Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-05-31

Obedicnt to Libertys command all these
Italians are here. Eloquenco can never
Gle so long as these people cherish such
uubouuded enthusiasm toward the re-
public that already they call 1t my coun-
try
And. veterans. it was your services
that made that vision possible ana your
memories can never die. So long as the
Atlantic's waves roll in upon our eastern
shores and the Pacinc's break upon our
western sands. so long will the memories
of the boys in blue be perpetuatcd, Vet
Grams. you have by your accomplishing
endurance, by your courage on the tented
field, by the sacrifices you made i'm the
sixties, immortalizcd yourselves.
willis says: prior to the attack on
Fort sumter the English and German
newspapers rarely had a line about Amer
lean affairs The old world scorrcd at
our ideas of liberty. Dospotc people are
ignorant Now suddenly all nations of
the earth compete for our favor. All
nations initiate us. Students from other
capitals come To our shores to study our
institutions. All the world is going to
school to the republic To learn liberty.
Rut it was our great war that first caught
and held the attention of monarchics for
four years. In letters of fire God wrote
the lessons Of the republic SO large that
peoples across the sea could read our
message of lib rty'
Matthew Arnold has said that Amer
lea holds the future of the world Mr.
Gladstone believed that the Mississippi
valley is to hold the great manufacturing
cities of futurity and that 10y the end of
the century the Republic will number six
hundred millions. When | think of our
position and influence among the nations
when ! think of our land as the home for
natures scattered brotherhood. when
think of the part America is yet to play
in the worlds redemption and that all
this would have been ovcrthrown but for
your fidelity. | feel that ! would rather
he able to say truthfully that ! marched
down with sherman from Atlanta to the
sea than to be owner of Rockefellers
millions.
indebtedness to your sacrifice and
courage in our country's time Of need
yet ! want you to See that God played an
important part in the civil war / think
that it will hep us to see the part God
took in the war by recalling the past a
little. You know only too well that at
the outset of the war victory did not
turn on your side You met at the first
with some disastrous defeats. And It
was only after your great leader Abra-
ham Lincoln. appealed to God in prayer
and only after his determination to free
the slave, il was only when he thus fell
in with Gods plan that the tide of victory
in all our ways
Il feel proud of the part Vermont took
in the war of the rebellion. Why. they USED
to place Vermont troops in the front ranks
that they might bring up the tagging army
with their swinging stride. Mary
Livermore says that no soldiers per
formed more valiant service In the war
Of the rebellion than did the Green Noun
tain boys Not a single flag did they sur
render to the enemy during the four
years Of the rebellion. I feel proud Of the
part Vermont took i'm the more recent
Spanish American war. The one who
struck the first decisive blow and who
gave the keynote to victory was a Yer
mont boy. He was ready with the goods
when the hour came. Need say | refer
To Admiral Dewey? When the Oregon
made that unrivaled trip around Cape
Horn and arrived I'm time to take the
magnificent part in that great naval
battle off Santiago she was commanded
by a Vermont boy Need | saw refer to
captain Clark Of Brpdford. since made
admiral? These two were perhaps the
most conspicuous figures i'm that war and
came out with flying colors Vermont
may be rugged Vermont may be small
of territory but she is grand in men and
viii never be found wanting when our
country is in need
And now | feel the spirit world so
near me that ! cannot refrain from speak
ing To those We call dead Fallen com
radrs. look down upon us as we 20 to
garHud with flowers your sacred dust
and let your patriotic nantes fan upon
your sons that our country for which
YOU shed your life's blood may never
lack for loyal sons to fight for her liberty
and toll for her prosperity"
After the exercises in the Auditorium
the parade formed i'm the following order.
Police; Col. George II. Bond. chief mar
sinai and aids; First Regiment band:
Company |, V. y. c., Capt l.. H. Henkel
commanding: Sedgwick post G. 4. r..
AdJutant John Tucker commanding;
ish-American war veterans; speak
ers, guests and disabled veterans in car
riages; Canton Palestine Capt G. 4.
Metcalf commanding The procession
marched to the common where exercises
We're held about the monument which
was draped with flags and flowers. The
procession then Countermarched through
North Main street and at the town han
the prettiest part Of the days exercises
began. Seventy little girls from the
schools. each bearing a basket of flowers.
formed in line on each side Of the column
OF aged veterans and marched with
them 10 the Prospect Hin cemetery where
the graves We're decorated The contrast
of the sober visaged veterans to the bright
dressed and glad-faced children was by
all odds the most effective part of the
days program.
The members of the Woman's Relief
corps preceded the procession in n speciaI
ear bearing the flowers and delegations
from the post decorated the graves in
the Roman Catholic cemetery and Morn
lngside. a delegation went to West
Hrattleboro in the morning for exercises.