Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-06-02
Memorial Day at South Paris.
FITTING OBSERVANCE OF THE M
PREssIvE OCCASION.

OF course it merely happened so,''
but it was nevertheless a very pleasant
feature of the day that just as the beau
tiful ceremonies of decoration were
going on in Riverside Cemetery Satur-
day forenoon, the clouds which were
with us most of the day should separate
and the sun should come out in his glory
to brighten and make more beautiful the
scene.
The line of march was formed in front
of Grand Army Hall at 10 O'Clock.
About forty members of VIM. X. Kim
ball Post and other veterans were escort
ed by good number of the Sons of
Veterans, and followed by good line of
school children. More of the children
were in the procession than ever before,
and they were greatly interested in the
affair and seemed to enjoy their part in
it. The procession was headed by the
Gilead Brass Band, which furnished
music throughout the day.
At the cemetery there was prayer by
Rev. A. T. McWhorter, singing of ap-
propriate selections by the Schubert
Quartette, the reading of Lincoln's
Gettysburg address by Miss Eva Z.
Walker, remarks by Rev. I. n. Kewley,
and the decoration of the numerous
veterans graves in the cemetery with
flags and wreaths. From the cemetery
the return was made by way of Moore
Park and past the soldiers monument.
The veterans and the Sons of Veterans
were given both dinner and supper at
Grand Army Hall by the ladies.
Post Commander Charles III. George of
VIM. X. Kimball Post presided at the
afternoon exercises in New Hall. The
preliminary exercises included music by
the band, reading by Miss Myrtle Buck,
singing by the Schubert Quartette and
| by Miss Noble of Norway, after which
COmrade W. S. Robinson of Hartford
was introduced to give the address of
the day.
Mr.. Robinson is well known as an
eloquent speaker, and he has lost none
OF the silveriness of tongue which has
given him bis reputation, though on this
memorial occasion there is not in his
manner so much of the fire as in earlier
years he has displayed in speaking on
other subjects. He spoke briefly, little
more than half an hour, but entertain
ingly and profitably. His central
thought was the work of the Pilgrim
the Man from Plymouth Rock. He fol-
lowed the trail of the Pilgrim across the
continent from Plymouth-Over the
Alleghauies into the valleys of the Cum
berland, Ohio and Tennessee, then on
across the great river; the carving out OF
great states beyond the Mississippi; his
struggle of the Revolution to protect his
prosperity; his vast achievements in
three hundred years; the fatal mistake
in the Great Declaration, 1.-THE consent
of the governed" when four millions of
the governed did not consent; the bick-
erings and attempts to compromise with
iuiquity; the engendered hatred that
eliminated in the thunderbolt of
Sumter, usheriug in four years of dew
astation. He paid tribute to Lincoln
as the foremost man in all the world,
and his peroration was brief but bril-
liant eulogy of the comrades whose
graves were that day bedecked.
The singing of America by the au-
iience closed an appropriate and i'm
pressive observance of the day.
Later the veterans and other active
participants in the days services were
the guests of Messrs. Robbins & H0dg-
kins at the matinee performance at the
BijOu, when programme of pictures
and songs especially appropriate to the
day was given and was highly ap-
preciated.