Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1905-06-02
BEAUTIFUL MEMORIAL DAY
WEATHER PERFECT AND ExER.
cIsEs UNUSUALLY IMPRESSIVE.
Eloauent Address by Rev. Father Car.
n,ody Of the Catholic Chureh-Over
70 Veterans in the Parade-School
Exercises Well Attended.

| GNeVCtSoo Veb EssSpSSes
No fairer sky ever looked down up.
ON earth than that which greeted the
steadily diminishing army Of Civil wal
veterans on Tuesday. its annual oc-
casion of tribute to departed COM
rades. The day was beautiful through
out and the memorial exercises were
never more impressive. The entire
program was carried through without
break or hitch. and in spite Of nu-
merous other attractions more people
participated than has been the case
for many years. In the morning del
egation from Sedgwick post, @. A. X.
went to West Brattieboro to assist In
the memorial services in that village
At one in the afternoon the veterans
assembled In Grand Army hall. and
with Company /. V. N. g.. acting as
escort. were escorted to the auditorium
where the exercises proper took place
The auditorium stage was hand.
somely decorated with laurel and
flowers and occupied by the local min
listers. officers Of the G. A. r.. and
others. Notable among those who sat
upon the stage was Frederick Hol-
brook, Vermont's venerable war gov
ernor. The program consisted OF mu-
sic by the First Regiment band. a
prayer by Rev. +. L. Masseck. Sc
lection by the high school chorus and
| the reading Of Lincoln's Gettysburg
address by E. II. Putnam, post ad1u-
tant. The address of the afternoon
was delivered by Rev. M. j. Carmody
of St Michael's Roman Catholic
church. who said in part as follows:
| Patriotism. or love of country. Is
one Of the apparently innate senti-
ments or principles implanted IN tne
soul of man by the all-wise Creator.
II is common both to Christian and
Pagan, to civilized and barbarous ma
tions. We find 1t breathing in the
lines of the cultured Roman poet and
| Epicurean "Dulce et decorum est pro
patria mori," and We find II living and
active in the untutored savage, who.
torn from his native jungle during the
French revolution. pined away and
died amid the iuxu-ies and refinements
of Paris. 1t has existed in all ages and
| in all climes and to discover its first
manifestation here on earth we would
have to 60 back to the garden OF Eden
on the day when our first parents
were driven from its happy retreat by
the flaming sword Of an angry God,
when as Milton describes 1t with m
finite pathos and simplicity:
"They hand in hand with wandering
steps and slow
Through Eden took their solitary
way"
Assembled here to-day to honor the
memory Of the unreturning brave we
are, / think, forced to ask, why dld
these men die whose heroic devotion
and sacrifice We commemorate? They
died that this nation Of ours might
he free: they died that. through the
length and breadth Of this land. no
man might be able to call another
his own; they died that the principles
Of a peerless constitution that guaran-
tees to everyone the right OF life. the
right of liberty and the right OF free
dom to worship God without anyone
demanding how or why, might be pre-
served. vindicated and perpetuated;
they died that through the vast ex-
panse of this republic there should be
no north. no south. no east. no west
with little less than continent lor
its empire, with no less than COG Tor
its king. These were the nam oo-
iects for which the great civil war
was fought. Not Godfrey de Bouiiioh
or the lion hearted Richard, when they
rushed to Palestine with their. Chris
tian crusaders under the battle-cry,
God wills it," could boast holier
caAse or higher purpose than the
Grand Army of the only true republic
on earth when it marshalled Its de-
voted legions in the cause OF human
freedom.
Because. fellow citizens. the trium-
phant return of the standards OF that
grand army meant not only treason
crushed, rebellion subdued. slavery
abolished, the Union restored, put IL
meant much more. 1t meant the soiid
permanency and security OF all these
results and the perpetuity OF repup.
lican principles and institutions. II
scaled them. as 1t We're. with the stamp
of Fate. the sanction of God, IL
meant the cementing and welding TO-
gether Of a people drawn from the dif-
ferent nations of the world, trained
under different systems OF govern
ment.. educated in different modes OF
thought protesting different forms OF
religion and scattered over an I'M
mense territory. All these people were
welded into one common homogeneous
mass by mutual interests and COM
mon danger. When the call TO arms
resounded through the land. not only
native citizens but those OF German.
French, Swedish. Italian and Spanish
birth responded to the call. Ana II
was not Catholics or Protestants;
Jews or infidels. but all together and
AL Americans, who swept with SUP
lime but hopeless valor on the Confed
crate batteries at Mary's Heights ana
stemmed the fiery torrent OF P1cketts
heroic sauadrons on the plains OF Get
tysburg.
These memorial anniversaries ana
ceremonies are not useless or vain. Cali
them mere sentimental or ideal cele-
brations II you will. but such sentl-
ments and ideals are inspiring ana
ennobling and il is a sad day for
nation. as for an individual. when II
becomes disillusioned. when 1t forgets
or discards its ideals and inspirations,
when IL ceases to be moved and sway
cd and thrilled by the sublime. tne
heroic and patriotic deeds recorded IN
its annals. Let us to-day, fellow-c1tf-
zens while honoring the memory OF
the dead. not forget the principles and
truths for which they died and let us
resolve to cultivate those same civic
virtues for they are the only ones that
make for a happy. a prosperous ana
a nermanent republic. These are. main
lv respect for and obedience to con-
s,i,uted authority. freedom from big
otrv and unreasoning prejudice. no
master hut God. no slave but the
ocean no flag but the Stars and
Stripes. S,-,,
school chorus gave another selecuon.
and the audience arose and joined IN
the singing of America