Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-05-27
A NOTABLE Me-
MORTAL SERVICE
Big Audience Fills Congregational
Church Many Things Conspired
to Make Service Of Unusual
Interest.
DIR. CHIPPERFIELD THE SPEAKER
Text From Old Testamen,
-"This Day Shall be Memorial
Unto YOU"

What is probably being unanimous
lily pronounced the most remarkable G
Ia r. memorial service ever held in
Webster City was that of yesterday
morning at the Congregational church
Many things conspired to make the
Occasion notable Comfortable sum-
mer weather, America in the midst OF
the great struggle, the solemn fact that
hundreds Of thousands of American
soldiers are on the soil of France and
that many more are passing over, the
present critical strain along the Elan
lders' front, Hamilton county men
scattered far and near in the national
service, the churches of the city draped
with service flags bearing many stars
and the most impressive realization by
the public mind that the final issue of
the war now depends upon American
resources and American wisdom and
valor-these and not few other like
facts made the memorial service yes
terday effective and solemnly impress
sive.
Large Crowd.
The auditorium of the church was
crowded. Every available seat was
taken and the overlooking congrega-
ton filled both lecture rooms. The
local chapter of the G. A. r. and the
Women's Relief Corps attended in a
body and were assigned seats of honor
in the center of the church. Probably
all churches in the city were repre-
scented in the congregation. More than
that, it was community gathering, and
the exercises focused the spirit of the
community upon the lessons and issues
of the hour. Under the leadership of
Miss Edith Lee, the Congregational
chorus choir led the singing and
rendered an effective and appropriate
anthem. Rev. Arthur Metcalf, pastor
Of the church, had charge of the pro-
gram. Prayer was offered by Dr.. Efiie
McCollum Jones, pastor Of the Univer-
salist church, and Rev. J. M. Herbst of
the English Lutheran church and Rev.
J. w. Stiverson, pastor Of the United
Brethren church, read the scripture
lesson and pronounced the benediction
respectively. Rev. l.. L. Viets, pastor
Of the Baptist church, read the procla
nation of President Wilson which sets
apart Decoration Day as special day
OF prayer for the success of the Allies
1t was announced that mass COM
munity prayer meeting would be held
Thursday evening in the Baptist
church at o'clock under the leader
ship of Rev. Metcalf, and the entire
community was invited to be present.
Appropriate to the spirit of the day
the service began with choral process
sional. The choir entered the church
singing, Coward Christian Soldiers"
and the clergy brought up the rear of
the procession. Then the choir
brought the congregation to it's feet
by 1.-The Star Spangled Banner" in the
singing of which the audience seemed
to Join. A thrilling touch was given
when Verne Buxton, in khaki, who
Glanced to be present from Camp
Dodge, stepped to the front of the choir
with the American flag and held it up
at attention during the singing There
was tense patriotic feeling through |
cut the entire program, every part of
" hich seemed to- be in key with the
best spirit of the time.
The Sermon.
The annual memorial sermon was |
preached by Dr. Il. T. Chipperteld,
pastor of the Methodist church. His
text was from the Old
Testament: "And this day shall be a
Memorial unto YOU" OF course YER
batim report of the sermon is impossi-
BILE, but little short of this would do
Justice to the breadth and vitality of
The notable discourse.
The sermon was dedicated to the
from this district, subject to