Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1921-11-18
ARMlSTlCE DAY
OBSERVED HERE
SCHOOLS AND LEGION GIVE FRO
GRAMS BY COM
ndANDER VAN DYKE

Armistice Day was observed in Lit
tie Falls last Friday with school pro
gram, school parade, tribute to the sol
der dead, football game, and a Legion
program. Business houses in the city
were closed all day. .s..
In the morning, program was given
at the high school by pupils from the
various public schools and high. After
the program, the school children, nearly
LOO in number, paraded from the high
school down First street to First avenue
southeast, thence to Second street and
north on Second street to Broadway
and west on Broadway to the square,
led by the high school band. There
was one float in the parade, pupils being
dressed to represent the principal ma
tions on the Allies side in the World
War. There were also several decorated
cars. Here the school children, teach
ers and several hundred citizens as
sembled for the tribute to the unknown
American soldier buried in Arlington
National Cemetery at noon. At II
O'Clock, the American Legion firing
squad fred salute and three buglers
stationed block away played taps. -
In the afternoon, large crowd at
tended the football game between Little
Falls and Brainerd high school clevens,
in which Little Falls won by a score Of
50 to ..
A splendid supper was served by the
Woman's Auxiliary Of the local Legion
post at the Congregational gymnasium.
Approximately $50 people attended the
were about $4,000. The members of the
G. A. r. and w. r. G. were the guests
Of the Auxiliary at the supper.
A pleasing program was given under
the auspices Of the Legion post at the
high school auditorium in the evening,
Commander Earl Wetzel presiding.
The program opened with the play
ing of 1.-THE Star Spangled Banner"
by the Little Falls juvenile band. "A.
G. Bacon, chaplain Of the Legion post,
gave tho invocation. Miss Elvira Ruth
gave an excellent reading "a Fool;'
A. F. Koslosky, president of the local
Red Cross chapter, gave a brief talk
on the work of the Red Cross; the jul
venile band played q selection, showing
fine progress; Mrs. Warren Gibson, pres
ident Of the Woman s Auxiliary of the
local Legion post, told Of what that or
ganization is doing; Mesdames N. D.
Woodwork and Chas. Jensen, admir-
ably sang two duets and Miss Elaine
Ruth gave a pleasing vocal solo.
A. A. VanDyke, commander of the
Minnesota Department, American Lc-
gion, was the principal speaker. tic
chose to speak on the Legion and what
it is doing. He asked what the Ameri-
can Legion is, why it is and who its
members are, and then. proceeded to
answer these questions. Its members,
he said, are the sons and daughters,
the brothers and sisters who were will
ing to fight and die if need be for their
country and preserve the freedom given
to us by our forefathers. The American
Legion is organized to perpetuate that
comradeship and that feeling OF ser
vice with which the members became
imbued during the war. What do we
hope to do? We hope to make life
easier for ourselves and those who fol-
low after and to increase and perpet-
uate that grand heritage Of freedom
and the pursuit Of happiness.
Where do we come from? From all
cities, towns, villages and hamlets in
the country, from every race, every ma
tionality, every religious creed and
every profession and trade. We come
with but one purpose in mind, to pro-
tect our comrades in arms and their
families. Here at home we had an
army that backed us up with all that
we needed. The boys were told to take
the flag Of our country across the sea
and fight under it, yes die under it if
necessary but to keep it clean. This
they did. But we have come back ant
there are no longer two armies; we are
one big army and we all wish to do our
share in the disposition of the problem
that now confront us.
Speaking of the present disarmament
conference in Washington, Mr.. Van
Dyke said that the man who wrote the
poem "When Poppies Grow in Fland-
ers Field'' wrote it with bleeding
heart and it was proclamation to the
world and his message has resulted in
the meeting in Washington today. Mr.
VanDyke said that if entire states can
lie together without fighting, why can
not nations do the same. Unless this
war has brought this message to the
world we have not accomplished what
We sought in the war. This is the ma
ton Of the greatest potential strength
and of the greatest ideals, and Ameri'
ca cares less for the dollar than any
other country in the world, he said.
Armistice Day, the speaker said
brings to mind a few of the thoughts
of the boys who fought. There is no
one who can realize what it meant to
them, after their experiences in the
trenches, their longing for home and
for all that it means, the hunger than
one cannot describe. Various exper.
fences related to Mr.. VanDyke by men
who served in the trenches were retold
by the speaker and he then told Of the
impression made by the American Ar
my in France, the best illustration
coming from an old French colonel
who said that the American army was
clean; the boys had fire in their eyes
above all, and we're picked men. This
is true 81 all Of the American Army;
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