Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-29
MAKERS OF THE NATION
DIR, BRISTOL'S ESTIMATE OF THE
BOYS IN BLUE.
Memorial Services Held Under Aus
pices of the Grand Army of
the Republic.

It has long been the custom of the Grand
Army of the Republic to hold sacred me-
mortal services on the Sunday preceding
Decoration day In honor of the men in blue
who gave up their lives in defense of the
flag and the Union in the sixties. Follow
ing this impressive practice, the Depart
ment of the Potomac, in accordance with
orders of Commander a. T. Tasker. assem-
bled last night at historic metropolitan
NJ. f. Church, AZ and streets north-
west, to hold the annual memorial
service. There was full attendance OF
veterans and kindred organizations. in
Guiding the Womans Relief Corps,
which filled the edifce and listened to an
eloquent uelogy of the old soldiers by Or.
Frank NJ. Bristol, pastor of the church.
Commander A. F. Tasker presided, and
Chaplain Henry S. Stevens. Senior vice
Commander T. P. Entrikin and Junior Vice
Commander Thomas II. Martin assisted In
the services. The church was decorated
with blossoms and American flags.
The G. A. r. veterans filled the seats in
the central section of the main auditorium.
being hanked on each side by the ladies of
the Woman's Relief Corps. Congrega tional
singing and responses made UP the exer-
cises.
The eloquent address of Rev. DR.. Bristol
was frequently applauded by the apprecia-
tive audience. which filled the church to
overlooking. He spoke of the Union sol
diers as 1.-THE makers of the nation of to-
day
Day of Holy Memories.
In the course of his Grafton Dr. Bristol
said:
This Is a day of great and holy memo
ries. While here we meet among the monu-
ments of such illustrious soldier dead as
Grant and Logan and Mckinley, these
walls seem to recede, this ceiling to be
lifted up, and through the shadows of the
night there breaks the golden glory of a
vision of other days. You do not these
flowers. these flags. these people: you do
not hear my voice, the organs thunder or
the choirs chant Other scenes greet your
vision, other voices salute your ears. You
see again tie quiet village of your boy
hood days, the green fields and the babbling
brooks, the happy valleys bathed in light,
the hill slope and garden and wood of we'll
known paths and Old-fashioned trees and
flowers. You see the cottage, the barn, the
plows. the hay stacks, the old farm-they
used to call it by your fathers name.
There comes before your vision the little
schoolhouse up the village street. or on the
prairie, or at the mountains foot. And
faces. too. shine in this sweet and golden
glow of memory-old. familiar faces which
you only in vision today. the faces of
the boys and girls and neighbors and of the
home of other days.
And you hear the old voices with the
peculiar accents never to be forgotten,
that startle you sometimes in your
Dreams and you stretch forth the hand
of greeting, but awake and the voice is
still and no hand to clasp is there And
the laughter. boyish, girlish laughter of
that sweet, old happy time, and mothers
voice. and fathersl Listen. an, you hear
them now; and yet it's more than forty
years since you In your young manhood
mingled in these scenes.
Cloud Hides the Sun.
ssrl,, oIa tla
sky and hang on the mountain; it hides
the sun and 1t holds the thunders; it
throws it's dark shadow on village and
town, on the hills and streams, the wales
and prairies, and 1t let's forth the terrible.
swift lightning. And men mutter and boys
stare, mothers sigh and sweethearts weep.
War, black-visaged war, spreads forth her
dreadful wings and hovers with its fear
full ominous shadow over the land. And
new music startles the air. It's the
screech of the fife and the roll of the
drum, the martial music that stirs the
blood of the youth with peculiar thrill.
Yes, today, sitting here with the gray
hairs on your head, you see'the boys come
pouring into town, you see the flags and
hear the cheers, and march behind the
band and watch the girls wave their hands
and throw kisses at the boys who are
going to the war. 1t seems but yester-
day when you went. And all the country
came into town and all the town went
down to the train to see you off. Then,
neiEhbor said to you, Look after Tom,
or Keep an eye on WILL and everybody
said, 'Good-by, take care of yourself and
you shouted good-by, mother; good-by,
father; good-by, boys; good-by, girls;
good-by, every body, and you were off in
big hurrah-off for the war.
The feelings you had that day! You think
of them tonight; you'll think of them in
heaven: L wonder how I'll stand the fight?
/ wonder how I'll face the guns? wonder
if III ever come back? Yes. in this vision
tonight you are going into your first battle,
and you are fighting all those battles over
again. You remember how guns sounded IN
the roar of battle, how bullets sang. how
shells burst You remember what blaze
was in the eye of that old schoolmate by
your side and what courage sat on his
brow and he you transformed and
TRANSPORTED in the glory of battle.
Scene of Death.
eft all comes back, this memorial time
the scene of death; your comrade falls you
catch from his lips a dying message for the
folks at home: you put the canteen TO his
parched tongue, just say word of hope
and prayer, and rush on into the fight.
Youu never forget the glory of that first
victory or the sadness of that first defeat.
The old feeling you had that day creeps
over you now. But marches, sufferings,
wounds. hospitals. prisons are all in the
vision of that old wartime. And the COM
ing home! Wasn't 1t glorious coming home!
Home to the farm! Home TO the town where
they all knew you and loved you! Home to
the old folks, who mad prayed lot you morn
ing and evening and dreamed of you In their
dreams! Home to the girls who said they'd
wait for you till you came back from the
war; Home TO a country saved! Home to
the flag reglorifed! Home to the peace and
nride of a hero's reward Home to the
gratitude of a nation redeemed from the sin
of slavery and from the peril of secession
and disunion!
where the nation will pay its homage TO
bravery and scatter the flowers OF grateiui