The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-05-31
VETERANS RANKS
ARE THINNING
RAPIDLY
Fewest Number in Memorial
Day Parade
ONLY HALF A HUNDRED
Local C. A. r. Post at One Time Had
Membership Of 24o-Now
But II
ONLY HALF A HUNDRED

Probably the smallest number Of
veterans that ever participated in a
Memorial day observance In Benning
ton, marched and otherwise took part
Tuesday in the exercises held in hon
or and in memory of those members
of the constantly thinning ranks Of
blue who have responded to the last
great roll call. Custer Post, G. A. r.,
post which at one time had an en-
rollment of 240, and which now has
membership of but Y, was repres.
ented In the exercises yesterday by
about 90 veterans.
Memorial services at the Soldiers
Home and at the cemetery in North
Bennington, the parade in the after.
noon, the eloquent address at the
Soldiers Home by Robert E. Healy
were the chief events in the obser-
vance OF the day in Bennington
f. II. Holden was president of the
day, and the committee in charge con
sisted of A. NJ. Downs, chairman, d.
II. Rudd, S. A. Holt, ~ NJ. Puffer, e.
Briggs, j. c. Clark, G. Reynolds and
II. T. Cushman.
The exercises began at 9.45 O'Clock
in the morning. when the Sons of
Veterans, accompanied by the Pitts
field Marine Drum Corps, marched
TO the Old Bennington and to the
Catholic cemeteries and there held
memorial services. The address was
made by Rev. Isaac Jennings. A quar-.
tette composed of f. f.. Long, Mrs. l..
Downs Miss Mildred Farnum and Ar
thur HOLSTER sang America" and "A
Vacant Chair"
The ladies Of the Relief Corps ser
we'd dinner in the post rooms at Ii o.
clock to the members of the local post
and to some OF the various other or.
CARNATIONS. AT one o'clock in the
afternoon the Boy Scouts, Pittsfeld
Marine Drum Corps, Vermont Nation.
al Guard, Co. X, Sons of Veterans,
Spanish-American War Veterans, the
members of the Custer Post, G.. A. R.,
and the children of the graded school
formed into line on School street. A
j. Griffin acted as chief marshal. The
parade. followed by the clergy and
invited guests. proceeded down Main
street, over North and thence to the
Soldiers Home, where ii was received
by Col. Thomas Harmon and about 80
veterans. AT the cemetery impress
sive services were held. Addresses
were made by Past Commander c. NJ
Lambert, officer of the Day Ell
Briggs and Past Chaplain E. p. Hath
away. Nathan Madison of this town
one of the Boy Scouts, recited Lin
coins Gettysburg address.
/ 81
representing the veterans OF the Sold
iers Home placed the decorations on
the graves. A salute was fired by Co
X, Vermont National Guard, after
which the sounding OF taps closed the
memorial exercises at the cemetery
From the flagdraped front-veranda OF
the Soldiers Home which presented a
beautiful and patriotic appearance, T.
II. Holden, who acted as president OF
the day, introduced the speaker, Rob
ert f. Healy. Mr.. Healy's address
was very eloquent and held the deep
attention OF the audience and espec
tally the row of veterans to whose
memory Mr. Healy's words recalled
the many stirring scenes of nearly a
half century ago. Mr. Healy's ad
dress in part was as follows:
] am very glad that this opportun
lity is given me as one of the younger
generation to express, so far as / can
the gratitude which every American
must feel toward the men who gave
of their prosperity, health and lives
to clean dishonorable stain from the
escutcheon of our country and to pre-
serve and hand on to us a union
which, through their sacrifices, is one
and inseparable.
1t has been said that memory IL
not so brilliant as hope, but that it II
more beautiful and a thousand time:
more true, but the memory of thos,
men is both beautiful and true anC
brilliant too with rope for the sam,
spirit which solved the problems o
their day still is marching on.
In 1775 the American colonies be
gan rebellion against tyranny ant
oppression. In 1887 constitution
was established in order to secure tn,
blessings of liberty to ourselves ant
our posterity.' Washington, jefferson
Franklin, Adams, Hamilton and Pat
rick Henry were opposed to slavery
! LUZ M0o lut bubJtN
of fatal compromise in the consti
tuition. Some profess to believe tina
this compromise was a necessary one
1t was a disastrous mistake, to be pai
for in billions of dollars and in thous
ands of lives.
THAT compromise stands a poten
example of the evil of compromis
with evil. Would that the trainers O
that constitution might have had be
fore them the words of Beechel
= Christ never died for laws or TO
governments, but for men and the
who crush men to build up nation
may expect God to meet them wit
the blast of his lightning and the tel
ror of his thunder Or the word
written by Lincoln in 1857, carryin
the very soul of truth, This is
world of compensations and he VIII
+ would be no slave must consent
have no slave. Those who deny fire,
5 dom to others deserve it not for then
selves and under a just God they ca
not long retain it, But the Trainer
! of the constitution so wise in all othe
l respects, could not know the secrS
: working of a hidden fate, for in 17s
! by the invention of the cotton-gil
l,ottnr ouItura nv uaUrn Iahor haoou N,