Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-07-24
DRIFT

ON the Fourth heard sermon in which
the preacher said several things that l had
often been thinking of, and which have been
haunting my mind ever since, and suggest
ing all manner OF other ideas, direct or indi-
rect inierences from his words.
| I AN not good hand nj remembering ser
| mons no ! cannot reproduce just what he
| said but tho substance of the thought that
| specially impressed mo was this, that our pa
triotism is on too low plane, or at least Its
manifestation IL 1t has not kept pace In Its
| development with the march OF civilization
| IL too partial, one-sided and shallow TO meet
| the requirements OF n great and free country
| like ours. IL In too much only sentimental
and emotional This will do for times Of
| war But II is insufficient for times OF peace,
| which make n steady, incessant demand on
| patriotism OF n more calm, profound and
| purely rational kind. Military or wartime
| patriotism is stimulated and famed into
flame of enthusiastic zeal by appeals 10 all
| the strongest emotions Of man aided by
drum and file, bands and parades, and all the
inspiring pomp and paraphernaiia OF mill
tary display aud glory. But the patriotism
reuuired in times Of peace has none OF these
accompapiments aud incentives. 1t appeals
our sense of duty, aud the deepest principles
of human character. IL IL offered no bouE-
ties or rewards has no prospects of promo
ton or fame Is stimulated by no cheers, ac-
com panied by no stirring strains OF music,
intox cated by neither the din of battle nor
the excitement OF the charge. 1t has no
helps from without no support from organi-
zation, discipline and drill but must do it's
work calmly, often unsppreciated, self fsacri-
ficingly aud alone, impelled, nerved and sus-
tanned by nothing but the strength OF a deep
and steadiast principle, and guided and di-
rected only by conscience and It's own en-
lIghtened reason.
THIS latter IL the patriotism pre-eminently
required of u.s. For the normal condition oil
our vast free country is one OF abiding peace.
We have little need of mere military patri-
otism, but great and constant need of that
deeper and more difficult patriotism which
secures to the nation the victories gained in
war, and goes on to win the still greater
more important triumphs and conquests OF
peace.
THIS, the preacher maintained, IL not sufli.
GENTLY recognized. We give the hero who
carries musket all the credit and glory as
II he were the only patriot, while the equally
useful, loyal, devoted and self sacrificing
hero, who carries the school book, for in
stance, and conquers the national foes of ig-
norance and vice, he gets neither praise nor
thanks. Yet the work of the teacher is |
every way as important, worthy and essen |
tial to the safety aud welfare of the nation as
is that of the soldier.
RIGHT there it occurred to me that the |
prevalent narrow, superficial view of patriot |
ism is still more fully illustrated in this the /
soldier, even II he served only a month and /
was in any real or Imaginary way injured |
thereby, gets pension for the rest OF his life. /
But l know a public school teacher, right |
here in Lancaster, who has served her coun-
try as Loyalty, faithfully, devUtedly as any
soldier ever could, in fighting against public |
ignorance and vice, and has done 1t now for |
all but half a century-does she get any pen
sion Never cent Why not? She has |
lost her health IN the service. She never |
received enough pay to lay anything by. |
She will not be able to do much more work,
and indeed ought not be required to do any |
more But then, what would become of her,
on what would she livep Alter half a CEN
tury OF loyal devotion to the highest public |
good, is 1t to he her reward to be migrate |
fully cast off aud left to die, like some worn
out beast of burden
WHY should not those who have devoted /
themselves to the public educational service /
receive pension when disabled, as well as
those who devoted themselves to the public |
military service II II is right aud Just in /
the one case why not in the other Why is |
1t not done? The only answer is, because /
we have not broad and enlightened enough /
principles of patriotism either to see the JUS L
tice of 1t or to provide for its practice.
WHETHER you agree with the above or /
not, however, think you all will agree with |
me that we have not now and never can have |
too much patriotism. The welfare, the |
"a
pends upon the patriotism of her citizens. |
The more there is of it, and the purer and |
more enlightened its character and tone, the |
safer, stronger and more prosperous will the |
country be. To foster and encourage, purity |
and elevate our own and everybody else's |
patriotism ought to engage the attention and |
practical interest of all truly public.spirited |
persons. Does it What is Lancaster doing |
to bring the question home--n the matter
of cultivsting really patriotic spirit among
its citizens, and, above all, in the breasts OF |
its coming citizens, the rising generation of
boys and girls ? That question came to me |
forcibly, almost alarmingly, at the last cele-
braton of the Fourth, tho occasion which,
above all others, could and should be util-
lied in filling the minds and hearts of all
with sound and enduring patriotic prlnci-
pies. And l confess that / could not see
that we we're doing much, If anything. If
matters go on this way many years, | said to
myself, genuine love of country, such as an
mated our fathers and made our nation
what it is, will become a lost virtue.
INSTEAD of the present disgraceful way of
celebrating, or rather not celebrating, our ma
TONS proud anniversary day, why should
not old Lancaster have celebration worthy
of the occasion, worthy of herself with her
rich historic associations and worthy of the
high character and intelligence OF her repre-
sentative citizens? She could, If she only
would. And she certainly ought, for her
own sake for the sake of her future and for
the sake of the whole country, on which her
example i'll the matter would not be lost.
ONE way that would be worthy of our
| historic city and county, and that would be
easily practicable at once suggests itself.
| You will see that it is probably tho very best
| way to foster true patriotism, If you will but
| remember two fundamental truths upon
| which il depends. The first is this, that, as
| the family is the foundation of the nation, so
| the love of home is the basis OF the love of
| country. Patriotism proceeds from particu-
| lar to general, from the near object to the
| remote. That is to say, the greater our love
| tor our immediate community and for our
| county, the deeper will be the love for our
state and for our nation. History shows
| and psychology proves that national patriot
ism absolutely and wholly depends upon
| local patriotism.
Ths other truth is that true love for any
object cannot precede acquaintance with that
object The better we are acquainted with
,.I. 81