Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-01
The Address of
Thomas Leigh
AT City Hall,

We Nt1t pbitStb, oihti " AVN
Partially and the accusation of using
poor judgment in the selection of
speeches that were used, to refuse all
OF them or at least, to Confine them to
a condensed report. 1t will be read
lily understood that it would be inn
possible to publish, even If any part
of the public would read, 40 or SO
Memorial addresses of anywhere from
three to six columns in length. Our
list of Memorial Day orators num-
hered more than 50. Probably we
have received urgent requests to use
20 of these addresses. We could not
do so, and have received many pro-
tests and much complaint. in eonse-
quence. The excellent addresses of
the Union Memorial services at Au-
gusta. and of Rev. Melville c. Miner
at Gardiner. the addresses at Water
vile and many other places were
omitted. because we could not use all
of them and felt that il would be I'M
fair to use one and reject another.
Through misunderstanding DIR. Min
CT went to the trouble to write out for
us an address that he had not COM
mitted to paper We feel that he and
his people are entitled to register
strong protest and hereby express our
regrets We are requested to pub
lish in full the address of Thomas
Leigh of Augusta, at City Hall, Tues
day evening (Which we could not do
in connection with the Memorial Day
exercises) for the benefit of local
readers.-Editor.
Following is the full text of Mr..
Leigh's address,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Members of Seth Williams Post,
Grand Army of the Republic:
For your kind invitation to address
YOU upon this occasion, wish to
thank you. 1t is indeed an honor and
a privilege which / fully appreciate to
stand in your presence on the evening
OF this Memorial Hay; to speak. IL per
chance | can, d single word that will
be appropriate, ano in keeping with
the spirit of this anniversary, which
with the recedng and recurring years
is fuller of meaning, more blessed in
its significance to every patriotic cit
izen who today pauses. in the onward
march of things, and thinks OF his
country: What it was in The early be
ginning. what the valor, self sacrifice
and patriotism Of the Union Soldier
made il to be, and what in the untold
ing of the years i: will be, ami While
thus rejecting upon the Republic pay
proper and well-deserved tribute and
homage to the Union soldier, dead and
living. Who with patriotism bofn of
the heavens. sacrificed everything that
the Union might be preserved and
that liberty and freedom. for which
our u forefathers fought and died
might not perish from the earth. And
then to think of the glorious result;
the Republic saved and the Union es-
stablished for all time. not one star
erased from the blue field of our glo-
riols flag, and the sentiment OF the
poet fully realized:
"A union OF lakes, a union of lands
A union of states none can sever.
X union of hearts, a union of hands
And the flag ofEour union forever"
Difference of opinion has ever led
honest meuhto earnest conflict, for
confidence of conviction is an essential
element OF stpong natures.
Men are not alike. eXcepz in general
characteristics. and as they differ in
personal appearance SO do they view
from different staidpofnts the vari-
Gus questions of public interest
brought to the mini of our citizens for
determination.
we are speaking now, not of the fol-
lower who waits until the other man
has set the pace before making up
his mind out of the strong, sturdy
American. who understanding what it
Gears To be citizen of cur country,
applies the logic of his own brain to
the question and decides the right ac
cGr6ingly.
For such man we have respect.
whether his ideas accord with ours or
rJt. because it is manly to act upon a
carefully formed judgment. TO do those
things We honestly believe to be right
and to yield only hen convinced that
we have been in error.
Justice to our opponents means
charity to their errors. even as We
may welcome like thoughtfulness for
our own We all make mistakes, and
no one is more blind than he who
conceives that ne is without error.
With these thoughts in our minds. we
approach the subject Memorial
Day.
An anniversary full of meaning,
crowded with recollection. brimming
over with memories. A holiday of
unusual significance. because it WAS
born from the labor of terrible con-
dict
The soldiers of the war need no eX-
plantations; they can join in com
memorating soldiers death with
feelings not different in kind, wheth-
er he fell toward them or by their
side.
But Memorial day may or ought to
have meaning also for those who
do not share your memories. When
men have instinctively agreed to cell
citrate an anniversary, 1t will be
found that there is some thought or
feeling behind it which is too large to
be dependent upon association alone
So to the Indifferent inquirer who
asks why Memorial day is still kept
up we may answer; not only to pay
tribute to the Union soldier FOR his
self sacrificing love and devotion to
the Republic in the hour Of its peril,