The Republican journal., 1898-06-02
BUCKSPoRT,

" attended and were very interesting. FIR
T. j. Garrity conducted mass and FIR Keeley
OF Belfast addressed the Grand Army veter
ans, Sons OF Veterans and Relief Corps VIII,
were present in body. The singing was
| exceptionally fine, the choir being made ur
OF Mrs. E. NJ. Godfrey, Miss Lillian Ames
Miss an Godfrey, Miss Georgia Bulduc
Miss Marie Guilty, Mrs. F. II. WILDER, Miss
Lizzie Emery, Edward Lord, Dr. F. A Perry
and Clifton F. Wass. The Memorial Day
exercises were asuccess despite the unfavor
| able weather. The address by 0. F. Fellows
| Esq, was the feature of the day. and held
the attention of his audience from the frs,
with its brilliant patriotism. glowing tributes
to the memory of the departed heroes, and
finished with alnsious to the present war
| crisis, which brought storms of applause.
UNITY.
| Memorial day was observed here in the
| usual manner. In the forenoon the graves
We're decorated with flags and flowers In
the afternoon the people assem- bled at the
church and listened to the impressive ser.
vices by the Post. The address was deliver
ed by Rev. j. 7. Crosby of Bath with sing.
| school children We're out, hut on account of
| the stormy day there was not so large pro.
| cesslon as was expected.
The Sunday Memorial services were verv
| appropriate to the occasion. The altar and
| platform was a solid bank of flowers and the
| church was decorated with flags. Rev. F.
8 Doliltt delivered an eloquent sermon and
| the choir gave fine musical selections
| The Memorial day service passed off very
quietly by reason of the rain. Arrangements
| had been made for marching the various
| organizations through the streets and to the
cemeteries where public exercises We're to
| have been held. As it was detachments
| from the G.. \. r. and S. of v decorated the,
| of the sOlHjarS and Mt
clses We're held at the church. The local
band furnished excellent music for the occa-
sion. James E. Chandler. Esq Of this town
gave fine address and forty-tive children
sang PATRIOTIC songs. Following is an ab-
straet OF MIR. Chambers address:
Friends and brethren, members of the
Post, the Relief Corps and Sons of Veterans,
| Greeting:
Again have we met on the return of this
glorious "oth Of May TO do willing homage TO
the noble veterans of the great rebellion
Aou have just witnessed the dead heroes
revered, by bedecking their last resting
places with the flag they loved so we'll.
They went forth, rendering their life blood
| at d time when the fate of the nation quiver-
| ed in the balance.
The Good Book says man will give every
thing for his life, and they gave everything
for their country. Though we cannot pull
aside the veil of the inscrutabe hereafter,
we yet can solace ourselves with doing honor
to their memory. The glorious flag is their
winding sheet. They fought to conquer
peace and they rest in peace-yes, the peace
| OF glorious Immortality.
1t was a custom of the ancient Greeks to
assemble on stated occasions and listen to
rehearsas of the transcendent achievements
Of their ancestors. In this manner history
| was preserved and patriotism was inspired
| For equally good reason this one day of the
twelve-month has been dedicated to keep
green the honored memories of these heroic
dead and as we'll do homage to the living
| heroes, with gratitude for our united Coun-
try. Since the dark days Of the rebellion a
full generation has passed, and the great
majority OF those now living possess no di-
| rect knowledge of that terrible struggle.
and hence can have but slight conception Of
the sutterlng sorrow, pain, anguish, the
heartbreakings of mother, wife. husband
and son, nor the joys and triumphs of those
! historic days That we may appreciate in a
measure the cost OF blood, treasure and suf-
ferlng OF that gigantic struggle, We will
make brief alluslou to some OF the salient
events that have inspired the celebration Of
this day The oppression endured Ivy our
ancestors occasioned the Declaration of In
dependence, which attirms that "All men
are created equal, and endowed with tile
right TO life, liberty and the pursuit OF hap
piness.'
a Washington led our armies through
seven years successful struggle, from which
VIC tll tttu NoipHltS tlilt'IStu dS GllllIttu III
dependent States, loosely bound together by
voluntary compact, called Articles Of Con
, federation. Their compact was but a rope
OF sand, which our patriotic fathers We're
quick to perceive. Hence was formed our
| constitutions with slight change the same
as to-day. 1t is the bulwark of our liberties
and the bond of our nationality, the Ameri-
| can Magma Charta Of our political rights
| The first sentence of its preamb ble sounds the
keynote Of its object, to wit: ITO form a
more perfect union" This constitution was
| the unquestioned law of our land till eigh-
teen hundred and thirty-two, when it was
! menaced by nullihcation. But Webster
forged the thunder bolts and a Jackson
guided the forked lightning and heresy in
| this form was forever dead. But twenty
nine years later the question of human slav
| cry and its extension to new territory was
an issue of vastly greater gravity. Section
| al anlmosites We're aroused open rebellion
instigated to an alarming extent. and the
| perp etuity of the union was in the greatest
peril. The right of secession was claimed
and C championed by the ablest men in the
| south. A compromise, restricting the eX
/ tenslo of slavery north of $3.50, had been re-
| pealed. Kansas, however, was admitted
under popular sovereignty" as free State.
John Brown had attempted a raid at Har-
per's Ferry. The south was defeated in the
| election of the immortal Lincoln.
| The south was quick to discern that the
| limit of the slave power was restricted.
Every other civilized nation on the face Of
J the globe had abolished it and its propaganda
lists in America read its final doom and ex-
tlnction. Yet they were determined to make
| a supreme effort to continue it, and this was
the immediate cause of the rebellion.
Hence, when Sumpter was fred upon it
was disunion, rebellion, secession. Undoubt-
edly the masses OF the south believed they
had real grievance. Fifteen States threw
down the gage OF battle; the issue was join
ed. IL was union or disunion, loyalty
bellion, law or anarchy, country or no coun-
try. Ah then stout hearts faltered. Our
fate trembled in the balance. Had our union
under Washington been in vain? Was our
boasted country no country after ALL but
failure; and despotism triumphant? Was
popular government to prove mere expert
ment, and hereafter to be blotted from the
annals of nations? Were boasted i'll
stitutions to be a by-word and example to
be avoided rather than followed? What a
sad Waterloo-too sad now to contemplate
too sad a thought that mans liberties were
to be wrecked on the shoals of human slav-
cry. Ah gentlemen, this was a time that
tried mems souls, If there was ever genuine
patriotism it was ia the dark days of 1861
The very heavens were murky. With our
country it was a question of life and death.
Till now secession had possessed great ad-
vantage. The slave power had been com
pact, united and aggressive. Many of the