The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-06-03
TRIBUTE IN SERMON
w. P. Clark Honors Soldier
Living and Dead
PROGRAM LAST EVENING
Impressive ReIigiousCeremonies
Were Held At the Presby-
terian Church

Memorial services were held a, the
Presbyterian church last evening. At
seven O'Clock members of the Grand
Army Of the Rep.blic under the lead
ership of Commander Colonel George
w. Mead, the Spanish American War
Veterans under Commander David
Oglesby, members or the American
Legion under Commander Major J.
A. Hielscher, the Woman's Relief
Corps under the leadership of Presi
dent Anna Jones, members of the
auxiliary of the Spanish American
War Veterans under the leadership Of
President Mile Oglesby, and the
members of the auxiliary of the
American Legion under the leader
ship Of President Elada Holtz, form
ed at the postoffice and marched to
the Presbyterian church in a body
and attended the services.
The altar of the church had been
decorated for the occasion with
palms, lilies. and snow balls and
other flowers. The meeting was
opened by reading from the Scrip
lures by Rev. T. Ross Paden, pastor
pastor of the Christian church of
this city delivered the invocation, and
Rev. Ralph A. Jensen and Rev. w.
II. Wiener, pastor of the Evangeli-
cal church, also assisted in the re-
religious services.
Special Singing Appreciated.
A special choir under the leader
ship of Miss Cornelia Mansfield, and
consisting of Glenn Shoemaker, Jo-
seph Kendall, Miss Williams. Miss
Mansfield and Edward p. Kelley rem
dered beautiful and appropriate vocal
selection. The memorial address of
the evening was delivered by Rev. w.
P. Clark, pastor of the Christian
church, who said that there can be
no greater honor bestowed upon
man than that of being a citizen of
the United States. Rev. Clark's ad
dress was we'll worded, forcefl, to TIE
point, and listened to with much in
terest.
Fire of Youth.
The fact that the ranks of the
Grand Army of the Republic are rap
idly thinning was evidenced last
night in the line of march to the
Memorial services at the church.
Despite the weight of many years. the
"Old Boys in Blue" stepped off with, a
military precision at the word Of
command from Colonel George w.
Mead, who by the way is as sprightly
as when he was at twenty one. Dur
ing the singing of a number Of pa
triotic selections at the church, sill
very haired veterans seemed to come
the years seemed to brighten with
the fire of youth. Perhaps the old
men were living over again the days
that they as young men fought in
the southland to preserve the union.
The sons of these grand old men, the
veterans of the Spanish American
War and the members of the Ameri-
can Legion, if looks say anything,
said with their kindly eyes, I'VE take
off our hat to our fathers and moth
ers, the members of the Grand Army
lief Corps" The services at the
church were indeed impressive.
Memorial Sermon BY Rev Clark
Rev. w. P. Clark delivered the
sermon, speaking in part
as follows:
"The birds of the air leave their
meat, soar into the heavens, return
to earth and die and leave no trace
of the stroke of their wings on the
atmosphere; the fish springs from
his spawn, wiggles his way through
the deep to his final resting place
and fails to leave even the impression
of his fin on the wave: the beast of
the field sallies forth from his lair
and with his mighty roar strikes ter
ror to the heart of his prey, but his
passing only leaves the scratches OF
his claws on the surface of the earth
and nature soon weaves a grassy rug
to cover them.
Even among the races of men it
is only the rare individuals of the
race who are able to write their
in the sands of time SO indeli-
bly, that neither shifting bar nor
boisterous wave are able to erase
them. Occasionally a Cheops builds
a pyramid, Sesostric designs an
obelisk, Luther starts Reforma-
ton, Napoleon constructs an en-
pire or a Shakespeare creates a dra-
ma, but of the multitudes the world
takes little note. When / die com
will say, Too bad a few
friends will sympathiZe, a small cir
Gle of relatives will mourn but only
one or two hearts will be permanent
ly wounded and the great world will
close over my space and move on.
I'm the lives of nations 1t is only
now and then that some group Of
people contributes it's Moses or
some nation cradles Paul, and 1t
is extremely rare that single nation
has the privilege of dipping it's pen in
A. Il = 49,