The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-03-14
THE CAMPFIRE.

The election of officers for the ensuing
year will take place to-day.
THE CAMPFIRE.
Great Audience Inspired by Patriotic
Songs, REGULATIONS and Speeches.
There may have been a few heads OF
families who failed to attend the depart
ment campfire of the Indiana G. A. r., at
Tomlinlon Hall, last night. If so. they
were not missed from the immense audi
ence that packed the hall to the last inch OF
its capacity. The programme was admir-
able as arranged and printed. but there
proved to be in store additions that made
it still better; in fact, probably the most
varied and delightful entertainment ever
given in this great hall The exercises
opened, with a prayer by Lieut.-Gov.
Chase, department chaplain, who was fol-
lowed by Governor HOvey in brief adj
dress of welcome to the cOmmander-in-
chief, William Warner, of Missouri, and
the visiting delegates and ladies of the Re-
lief Corps. Commander-in-chief Warner
came forward and was presented to the
audience by Commander VanOsdOl, who
presided.
Mr.. Warner, gazing over the audience,
said he had come with the understanding
That he was to address an impromptu camp
fire, not the entire State of Indiana, and if
this was impromptu, he would really like
to see regular affair. He said that scenes
like this demonstrated that the years that
have passed since Appomattox have only
served to strengthen the ties of cOmrade-
ship that bind the old soldiers together;
ties the tenderest and most enduring OF all
on earth outside those of the family circle
1.-THE reason of this comradeship," the
speaker continued, has been described in
apt words by the greatest of living SOL
diers, William Tecumseh Sherman. In a
recent article, in speaking of the national
encampment at Columbus he said
s shat s seb learn aber to da%
a week, year of war-cOmradeship In
the same company begets a knowledge of
men that is impossible elsewhere. In the
camp or in the field, the truth is revealed
as by the lightning's flash; in the twinkling
of an eye we separate the true from the
false, the earnest from the uimid, the steady
from the doubtful" Mr.. Warner, while
dwelling Oh the beauty of this cOmrade-
Miles O'Reilly's poem, I'VE Have Drunk
from the Same Canteen," beginning:
There bonds of all sorts in this world of ours,
Fetters Of friendship and ties of flowers,
And true lovers knots 1 ween;
The girl and the boy are bound by kiss,
But there's never bond, old cOmrade, like this
We have drunk from the same canteen.
He said it was comradeship that knew
no distinction OF rank, the same yesterday,
to-day ana tomorrow, in sunshine and in
storm. in cottage and In palace He
held it worth something to be a member
of this. the grandest civic organization
the world has ever known, bestowing
gold cannot purchase, and that should be
held sacred. The man who would wear this
badge is pledged to discharge his full duty
as citizen; he must look up, not down; he
must live in the present, not in the past.
That badge represents more than mere
metal; it is a symbol of the stability of our
free institutions
The speaker spoke of the remarks made
short time ago by the rebel General ROsser,
and said he did not believe there was any
one who will question the loyalty of the
men who composed the Grand Army of the
Republic, that fact Is unquestioned. This
Sy ssry Of has her sssn ON %rtsa by the
of the Nations flag and so
long as this people will remain true to
the principles for which the comrades of
many died, SO long shall the rights of the
American citizen be respected before the
law. Speaking of the charity of the order,
he said it was not done by words but by
deeds. He held that no comrade should give
sleep to his eyes so long as one of the flen
who fought the battles of his country is an
inmate of an almshouse. or his widow and
children in want. He then spoke of what
should be done in the. way of
pensioning soldiers. Speaking broadly in
favor of a system of pensions most
general and comprehensive in character, he
said that a distinguished citizen, lately a
resident of this city, had voiced the senti-
ment OF the country when he said that this
was not the time to use the apothecary's
scales to measure what is due to the soldier
from his country. The soldiers of the cOun-
try, in demanding their rights, were not
asking aims, but only what was rightfully
theirs.
THE young men of the country" contin,;
ued the speaker in conclusion, "have read
the story of liberty; they glory in your
marches. in your battles your victories.
They sing the songs you sung and glow
with the spirit of patriotism. They, too.
will march forward to your assistance three
times three hundred thousand strong. As
the youths of Rome never tired of singing
days of DID, they will sing of how well you
preserved the Constitution and the Union
of the States, and kept the flag unsullied
and, under the providence of God, gave to
this Nation a new birth of freedom"
The Soldiers Orphans Home Band. of
KnightstOwn, composed of boys from twelve
to seventeen years old, filled up an interval
with charming medley, and were warmly
applauded. This was followed by recita-
ton by about twenty scholars, boys and
girls of the home, of Winters simple but
grand lesson in patriotism, Barbara
| Frietschie." The sweet young voices of
the sons and daughters of soldiers met with
| a responsive sympathy from the audience.
| 1t was one of the most effective numbers on
the programme.
General Tom Bennett was called upon to
| speak in place of Gen. Lew Wallace, who
| was not present. General Bennett lodged
| the demand, and Chaplain LOzier came for
ward and gave a simply. inimitable per-
Torrance i'm the singing of Kingdom COM
| ing" in which the laughter of the audience
| fairly made the rafters ring. Lieutenant
| governor Chase then spoke briefly, laying
| stress upon the fact that the members of
the Grand Army were always good citizens,
and closed with a glowing tribute to the
| noble herOiSm of the women of the war; not
| in the field, but at home in Indiana while
| fathers, husbands and brothers were at the
| front.
| At this point in the performance three
| ladies, whose names were not upon the pro-
| lramme, came in and added greatly to the
| enjoyment of the evening. The first of
these was Miss Ollie Torbet. the accom-
| plished violinist, formerly a resident of
| this city, who gave most artistic and de-
| Gghtful exhibition of her skill upon the
| Shaw, the world famous whistler whose
mouth is filled with hooking birds
| and whose bird-like notes, far above the
| sound of the accompanying piano, reached
to the remOtest corner of the hall Then