The Republican journal., 1898-01-13
Meeting of Waldo County Veterans.

| The Waldo County Veterans ASSOCIATE on
| ment made at Morrill,, Nov. 5th. The attend
! ance of veterans was small owing to the
| heavy snow storm of the day before. This is
| just what we predicted last fall when the
committee requested to have the meeting
| held here. We told them that inasmuch as we
were located away on one side of the coun-
| ty it was not proper place to hold the
| meeting in the winter time, as there were
| but few days in the winter that the old
vets would care to drive ten or fifteen miles
| from home. The reunions, if held at all in
! the winter, should be held in Belfast or along
the line of the railroad. There is no place
in the county where the people delight to
honor the brave old comrades more than
here, and they can be depended upon to en-
tertain at any and all times; but they do
like to have a goodly assembly of people
present when they have prepared for them.
They are of the same opinion of the old
fellow who kicked at the shadow of a dog,
viz; 1t wrenches man awfully to kick at
nothing.
When it was decided to hold the reunion
here Jan. 9th | thought it would be good
idea to change the program somewhat and
let the sons and daughters of veterans and
the school children receive the old veterans.
With this end in view | called on G. M.
Howes, ESQ.,, Superintendent of schools and
| the son of veteran, and suggested to him
that whereas there was nothing in the histor-
les used in our schools that taught the rising
generation anything of what the old soldiers
did for the country. would it not be good
plan to give the schools half holiday and
let them take part in the entertainment as
an object lesson. He was much pleased
with the idea and instructed the teachers of
the several schools to that effect, and it was
carried out to the letter and in happy man
ner and although the old veteran was most
conspicuous bylhis absence, still there were
about forty of them present. About fifty
persons were furnished dinner, and in the
afternoon St. Georges Hall was we'll file d
with comrades, school children and soldier
loving citizens. The comrades present were
loud in their praise of the entertainment, and
the younger people received an object les
son in patriotism that had never been taught
them before.
There being no officers of the Association
present, j. o. Johnson acted as president
and presented a fine program, beginning
with the singing of America by the congre-
cation followed by an invocation by Rev.
H. W. Abbott, and an address of welcome by
Ralph I. Morse, student at Bates College,
and a son of L. C. Morse. He had father
the address in full:
MEMBERS OF THE WALDO COUNTY VETERAN
ASSOCIATION: The grand occasion which has
called you together is notewor thy in every
thing connected with it, and furnishes
abundant material for eloquence and inSpir-
ing thought. The part assigned me is of an
official character and it becomes my pleasant
duty in behalf of the sons and daughters of
veterans, to extend to you a cordial well
come.
In Offering the greetings, hospitality, and
regard which hold for you, our hearts
overflow with gratitude stimulated by pride,
ioy and affection which language OF nv own
fails to describe. w Z remember your loyalty,
admire yOur achievements and honor you
for the success and glory which accompan-
led YOUR sacrifices upon the field of battle
and in the naval engagements fer this
Union.
The Grand Army of the Republic is the
grandest civil organization the world has
/ ever seen, and contains the most illuStrous
names in history, the names OF the brave
men who, in the darkest days of the Rebel
| lion, followed the Stars and Stripes as the
| emblem not of a confederacy of States
| bound together by ropes of sand, but as the
o m hlan n an of
tructible States
| We welcome here to-day those who, when
others faltered, lad their lives, their for
| tunes and their sacred honors upon the altar
of liberty and union, that government of
| the people, by the people, and for the people
| should not perish from the EARTH
| All who took no part in the war can never
! know the hardships of the forced march,
i the dangers of the battlefield and the ago
MES of the prison. We should remember
| that it was the boys in blue who by their
| trials, suffering and death bequeathed to us
| the legacy of liberty and union, insuring US
of the blessings If free institutions under
| which we enjoy greater prosperity, a
| larger liberty, Ligher civilization and a
| purer religion than was ever enjoyed by any
| people.
Gloriously did many offer up their lives
| on the battlefield, or the ocean and in the
| hospital thereby fulfilling the highest duty
| of life to die for ones country.
| Those who were permitted to live and
| know the result OF the conflict, but
| have taken their departure since, must
| have passed on enraptured with the music
| of prosperous Industries, blending with the
| pRans of lasting peace, coming up from a
free, united, and happy people.
| The Roman youth glories in singing how
we'll "Horatius kept the bridge in the brave
| days of DID, So through the ages shall the
children of the Republic sing how we'll you
| maintained the constitution, preserved the
union of the States established By the
fathers and kept the flag unstained, giving to
the nation new birth OF freedom.
| There are those who oppose appropria-
| tions of money for the soldier out of the
nations treasury which he helped to pre-
| serve. But when they and all their petty
purposes are forgotten his name shall be
| honored, his memory revered. and the flag
| which he so bravely tore through good and
/ evil report, victory and defeat, until the
| grand moment of the final triumph of the
cause which he lov ed, shall float as the
proud emblem of the grandest, the freest
and the most honored nation in all the
earth.
| Death is yearly recruiting from your
| ranks. You who have not az yet received
the Divine summons may, when it comes,
walk through the valley and shadow of
death fearing no evil, looking back upon
| life with the proud consciousness of duty
well performed.
We gratefully remember that noble army
whose roll-call grows larger each successive
year. They have crossed the river. They