The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-25
MEMORIAL SERVICES
Impressive Words of Rev. G. W.
Healy to the G. A. R. Veterans.
AT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
A Sermon Full of Meaning and At
tentively Listened to by Large
AudIence-Be of Dec
grafton Day observance.

The Presbyterian church was crowd
ed last evening by an interested audi
ence to listen to the memorial sermon
by Rev. G. w. Healy. This sacred SER
vice marks the beginning of the annual
observance of Decoration day, the sea-
son set apart for the identifying OF
graves of departed heroes of war and
friends and relatives. During the
course of his remarks, Mr.. Healy re-
ferred in the kindest expression to the
dead whose memory is honored by the
deeds OF valor placed to their credit
on the field of battle. He spoke OF the
lesson the dreadful war has taught, Of
the purpose 1t fulfilled, of the duty OF
every man to perform. II was an able
address and the audience listened at
tentively to every word.
G. A. r. veterans attended, and to
them the words of the minister as he
recited the story of those dark days
and the awful consequences attending
were full of interest. The music was Of
a patriotic character.
The text was follows:
Job 1877. Days should speak and
multitude of years teach wisdom"
The sermon in part is as follows:
The occasion for giving expression to
our gratitude is near at hand, as back
over the course of more than 100 sea-
sons our thoughts turn to those
knightly men in blue who marched
away to battle in youthful vigor and
manly strength: who were exposed to
the binding volleys of musketry and the
whitening fire of cannon; who periShed
when the hot lips of bursting guns
spoke and fell to the earth like leaves
before a November gale.
on Saturday we will bring the choic-
est we have in eulogy and story and
song to the places where our heroes
sleep. We will lay upon their bosoms
the choicest and most fragrant flowers
of the new spring. While Decoration
day does not come this year TO pros
porous and happy nation We will not
on that account scatter any fewer How
ers. We may need to remind ourselves
that to the dead soldiers these post
morton honors amount to nothing.
What care they for our praise or
blame. But to the living these Deco
ration days serve high and holy pur-
pose in keeping alive the fires of free
dom and inspiring in our youth the
spirit of gratitude, patriotism and self
government.
While we honor those who fill the
known graves let me remind you not
to forget those equally brave thou
sands whose last resting places are not
known; let us cheer and comfort their
dear ones and IL the occasion ever
comes let us of this generation Initiate
their example and remember that the
place OF our graves is nothing, but
that:
whether on the scaffold high,
Or in the battles van,
The fittest place where man can die
Is where he dies for man"
In these years of intellectual and
moral lttleness we must not forget
our leaders of 80 years ago. Our lead
ers of to-day compared with those of
81, sink into insignificance. 1t seems
almost a dream that we ever had such
out Mountain, Winchester, Gettys-
spring into memory on these memorial
days What men they were at Look
out mountains. WINCHESTER. Gettys-
burg. Shilo, Chattanooga, Appomattox
Court House, Atlanta, Murphysbur-
ough. Fort Donaldson and at Washing
ton. These men assume the form of
heroes possible only to the records of
poetry. They should sleep underneath
the most extravagant robe of flowers
And let the most skilled hands of those
whose hearts are loyal weave a gor-
geous wreath OF the choicest flowers,
and lay IL gently upon the passionless
the nation was laid quietly at rest in
bosom of him, who amid the tears of
that splendid sarcophagus at Spring.
field, Ill We should be better men and
women living in the memory of the
president who said: Il believe this
country cannot endure half slave and
half free"
Days should speak and multitude of
years teach wisdom The war has
taught our people: First-That we
have in these United States central
government The war broke out with
the idea OF state rights" The war
has settled the question of national su-
premacy To establish that fact was
the struggle of three-quarters of a
century. Early in our history Calhoun
al, . a.
drew Jackson stood up in his Office and
said: by the Eternal, the constitu-
ton must be preserved" A little later
a silver-tongued orator of the South
would pluck one of the golden stars
from the azure Of our country's flag.
Daniel Webster arese from his seat in
the United States senate and in that
classic of American eloquence defend
ed the unity of the nation. The last
words of the orator. on that occasion.
have been ringing in the ears of the
American people ever since: Liberty
and union, now and forever one and
inseparable" Later still, and in the
memory of men still living. Calhoun
idea broke out in awful fury and upon
this continent was enacted the most
dreadful civil conflict that ever en-
gagged the attention of a nation. Un-
der the Incompatible leadership OF
Abraham Lincoln our national suprem-
dCy was pTtNtTNtu- lo-udy the NoftT
and South. the blue and the gray. hav,
one hope of our common country,
splendid future
Second-The war has taught our reo.
pie the rights of the individual. Tn,
old idea was that a class or party oi
family or nation was free bur not IN,
Individual That governments are III
stituted of. by. and Tor the people u
an idea that has found expression II
national goyernrren mt only in the -9tl
century and confirmed by the struggle
of 81. Don't misunderstood ne. Thu
idea is neither a product of 18th cen
fury thought nor OF American coil
Jesus Christ started the idea down th'
ages that men should know tie trutl
and the truth shah make US free
Whether a man is black or white. hon,