The Yale expositor., 1897-09-03
YALE. st. Clair County. Mich

the Bennington battlefield whlcuN
saw there. Captain Starks, in cQ(.
mand of the little band of her0e11
Bennington, looking toward s n
eminence, saw company of Briti3h
approaching to attack them in tlxo'
position, he uttered the memdra6I
words which have become famou uo 4
history, "There are the red coats a.
| they are ours, or Mollie Starks sleep6'
widow tonight" F." His visit lat I
Boston at one of the reunions q h'
old comrades held there, brought 0ll
very touching incident. He aeke
to see the old Regimental flag VhIc
had been presented to the RegIfoef
by the ladies of Boston, when the
went to the war. 1t had pa656
through many strange vicissitudes Vi
summer suns had bleached it, thd Wlf
| try winds had rent it into tatters tll
enemy's bullets had pierced 1t Ip4n
times, and he wanted to touch iuWlf
| his fingers, but the nearest he c0l1I
get to It was the thickness of platqQ q
glass that covered the case in whioh|
was enclosed, and, said he, turninR( 4
the flag over his head, which was so<'
ing as drapery, grasping it in his fiu(
lips, this flag which we soldiers do =
loye and venerate has to us a WQf
derful significance. For ii we fouRh|
for it many of our gallant citizen xo'
ted in the hell-holes in Anderson an
Libby prisons; for 1T the hearts ts'QQ
of the fairest and truest of our SOM W1
poured out as free as water on mauy'
southern battlefield, they cou atm
their lives none too precious In or4e
that this glorious old flag, the mblex
of human liberty. might be ha nde
down to our children unsullied an
free from any dishonored stain. her
were few dry eyes in the audlencetdul
ing this pathetic recital. M
Base ball and dress parade had tob
abandoned on account of the rain az
supper was served in the Commi ssax
department, instead of on the cu7N
ground as announced in program
The camp fire in the evening % tb
civilians who had never seen the 11kI
was exceedingly interesting. 1t IVA
held in the NJ. +. church which We
| filled to overliowing. President H4lr<
presiding, made some very happyfhI'
! introducing Mai. Keeler, of Richnlon<
The Maj. is very good speaker artd
kept his audience TO strict "atten ion
in making a comparison betweeIi tu
little insignificant band of patriots Wh
first started on its mission of merdy;l
the mighty nation of nearly 70.OCV,H
people now, between the pOYcrH
stricken condition of the country Ule1
and its enormous wealth now; and1
glowing terms depicted the magn It11l
| L. a
| land lordship over. His speech thrduRl
out bristled with patriotic thought an
sentiment, making all present ft|
proud in belonging TO this great n euo
of sovereigus. The male quartet{
again gratified the audience with Ion
of their best, and had TO repeat L'e11
selves before the meeting was satlNflf
to let them go. Miss Percie raj
gave another recitation, "The Wrcc
of the st. Helen" Miss Drake 20
sesses wonderful powers in the ar rt-<
elocution, and she held her hearC
spell-bound during her recital an
moved many to tears. ~
Congressman Snover, of the Sevenl
District was next introduced and Ii1a1
his bow to as fine and as enthusi i4st
an audience as ever assembled irt tt
village of Yale, and won golden op1l
ions from the veterans for his patr10t
utterances, as well as for his etfofts
behalf os the soldiers while he va
working up their interests down
| Washington. Mr.. Snover is q V6I
pleasing speaker, and during his ta|
glided very gracefully into the Ro0
will of the audience by relating the dj
| tfxv hA in arI|
what the veterans did at their Gam
fires, this being the first one he ~
witnessed. One old veteran infotlUf
him that it was place where the o'
chaps met to swap lies and he illu u9tr
ted this view of it by telling story}
two old veterans meeting togethert6r
claiming they recollected each ot hex
faces, but could not tell where TIN
had ever met face to face, when of,o<
them solved the difficulty by refef frlr
to an explosion that took place som
where, and stating that he was o. /.
and was blown skyward, and irf d
ascent he recollected that he had K11
the other one coming down. Tho Q|
war veteran, Chaplain White, q g1|
addressed the assemblage, and th
time with much sadness in his VoN
and manner feelingly alluded to a
very apparent fact that soon tht
camp fires, these happy greetinR
these warm clasps of the hands, W ol1|
soon, only too soon come to an end 4
saw before him so many of his old cQ1
rades, once strong, hale and he&rt
but now bent with declining years, 4n
tottering along towards the raf1t
place, and that soon, the place tn
now knows them, the camp fires 1|
now are cheered by their presence H|
know them no more. Many of the Q|
veterans were seen brushing aw
tear while listening to their old 6{1t
rade's utterances. A band of M
children trained and led by j
Palmer added greatly TO the intere
the gathering in their patriotic
service. The meeting was then M
missed by singing the doxology, IA
the days proceedings ended withdt<
hitch, except it may be said that it
q big hitch that the manager of U
programme failed i'm standing in VE
the clerk Of the weather.
Thursdays encampment was Ia N
ly repetition of the day prev
with the addition of the parade
banquet. The weathe clerk was
propitious and gave us dandy, a