The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-06-02
ADDRESS TO VETERANS
FATHER WALSH PAID GLOWING
TRIBUTE TO GRAND ARMY
SURVIVORS

>
Church in a Body as an Escort for
Members of Brooks Post-Bril-
liant Sermon Delivered.
1t is the annual custom of the fast
thinning ranks of THE veterans of
the Grand Army of the Republic to
attend divine worship in body. Yes
terdays Memorial Sunday sermon
was delivered at St. Augustine's
Catholic church before the members
of Brooks Post, G. A. r.. auxiliary
organizations, and congregation
that filled that edifice almost to over
flowing.
Meeting in their hall with the Sons
of Veterans and the Womens Relief
Corps, the veterans. of whom the
Post now numbers 6S scattered here
and there, marched to the church
escorted by the Catholic societies of
the city, Patrick II. Ryan acting as
marshal. The Catholic Order of For
esters, the Ancient Order of Hiberni-
ans, the Knights of Columbus, the st.
Jean de Baptiste society and the
Young Mems Catholic Union were
numbered among the special guests
who filled the center pews of the
church, the organist, Miss Beatrice
Pine playing America" "Tenting
Tonight and "The Star-Spangled
Banner" during the services.
Rev. w. ]. OSullivan paid glow
ing and eloquent tribute to the men
of the blue uniform in prefacing the
sermon delivered by Father Walsh,
one of the Paulist fathers who have
been conducting three weeks mis-
sion in the parish Father O'Sullivan
said:
I'VE celebrate today the great
American festival which is, in good
reason, so dear to the hearts of all
true Americans, Redolent of poetry,
redolent of patriotism and replete
with lessons, it teaches forever and
all generations of Americans to love
their country. What an object lesson
| it is. Therefore, with deepest feelings
OF gratitude and appreciation, we ex-
tend a welcome to the defenders of
this beloved country, men who Of
fered the greatest sacrifice possible
for man to offer upon the altar of
devotion to country. 1t is eminently
fitting and proper that the son of a
veteran and man whose four
uncles served their country as did
these veterans before me, should adj
dress you on this occasion"
The Sermon.
Father Walsh thereupon delivered
sermon of rare excellence, impas-
stoned in it's appeal to the present
day generation and glowing in its
tribute to the men of yesterday. He
said:
About the time of our Lords
coming among men, the great Ro-
man Empire was at the height of
| its power. 1t embraced the civilized
world OF those days. 1t brought to
| its people protection and laws and
so the proud boast of the men of
those days was this which has
come down to us, I am a Roman
citizen. That was the proudest boast
of citizens OF those times, pagan
empire that theirs was, weak on &C
count of its corruption, doomed on
account of its error, they were proud
to say simply, 1 am a Roman citi-
ZEN Modern Europe is the result OF
that empire. Beyond the seas, an
other nation has sprung up which is
to influence the whole world as did
the Roman Empire in its day. 1t
should be our proudest boast that we
are citizens of our country. 1t
should be the proudest boast ever
uttered from that day to this, L am
an American citizen
I'VE have so much to be proud of.
Never was there fairer land, never a
land which afforded more glorious
opportunity. Never has there been a
nation in whose cause men have CIV
en- so willingly all they had To the
glory OF our fathers we can say
never was there land whose peoples
loyal devotion to it's heroes was more
generous. Where OF old there was a
false religion, today we have Christ
as the very foundation of our ma
ton. Our country is Christian ma
ton, Christian in its laws, in it's patri-
otism, its spirit, its institutions. God
was no respecter of persons. Do not
we say every man is free and equal?
Christ said the truth must make us
free. The gospel of Jesus Christ has
been our guide. So, whether we re-
gard its high and lofty ideals or its
gospel of religious belief. never was
there a country of which men have
had more reason to be proud.
20, but the struggles and the
bloodshed necessary to give us what
we have today. At one time, cousin
against cousin in the Revolutionary
War. At another, brother against
brother in the Civil War. For what
did they fight? Freedom, liberty, and
equality. For these, they fought and
bled and died. In both these wars
and in other struggles which were
necessary to preserve the ideals for
which We stand today, Vermont is
conspicuous as any State What
schoolbol has not heard of Ticonder-
oga, Ethan Allen, or the words OF
that patriot? Who has not heard OF
Bennington and General Stark? Every
one knows the place Vermont has
taken. 1t should be the Vermonter's