Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-06-06

out of these and some quite new and
possibly as serious as any We have
seem
Your patriotism may never be called
into action by just the paths in which
ours has trcdden but the questions of
the coming times may demand of you
exhibitions Of a spirit no less self sac
rificing and quite as lofty as anything
displayed by Your forefatilers or ours.
The inevitable evolution going on IN:
our social and political Hfe-a symp-i
tom of which we have begun to wit
ness this day in our own community.
and which l firmly believe will be for
our betterment, whether as citizens of
Norwich. of Connecticut, or of the
United States-will call for your high,
est courage, your oleaneSt honesty, ana
for efforts to which the element of self
seeking must give place to thar of SER
vice.
True liberty is a costly plant to in
troduce, and more costly to maintain.
Tt has cost us much. It may cost you
more. But it is well worth its cost.
Rev. C. n. Ricketts, Heard.
Rev. C. H. Ricketts, followed with an
impressive and touching reference to
his experiences as d boy in q MaSSa
ehusetts village, seeing his brother
leave for the war, and he went on to
speak Of sumo of the unrecognized ele-
naents of those times which have since
grown into honor and greater recog
nition In these he referred eloquently
to the heroism of the women, to the
heroes who stayed at home on Ne,x
England farms and in New England
WORKSHOPS and to the invaluable parts
pIaSed by other than the native born
white of black. The civil war, he
said, had put an eternal emphasis on
one thing, and that was that wars
must stop and we are to settle our
national differences by arbitration.
DR.. D. j. Shahan Speaks.
He was followed by DR.. D. J. Sha-
han, a member of the Citizens corps,
who closed his telling but brief address
in the following words:
Heroes of a Nations Struggles: [
am not a soldier. nor a soldiers son.
But my heart goes back to those SOL
der days when the troops went march
ing outward, with a sad but gallant
tread. How grand and brave they
looked, those Boys in Blue, as they
marched along with the gallant, sturdy
swing Of veterans, their guns glisten-
ing in the air, drums beating, colors
flying, and the old flag tapping in the
bfeeZel
Mothers. wives. sisters and sweet
hearts were there too; and many
sorrowful heart beat for those young
patriots; many a sad teof was shed
for them, and many a quiYering voice
and trembling lip spoke to them a long
good bye, or kissed them an affection
ate farewell, as down, down, down into
the valley of death they Went-sonle
never to return
Can you forget the homecoming :?
What a holocaust What a Gethsemane
in nations life! The carnage of bat
tie, the heilishnesS of war, bodies brOk-
en- in health, MANNED or disfgured: one
armed jackets, empty saddles, desci-
mated ranks, riddled hammers, heif-
shattered muff1ed drums. told all.
0, how Old Glory looked and seemed
to me in those days, with her Wronged
and insulted folds Juggling and snap
ping at the staff head, like thing OF
life: plunging and struggling in her
frenzied grief, as if to be free once
more and off to the field of bottle to
avenge the siaughteE OF her fallsa
sons,
But no more of this for your ban
quet table. Peace be to their ashes.
AS we rejoice in the glories and tri-
jumps of the living, let our hearts go
back to those Minute Men who have
answered taps for that long and silent
sleep in the bivoGae of the dead, where
drumbeat and heartbeat are no more.
Ard tonight as we bow the head, or
reverent1y> and lovingly offer up that
gentle, kindly, Christian supplication,
May the Lord have mercy OF their
soulsi
POSTING Ster CarutherS.
Postmaster William Caruthers. when
called upon by Toastmaster Hobson.
responded with some interesting rem
iniseences, in the course of which he
told how he was enabled to enlist at
the age of II by stretching the. truth
a little and having extra thick taps
put on his shoes to make the pecessary
height. He also told of visit to
Washington with Charles Breed and
how their Norwich cards brought them
to President Lincoln. who wanted to
see them because they came from the
home of Governor Bucizing CHAM. telling
them that Connecticuts governor was
to him what Trumbull had been to
Washington.
Charles w. Spalding.
Another of the Minute Men, Charles
W. Spalding, was called upon his re-
Spouse being d proposal fer three
cheers for the Sons of Veterans, which
were given with a. viii. as were also
rousing cheers, led by Gen. Aiken. for
the hosts of the evening, and the Citi-
zens' corps, and for the Grand Army
and the Woman's Relief corps, led by
POSTMASTER Habson- With this final
burst of enthusiasm the meeting con-
Guided