Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1913-06-05
MEMORIAL EXERCISES
Held Friday Under Auspices Of Win.
Meyer Post
REV. ". /. MASON The ORAT OR
The Address the Best Heard In Alma In Years
The Day was Ideal

The Memorial Day ex9Icises were
carried out according II program.
Wright double quartet sang the
welcome by VIM. A. Bahlke was
Iead, with emphasis. Rev w. f..
Doty offered prayer. The general
orders were read by Adjutant Ed. r
Griffith. A chorus of &c sixth grade
pupils sang "M Vow to My
Country" The fourth and fifth
grade pupils then marched to the
platform to the music of Sherman's
war song and 6 in number recited
Lincolns Gettysburg speech in
splendid concert. The fourth, fifth
and sixth grades sang together
Michigan My Michigan" to new
music, under the leadership of Miss
McGreaham. The audience greatly
appreciated the children's effort.
Prof. j. E. Mitchell introduced as
speaker of the day Rev. w. II. Mason
of the Presbyterian church. Briefly
he stated: THAT Nation is doom,
ed which despises it's holidays, over
rides the Christian Sabbath and rel
egates the cannon and the flag to OBJ
scurity on independence Day and
makes of it day of sport. There
is a growing tendency to forget the
spirit of that thankfullness to AL
mighty God recognized in our fore
Thanksgiving Day and substitute in
its place cheers for some football
eleven. This Memorial Day must be
held sacred to our soldier and sailor
dead if we would preserve our lib
critics. 1t will be a sad day for our
republic when this spirit of sport
and commercialism crowds out our
observance of day, holy to the ma
tion's dead. You allow the lovers
of sport and revelry to trample upon
the spirit of any American holiday
at your peril. When we forget the
boys of '61 to '65 and the boys of
20 our nations doom is sealed. One
day to their memory in year is lit
tie enough, Lest we forget. when
the call came in 1861 men rushed to
the front from the rocky hillsides vi
Maine and Colorado, from the palm
groves of California, the SHOWS of
Minnesota, the valleys of Illinois and
answering as they came, We're
Comm Father Abraham 100000
Strong," and they went down into
unknown graves, into MANNED heaps
on the battlefield, into southern
prisons into the perils of the scout
and sentry, but they accomplished
three great things: The interpreta-
ton of the constitution written by
our forefathers that all men were
created free and equal was upheld,
regardless of race or color. Lin
coin himself said: This nation can,
not exist half free and half slave"
Second-The social organization
of the new continent was maintain
ed. Life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness were guaranteed to be-
the right of every man. The old
aristocracy which claimed the right
of the few to govern the many was
turned down forever.
Wv do uSClutu Iuc nlOl dl
question of the right and wrong of
keeping slaves. The men in BluS
enlisted to save the Union. To
prevent our contingent becoming
what South America is today,
reign of anarchy and despotisms.
But the cause of this secession, this
separation of states was the belief
of the southern people that slavery
was a holy institution, upheld by the
sacred precepts of the Bible and the
men in Blue taught them at Fort
Donaldson, Gettysburg, Antietam
and Atlanta that no man has the
right to hold his fellowman in bond
age and profit from his toll. God
save us from the day when we shall
cease to appreciate these men who
fought for all the liberties which we
hold dear. God save us from the
tyranny of the ultra rich and God
save us from the anarchy of the
ultra poor.