The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-06-21
(m Duty to Those Who Died
Address delivered under the auspices OF the Stanle,
Roam Post at Bingham, Maine, by Dr. j. Leon l.,
Williams May 30th, 1923

uopxNs MEN OF THE STANLEY BEAN Posi-; VETERANS OF
sc,ND ANRy OF THE REPUBrac; LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
Memorial Dav the day on which cherish and honor the
o who made the supreme sacrifice that justice, liberty
honor should not perish but survive and triumph over in
onnv and every form brute force that seeks to eslave
bd be the day which pledge ourselves, anew TO
manner worthy of the great sacrifice they made and to work
y the great objects Tor Which hey deo uh 'e o"J
Esd in the life of mankind
v to praise the heroism of the dead Our love for them
NV and our natural admiration for all heroic qualities and
always prompting us expressions of euiogy This is
e real test of the sincerity of feelings the proof that
nd and appreciate the significance of what they did, lies
much words of praise in action to cultivate and per-
those principles upon which high form OF civilization must
1 those principles which the further and higher evolution
y depends and in the defense of which they died This
they would wish to do. This is what the silence from
Thousand graves over there" demand of us.
IF We break faith with who die
We shall not sleep tho peoples grow
| In Flanders Fields y
Rda song Of one the finest of those heroic spirits
Nm our words of praise will ring true, shall be false
Hives to thensand to all the high ideals held up before them
asked them leave all that life held DEAR il we do not exert
@ the consolidate and make the results
victories which their great herosn their almost superhuman
6 broad but very real way this day should be devoted to
the heroic deeds and self sacrifice the sengs defeats
@ of all who have contributed to the history and greatness
Nation Our ancestors who braved the wild storms of the
those SMALL primitive sailing ships to escape from the
oppression monarchs found this land Of freedom and
mmnt their descendants; who wrote with their blood the
from Lexington Valley Forge and from that valley Of dark
the bright morning of Yorktown the men who fought in
R0 vhopo
freedom of the land by the men of the Revolution and
blue Of 81 who wiped ont the foul blot of slavery all of
kbe souls should be remembered today.
md let remember with pride and deep gratitude that all of
fm the Pilgrim Fathers and Mothers to the and
late World War and endured and died not for conquest
% nslave not for place. ponp power but always
Mice and freedom and conscience and that the deathess victories
% won for the principles righteousness were victories not
hr us but for all mankind
only offer our trmte of love and profound respect
yep admiration to those WHO died in the late but also this
desire to express the SALINE feelings and sentiments for those
n the awful experiences of and have returned to us
mem sadly broken and manned in body and with neffaceabe
|" Oh horror in their minds 1t will stand a reproach
med home through time and eternity IL those broken
not well cared for But my main teae today ia our duty
who died
nave not forgotten shal forget Plymouth Rock
ro or Gettysburg Chateau Thierry. Those words have
' associations But liable to forget in truth
@ng the high duties and grave responsibilities which the
and sacrifices associated with those have laid upon
iey who died have done their work and gone 10 their
evening dews and the morning sunlight falls softly upon
| Our fine phrases do but little to honor them and only
@ power OF Almighty God is adequate reward them.
"t possible honor do their is to tcarry
y were asked do and it is with the work boys
a rance to do that especially concerned The
N revolution made this free land for the white The
NFh war made free land of all
~ Tue states into inissoube union That was their
hV did it we'll and it is finished We sent our BOYS to
/