Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-08-03
Of q. A. r.. and w. r.
O. Hall.

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Last Thursday evening occurred one
Of the pleasant events In the history
Of our village, which will be long re-
membered. The Grand Army 0f the
Republic and the Woman's Relief
Corps having united In the building
OF hall for their permanentuse, met
| for the dedication OF the building, In
the interest of Fraternity, Charity
and Loyalty, which is the watchword
of those organizations, aud is exem-
plifed by their works.
The building provides a pleasant
bang quoting hall and kitchen on the
first floor, and auditorium and ante
rooms above, and IL was comfortably
filed on this occasion, and would
have been crowded but that many Of
our people supposed the exercises to
ibe confined to members of the
orders.
Attention was called by Command
er A. L. Pond, and the grand old
army song, @The Star Spangled Ban
ner," finely rendered by Mrs. j. M.
Jones, Misses Josie b. Jones and
Ethylin Mckenzie, and w. +. Benk-
Gilman, with Miss Willitt presiding
at the organ. after which followed an
earnest invocation by Rev. G. l..
Guichard, for the continued prosper
ity of the Post and Corps, and the
principles represented and advocated
by them.
A brief history of the organization
of Marvin Post No. $40, on March
3lst, 1884. by Col. Taylor of Gaylord
(deceased), Col. Dickinson, of Bagley
and comrades Quay, Of Gaylord, and
McElroy of this place, then men,
Der OF Tuscola county post, was
given, showing the start with COM
rade q. J. Bell the first commander
and 81 charter members. Seventy
eight members have since been mus
tered In, twenty-six have died. and
thirty-five removed from the place.
The fraternal work of these men,
and the relief offorded by them is
only recorded on the @other side"
The Crawling Cornet Band made
their first public appearance at this
point, and rendered several numbers
of appropriate music which were
highly applauded.
Mrs. Rebecca Wight, who, we
think, has been secretary Of the w.
r. q. since its organization through
the efforts of Mrs. A. c. Wilcox in
1SSS, gave history of their society
which we regret being unable to pub
lish In full. They were started with
IA charter members, and the first Of
fcers installed by Mrs. L. G. Col.
burn, of Lansing. They have now
AZ members, and their labors of love
and christian charity are extended
beyond the rank of Post and Corps,
and are felt whenever want is found
in the community. They have col.
lected and expended for charity, in
the last five years the sum of 81, 900,
4S, and have beautifully furnished
one of the rooms in the Woman's
Annex at the Michigan Soldiers
Home, which is known as "Grayling
Rest" for which they receive the
tribute of love from its occupants.
Rev. f. G. Wood, of Gaylord, gave
the dedicatory address, aud we be.
lieve it to have been the finest ora.
tion ever delivered Ia our village.
Every sentence was filled with tie
spirit OF patriotism, and every Word
rung with the sound of liberty which
could but arouse the better feeling OF
every soul which held breath OF
love Of Country or the Flag. He
pictured the great cost of our nation
ia treasure and suffering and blood
and claimed it be, under God, the
central point from which the spirit
OF perfect freedom should expand and
Encompass all the earth. Intense
silence waited for his every word,
broken only by applause quickly
checked for fear a word would be
lost.
A beautiful solo was sweetly rem.
dered by Miss Mckenzie and the ben
ediction pronounced by Rev. Willett,
and all who cared, repaired to the
banquet room where light refresh
ments were served, and the service
of dedication was ended with @that
fraternity whose love shall endure
with that charity that is fruitful oil
good works, and with that loyalty
which, while true to our country.
flag, is supremly devoted to the cross
the symbol of our faith.
i Col. Bryan keeps on reading Dem
ocrats, who do not agree with him