The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-04-07
GEORGE H. THOMAS POST
Celebrate by Literary Exercises at Irving
Hall.

Celebrate by Literary Exercises at Irving
Hall.
Irving Hall was comfortably filed last
evening with the comrades OF George III.
Thomas Post. No. 2, aud their friends, who
had assembled to celebrate the twenty-ffth
anniversary of the Grand Army of the Re
public. The stage was draped with the
national co!ors, which were also freely and
effectively used in the decoration of the
hall. To the right and left of the stage
stood busts Of Lincoln and Grant, orna-
mented with laurel wreaths, and fine oil
portrait of General Thomas occupied Il con-
spicuouS position.
The audience was very enthusiastic and
frequently stirred into prolonged applause
by the patriotic references of the addresses.
Much appreciated, too was the singing of
the Masonic quartet-Messrs. Sam ID.
Mayer, j. Il. Ogilvie, W. G. Campbell and
J. G. Baston-who admirably rendered WELL
known war songs during the evening. A
request to the audience to join in the chorus
of the Battle Hymn of the Republic" was
complied with with a will, and the we'll
known air was given with vim that set
the blood of the comrades tingling as the
familiar strains brought old memories
tbropging thick upon them.
GENERAL ORDERS.
The general orders. commanding the
simultaneous celebration of the anniversary
in the various posts and a brief history of
the order from its inception in 1866, were
read by Commander Litchfed.
After prayer by the Rev. Mr.. Harris.
chaplain of the post and chant had been
sung by the quartet, Commander Litchfield
gave a brief review Of the history of the
post. 'l 1t was in 1867, he said, that Com
rade Blakey returned from the East with
authority to establish a post on the Pacific
Coast, and ON April 18th of that year. a post
was organized on the beach below the Cliff
House. Little, however, was done till 1879.
when meeting was held on August I'd
in Red Mems Hall to organize a post and
six recruits were mustered In. On August
18th, eight more recruits joined and G. II.
Thomas was adopted as the name Of the
post which was now fully organized under
F. Carson as Commander. Nine hundred
and ninety-Seven comrades in all have been
enrolled, and tie numbers to-day is 597, q
number which must decrease as death thins
the ranks"
A stirring address was delivered by Cap
tain G. A. Woodruff, U. 5. A., on 'Ameri-
can Patriotism" He spoke of the necessity
of ineulcating patriotism in the public
schools and quoted instances OF American
herolsm which made it unnecessary to search
in classical history for instances of patriotic
devotion. Captain Woodruff's remarks
were frequently interrupted by applause,
which was renewed again and again at its
close.
Comrade r. A. Friedrich dwelt on the
sadder side of the celebration, its reminder
that the young men who joined the Grand
Army at its commencement were growing
old and dropping away.
Brigadier- General Gibbon said he was not
member of the Grand Army, but claimed
to be comrade because he had fought with
them. He told an amusing story of an En-
gishman who was complaining to an Amer
lean Colonel that the North took so long to
finish the war. "Yes," said the Colonel,
but then it was Americans we were fight
ing. If they had been Englshmen or
Frenchmen we would have finished it OF
fast enough" IF any country" added
General GibboD, - is eager to knock the
belligerent chip from the shoulder of Uncle
Sam it would do well to remember that
fact"
The last address was delivered by Com
rade j. A. Waymire, who gave some particu-
lars of the homes for veterans established
by tie national and State governments.
There were $1,000 men in the nineteen
homes-a number that was not excessive
when one took into account the hardships
the men had endured, which naturally led
TO premature breakiug-down.
Among those on the platform were: Com
mander Litchfield, General Gibbon, U. S.
A., Captain c. A. Woodruff, u. S. A, Rev.