The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1939-06-01
Many Gather
In Honor Of
Memorial Day
Largest Number in Many
Years Join i'm Tribute to
Soldier Dead.
TALKS ON THE MISSION
OF THE REPUBLIC

An unusually large number of
Libby citizens gathered Tuesday
morning in simple services in honor
of the soldier dead. Members of the
American Legion assembled at their
halt and then formed a parade that
proceeded to the memorial monu-
ment on Boulevard avenue, where
other organizations were picked up.
The procession then marched to the
cemetery for the memorial exer-
cises.
Leading the parade were the flag
bearers with the u. S. and the
American Legion flags. Then fol-
lowed the drum and bugle corps,
members of the Legion and Auxil-
larry, Boy Scouts, Junior Boy Scouts,
Girl Scouts, members of the Moose
lodge and numerous citizens in au.
tomobiles The number in attend
ance was larger than for many
years, il was said.
At the cemetery the usual pro-
gram was given. The Rev Mr..
Crater delivered prayer, a memo
rial wreath was placed at the foot
Of central fiagpo1e by J. A. Krall
commander of the Austin Reedy
post, and the salute to the dead was
fired by a squad of Legionnaires.
A short and thoughtful address on
the meaning of the day was deliv-
cred by the Rev Albert NJ Hart of
the Presbyterian church. The Rev.
Mr.. Hart grouped his thoughts UNI
der the title, THE Mission of the
Republic BY request of the COM
mander of the Legion post, the adj
dress is printed in full below.
All the graves of soldiers had
been decorated with flags, while a
great profusion of flowers marked
the resting places of others, lova
ing tribute to those who had passed
on by those who still share in life's
Joys and sorrows. It is said that
much interest was shown in dec
Grating the graves for this solemn
occasion. Fully one hundred per-
sens were at the cemetery one night,
said one of the workers, cleaning
the cemetery and decorating the
graves.
The address of the Rev Mr. Hart
follows:
The Mission of the Republic
We have met here this morning
Tor few short minutes to pay spe-
clal tribute to these honored dead,
the memory of whose lives still lin
gers in the minds of many who are
now present The Legion has asked
| me to think with you about the re-
sponsibilities that fall on us who
follow after them, because on our
shoulders now rests the mission of
the republic
Today a common experience binds
as together. AS citizens Of the Amer
ican commonwealth we are dispir-
ted about the world. What shape
IS the earth" school teacher re-
Gently asked little child, and the
child answered ITS in the worst
shape we ever knew" Well so it
is. A mood of pessimism has spread
all over the globe. Only a few
years ago we were hopeful about
the League of Nations, but no
longer. Only a few years ago col
lective security was in the air and
disarmament was possibility, not
now The world is rearming at a
greater cost of taxation than has
ever been known in human expert
ence. And the prophets of doom are
telling that the place where we are
now stuck is final, that war always
will ravage the earth, that the die
tators have the democracies on the
run, that democracy itself is essen
TALLY unavoidable.
But the prophets of doom have
not always been right and history
has reversed the judgment of men
want toHleek- =fFefa a little
= different angle this morning What
WILL our children's children say
aborG us who lived in this dis
couraeSng epoch? We do not know
but wd can be certain that what
stares at us from the headlines Of
the dailE press, and what makes the
big noi4e on the corner will not be
the major part of the story then
No ge1eration ever sees itself ir
true perspective.
For Example, in the year 140(
when a dictator threw Europe into
panic no one paid much attention
to a young man named Gutenberg
who was experimenting with NOV
able type And now we have for
gotten even the name OF the dictator
but we are tremendously consciou.
of the influence of Gutenberg's in
vention, the printing press
Our childrens children may say
this about us in this generation
that it was an era when for tn,
first time in history man actual,
tried to organize world commun
ity. Oh, they may think we had
desperate time of it, and that W,
made many blunders, but. they ma,
say: Give them this credit; the,
actually tackled the job of organ
izing world community"
Or our children's children ma,
even say something like this abou
us: that it was the first era in his
tory when man passed over from
an economy of scarcity into an econ
omy Of plenty, and began the end 0
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