The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1921-05-31

Outdoor Exercises,

Despite threatened rain the Dec
Grafton Day program was carried out
| as arranged by the committees in
/ charge of the exercises.
The graves of soldiers in both the
Catholic and Graceland cemeteries
/ were properly decorated and at noon
over two hundred people partook of
bountiful feast served by the lad
les of the w. r. c. at Odd Fellows
hall.
AT l o'clock the parade started
from court house square in the fol-
lowing order of march: Municipal
band, American Legion, uniformed
members of Canton, fife and drum
corps, members General Shields Post,
G.. A. r., w. r. c.. pupils of the city
schools and members of the local fire
company.
The speaking occurred on the
court house lawn. Commander Carl
Porter of Eugene McKibbin Post
No. 25 introduced Sylvester Walden,
of Sioux City, who spoke interesting
ly on the meaning of the day and the
relation of the general government
to all soldiers, especially to the men
who served in the European war. A
glee club and the municipal band
furnished music for the solemn occa-
sion.
First Baptist Church.
The memorial services at the First
Baptist church Sunday morning
attended hyr hn haV
of the G. A. R., the Spanish Ameri
can Veterans, the American Legion
and the Women's Relief and AIxil-
iary organizations. Gathering at the
court house lawn these organizations
marched to the church preceded U
martial music. There a full capacity
congregation was assembled TO do
honor to those who have been so in
timately concerned with fighting the
nations battles. After some splendid
patriotic selections had been render
ed by the hoir DR.. Peters spoke
from Philippians 80, taking as his
subject, The Power of Great Ideas.
He said in resume: Great ideas
have vital power. Jesus launched
the idea of the Fatherhood of God.
This is the most vital truth in all the
world 1t involved as a consequent
the brotherhood of man. This made
human bondage vicious. In the six
ties two opposing principles were at
war. The idea of bondage and the
idea of freedom. Lincoln was the
incarnation of the idea of freedom
based on brotherhood.
Great ideas have always been bap-
tized in blood. Jesus went to the
cross for the idea of human brother
hood In him men tried to kill this
fundamental idea You can cruelty
truth, you can torture and martyr it,
you can shoot it through the heart,
but you can not kill truth. John
Huss was burned for that idea. But
the idea lived on. The boys in blue,
the American soldier in general has
baptized this idea of human BROTH
erhood with their blood.
Great ideas blossom into service.
Eternal values, eternal being comes
only as the reward of service. Jesus
is the great servant of history.
Therefore he has the greater name.
Calvary typefies service. We honor
our heroic dead because they were
on line with calvary. We pledge
ourselves that we will not allow
those great ideas which by their sa
crifice they have rendered ours for
ever to be prostituted by any mean
passion whatever.
After singing all hail the power of
Jesus name the soldiers filed away
to their homes their minds turned
to the great company on the other
shore
Lake Madison Church.
The ideal weather on Sunday
made it possible for a very large
attendance at the impressive memoir
ial services held at Lake Madison
Lutheran church. Over 500 people
were present at 2 p. M, when the
services began the church was
crowded to the doors, while many
were not able to get in. The Ole
Egge Post of the American Legion
from Rutland took very impress
sive part in the exercises. There
were 35 ex-service men present with
Carl Nordberg as commander of the
day. The program in the church
was as follows:
Star Spangled Banner, by the
choir and audience; invocation by
Rev. c. X. Solberg; National Echoes
by the choir; Memorial address by
Rev. G. K Solberg; solo, The Golden
Pathway, by Mrs. Victor Johnson:
Greetings by Ole Helgeson, civil war
veteran of the 18th Wisconsin regi-
ment, and by commander of the day,
Carl Nordberg. The progrom clos
ed by the choir singing Rest, Sol
dier, Rest.
Rev. Solberg, In paying a glowing.
tribute to the f1onored dead, who in.
the past wars had fought bled and