Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-05-19

May their rest be sweet and tranquil,
These heroes of land and sea,
In the Southland;
Till beyond the veil Of mySt nv
Friends and foes alike united be,
In the Homeland.
May their comrades still among us
Who their Wel-ear ned rest await,
lIcnleHard bound;
Ever be loyal to the State
In whose fair Name We corsecrate
This hallowed ground.
The dedicatory address. by Hon.
Charles T.. Newell of Richmond. Me, was
as fine bit of oratory as I ever heard.
A large, rortly man, with voice in keep
ing with his physical proportions, Mr..
Newell's address was splendidly delivered
and in accord with the occasion. He paid
a glowing tribute to the memory of the
men asleep in the trenches and the deep
feeling evidenced by the speaker brought
tears to the eyes Of his audience.
The most unique-and in many respects
the most interestns-address of the day
was left to Mr.. Joseph l.. Small of Bride
fo,d, Nc. Mr.. Small is one of the three
monument commissioners. but most in
teresting is that fact that he is one of
the fo;lr Maine soldiers who live to tell
of the Salisbury prison. Burdened with
the weight of years in voice trembling
with emotion. not untineed with the Bit
terness the recollection of his terrible eX-
periences brought to him, Mr. Small re-
counted his days and nights in the mill
tary prison.
There was not dry eye III tie audi
cnce when Mr.. Small concluded, but good
humor was fully restored when state
Treasurer B. r Lacy, who concluded the
prosram. had finished his impromptu re-
marks. The visitors from Maine seemed
to appreciates his wit as much rs the
North Carolinians. and the enthusiasm
that he awakened brought an unusual
occasion to most happy close. Mr.. Lacy
regretted that the visitors had brought
Maine weather with them-the day was
extremely raw and disagreeable-he had
hoped that they would have taste of
real North Carolina weather and lie vel
coined the visitors in his inimitabe style,
but didn't welcome the weather he insist
ed they had brought with them. He told
the visitors that they should appreciate
the crowd before them because only true
patriotism would have brought out such
a gathering in such unreasonable weather
to hear things said that they had heard
thousand times before. He decried the
Wanting of North Cardinals fame. for
fear the Maine folks would think that
North Carolina had dome it ALL without
assistance. and in the same breath de-
clared that North Carolina was first at
Bethel. farthest at Gettysburg and last
at Arpomattox." and if the old flag
should be insulted or assailed now the
Maine folks would find that the North
Carolina boys would fight hardest and
stay longest of any Americans alive. and
if Maine should take a notion to secede
now the Tar Heels would be the first to
meet EN- at the border and push 'em
back. Mr.. Lacy was in rare good form
and his ready witticisms and his effcr-
vescent humor struck keynote that
made everybody happy. The era of good
fellowship was prolonged when Chairman
Libby, when Mr.. Lacy concluded, stepped
to the front and invited the veterans who
wore the gray to gather around the stand
and mingle with their old enemies, and
the grizzled men in gray responded with
the same fervor that characterized the
invitation It was an suspicious finale to
a notable occasion.
After the exercises at the cemetery the
visitors and number of invited guests
repaired to the handsome home of Mayor
and Mrs. A. H. Boyden, where the city's
chief executive and his charming lady
were at home to their friends. Here, in
this delightful home. the visitors received
their first real impressions of true South
'ern hospitality and that they were royal
ly entertained and that they and the
fortunate guests invited to meet them en-
jqy"d memorable period goes without
saying.