Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-06-05
\ MEMORIAL CEREMONIES
ii j. III Rhodes Pays an Eloquent
Il ribute to the Y Mon
Soldiers. .s3:t 4
Other Appropriate Exercises
Included ia the Observance
Of the Day.

Never before since the 30th day q
May as set aside for the annual tri--
butte to the old soldiers Of the Union MON
armies, has Decoration day been
more appropriately observed in this z
city than on Saturday last.
The city and surrounding country
turned out in large numbers. and be-
fore noon the city was thrOnged with
people. The forenoon was devoted
by the g a. r. to the work of dec t
Grating the graves Of the old soldiers
who are buried in Lakewood Gene
terry, and the citizens who have
relatives buried there also were at
work decorating the graves. n s.t Il.
Promptly at 1:2O il. the afternoon
the procession wss formed in front
Of the city hall, headed by Workman
post, G. A. X. and a drum corps, In
the procession were civil societies,
the city fire department, and citizens
on oot.and in carriages, the total
length Of which covered a greater
part OF the distance between he city
and the cemetery.
4 At the cemetery the exercises
opened with the singing OF q pat
riotic hymn. This was followed by
an eloquent ora ton by J.H. Rhodes,
in which he paid q deserved tribute
TO the dead and living soldiers of the
Union army. Nj.
Workman Post, G.. A. r., con-
Quoted the impressive services at the
graves OF their comrades and the
exercises closed with singing the
hymn, Nearer Ny God to Thee. = j.
Following is a synopsis Of the adj
dress made by Mr.. Rhodes: ~
1T was great day for Rome, when
the Roman Emperor, Aurelius, re
turned in triumph from his wars OF
conquest. His triumphal procession
was the greatest that the world
ever saw. BUTT was q procession
formed to commemorate victories
won, not iii defence Of rights and
principles, but togain unholypo
TWAS agreater day than Imperial
Rome ever saw, when the clarion
tongue Of that old Liberty bell in
Independence Hall, at Philadelphia,
on the 4th day OF July, l776. rams:
out the glad tidings that this was
to be the land Of the free and the
home OF the brave, forever and for
ever. y GA q. zss.S
Our revered fathers meant that
it should be free, free as the very
air that they breathed. Here on
American soil, they founded a gov
eminent which thew intended should
be an asylum for the oppressed Of
every nation. And yet, though i'm
measurably better than anything
which had gone before, the govern
ment OF our fathers was not wholly
free. And when the lamented. i'm
mortal Abraham Lincoln was
inaagurated as president OF the
United States, in 1861, he found
millions of slaves within the borders
OF our beloved land. But as God
raised up, Moses to lead tho children
Of Israel out of the house of Egyptian
bondage. so raised He up Abraham
Lincoln to lead the sons of Ham out
of the house of American bondage.
Nineteen hundred years ago, near
the beautiful City of Bethlehem, not
far from the place where Ruth had
cleaned the barley in the fields OF
Boaz. and among the hills where
David, when a boy, had tended his
fathers flocks, some shepherds were
tending theirs. AS their nightly
yigils wore away, lo,-the angel OF
the Lord appeared unto them, amid
multitude of the heavenly host,
and brought the glad tidings that a
Saviour was born. A Saviour not
only for them but for all the world.
"A Saviour that whatsoever should
believe in Him; should not perish.
but have everlasting life. That was
the greatest day that the world ever
saw, and will continue to be known
as SUCH, until time shall have merged
into eternity. >s1a' h. e. \
But next to it, one Of the greatest
DAYS which the world ever saw, was
the ever mem orable one upon which
Abraham Lincoln promulgated the
wonderful, immortal proclamation
OF emancipation. It did not redeem
q world from SIN, buttiid redeem the
government of our fathers from the
foul blotch OF slavery. a t one stroke
OF Lincoln's pen, the shackles fell
from millions Of slaves. The rich
legacy OF our fathers became in fact,
lust what they had intended that II
should be---a government, Recognize
ing the equal rights OF all men.
In Lincoln's inaugural address in
1861. he said that he knew no North,
no South. no East, no West. That