Smyrna times., 1912-05-29
SMYRNA VETERANS OUTLINE
MEMORIAL DAY PROGRAM
WILL VISIT SMYRNA CEMETERIES
AND HOLD G. A. r. SERVICES
Rev. William FAIRIES Will Give Grafton
at Odd Fellows; Rev. Jones at
Glenwood-Old Veteran Talks

Glenwood-Old Veteran Talks
Tomorrow is Memorial Day and
following the custom, members of
General U. S. Hancock Post will
meet at the Post Room at nine
o'clock and, accompanied by a hack
load of children singing patriotic
songs and bearing garlands of
flowers, will visit the cemeteries of
Smyrna, hold services and decorate
the graves. Rev. William FAIRIES
will give the grafton at Odd Fell
lows and Rev. E. H. Jones of Ewell
NJ. p. Church, Clayton, will talk
at Glenwood Cemetery. At st.
Peters Cemetery and the Presbv-
terian Cemetery, there will be no
speaking, nothing but the G. A. R.
services at the graves of fallen
comrades. The G. A. R. veterans.
now only about 16 or Is strong. will
march under the directions of Com
mander Thomas Davis. The fast
depicting numbers of the army
veterans of the Civil war is i'm
pressive to note. From a strong,
thriving Post, the membership has
dwindled down to about Is or 16.
In little while they will be no
more.
In This Country Now Only Half Million
Says ]. E. Garner, one of our grand
army veterans when interviewd last
week: "Of the two million of union
soldiers who survived at the time
of the Grand Review in Washington
just As years ago, -fourths
have gone to their last "bivouac''
under peaceful conditions. 1t is es-
timated that there are now half
million surviving of those who wore
the blue, but the ravages of time
are more deadly than the bullets of
the enemy. Every year almost so. 600
pre- called away and of those who
femain the marks are uncomfortable.
Yhe whitened hair, the shriveled
cheek, the halting step, betoken the
years that have passed since they so
proudly stepped forward to the drum
beat of the nation. 1t is sometimes
the custom in these days for young
people to sneer at the old soldiers
or at least to discount the services
they performed or talk of coffee
coolers and bounty jumpers and PEN
sion-grabbers as if they were in the
majority. 1t is undoubted that
there were evils connected with our
volunteer system, but if any scoffer
will pause for a moment to reflect,
he will see that battles were not
won by derelicts; that the greatest
Civil War in history was not con-
Quoted by towards. The whole con-
tinent shook for four years with the
tread of as brave and valiant
soldiers as ever focked to colors.
The contest was long and was fought
to finish with desperation ard
courage on both sides and he who
reflects unfavorably upon the valor
of men on either side has failed 10
learn the lessons of history and how
fortunate that in these piping times
of peace, the bitternesses of that
contest are almost entirely an
suaged; that the rancour of olden
days has passed and that there ex-
lists not a handful Of men in any
part of the country who regret the
successful issue of the great contest
for the preservation of national
unity. The surrender at Appomatox
was not the knell of eleven mis-
guided States, but the reveille to a
happier and more blessed existence
than was conceived in the wildeBt
dreams and fondest hopes of Con-
federacy which deservedly failed" 4"
Post Has Sermon by Rev. Matthews
Sunday morning, the Smyrna G.
AR. Post, to the number Of thirteen,
marched in body from their post
room to Jerman Chapel. where they
were accorded seats in the front of
the church. The congregation sang
Onward Christian Soldiers" and
before Pastor Matthews arose to
deliver his sermon, sang MY
Country 'Tis of thee. The pastor
took for his text part of the End
chapter and 14th verse of Titus:
Who Gave Himelf for Us. " After
recounting the trial and hardship of
the early church to get foundation
and of the faith and daring of the
early Christians in the fight of the
cause they so righteously espoused, |
Rev. Matthews drew a close anal
otgy to the faith, the trials and the
harships endured by our veterans IN |
the cause of saving the Union that
we as citizens might enjoy the fuller
and greater blessings of liberty. |
he commended the beautiful custom
Of Memorial Day, the placing a
flags on the graves in commeoration