Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1899-06-01
FONDLY REMEMBERED.
Memorial Day Fittingly Observed Tributes
of Flowers for VaIor's LowIy Bed.

oi Flowers Tor Nalor's LoWIy Bed,
Sleep on then, comrades Rest in peace
With flowers we strew thy narrow bed.
Thy deeds shall live thy fame increase,
Till time shall end and wars shall cease
Sleep on, thou honored dead
Memorial day brings proud memoir
les of many hard fought battlefelds,
sweet memories alike of valor and
friendship; sad memories OF fraternal
strife; tender memories Of fallen broth
ers and sons, whose dying eyes looked
last upon the nation S flag; grand mem
ories of heroic virtues, sublime by grief;
exultant memories of the great and
final victories of our country, our
Union and the righteous cause; thank
full memories OF the dellverance
wrought out by human nature itself
unexampled by any former achieve
ment OF arms. Immortal memories,
with immortal honors blended, cluster
about these men, make the day COM
memorative of their achievements, and
weave themselves along the warp and
woof of our glorious banner.
1t is because memorial services are "a
broad tribute to martial valor and not
simply the coronation of the members
OF a limited order of veterans that the
ceremony has become national one
and is universally honored. The
Grand Army shares with the whole
nation its pride in the deeds of heroic
men who have made the name of the
Am merlcan soldier and sailor one of
honor throughout the world. The
order is national and not a sectional
one. A comrade from Maine is in full
affiliation with the posts in Virginia
ard Louisiana and .he Pacific states
and the members take credit to them.
selves tor fostering and acceleratlng
the growth of that intense national
spirit which made the uprising of 1898
possible.
.rSf f&ercsia. sefasnn was given last
Sunday morning by Rev. Gorrell Quick
paster Of the Baptist church in the OPP
era house to IA very large audience as
usual, the members of the Grand Army
in this vicinity and the Womans Re-
lief Corps attending in body. Rev.A.
.. Carman read the scripture, Rev. II.
A. Mcconnell offered prayer and the
Baptist choir led the singing with Chas
Wagner at the piano. a beautiful and
appropriate trio was sung very sweet
ly by Mesdames Hubbell, Wilder and
Miss Lottie Hopkins. Rev. Quick 5 ad
pressed in such fine language as to be
an inspiration and an incentive To lead
people to higher order of citizenship
and a true and nobler patriotism. At
SMYRNA fine sermon appropriate to the
occasion was preached by Rev. Hills in
the afternoon. Decoration day opened
bright and clear after the storms of
several days duration making the face
of nature look bright, an ideal dap for
visiting the cemetery and doing honor
to the nation s dead.
Inc pubic EXERCISES were nelu JnlS
year at smyrna when the battle scared
veterans and the ladies of tpe Relief
Corps together with large number OF
citizens in this vicinity assembled and
listened to an address by Judge f. ID. M.
Davis of Ionia which was one of the best
he ever delivered on such an occasion.
The Smyrna choir sang some beau
tiful and appropriate music and after
the exercises closed the cemetery was
visited by the post and the graves of
comrades decorated with flowers. A
picnic dinner was served in the church
and the official exercises of the day
closed with the visiting of the Otisco
and Belding cemeteries.