Waterbury Democrat., 1902-06-02
SUBURBAN DEPARTMENT
NAUGATUCK NUGGETS.
Large Congregation Heard Father Slo-
 cum Last Evening.


 cum Last Evening.
 The members of the G. A. R., by in yitation of the Rev Father Sheridan, attended solemn high yespers at oc Francis's church last evening. An Ill., teresting and most eloquent address was delivered by the Rev fatner Sio- cum of Waterbury. Father Slocum IS an eloquent preacher and commands the attention of his hearers throughout the whole of his address. In last even ing's address Father Slocum, won the attention and respect of the large con gregation present. The reverend father commenced his address by explaining the origin of decoration day, statlng that in the days of '61 an army com posed of the flower of southern chlyary and young manhood left New Orleans to fight for the side to which they De- 1ieved they owed their duty, but many hundreds of these were killed and then the people of New Orleans appointed day upon which day flowers should be placed on the graves of the dead sol diers in loving remembrance of them. Gradually, Father Slocum continued, the day became a holiday all over this country-a day called Decoration day. Father Slocum said that day of sports was not decoration day and ex- pressed his dissatisfaction of the way in which they day has come to be re- garded The speaker told of the trying hardshipS, of the noble sacrifices and of the sufferings which the men who took part in the War of the Rebellion underwent. Young men, the speak CT continued. put yourselves in this position: Suppose a war was declared tomorrow and the call flor 75.000 men came and you heard your father say, I must go,' and you saw him in the uni form of blue, and heard the heart-rend- ing parting of husband and wife, of sisters and brothers, and you beheld the train pull from the station carrying away your dear ones, perhaps never to be seen again. In that position you would realize what the men who an swered the call in '61 did" Father Slocum went on to say how well it was he remembered, as though it happened yesterday, when on that Sunday the news of the fall of Sumter was heard in his town and that the intelligence of a Uunited States army being forced to surrender, and that there was no army in the United States. But what a change, for in less than forty eight hours after the news was received an army of thousands was making their way towards the national capital. He remembered how men left the fields, I the factories and that in less than month hundreds of thousands were on their way to join the ranks to defend the Union and, if need be. die for it. | Father Slocum spoke of the traits of the American soldier. how noble 8 character he IS. and related several in- cidents which brought out the Ameri- can soldiers character, which was the same whether he wore the blue or the | gray. The reverend father related one incident of little colored boy, drum mer in the Union army, who in one of | the engagements had both legs shot | off, and how the charging armies passed him by without noticing him. But in the evening he was missed and next morning the regiment started out | to hunt for their drummer boy. They | found him with both legs gone and | found him with his drum, which he tied to a tree and was beating the drum | with his fingers to attract attention. | Around the boys feet were tied a pair of suspenders, drawn so tightly that | they stopped the bleeding of his in- jured legs. He was asked how he managed to tie the suspenders around | bis legs so tight; but he said, pointing | to dead soldier who wore the gray: "He did it; he was shot and dying, that | rebel was. but I told him that I was bleeding to death and he crawled to me and tied his suspenders around my | legs, and then he rolled over and died" | Thus the rebel did a kind deed with his | dying breath, and one proof of Father | SlOcum'S statement of the noble traits | of the American soldier was found. | Several other incidents were related | and the speaker graphically described in an interesting manner the gallant charge made by General Pickett at Get tysburg. Father Slocum's narrative of that most brave and daring charge was given in a fine manner and showed plainly how we'll he had his subject in hand. Father Slocums closing re- marks were made especially to the G. A. R. veterans present and were in sub stance as follows: ''You will soon pass away; the time will soon come when you will be folded in the blanket of death, and you will lay down in the soft green tent of eternity
 James Dalton, who has been visiting relatives in town, has returned to New York.
 Miss Mary Cross, a teacher in the public schools of West Haven, who has been visiting her parents, MT and Mrs A. B. Cross of Barnum court, has re- turned to West Haven.
 A meeting of the warden and vestry of St Michaels church will be held this evening at 8 o'clock in the rectory. |
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