River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-06-02
Memorial Day in River Falls.

| of the services incident to the deco.
| ration-day rites, was perfect; clear,
and Just warm enough for comfort
| able endurance. The religious SER
vices on Sunday, by union of the
evangelical societies, held in the
Methodist church, were attended by
a full house and engaged in with
devout and solemn interest. The
members of the Grand Army and
the Woman's Relief Corps of l. N.
Nichols Post were nearly all pres
emit. The music on the occasion,
furnished by the M. E. church choir,
was appropriate and excellently
rendered. DR.. Clough's address,
forty minutes long, was listened to
with absorbing interest, for it ap-
pealed to the heart. Especially and
profoundly interesting was it to the
veterans of the civil war, for it
dealt with the conditions of army
life from the standpoint of one who
was on the spot and illustrated the
personal experiences of the soldier
part of his audience.
The program on Monday was car
ried out according to the published
announcement, without hitch and
in perfect form. In the line of
march were over sixty of the old
soldiers, five Spanish-American war
veterans, the members of the Relief
Corps and heavy battalion of little
girls, dressed in the "colors" and
carrying baskets of flowers. The
band assisted, discoursing good
music and the drum corps aided the
marching in the interim between
the measures by the band. Luther
Spalding and C. G. Knowles acted
as marshals. The choir of the Con-
gregational church furnished the
singing, which all conceded to be
fine, both in the character of the
songs and the perfection of render
ing. The address by Rev. D. B.
Spencer was appropriate and char
acteristically delivered. The senti-
ments of the essay were lofty and
inspiring; the sentences were ar
ranged with finish and polish that
few public speakers have the gift
to perfect; and the thoughts were
delivered in words clear and reso-
nant, distinctly understood in the
remotest part of the crowd. 1t was
a general remark that the attention
of the people to the address was
unusual on the occasion of an out
door Grafton. The wind was of as
sistance to the speaker in the GENE
terry this year as it blew from him
in the direction of most of the audi
ence and so all could hear readily
and there was taken from the
20 unger portion the excuse for talk
ing while the orator had the ros-
trum. The crowd from the country
was not SO large this year as usual,
as many of the farmers were max
ing use of the time to get in their
corn, they hav ing been delayed by
the fear of frost. The absence of
wild flowers on the 30th of May this
year is a striking evidence of the
backwardness of the season. Even
snowballs, about the earliest flowers
to bloom, were. not in blossom.
Two years ago on Decoration Day
wild roses were in blossom.
1t was subject of general remark
by those who walked about among
the graves that the cemetery grounds
are kept in excellent condition.
The grass is kept cropped, the
shrubs and trees and flowers in
pleasing appearance and the graves
of the dead we'll tended. Memorial
Day, in it's universal observation,
has compelled people TO better
care of graves and so, incidentally,
brings US nearer to the dear ones
upon whose pulseless breasts we
have placed the greensward which
we cover with flowers and bedew
with tears.