Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1927-06-02
Impressive Memorial
Service Held Sunday
World War Soldier Dead Honored
at Methodist Church; Sermon by
Rev. Woosley.

The American Legion, Legion Aux
lliary and war mothers co-operated in
paying loving tribute to the war dead
of Watauga county at the Methodist
church Sunday morning, in observ-
ance of national Memorial Day.
A large banner containing the
the names of those who were killed
during the World War, died in the
service, and those who have passed
since, was furled over the pulpit.
The banner contained twenty-nine
names. A large number of Legion
and Auxiliary members and parents
of those who made the supreme sac
rifice occupied front seas in the mid
die pew of the church. Patriotic
music was rendered and Rev NJ. B.
Woosley, pastor of The church, de-
livered an able and impressive ser
mon. which received the close atten-
tion of an audience that filled the
auditorium.
During the day the graves of all
service men who lost their lives in the
World War were decorated by MEM
bers Of he Legion and Auxiliary.
The Address
Mr.. Woosley's subject was: What
Is Man," based on Psalm 8:3-4:
"When l consider thy heavens, the
work of thy fingers, the moon and
the stars, which thou hast ordained:
What is man, that thou art mindful
of him? and the son of man. that
thou visitist him."
No one has ever answered the ques-
ton of the psalmist, because man has
not known how to answer it, said Mr..
/ Woosley. Psychologists and scientists
can name many things about man and
his personality. Scientists can name
the material out of which The body IS
made, but man is more than body.
If we could understand the mystery
of personality, we could understand
God. One may study man as God
made him, or study man as he has
made himself, or as Christ can re-
make him and find interesting facts,
but look at 2pan as the psalmist
thought of him, Think of the back
ground upon which the psalmist ar
rived at the conclusion of the thing
he had in mind. "When | consider
thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars, what is man
that thou art mindful of him? and
the son of man that thou visitist
him." The writer had in mind the
majesty of the common man. He
was not thinking of the genius of
the world. He did not have in mind
men like Milton, Shakespeare, Lin
coin, but all men everywhere, and he
spoke of such in terms of the gram
deur of the common man.
Someone has said: at is a greater
thing to be able to think the heavens
than it is to be the heavens" At any
rate no astronomical yardstick can be
used to measure the soul of any man.
To measure him one must not put
him beside the earth nor stack him
beside the stars but place him beside
the cross. Here look upon the Son
of God bringing man into religion
and teaching him of his worth and re-
sponsibilties. Here is the appeal to
the highest within man.
Memorial Day holds unique posi-
] =, ILL
Christmas commentaries joy; today
al commemorate sorrow. Thanks
| giving is the day of the homecoming,
when smiling faces greet each other;
: today is the time when the home re-
calls the vacant chair; the warrior
/ who bore his country's cross and did
not return from the conquest. Inde-
pendence Day is our day of defiance,
! when we beat the drum, and with the
screaming fife proclaim to the world
! that our nations is guarding herself,
! but today amidst the silence of the
! flower-decked graves, we look back
| through the lense of the tear drop
upon the struggles and the sorrows
of the past.
/ Yes, we Americans need a Memo
rial Day, a time to bring forth the
memories of past struggles. This is
busy world in which we live and
our nation is the busiest nation of
the age, and in the intense struggle
for future achievements, we are
proud to forget the past; the cost of
our liberties; the price paid for a
surviving democracy, the cross of
those common heroes who fell for our
country's life and welfare. So let us
march on this day to the silent graves
and place your wreaths and flowers,
or in silent prayer remember those
who sleep in foreign soil in order to
inspire our busy nation to see how