Morning journal and courier., 1890-09-11
VETERANS DEDICATE A SHRINE

streets in West Haven shortly after noon | yesterday in spite of the thick mist which 1 made everything out of doors very dis agreeable. Old veterans in their blue | coats, brass buttons, medals and broad | brimmed soft hats were seen hurrying about the streets. And all of this agita- ton in the quiet little borough was occasioned by the ceremonies attending the dedication of the soldiers and sailors monument in Oak Grove cemetery.
 The principal part in the military dis play was taken by Admiral Foote post, G. T A. R., of this city This body formed at Embler in command, and marched up Church street to Elm, to Temple, through the Green to Chapel again, down Chapel to Church and back to the armory, where cars were waiting to take them to West Haven. They were accompanied by the local post of the Sons of Veterans, thirty strong. Mayor Peck, General E. E. Brad ley, Commander w. H. Pierpont, Depart ment Chaplain Miller of Mystic and other carriages.
 The borough was all dressed in it's gay est attire to receive the guests. Houses were decorated with flags and bunting and the veterans of West Haven were drawn up in line to greet the New Haven veterans as the cars stopped with them on Elm street at Second avenue Among the houses notable for their decorations were those of Senetor Graham, l.. c. Thompson, Chief Marshal W. l.. G.. Pritchard, Dr. Shepard, Charles Thompson, William E. Burns, . William Evans, the town clerks office, the Young Mems Republican club, which kept open house for the visitors, the postofice and other places.
 The march down Elm street to Washing ton street was witnessed by crowds of peo- pie. The order of parade was:
 Chief Marshal, Comrade W. [. G: Pritchard. Assistant Marshalf, fecf c9mrade 3r William E. Israel Kelsey, Dr. J. Barnett, Charles Graham, Charles Clark, J. D. Merwin, John T. Gill, soas oe vo.oIDra Drum nop Corps. ,,o,o o
 ~ " Columbia Drum Corps. ' 'p' West Haven Memorial Association, President Admiral Foote Pioneer Corps
 Second Regiment Band.
 Strickland.
 Drum Corps,
 Van Horn Post, Milford
 Department Commander John o. Broatch. Department Chaplain D. Henry Miller. Post Department Commanders F. D. Sloat and William Pierpont,
 And Other Invited Guests in Carriages Women's Relief Corps of New Haven in Barges West Haven Fire Company fPs No. o.1,Dr.D.y V. Will son, Foreman.
 When the paraders reached the tree shaded knoll in the cemetery upon which the monument stood, capped with large flag, large gathering had already spread about the place. Under the boughs of the oak trees to the north had been erect ed a platform. Upon this the guests of ha 6au a6 1oft riages, and a sudden silence fell upon the large gathering as the Rev. N. J. Squires arose to offer prayer. President H. o. Higgins then introduced General B. E. Bradley, who made some interesting in troductory remarks. A synopsis of Gen eral Bradley's address is as follows:
 GENERAL BRADLEY's SPEECH.
 MT. President and Fellow Citizens-We come together to-day to perform patriot ic duty, not alone to the dead-we can do in loving remembrance, making their good example an influence in our ives-but we perform duty to the living and to those coming after us. These monuments are reared as object lessons, teaching all who see them that love of country, devotion to l duty and personal sacrifice in righteous cause are appreciated, remembered and honored. To the young particularly should these substantial memorials of he- roes be emphasized.
 1 When a man leaves home, wife, children or aged parents, as the case may be, and l goes forth to battle, whether for his coun- l try's liberty or ill the cause of the op- pressed, he performs one of the noblest l and most unselfish acts of which human | nature is capable. Knowing full we'll the dangerous chances before him, as he takes his life in his hand, he asks no guaran- tees from those who stay behind, nor l yet from his country. He has faith, and if he is called upon to make the | supreme sacrifice, if his life is tho price he must pay. he believes, and has right to believe, that a grateful country will remember him and see that his loved ones, having lost their natural guardian. will be provided for and pro- tected. Those of us who have lived long enough to remember generation back can l recall many case such as here suggested. If we ask ourselves how faithfully we have met our duty no doubt we may find some cases of failure, or at least only partial success. But, as whole, taking all the cases and all the people of this country, think we may fairly say that we have tried and largely succeeded ill meeting the obli- gation. The country has justified in a large measure the faith of the soldier who l went forth to battle and to die.
 Regarding pensions it is reasonable to say that the desire of a great majority of our people has been to sec such laws en- acted as would materially assist the dis
 abled soldier or the families of such as died
 so that actual want should not be added to
 their other burdens. Many other benefcent agencies than government have also been faithfully at work. Perhaps the most eff fective of these have been organizations of veterans themselves, such as your Veteran Memorial association and that wonderful body having members by thousands from the Atlantic to the Pacific known as the Grand Army of the Republic, of which we have representative companies here to-day, one of them, the Admiral Foote post, having, I think, the third or fourth largest membership in this country. An instance of such work by
 veterans and their friends, as I have indi-
 cated, is before us to-day. Previous to the
 year 1886 Memorial day exercises in West
 Haven had been held almost entirely un-
 der the auspices of the teachers in the l public schools. Under their charge annual
 processions, made up mostly if not entirely
 of school children, marched to the ceme
 ter1es and with appropriate ceremonies
 such as dialogues, recitations and singing
 decorated with floral emblems the graves
 of our dead soldiers. I mention this witt
 feelings of especial pleasure as showing
 that here in West Haven at least the chil
 dren were taught to revere the memory ot
 our patriot dead All credit should bt
 given the lady teachers of our schools fol
 thus teaching and leading in the honorine
 of Memorial day.
 During the year 1886 the Veteran Me
 morial association of West Haven was or
 ganized "for the purpose of proper ob
 servance of Memorial day, and to promote
 friendly intercourse among it's members. The objects sought have been in grea
 measure attained by this organization ani
 the proper observance of Memorial day i,
 no longer left entirely to the teachers ani
 children of the public schools, but is par
 ticipated in by the veterans and citizens generally. And not only so, for on th'
 death of veteran in June, 1888, the fac
 that there was no place provided in thi
 the burial of friendless veterans, becam
 painfully apparent. A meeting of the as
 sociation was held to consider the matte
 and take proper action. A committee wa
 appointed to ascertain on what terms
 suitable lot in this cemetery could be ob
 tained. As a result of the committees eff
 forts this lot was generously presented b,
 the Oak Grove Cemetery association.
 The next step was to grade and improv the lot. This the association was enabled
 to do largely through the efforts of thu
 wives and daughters of it's members, wh,