The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-15
WOMEN RELATIVES JOIN WITH
SONS OF VETERANS HONORING
MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Patriotism and Enthusiasm Mark Annual Banquet Held
In The Stratfe1d-J Mitchell Chappele Gives In
spring and Scholarly Address.

Patriotism and enthusiasm marked
the Lincoln banquet of Franklin Bart
lett camp, No. IL. Sons of Veterans,
held last night in The Stratfield, Gov
ers were laid for 31O persons Inc
big dining room was filled to capacity
and some tables were set In the
breakfast room adjoining. For near
~ an hour after the dinner the big as
eembIage sat entranced and listened to
a wonderful and most original address
on the Enpn9rtal Abraham lincoln by
Joe Mitchell sChappe1Ie of Boston.
me dinner drew the largest attend-
ance Of any similar affair ever given
by the camp and for the first time
the wives and other women relatives
OF. the m ef1nbers were present as we'll
as a. number Of members of the Grand
Army and their wives. A. long table
close to that where the speakers and
g1iests sat was reserved for the yeter-
ans and their wives and when the
others had taken their places the vet.
Grams and their wives were escorted.
to their seats by the members OF the
coxumfttee Assthey took their places
the Sons Of Veterans quartet sang We
Old Boys
FFollo41fns this ceremony the co1ors
81 the camp. the United States flag
and the, blue banner of the Sons of
Veterans were carried to the speak
ers table and all standing gave the
I Sc lutte to the flag b. L Chapman,
toastmaster ade an address of well
ctrne The walls Of the dining room
we're draped with American flags and
between tszo flags back OF the speak
4 ers table was a massive oil painting
or the martyr presto ent-s
Mayor Wilson was the first speak
1 er! He told Of the ready response
4 made by the men of Bri dgeport to
/ ] lincoln 3 can for volunteers in 1861
EIa corzl dered it an honor to be pres
ent as the son Of one OF tn e men Who
EAd that call "a szs
saKfng for the Grand Army Of
{ the Republic, former Commander-in-
Chief Alfred B. BeeEs paid q tribute
TO courage and devotion to country
OF the little group of Boys in Blue
10 So fought the fight for freedom
and the Union. He said that in a
Jew years most of them would have
passed away but that their spirit re-
manned behind andsno matter who was
president. he felt sure that in time
of danger to the. national integrity,
that president would not have to call
in vain for volunteers He referred to
the pledge OF the commander of the
Confederate veterans made at Gettys@
burg on the 50th anniversary Of the
battle in which he declared that the
sons of the men VIII O fought to dis
solve the union will now fight to pre-
serve it.
In his introduction of Commander
Beers, Toastmaster Chapman referred
to his remarkable record He having
entered the army a boy OF sixteen
years as a private IN the Sixth Connec-
ffclat EoIunteers4a and returned home a
captain at the end sof the war
W. A. Waterman patriotic instruc-
tor in the division Of New York. Sons
Of Veterans recited The Flag while
Past Division Commander McGFaw of
MfddIetown held up the eolors.
Charles F. Sherman of Mt Vernon,
N. II. past comnander-in- chief of the
sons of Veterans and a. former mem
Der Of the local camp made a stirring
address in which he pointed out that
the duty of the members of the order
was not only to keep alive the mem
Org of the deeds of the fathers, but
also by word and by example to teach
patriotism and good citizenship to