Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-05-31

uedTIlly anu lnleIeSJeuly luJO Jue eAeTClSeS,
and devoting Wednesday afternoon to pat
rietic programs. The instilling of love of
flag and country into the hearts of the
young by exercises of this kind is wise and
fitting. Thursdays exercises were largely
attended and of much interest, as will be
seen by the detailed account given below.
The ranks of the veterans were noticeably
thin, which was due in part, no doubt, to
the extreme heat.
At the Congregational Church.
Memorial Sunday was fittingly observed.
Sedgwick post, G.. A. r., the Woman
Relief corps, and Tyler camp, Sons of
Veterans, attended morning service at the
Centre church, which was appropriately
decorated for the occasion with effective
drapings of the national colors. The state
flag had prominent place in front of the
organ. The regular service of the church
was used and the sermon was preached by
Rev. c. O. Day, who addressed the vet
Grams and allied bodies from the words of
Paul: II have kept the faith as those of
one veteran to others, and as holding the
precise thought of the day. 1t was a sub
lime faith that filled, impelled and sacri-
feed the heroes of the war, from private to
general, and their undying eloquence
charges upon their comrades the keeping
of the faith of the patriot soldier. This
faith is included, as a specific creed, within
the larger universal faith of the kingdom
and redemption of God, in that it empha-
sizes certain points and fortifies them with
evidence peculiar to the soldiers expert
ence. The soldier believes in God, but es-
pecially because of the tremendous asser-
tions of battle; in country, but with pc
culiar hold upon her personality and
preciousness felt in the call and cost of
war; in human rights, but these tested as
to their sacredness in the persons of men
stripped OF all Fictitious claims; in the
slaves he freed; in duty, because he most
of all has seen it embodied; in immortality,
because he, as no other man, is brought
face to face with the problems and impera-
tives of death. But grand though the
creed is, the dead brave have still more to
say as to the manner of keeping it. They
who died for it say that keeping the SOL
dier's creed takes hold on the life, that the
creed is the man, or rather, that the faith
is the larger man within the soul that in
spires, governs and claims the whole devo-
tion. Moreover, the creed to be kept is a
growing creed; not cherishing an old mus
ket or flag or wound or record, but rising
with the new contents which the great
terms God, country, rights, duty, immor-
tality are continually receiving. By such
vial and progressive excepting the faith"
shall the final reunion of comrades, so
many of whom have left the fast-thinning
ranks of the Grand Army be made glorious.
Detachments from the post visited Yer
non, Guilford and West Dummerston Sun
day afternoon. At Vernon Col. Hooker
was the speaker of the day. The detach-
ment that went to Gulford decorated the
graves in four cemeteries in that town.
At West Dummreston Capt. Coombs ad-
dressed the veterans.
Thursdays Proceedings.
The first exercises of the day were at
West BrattleborO, detachment from the
post attending and assisting in the SER
vices. Prayer was offered by Rev. Mr..
Babbitt, an excellent paper was presented
by Mrs. j. p. Goodenough on the loyal
women of West Brattleboro, an appropri-
ate poem was read by Miss Goodenough,
recitations were rendered by Milly Holden
and Flora Tucker, and happily spoken
address was given by Mr.. Beverage.
The veterans formed lines in front
of their hall at ? o'clock and marched
to the town hall, where the Grafton was
delivered, preceded by the First Regiment
band, the Estey Guard as escort, and the
boys battalion. The exercises at the
hall, which was beautifully decorated
about the stage with laurel and flowers,
the emblems of the Grand Army and Re
lief corp having prominent places, con-
sisted of music by the band, prayer by
Rev. j. H. Babbitt, and selection by quar-
tet, Messrs Frank and Fred Brasor, Stearns
and Gilbert. Capt. Streeter, as chairman
of the committee, introduced Col Joel c.
Baker of Rutland as the orator of the day.
Col. Bakers Address.
Col. Baker, in opening his eloquent ad-
dress, which commanded the earnest at
tention of an audience crowding the town
hall, spoke of the benefits which history
shows are always derived when we pay
tribute to personal endeavOr in a noble
cause. 1t is thus that we personify into a
rule of life the work done and the methods
of its accomplishment. "HOW did we
keep patriotism alive during the years fol-
lowing the peace of 1888? An exhausted
people, scattered the entire length of the
Atlantic seaboard, poor in all that makes
national wealth, except the exaltations OF
new political life, and the gallant service
that had purchased our right to a national
existence. The answer to this question
| comes to us in the history of the times
Every boy and girl, however INDECENT, and
| however unlearned in books and schools,
was told the story of the Revolution. The
participants in the battles of Bunker Hill
of Saratoga, of Bennington, the Brandy
wine and Yorktown, went in and out
among them, and each was hero to the
youthful mind. The miseries of VALLEY
Forge caused tears of sympathy to flow
from eyes that looked upon green fields
and happy homes, as the fruit of that suf,
fering and privation. The hearts of the
| young went out to the soldier who had
| fought for his and their country, anC
fatherland was made more precious by per
sonal contact with its defenders. Thi!
education, kind of object teaching, ha.
been potent in making our country what
it is. The life of Abraham Lincoln reach
ed back to personal contact with the
soldiers who made this nation, and HI
learned from it the value of constitutions
liberty, better than he could have beer
taught in universities, or the halls of Con
gress." Because these things are true tn,
speaker gave warmest commendatiOn Il
the memorial exercises in the schools
which the law of Vermont now makes i'm
perative, and to the practice which has S,
tttingly grown up as feature of the me
mortal season of attending divine servic
on the Sunday of memorial week, anC
there listening TO the analogies which re
ligion and the church teach between tn