The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-05-03
The Spirit of Liberty.

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The Liberty bell demonstration is
through with. 1t was very successful,
very pretty. very entertaining probably,
TO the great mass OF those who took part
in it. Let US now confer on this occasion
a sacred uniqueness by seeing that moth
ing exactly similar to it occurs in Indian
apolis again. It's wisdom may be some
what questioned from hygienic stand
point. 1t may not have been very sensi-
bic to keep small children standing or
marching on the streets for two hours or
more. That is not very material. They
were not obliged TO 90. Their parents
were not obliged to send them. There
was no assault on liberty in this II they
suffer from overtaxing their powers they
and their parents endure the conss-
quences.
It's wisdom may be questioned from an
iconoclastic standpoint. Object lessons
are probably beneficial to certain extent,
but there is some danger of OVERRIDING
them. Those who have heard Mr.. RILEY'S
dissertation on the peanut will understand
this. When this method CONSTRUCTION drifts
into the idolatry of objects that are SYM
bols it sometimes becomes more than abb
surd. There appears to be a large class of
people in the United States today who i'm
agine that the removal of the national
flag, by the national government. from q
place where it had been displayed i'm
properly and without authority, is a sort
NJ traoann lNhanauar uannln ado fo
believe that q flag is greater than the gov
eminent it represents they are deceived
and injured. A private ship cannot pro-
tect itself by flying the flag of any nation.
The confusion of symbol with the prin-
ciple for which it stands is hurtful 1t is
a weakness of mind that should not be en-
cOuraged. 1t is what makes some persons
number among their most valued posses
sioDs such treasures as shell OF an egg
eaten by GEORGE WAsHINGToN." "chiD OF
the monument to PATRICK HENRY"
pebble from the grave of man who
once shook hands with LAFAYETTE" al
though like enough they have never taken
the trouble to read the lives and speeches
of these great men. The life is more
than meat and the body is more than
raiment.h
We have not only confused the symbol
and the spirit We have desecratod the
spirit The school authorities had no
more right to order the teachers to take
part in this demonstration than they had
to order the BARRIERS, or the hod-cArriers,
or the editors of the city to do the same.
Some of them did not desire to take part
init. Some principals and some teachers
made formal protest. Their reasons
were probably various. Some did not feel
able physically. Some felt repuRnance
to appearing in any kind of street parade
1t does not make any difference what their
reasons were. There was neither legal
were employed to teach school. But the
school board has authority over them. 1t
does within bounds Of the contract.
When it goes beyond it Is guilty of
tyranny and oppression. A few weeks
ago q measure known as the street paving
bill" was opposed in the legislature be-
cause it involved a breach of contract
with the city. Are our teachers less
worthy of fair treatment than our cor
porations? But they ought to have had
patriotism enough to make them enjoy
the ceremony. That was what GEssLER
thought when he made the Swiss bow to
his hat. This petty tyranny was an in
suit to everything for which the Liberty
bell stands.
People have different ideas of patriot
ism. We have not been able to induce
the placing on Indiana's patriotic monu-
ment the date on which this bell pro-
claimed liberty throughout the land to all
the inhabitants thereof, Notwithstanding
in the war of independence the soil of
Indiana was secured to the union, wet
with the blood of Indiana patriots. There
is even a large class of patriots who OBJ
ject to having any patriotism but their
own COMMUNICATED by the state and who
denounce all who take larger views as de-
ficient in patriotism. This country needs
more liberty and less intolerance. The
spirit of liberty and the spirit of patriot
ism existed before we existed. They
made the bell. They made the flag. They
made America. They made Indiana.
And all these are worth nothing if liberty
shall fail. This land has lost it's glory If
it be not the land OF the free. Intoler-
ancs is the germ that kills freedom.
Let it be understood that there is no
monopoly in patriotism. and can be none
in liberty. Some of our citizens. very
good ones in their way, seem to think that
the remainder of the community is in
danger OF losing all patriotism. Patriot
ism must be stimulated" or the country
is lost. Hence this parade. Hence the
flags on the common schools. One gentle
man even went so far as to insist that the
flag should be raised each morning by the
pupils. with appropriate ceremonies.
This is thoughtful What can be more