Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1913-06-05
MEMORIAL DAY, 1918.
The Established Custom that the Day
be Fittingly Observed in Mineral
Point no Exception this Year.
The Blue Line Thinning.


Point.
The first feature of the days pro
gram was that of decorating graves il
the several local cemeteries. As tn,
surviving veterans gathered for tn,
purpose it was plainly and painfully
noticeable that the blue line was thin
ming, the step less elastic, yet for al
that the spirit of patriotism was as
buoyant in their breasts as ever AnC
it is this spirit of the veteran more
than any other one agency that has i'm.
planted loyalty to the Union in the
hearts of its citizens SO deep that there
exists no force of sufficient strength tc
uproot it. The use of automobiles,
freely rendered by those of the city
owning such vehicles, to transport the
veterans and Relief Corps ladies TO the
cemeteries, was only another evidence
of love for patriotism and gallantry.
| Promptly after the noon hour chill
dren and others of the city assembled
| by the hundred and soon a professional
body was formed on High street con-
sisting of war survivors, Relief Corps
members, school children, citizens afoot
and in conveyances, and to the meas
ured and enchanting strains Of the
Mineral Point band, marched to the
city park. There the program was in
accord with Grand Army custom, in
terspersed with fitting and well rend-
cred vocal selections by a male quar-
tette consisting Of Messrs. w. H. Os-
borne, G. S. Huxtable, w w. Williams
and Henry Bray, and the reading of
Lincoln's Incompatible Gettysburg adj
dress by Miss Elizabeth Davis and she
did well. These proceedings were fol-
lowed by an inspiring and timely adj
dress by Rev. A. b. Bourquard, whose
pleasing style and eloquent passages
commanded close attention throughout.
1t was brief, another winning point
Following is synopsis Of the address;
We are not here for amusement; we
are nos here for entertainment; we are
not here to stir again those sectional
feelings which once shattered our coun-
try, threatening its very existence. 1t
would be nothing less than treason for
ME or anv one here or at any other
time or place to say or do anything
which would renew the bitterness or
open afresh the wound which required
the blood of more than a million men
to heal This very service today en-
phasizes the fact that there is no
South, no North, no East. no West,
but one great country with one flag,
one spirit, one purpose and goal and
that to establish righteousness, liberty
and law throughout our wide domain
and to the ends of the earth as far as
we can help.
We are here TO imbibe the spirit Of
loyalty to our flag, our county and our
convictions which you and your com
rades manifested in the dark days of
the sixties. And to pay deserved trib-
ute to the seventy-fve thousand and
more who responded to the call for
volunteers as sent out by the great
man who sat in the presidential chair.
"A man with the wisdom Of philoso-
pher, the vision Of prophet, the cour-
age Of martyr, the character Of a
Christian, whose personality had gath
cred into it all the noble qualities Of
the American people and thus became
the greatest man in American history
Abraham Lincoln.
g In response to this call you and your
comrades came leaving mothers, brok-
en-hearted; wives, crushed and grief
stricken; bright-eyed babes whom you
might not see again, and rushed into
the laws of death And most of you
never returned.
" We honor you for what you endured
The long marches through hot sands
and dusty roads, through marshes and
unhealthy swamps The fierce battles
the hospital and filthy prison, and with
it all the hcnger and disease. We hon
or equally those who remained at home
Their suffering and endurance were
equally severe with those who went to
the field The noble army Of women
who suffered in their want and silence
to permit your deeds Of heroism.
eve also honor you and your comrades
| for what you did. You crushed a mon
strous wrong, exalted national right
eousness, and banished human slavery
forever from the land You saved the
South from the erroneous doctrine o.
States Rights. You saved the NORTH
from the whitening spirit Of comprom
Use which would have willingly per
: mitted the nation to attempt To liyo
{ half slave and half free. You 8ayet
the Union as a nation. And you save,
this flag from defeat and disgrace