St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-06-01
MEMORIAL DAY.
1T was Observed In Proper Shape by
ChamberIin P0sf.-Tributes of Honor
to the Departed.
SUNDAY EVENINGS EXERCISES.

SUNDAY EVENINGS EXERCISES.
The first feature of Memorial Day OBJ
servance here occurred on Sunday even
ing, when the churches of the village
united in service at Music Hall and
sermon was given before Chamberlin
Post by Rev. Costello Weston of the
Church of the Messiah. A large audience
gathered as usual to indicate their in
terest in this special assembly under the
Posts auspices, and the exercises were
profitable throughout. The Orchestral
Club played several selections during the
service, and good music was also furnish
ed by quartette from the South church
choir-Miss Brown, Mrs. Peck, c. E.
Peck and H. H. May. Revs. W. S.
Smithers, Fl. M. Douglas, Frank Apple
ton and c. M. Lamson assisted in the
opening devotional exercises.
Rev. Mr. Weston gave practical dis
course from John xii: %, "a, 25-
Verify verify, l say unto you, Except
corn of wheat fall into the ground and
die, it abdeth alone: but if it die
1t bringeth forth much fruit. He that
loveth his life shall lose it; and he that
hath his life in this world shall keep it
unto life eternal" The speaker referred
to the three years self-renunciatory sell
vice which Christ gave to his country
and to mankind, and emphasized in con.
nection Herewith the idea of supreme
devotion. He showed the analogy be-
tween those days and the war period
from 1861. There was great hope and
expectation on the part of the followers
of Christ as to the sort of kingdom
which he was to establish on the earth,
even as there was also confidence on the
part of the people of the North of a
speedy and glorious triumph in 1861 +;
but the hopes of the disciples were for
the time being dashed to the ground and
their hearts filled with disappointment
and sorrow, even as many homes were
made desolate and many hearts disap-
pointed by the sacrifice of brave soldiers
> on the fields Of battle. But the results
: following Christ's death proved, as was
. also proved after 1865, that Gods in
superable wisdom is much better than
any choice we may make or any hope we
may have.
The speaker paid tribute to the in
tegrity of the Union armies as a whole,
and the purity of the motives by which
they were impelled. 1t was undoubted-
ly true, he said, that the ranks included
many worthless adventurers who went
to the front without patriotic impulse !;
: but the victories were not won by such
as these-worthy and lasting results are
not achieved by unworthy elements. In
closing Mr.. Weston brought out the
beauty of the loyal, selfsacri6cing spirit
which the text was intended to make
prominent. The man who forgets
everything discovery branch of duty
in the desire to keep his life and make it
: worth as much to himself as possible,
will surely lose all those things which
tend to make life really desirable. AS it
is with individuals, so with nations me-
glect of duty along the paths of right
eousness and good works will result in
disaster, for God has hitherto broken in
pieces many an empire which set itself
up in defiance of his laws. The lesson of
the text was familiarly applied, and the
cultivation of a spirit of Christian
patriotism was urged as all-important.
THE DAY ITSELF
Dawned fair and cool, giving promise of
fine weather for the exercises, and the
pleasant augury Of the morning was
literally fulfilled, the skies remaining
benign until late in the afternoon, when
a shower laid the dust, the clouds dis
persing in season to enhance the at
tendance at the concert in the evening.
Post Chamberlin is to be congratu-
lated on the complete success of the OBJ
servance, nothing occurring to mar the
smoothness with which the days pro-
gramme was carried out. Details visit
ed Mount Pleasant cemetery and other
resting places in this immediate vicinity
as usual in the morning and decorated
the graves OF the soldiers. Shortly after
noon the line was formed for the parade.
under the direction of Chief Marshal
Smythe and his aids, Messrs J. B. Gage
and G. w. Batchelder, large number OF
people having gathered in the vicinity of
Court House square to see the start.
The parade was made up of the
marshals, platoon of police the st.
Johnsbury band, the st. Johnsburv