The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-02-24
SCHOOL CHILDREN
HONOR VETERANS
OLD SOLDIERS ARE SPECIAL
GUESTS AT WASHINGTON
BIRTHDAY EXERCISES
ELABORATE PROGRAM GIVEN
DIR. ]. A. DU BOIS MAKES STIR
RING ADDRESS A. NORRIS
RESPONDS FOR G. A. R.

Washington's Birthday was fitting
ly observed in the public schools Tues
day afternoon with an appropriate
program in the assembly hall of the
High School. About twenty G. A. R.
VETERANS and thirty ladies of the w.
R. C. were guests of honor and made
an imposing array of numbers in the
section of the room reserved for them.
A pretty incident of the afternoon
was when a quartet of white-gowned
little tots came bounding into the
room, arms loaded with carnations
and ferns, and decorated each veter-
an and member Of the Relief Corps
with a bloom. There was music
songs, recitations and drills of pa
triotic nature by the school children;
an address of welcome to the veterans
and w. R. c., by DR.. j. A. Dubois on
behalf of the board of education; re-
Spouse by Comrade J. A. Norris in be-
half of Palmer Post, and an interest
ing recital by Comrade M. S. Pratt,
of his experiences in escaping from
Andersonville prison.
The assembly room was crowded to
capacity when the High School band
opened the program with an overture
of national airs. Principal A. w.
Thomas was master of ceremonies and
directed the singing of Star Spangled
Banner by the entire assemblage. Miss
Conkey was at the piano. Following
a recitation, Lincoln" by Miss Cecile
Kinsella, the High School quartet
composed of Principal Thomas, Err
vim Lembke, Fay Cooper and B.
Schaub rendered a pleasing selection.
A score of little tots of the second
grade, taught by Miss Boyle, sang a
patriotic song in manner that
brought storm Of applause. The lit
tie tots from the primary grade, un-
der the direction of Miss Bemis, exc
cuted a drill so cleverly and prettily
that the spectators were not satisfied
until they had been granted an en-
core. Miss Nellie Larson gave a
splendid recitation on washington"
DR.. Dubois in his welcome to the
G. A. R. stated he had always look
ed with reverence on that organiza-
ton, even though he was not an or
ganization man himself and was
against organizations as rule. Yet
he took off his hat, he said, to the G.
A. R., because they are joined to-
gether to preserve sacred memories
and not for selfish motives. He de-
clared he knew nothing so sublime as
the forgiveness of both those who
wore the blue and who wore the gray
and who had detested each other so
bitterly in the days of the hideous
war. The speaker said he himself
was the son of a veteran but that he
had no right to borrow glory from his
fathers career; that all glory was due
to those who had actually fought UNI
der the. Stars and Stripes.
Turning to the school children, DR..
Dubois stated that the G. A. r. rep
resented the elimination of the Unit
ed States government as begun by
Washington, finished by Lincoln and
developed in the last fifty years.
He took Washington in his right
hand and Lincoln in his left, figur-
atively speaking, held them before his
hearers in spectacle, dissected them
infinitely to display mental and ply
steal virtues and in the end declared:
"If they came up from their stations
to be the most illustrious world char
acters of the 18th and 10th centuries,
is there not chance for every boy
and girl in the world 2"
He took Washington and pictured
him as the aristocrat Of his time.
gentleman, nobleman, patriot, dignl-
fed, modest, unassuming, gentleman
ly in farming, educated to the high
est degree permissible by the times
and circumstances.
He took Lincoln and pictured him
as coming from low type OF his
time-a product of the so-called
"white trash" of the South-uncouth,
crude, lank in body and limb, home
" physical picture, with a school edu-
cation that he had gained in< four
months in a country school.
He pictured Washington as the
splendid horseman and then left to
his hearers the framing of picture
of Lincoln on horseback. He traced
Washington's career and pointed out
that under conditions which Washing
ton had to meet he was greater mil
itary genius than Napoleon. HI
pointed out that it would be difficult
to realize what would have been the
destiny of this country if it had mo-
been for Washington, whom all trust