Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-06-05
HOMAGE TO
SOLDIER dead.

The program arranged by Goodrich
Post for the observance of Memorial
Day Friday was fully carried out
without hitch. Everything seemed
to come the veterans way. The
weather conditions were nearly ideal.
The sky was clear and the sun, al
though rather warm at intervals, was
the greater part of the time tempered
by cool and refreshing breezes. Not
only were flowers contributed i'll pro-
fusion by a generous and sympathetic
public, but not mark of respect was
omitted that might show how general
was the reverence for the day.
Early in the morning the two large
flags, one at City Hall and the other
at Red Mems lodge room were swung
across Mill street; long before noon
there was scarcely a business place
or residence but was decorated with
the stars and stripes. At noon the mer
chants closed their stores for the day
and during the afternoon the town
was in holiday attire.
The parade was quite a creditable
affair, in addition to the G.. A. R.,
and the National Guard, there being
in line fair representation of the ?.
o. S. of A. and the Red Men. The
column was led by the Drum Corps,
while the Mechanicsville band proceed
ed the p. o. S. of A. and Woman's
Relief Corps. An especially interest
ing feature of the parade was a long
column of children, eighty-six girls
and thirty boys, in charge of Veteran
Levi Sechler. who marched at the rear
OF the veterans. The children each
carried bouquet, the girls with few
exceptions being dressed in white.
The parade was accompanied to the
cemetery by large number of our
citizens, who were we'll repaid by wit
Messing the beautiful burial ceremony
of the veterans The column marched
direct to the q. A. r hurial plot,
forming a hollow square along the
four sides with the Post Commander
post colors and chaplain in the center.
The opening prayer was made by
Rev. w. r. Whitney of Bloomsbury,
the orator of the occasion. The Dec
Grafton Day hymn, Cover Them
Up was effectively rendered by the
High School double quartette, com
posed of Misses May Books, Hazel
Harman, Josephine Cousart, Olive
Rank, Messrs. Ray Harrington, Carl
McHenry, Samuel Miller and Frank
Brown. Post Chaplain Jacob Reaser
offered prayer, after which three
yolleys We're fired over the G. A. r.
plot by members of the National
Guard.
Rev. w. r. Whitney is himself a
veteran of the Civil War and although
no longer young is full of fire and
patriotism. His address had the true
ring, which woke a ready response in
the hearts of the veterans He dwelt
largely upon statistics of the Rebellion
showing i'll round numbers the stup-
endous array of men under arms, and
the appalling list that gave up their
lives for their country falling either
on the field of battle or dying of slow
starvation in southern prison pens.
All of which, he held, should inspire
within us a greater reverence for the
one day of the year set apart to COM
memorate the deeds of our fallen
heroes Memorial Day, he said, should
be humanity's Sabbath. He pleaded
for better observance of the event
and inyeighed heavily against worldly
sports, so often a feature of Decora-
tion Day, which only tend to desec-
rate it,
Rev. l.. B. Twichell followed on be-
half of the Woman's Relief Corps.
His address was very appropriate and
abounded in beautiful sentiment. Dur
ing our great Civil war, he said, the
North and South, each had two great
armies. One was i'll the front, boldly
facing the foe and the other none the
less brave and devoted was at home,
wives, mothers and sisters, bearing up
under the pain of separation and often
carrying upon their shoulders burdens
and responsibilities that were hard to
bear
A most beautiful feature of the ser
vice was the act of the Woman's Re
lief Corps in decorating mound OH
the G.. A. K. lot in memory of the
unknown dead The Woman's Relief
Corps was followed by over hundred
children alluded to before as forming
part of the parade. each one i'll pass
ing dropping upon the mound of ever
green beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Virulent Cancer Cure.