Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-05-31
fairfield
Decorate Graves as
Part Memorial Day
Program at Fairfield

The program for Memorial DAY
which was arranged with much care
and thought, was fittingly carried
ont. At 10 A. M. the Grand Army
veterans, the American Legion ana
the Boys Band were carried IN
automobiles over the Reed cemetery
at Benton. Prayer was oHered pg
Rev. T. c. Chapman, followed by the
reading of the Grand Army service
by Commander q. A. Savage. Inc
Legion then stood at attention by
the 30 graves that had been decorat-
ed until the recall of the bugle. The
parade then returned to the dining
room of the Opera House, where a
bountiful dinner was served by the
Woman's Relief Corps and the
American Legion auxiliary to the
Grand Army veterans, members OF
the American Legion and Sons OF
Veterans. the pastors and their wives
and the Boys Band.
After the dinner at 100 they form
ed on Main street with the school
children and marched to the Benton
bridge, where the children throwing
their flowers out upon the dark blue
waters of the Kennebec, repeated:
20 heroes meath the ocean wave,
While life is strong and true,
With flags and flowers and hearts
that love
We will remember you"
A wreath was then thrown upon
the waters by a Grand Army officer
"in honor of our dead" and prayer
was offered by Rev. T. c. Chapman.
The procession then marched to
the Fairfield cemetery where 100
graves were decorated; Rev. Alex
ander Henderson offered prayer and
taps were sounded. Besides these
graves decorated there were AZ in
outlying districts. At the soldiers
monument in the park, the process
sion stopped and flowers were placed
on the monument. From there they
marched to the Opera House, where
services were held. The decorations
on the platform were appropriate to
Memorial day and those seated there
were the marshal. Otto Totman;
post commander Harmon Brooks,
Flick Klick, in charge of the firing
squad. which consisted Of Thomas
Bishop, David Enron, Cornell Lawry,
Percy Crosby; color bearer. Philip
Gould; color guards. Charley Nc
Graw and representatives of the
Grand Army, William Holmes. Hen
ry Reed, Frank Savage, Gardiner
Savage; ministers, Revs. Roderick
Mooney, T. G.. Chapman, Alexander
Hamilton and Edwin Maddocks. The
following was the program: Music by
Boys band; prayer, Rev. T. c. Chap
man; music by the band; Lincoln's
Gettysburg Address, Edwin Mad
docks; music by band; address.
THE meaning of the mound above
the Grand Army mans grave" by
Rev. Roderick ]. Mooney, who said;
If eternal vigilance is the price of
political liberty it Is likewise the
price price of intellectual freedom.
He only reads books wisely who reads
the history Of his own time. the I'M
satisfactoriness of what Is written is
a we'll known fact. The man by whose
deeds and achievements the history
Of this age has been wrought out, are
having the opportunity to contrast
the course of events, in which they
We're the actors. with the story of the
very same events as told in recent
literature. How often have you gen.
tlemen Of the Grand Army of the Re-
public had occasion to blush at the
ridiculous way in which the events
you took q prominent part are chro-
nicled, by would-be historians or
platform demagogues. The palpable
failure of written history to produce
in the imagination the events and
spirit of an age, is due mainly to the
inability Of the men who are con-
cerned in the particular event, to de-
scribe them influenced by their own
prejudgements, theoretical opinion,
personal sympathys, and tempermen-
tai tendencies. The Investigations
which have taken place from time to
time, before boards Of army officers,
in the conduct of the war, affords an
abundant illustration of the wide diff
ferencies. in the statement Of the
same events.
This being the case in regard to the
circumstances with which we are
it becomes painfully evil
dent, that In the lapse Of time when
one by one the actors in the national
drama have passed away those who
to write the history Of that