The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-06-02
1t Was Delivered BY Dr.. ]. F.
Stout This Morning
SONG SERVICE RENDERED
Other Impressive and Interest
ing Features That Breathed
Spirit of Patriotism
From Tuesdays Daily.

Bright sunshine ushered in Men,
orila day, and the city was early
astir with people who were abroad
to take part in the sacred holiday,
and pay honors to the departed SOL
diers, and any members of their own
families who had passed away. Flags
fluttered from the business places
and homes, and never did Old Glory
wave brighter, or more triumphantly.
Mankato Armory was the scene of
impressive exercises in commemor-
alton of the day, and the spacious
hall was crowded by citizens who had
turned out in large numbers to hear
the patriotic address, and the eX-
cellent musical program. An impro-
vised stage was handsomely deco
raled with palms and flags, and flags
hung in graceful folds in all parts of
the building. Many G. A. R. veter
ans and ladies of the D. A. R. were
among those assembled, and many
glad young school children were al
so present to take part in the cere-
monies.
Number of Musical Selections.
The program opened with num-
Der of musical selections by the
Grand orchestra, after which eighty
nine school children of the A eighth
grade, marched in, and taking their
places at the side of the platform,
sang with inspiring effect, "Hurrah
for the Flag" Miss Fannie Pitcher,
director of music in the public
schools, had charge of the music CIV
en- by the students, and the young
people were enthusiastically ap-
plauded. DR.. c. A. Hobbs delivered
an eloquent prayer, after which Miss
Cornelia Mansfield sang a solo, Mrs.
Mamie Skuse Gerlich playing the pi-
ano accompaniment. She responded
to the demand for an encore with a
repetition of the chorus. Harold Lar
son then delivered LincOln's Gettys-
burg Address, and was followed by
the High School quartet, composed
of Ivan Roberts, Dan Lloyd, Victor
Anderson, and Florian Kleinschmidt,
who sang Tramp, Tramp, Tramp"
with very pleasing effect and were
obliged to sing an encore number,
AS an encore they sang, rally
Round the Flag" the piano accom-
paniment being played by Miss
Pitcher. The musical program was
followed by an address by DR.. j. r.
Stout, and the ceremonies OF hang
ing wreaths for the departed soldiers
was impressively conducted. After
the song America" by the audience,
the benediction was pronounced by
Rev. w. E. Evans.
Address of DR.. Stout.
The address of DR.. Stout follows:
"This is a day which is coming to
be increasingly important. 1t is not
waning in it's influence through the
lapse of years, but rather because we
are farther removed from the strug-
gle brought to our minds by this Day
of Decoration we are the more aDle
to see the greatness of the issues in
yolved, and the vast results which
have come out of that time OF strife
and blood We recognize one day IN
the year for noisy patriotism, when
with drum beat, and buggle blast, and
flamboyant oratory we call to mind
the DAYS of the battles of our fathers
which brought us independence; but
this is day which is of different sort,
on this we do not wave the flags and
beat the drums, and let the guns roar
their salute while all the gleeful
crowds give themselves to amusements
and jollity, but rather with sober step
and flags at half mast we call to mind
the heroes who slumber today be-
cause they gave themselves, as heroes
should, to their country's need.
"To many here the deeds Of the
sixties are mere facts of history, but
to many others the facts are alive
with a vivid personal meaning, and
there comes up before us recollec-
ton of crises, sacrifices, sorrows, deeds
and victories which thrill us to the
very core of our being. 1t seems but
a little while ago that the men who
wore the blue departed for the front
and under that threatening cloud of
war, marched, charged, suffered, bled,
festered in poisOns, groaned in camp
hospitals or died upon the field of
battle. Years cannot dim the luster of
their deeds, abate one jot of their re-
nown nor efface the splendid record
which they made before the eyes of
the world. Their monument is the
country itself, with all it's greatness
and power, united, progressive, man.
loving, God-fearing, and full of viril-
ity which is the very need of the hour.
Call To Mind Their Deeds.
at may be well to call to mind some
of the things which they did at this
hour. They saved the Union That was
their purpose. Their patriotism blazed
in their eyes, fired their blood and
found expressions in heroic deeds. In
this they worked in harmony with
counsels of the Almighty. There
were no natural boundaries for two
great nations in our territory. Our
great rivers unite us in a single unite
Our northern products are needed in
the south and the southern in the
north. We have one history, made
sacred by the sacrifices of our fore
fathers, one heritage of honor from
their valor and their deeds, one Ian
guage and one race, and may that
race be Americans without hyphen OF
any other thing to detract from
it's absolute loyalty, one religion, one
aim, and forever be it said we have
one flag. The very situation of the
nation was an indication of Providence
and of destiny and out of the con-
f1ict Waged uniOn was naturally the