The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-05-30
Thousands of Pretty Flowers
Placed on the Last Resting
Place of Men Who Fought
For Country.
BIG SERVICES HELD
THIS AFTERNOON.
Following a Parade of Short
Length the Rev. T. J. Gra-
ham Addressed Veterans in
Coliseum.

Of unusual appropriateness were the
services held at the Coliseum this aft
ernOOn in honor of Memorial Day
The exercises had been arranged by
the Sons of Veterans and Sol Meredith
Post, G.. A. r. was the guest of the Oc-
casiOn. There was large gathering
of the patriotic organizations of the
city in attendance and the general
public attended in large numbers Pre-
ceeding the services the veterans,
members of the WOman's Relief Corps,
Sons of Veterans and the affiliated or
ganiZatiOns passed in parade about the
down town districts. Because of the
oppressiveness of the atmosphere and
the feebleness of some OF the veterans
the line Of march was but few
squares in length.
Graves Decorated
The morning hours were spent in
the decoration of the graves of the
soldier dead. The school children had
contributed thousands Of flowers and
several express wagon loads were col
leCted from the various buildings yes
terday afternoon. Committees had
been appointed for the decorating and
they met at the post room at an early
hour and proceeded to the various
cemeteries. Flowers, flags and mark
ers were placed up the graves.
Parade Feature.
The real feature of the ceremonies
was the parade. Many of the grizzled
veterans realized that their marches
were becoming fewer and the OppOrtu-
mites less often with advancing years.
All were alert, and eager to make the
effort, however. and the line showed
several men who have not walked the
same distance for years. They could
not resist the martial music and the
spirit o fthe occasion. The veterans
were placed in the position of honor
In advance Of them marched the city
band, the firing squad, Company c,
Second Indiana Regiment, L. B. B. A,
Spanish American War Veterans, w.
P. Benton Camp, Sons of Veterans, La
dies Aid Society of the Sons of Vet
Grams, Ladies Of the G.. A R, Women 5
Relief Corps. school children and Sol
Meredith Post, G. A. r. Open forma-
tiOn was observed by the marchers in
front of the Coliseum and civil war
veterans passed into the building
first.
The program was carried out as had
been announced previously. The in
vocation was pronounced by the Rev.
r. J. Wade. The drill by the Boys
Brigade was a feature. The tribute to
the unknown dead by the w. r. c.,
and the school children was very i'm
pressive.
The address of the occasion was de-
livered by the Rev. T. J. Graham. Of
the First Presbyterian church, who
said in part:
Who are these men, who with band
badge and banner have marched into
the seat Of honor in this Coliseum this
day. Tell me the why and the
wherefore of this particular day and
demonstration? So well might our
lads and lassies ask.
These, my dears, represent a part
Of the remnant Of the grandest army
the world has ever enlisted to bear
arms on the side of right, justice and
freedom. The query of an interested
youth in reference to the ancient Mac
edonian military king was. How big
was Alexander, Pa. that people called
him great"
How big was the army of these he
roic survivors of the carnage of the
COS, dad-might our young men and
women ask, that a nation has called it
grand" The Grand Army of the
Republic. How big? In mustered
men. immense. Hear me, The final
L. S. A, gave the total number of mill
tia, volunteers and drafted men re-
Ceived into the service of the United
States during the civil war as 2.69o.-
4o1. That there were actually 1,5Oo.-
516 men in the field when hostilities
ceased, of whom about 91S.0OO were
volunteers and conscripts; and that the
national enrolment exhibited at the
same time. an available reserve of .
254 O5S
Generalzing Van Dykes words spec
tally written in reference to St. Gau-
den's Sherman" may We not say
These are the soldiers brave enough
10 tell
The glory-dazzled world that war is
hell;
Lovers of peace. they look beyond the
strife
And ride through hell TO save the
cOuntrys life"
These men. not many. were the sin
ews of war. Through earth their
deeds reverberate; inspiring people to
arise and nations TO be great; oh the