The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1916-06-02


More than 500 residents of Owes
so gathered at the First NJ. K. church
Sunday morning and paid signal
honor to the memory of those-both
living and dead-who have fought
and suffered that this country might
live.
During the Memorial Sunday SER
vices, by far the most impressive OF
their kind which have been held in
this city for several years, the hun
dreds who came, quietly offered up
to God their thanks that such heroes
as. those who shouldered muskets
during the darkest days in the his
tory of the republic, had answered
the call when they were needed to
preserve their country.
The larger number of those at the
service wore small American flags.
AS they listened intently to the words
of Rev. Hartley Cansfeld, or bowed
before God in prayer, it was as
though all were Sound together in
the single purpose of paying tribute
to those who made the great sacri-
fee years ago.
Members of the G. A. R., their
ranks thinned by the passing years,
the w. r. c.. truly as patriotic as the
sons and husbands who went to the
front ranks in the battle line; the
Spanish War veterans, heroes of a
more recent date who faced death
from shot, and shell, and disease
that a great justice might be done,
and the members of the National
Guard, a group ready at a moments
notice to rise in defense of their
country, all were there. With them
were several hundreds of others, full
ly as patriotic and fervent in their
desire that the America Of tomorrow
should not shame the America of the
past.
1t was an inspiring scene, those
hundreds who were gathered there
in the worship of God and the paying
of a we'll earned tribute to those who
have made possible the achievements
of the present day.
or eloquent address delivered upon
such an occasion as was that of Rev.
Cansfield, Sunday morning. He stood
before the congregation and earnest
ly voiced the statement that Memorial
Day is Holy Day. That 1t is one
which should be observed sacredly.
The speaker reviewed the strug-
giles of the North and South, depict
ing the awful cost and the results of
the strife. He said, in speaking on
the text, "What Mean we by These
Stones?"
moses, the leader was dead, and
his mantle had fallen on Joshua, who
was to lead to the promised land.
Between his people and the realiza-
ton of their hopes, was the river
Jordan, now overlooking its banks.
AS in the case at the Red sea, SO now
God wrought miracle on their be-
half The waters divided and the
people passed to the Canaan side. AS
a memorial of this the ordinance re-
ferred to in our text was made. A
sort of Bunker Hill monument was
to be erected to commemorate the
event. That when your children ask
their fathers in time to come, What
mean we by these stones?" We shall
say, God wrought a miracle for the
deliverance of His people, and these
stones shall BE a memorial unto the
Children of Israel for ever
Memorial Day is day of days in
the history of our country. 1t is, in
fact, Holy Day, and as such ought
to be sacredly observed. There was
a three-fold purpose in the institu-
DRY of the heroes who gave their lives
for their country; to express ma
tons gratitude to the soldiers living
and to revive the memories of the
past for the purpose of teaching pa
triotism to the generations now liv-
ing.
More than twenty million immi-
grants have come to our shores since
the war. And these have come from
all the countries of Europe. Now
the public school is the greatest
force of our country
but it does not touch the adult ex-
cept through the child and that indi-
rectly. Hence the value of this day
as an educator.
Memorial Day carries us back fif-
ty-one years, when one of the most
sanguinary conflict of modern times
came to a close. Nearly 100000
soldiers died in that war. Nearly
three million men offered themselves
on the altar Of service. The war cost
the North three billions of dollars.
But it ended in a decisive victory for
tho Union.
1T was not a conflict of races, nor
Of different nations. 1t was a con-
f1ict of brothers, which accounted for
its bitterness and its length. Gener-
al Scott was once asked, Why with
5000 men he could enter the City Of
Mexico, and yet with 100000 men he
could not enter Richmond. His re-