Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-05-15
LEC|ON'S
ANNUAL BANQUET
Charles E. Beach of Burlington
Elected Commander at Bust.
ness Meeting Preceding Re.
ception and Dinner at Hotel
acknowledgements Follow

Order Of the Loyal Legion, were held
Tuesday. The meeting was held at the
headquarters of the Commandery in
Stannard Memorial hall at $40 O'Clock,
when the reports of officers we're pre-
scented and officers for the ensuing year
elected as follows:
mmander-Companion Charles e.
Beach, Burlington.
/ Senior mmander-Companion Har-
vey r. Kingsley, Rutland
Junior commander-Captain Edwin
A. Howe, Ludlow.
Recorder-Flrst Lieut.. c. D. williams,
Burlington.
Registrar-Companion George s. Howe,
Burlington.
TRANSFORMATIONS Charles L. woodbury.,
Burlington.
Chancellor-Companion H. H. Hagar,
| NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Rev. J. c. Smart,
| Burlington.
Council-Captain Z. p. Woodbury.. Bur-
lington; DR. John M. Wheeler, New York
city; Companion Frank r. Wells, Bur
| lington; Colonel o. d. Clark, Montpelier;
Companion Charles II. Landon, Bristol.
RECEPTION AND BANQUET
At eight o'clock the officers OF the
| Commandery gave a reception to COM
| p''''"' ohu ihNiteu ButSlS at the f1OIel
Vermont parlors. In the receiving line
were: Commander and Mrs. c. E. Beach.
Senior Vice-Commander II. r. Kingsley,
former Commanders c. P. Miller Of this
city and Horace French Of Lebanon,
n. H., and Lieut-Col. and Mrs. H. A.
Leonhaeuser of this city
| AT $3.50 O'Clock the banquet was served
in the main dining room of the hotel,
about rs being present. At a long table
on the east side Of the room were seated
Commander and Mrs. Beach, Senior Vice.
Commander Kingsley, Chaplain and Mrs.
Smart. Mr. and Mrs. w. r. Austin, Mr..
and Mrs. H. B. Shaw, Lieut.-Col. and
Mrs. Leonhaeuser. Capt. Horace French,
Judge and Mrs. C. H. Darling and daugh-
ter. Grace was said by the chaplain, the
Rev. l. c. Smart. Romeo's orchestra,
which had played during the reception,
also furnished music during the dinner.
THE SPEECHES
In opening the speeches Commander
Beach said that there were nearly 600
members of the Loyal Legion in the
United States and 10s in the Vermont
Commandery. Twenty-six Of these were
original companions and the remainder
were companions by succession or bv
inheritance. He then asked Chaplain
articles one. two and three of the con.
stitution of the order, that all might
understand the order and what il stood
for.
Capt. Horace French was the next
speaker After giving some funny stories
he told something of his experiences in
the war. He told how he and two COM
panions at school enlisted the day war
was declared. Among his many expert
ences was year in prison and he said
II there was anything in the war he did
not experience he did not miss IL. He
said he certainly was not an advocate
of war. He told Of cutting some wood
when boy and forming It into tho
emblem of the legion and sending pic
lures of 1t all over the country and on
his 72nd birthday he received 1.1N re-
sponses, showing how well circulated the
cards were.
Mr.. Beach explained that up to this
time the commanders had been a first
class original but now that position ID
going to the younger men and the next
commander will be first class original
by inheritance, but he said when the
young men take up this work they must
canvass the State and find IL there arc
men eligible to Join who are not in thu
order.
He next introduced Senior Vice Com
mander Harvey r. Kingsley who said
that this was a special occasion for him.
for after living many years Of single
blessedness he had found two cards here,
one II. r. Kingsley and the other Mrs
Kingsley. Il wonder" he said, what
she will be like"
II hope that no old soldier will ever
think that this great war will ever over
shadow his deeds" he said, for Amer
ica's part in this great war was only
natural outcome OF this country's
ideals and traditions"
He told something of Vermonts part
in the Revolution. saying that the Battle
OF Bennington was the first, but thank
God not the last time the German SOL
der was to meet Yankee courage" He
told Of the importance of that battle
and of Nermonts valor in the rest of
that war and in the Civil War What
we have accomplished on the other side
is simply carrying out the Vermont and
the New England tradition" he said
las the commander has said, it is up to
US not to let this unique organization
fail"
Warren r. Austin was the last speaker.
He said our British visitors saw we
have no traditions and when we show fur
niture from our Colonial days some peo-
pie of other nations show us old jewelry
two or three thousand years old But I
believe age is only comparative thing
and that nations may have traditions so
wonderful that they help to raise the
standard of living and incite men to night
for the right; and l believe that any insti.
tutions that tends to revive the tradition
of great deeds of fathers and mothers il
doing great good.
lie told how a client of his mad told him
Of farm his great-grandfather had held.
Mr., Austin told what had taken place IN
that house, how British soldier had
sketched Cancels Hump on a horn used as
drinking cup and how Ira Allen,
seeing IT later, thought that would make q
good State seal. so he had it sent to
France and copied.
He told also of other traditions of how
Cumberland Pass and the Onion river got
their names and how Ira Allen said at AL
bany THE Gods of the hills are not the
same the Gods of the valleys" He told
how the Vermont farmer, kept the British
out of Vermont when all the soldiers and
guns were fighting at Valley Forge for Q
hostile continental Congress.
'In the Civil War" he said, "the North
in the last war the northerners and south.
erners fought shoulder to shoulder for
civil liberty.
II believe your society Ia fostering that
spirit which makes n man risk oil for the