit which
led us all was loyalty. When traitors
brought upon us the perils of civil war,
threatening to destroy our govern
ment and to dissolve the Union estab-
lished by our fathers, the loyal sons of
the North, the East, the South and the
West, breaking asunder the ties of