Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1920-06-03
TRIBUTE TO SOLDIERS

ted states armies ana nSV1eS were
held in WaKeeney Sunday and Mon /
day. The memorial Sunday services |
were held in the court room at IL o. |
clock and was attended by one of the |
largest audiences ever present here |
at such exercises. The music was
furnished by a chorus of singers
The sermon was delivered by the Rev.
Heller, pastor of the Presbyterian
church who used for his theme s'The
marks of the patriot" This he di-
vided into four subdivisions the first
of which is 'they fought in a great
cause; second, tfthey endured hard
ships with heoric fortitude; the third,
44they fought for others; the fourth,
ssthey were patriots in peace as well
as in war; He applied this subject
to the soldiers who have fought in the
great wars of the United States show
ing how that in the war of the revo-
luton the object to be gained was the
establishment of an independent and
representative form of government
with liberty and union as the watch
word; in the Civil war the object was
the preservation of the union and the
liberation of the slaves; the war
with Spain was for the liberation and
elevation of small nation of people
who had long been in bondage ana
oppression; the last war was for the
suppression of autocracy and the saw
ing of the democratic form of gov
ernment for the world. The objects
were all gained but not without hard
ships and self denial. The scripture
lesson drawn was eff any man will
follow after me let him take up his
cross daily and follow me-"
The Decoration Day exercises were
held Monday and a large crowd of
citizens attended to pay tribute of
respect to the memory of the soldiers
and sailors The morning exercises
were held at the WaKeeney cemetery
The assembly was at the court house
where the procession was formed and
the march to the cemetery begun. In
this procession were the representa-
tives of the last three wars in which
our nation has been engaged. The
five or six remaining veterans of the
| Civil war, George Kulp of the Span
ish American war and about fifty of
| the young men of the world war At
the cemetery the ritualistic services
| were read and the graves of the SOL
diers officially decorated.
At noon a basket dinner was held
on the court house lawn in which all
who desired were. privileged to take
part This custom was established
| IN honor of the returned soldiers in
1919 and is proving an excellent idea
| and enables the citizens of the coun-
try to come in and spend the day
with their friends and neighbors and
enjoy the pleasures of the fine court
house lawn.
| At 2:3O o'clock in the afternoon the
| line of march was again formed and
| the crowd was taken to the Trego
County Fair grounds were the exer-
cIses were held in the exhibition
building. These exercises consisted
| of the singing of two selections by a
sextette of young ladies, the address
! by Rev. NayIor and the "Star Span
/ gled Banner" in which the audience
joined. The address by Rev. -Naylor
| was both able and patriotic. He op-
/ ened with few remarks regarding
| the formation of the American flag
| the declaration of independence and
| the ultimate establishment of the uni
on of the United States of America
The declaration of independence de-
cIared that all men are created equal
1 and the war of 1876 was fought
that the words of the declaration
might be made true. He recited ths
causes of the war and how that mer
from the south and men from ths
! north fought as brothers agains
, brothers in defense of the cause o,
they believed right The hand of Coz
was directing and the cause of tn,
| Union triumphed. Now there is n,
North or no South, but one natio1
and one people The men from tn
North and the men from the Soutl
! have fought side by side in defense o
the nation in both the sSpanish-Amer
lean war and the world war. Tn
causes of the world war were brief
! ly reviewed and the causes which le'
up to the ultimatum to German,
from the United States and the fina
declaratin of war on April 6, 1917
The boys well remember the day the.
left home for the war. They realize,
the seriousness of the situation ye