Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-06-22


Though the old man with the scythe
is all the time busy, attendance at an
annual encampment of lhe Grand
Army of the Republic gives person
to understand that there are lots and
lots of the civil war veterans not vet
in the swath. / do not know just how
many of them got together at Fond du
Lac last week, yet | do know that
there were ever so many of them. II
one had undertaken TO count them,
and begun at the opera house where
the meetings were in session. he
would have had over four hundred to
begin with. Then he could have
found them grouped in all the hotel
Hobbies, big bunch of them at regis
try headquarters, pretty thickly
strewn all along the sidewalks, sit
ting on the porches of private homes
that had been opened to take them
in, and in almost every other conceIv-
able place in the city, except, of
course, the bad places. / think the
attendance upon the meetings was un-
usually large.
There was no business meeting on
Monday evening, but the council of
administration and committee on ere
dentials were busy in preparation for
the morrow. In the meantime there
was patriotic meeting at Armory E,
a reception by the ladies of the Re
lief corps at the Elxs' clubhouse, also
10 - ~
r. at the city library. These gather
ings were largely attended, while still
other comrades enjoyed themselves
on the side as best suited them. The
favorite means of enjoyment at Grand
Army gatherings is, of course, the sit
ting in little groups telling old-time
stories of the camp, the march and
the field. AS a rule these groups are
very quiet, though in some cases the
fellows burst out now and then into
shouts of laughter.
The business of an encampment is
done by those entitled to vote. These
are the regularly elected representa-
tives and all past post commanders
in good standing. A post is entitled
to one representative for every rs
members. though every post may send
at least one representative. But not
half OF the men entitled go to the
encampment and vote do so. Many
men do not feel that they can afford
the expense, some are not well
enough TO travel and Others have
work they cannot leave. But hun
dreds of veterans attend the encamp-
ment who are not entitled to vote.
They go to meet old comrades and en-
Joy the spirit of the occasion. sus-
pect that they are the comrades who
who attends all the meetings-as it is
his business to do-finds his time
pretty well taken up with the bush
ness in hand. anu he cannot visit
nearly as much as he would like TO
do.
The two especially interesting feat
ures about an encampment are the
campfire and the parade. The regu-
lar campfire a, Fond du Lac was held
on Tuesday evening at Armory E. It
is large room, capable of holding.
suppose. about 1000 people. Long
before the time for the meeting the
place was crowded to the doors, gal
lery and all / suppose n;GIly more
had to go away than We're ahle to get
in. People were jammed tight into
every available space, very many
( standing. Still the folks in that great
audience were as quiet during the
speaking, excepting about the door.
as if they were in church. Yet they
were in so hearty and receptive an
attitude that they cheered to the
echo the well-rounded, patriotic per-
iods Of some of the speakers.
These camp fires are, / think, some
thing different from those of twenty
years ago. Then every speaker
sought by army yarns" to make the
people laugh. Now the addresses
take more of patriotic turn. The
gatherings are sometimes called pa
triotic meetings instead of campfires.
can not take the time to speak in
detail of the program of the big patri-
etc meeting at Fond du Lac. | think
the feature that pleased the big audi
ence most of all was the singing of a
chorus of school children. One OF
their selections was patriotic med
ley, and the way they went through
with the performance.-cha
abruptly. vet easily-frcm Marching
Through Georgia to John Brown :
Body. America. Tramp, Tramp. Tramp.
Battle Hymn of the Republic, Just
Before the Battle. etc, was both De
Hahtful and inspiring Their singing
was bright and lively, and it reflected
great credit upon their music teacher
who. by the way. to the great .Ss.e i
Of the Fond du Lac young is tc
leave them to teach music next year
IN the schools OF Madison. Her name
IS Mrs. Belle P. Heath.
/ may say here that the young
neoale In the Fond Gu Lac schools are
very sorry. 100, that they are to lose
their su9erintendent Thomas Lloyd
Jones He IS to become principal O
the Madison high school,
There was much interest taken i
the parade in Fond du Lac. u cams
al