The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-29
HONOR TO THE HEROES
Annual Memorial Sermon to the
G. A. r.
BY REV. J. |. ABORTION
The Auditorium Was Crowded to the
Doors-Many Turned Away-Mean-
ing Of the Day Pictured in
Eloquent Words,

iuai memorial sermon to the
e. A. r. was delivered last night by
Kew, j. L. Albritton of the M. e,
church in the Auditorium AT 8 o'clock
the local u. A. r. post, preceded by the
W. X. c., marched from the post rooms
TO the Auditorium and entered the
large room and the congregation re-
celVed them standing The floor and
balcony of the Auditorium were crowd
ed; 1t was almost a jam. Extra seats
were brought in from the anterooms
and corridors and still many stood up,
while many were obliged to leave or
STAND up during the services: The en-
larged choir Of IS voices was at it's best
and the pastor delivered fine sermon,
which was as follows:
When Israel was released from the
bondage in Egypt, God having fought
| their battle for them, the day of the
victory was ordered to be observed for
ever as Memorial day And when
they had completed the conquest of
| Canaan and the ten and a half tribes
We're ready to return to their inherit
ance beyond the Jordan. they said one
to another, Let us take stones and lay
them up here at the crossing of Jordan.
| and let them stand for a memorial that
| we crossed this Jordan, and fought
with our brethren for the subjugation
| of this land
Since then, when great battles have
been fought and victories won, stones
| of memorial have been laid up to COM
| memorate the event and to perpetuate
| the memory of those who fell At the
pass of Thermopylae, upon the mound
where the last stand was made by the
| immortal band of Spartans, marble
| lion was erected to the memory of Leo
| midas and pillar to the 800 bore this
| inscriptions:
| go, stranger, and to Lacedaemon tell
That here, obeying her behests, we FELL
We have monuments erected on many
| a battlefield. reminders of battles
| fought and victories won, and also of
| the man who died to gain those VIC
| tories. But more beautiful than mar
| bic shaft or granite monument is the
custom of our Memorial day. In the
beautiful springtime, when the flowers
| are in bloom, to gather together and
| with the choicest flowers go where the
| soldier sleeps and, with head uncovered.
lay upon their graves the beautiful
| flowers, green, fresh and fragrant
| thereby declaring that they live in our
| memories still, and their deeds of pa
triotism shall never be forgotten. Yes,
| We'll
| Cover them over with beautiful flow
| ers,
Deck them with garlands, those broth
| erS of ours;
Give them the need they have won in
| the past;
Give them the honors their merits fore
! cast;
Give them the chaplets they won in the
strife;
Give them the Iaurels they lost with
their life.
| Cover them over, yes, cover them over
Parent and husband, and brother and
| Crown in your hearts these dead heroes
of ours.
And cover them over with beautiful
flowers.
"Bravely the cross of their country they
bore;
Words of devotion they wrote with
their gore;
Grandly they grasped for a garland of
light,
Catching the mantle of death darkened
night
Swiftly they rushed to the help of the
right;
Firmly they stood in the shock of the
fight.
and WILL
Now they are lying all puseess and
still.
Once they were glowing with friend
ship and love,
Now the great souls have gone soaring
above.
Bravely their blood to the nation they
gave,
Then in her bosom they found them a
grave.
Cover them over, yes, cover them over. |
Parent and husband, and brother and |
lover
Press to your hearts these dead heroes |
of ours, |
And cover them over with beautiful
flowers"
This day shall be a memorial unto |
you" Yes, l think of all the public |
days of the year this day is the most |
significant and instructive to American |
citizens. The ceremonies of Memorial |
day remind us of the perils through |
which the republic has come, the sacri-
fees made for it's preservation, the he
roes who imperled and the many of |
whom actually gave their lives for our
country and the inestimable principles
which they died to maintain. The war
settled some things. The colored race
was elevated to a new place, the rela-
ever settled and the integrity and the
supremacy of the general government
over all its territory We're secured and
established Memorial day means honor
to the heroes who fought oHr battles
and loyalty to the principles which were
settled by the war.
1t is not that we delight in war that
we thus honor the soldiers. Neither is
it that We would perpetuate the strife
eQg6n lprR1 nv the war that we would
keep up this custom. War is an evil,
but not always an unmiXed evil. The
wars that have been waged by the gov
eminent of these United States have
IN the main been just wars. / need net
defend the war of the revolution, which
gave to us government the best the
world has ever seen. And the war of
lSl2 was necessary to let the nations
know that we We're a people whose
rights must be respected; while the
mexican war was largely for the pro-
lection of OUr hprdprC