The true northerner., 1899-05-31
SOLDIERS REMEMBERED.
EXERCISES OF MEMORIAL DAY IN PAW PA,

Memorial day was an ideal day, so far
as the weather was factor in the mat
ter, neither too hot nor too cool and the
roads were fine, neither dusty nor muddy
There was large attendance and the
program, as published in last weeks
Northerner, was fully carried out.
The old soldiers, preceded by the cor
net and martial bands and followed by
the schools and citizens, marched to
Prospect Hill, the most beautiful ceme-
terry in Van Buren, county, where the
usual impressive Memorial ceremonies,
interspersed with songs by a quartette
composed of Messrs. Spicer, DeHaven,
Webb and Buck and fine recitation by
Mrs. f. A. Showerman, were held around
the grave of Comrade NJ. u. Richardson,
the singing of America" by all the peo-
pie closing the exercises, after which a
committee of veterans, assisted by some
of the young school girls, distributed the
flowers and decorated the graves of the
thirty-four deceased soldiers who are
seeping there. All the other surround
ing cemeteries had been decorated by
special committees earlier in the day.
There was not so great profusion of
flowers as there sometimes has been, the
season being so far advanced that spring
flowers had largely disappeared, never
theless there was no lack. This COM
pleted the morning program.
The afternoon exercises in the court
yard were attended by great throng of
people and were opened with a few ap-
propriate remarks by Comrade Bullard,
followed by a song from the Up o-Dates
and prayer by Rev. f.. o. Mather.
Besides the patriotic songs by the club,
which greatly pleased the audience, the
musical part of the program consisted of
appropriate music by the Paw Paw Cor
net band and stirring martial music
rendered by Billy Bullard and Del Cum
ings, fifer and drummer, and Ed. Bull
lard on the bass drum, a combination
that is always pleasing to a Paw Paw
audience.
Finely rendered recitations by Misses
Daisy Lord and Genevieve Dillon and
Mrs. Frank Showerman, added much to
the interest of the day, and not the least
interesting feature of the occasion was a
beautiful flag drill by the young misses
of Miss Cooley's school.
The great feature of the day, however,
was the stirring, patriotic address deliv-
cred by Prof. p. II. Kelly of Mt. Pleas
ant. In the absence of L. j. Cavanaugh.
president of the village, the speaker was
introduced by Comrade o. w. Rowland,
who assured the audience that the pro-
fessor was Just bubbling over with en-
thusiasm and patriotism and that treat
was in store for his hearers, and his
statements were fully verified. 1t has
seldom been the good fortune of our
people to listen to so eloquent, sensible,
stirring an address on Memorial day,
or on any other occasion. 1t would be
impossible to convey by any brief review
correct idea of the speakers elegant
diction or of the instructive lessons he
drew from both the civil war and the more
recent Spanish-American war. Those
who were so fortunate as to hear the
address know what it was and those who
did not hear it missed rare good thing.
The speaker was frequently interrupted
with applause and cheers and at the
close of his speech was surrounded with
throng of people rendering their sim
cere congratulations.
Rev. Mrs. Olivia j. Woodman pro-
nounced the benediction and thus closed
one of the most interesting and success
full Memorial day exercises ever held in
Paw Paw.
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