St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-06-14
A CITIZENS PUBLIC DUTY.


The mighty struggle which we
commemorate, while Of inestimable
local significance and Importance,
was but a part of a worldwide CEN
tnries-old conflict; in the midst of
the vivid recollections that crowd
upon US of the terrible scenes that
transpired before our eyes a genera
ton ago, we may catch the far off
echo OF Luther's voice, raised in be-
hall OF freedom of conscience; we
may see William, the Silent, IN the
Lowlands, falling like our Lincoln,
under the assassin's blow, at the
close of d defence of his country I'M
parallel in history; we may see
Hampden beneath the oak, Crom-
we'll fighting his king; the Pilgrim
fathers seeking freedom of conscience
on foreign shores, Charles the Second
ascending the scaffold, and our own
Washington and Samuel Adams
and Patrick Henry and James Otis
defending the rights OF the colonists;
ali scenes in the mighty drama that
eliminated at AppOmattox.
It goes without saying that in
government of and by the people,
the entire responsibility for that
government rests with the people.
We hear a great deal nowadays OF
the young man in politics, OF the
scholar is politics, of the business
man in politics, but IN the truest
sense Of the word we are all in poll
tics in this republic. If our politics
are bad, ours is the responsibility
if we are controlled by political
bosses and political machines, it is
those bosses and machines We
have lately heard much righteous
indignation expressed at the con-
duct, and much righteous satisfac-
ton at the treatment, of two poiit-
ical reprobates in d sister state; but
had the citizens of that state faith
fully performed their daily duty TO
the state, her McKane and May
nard could never have been, for
such political excrescences do not like
Jonah's gourd, spring into full de-
velopment in a night; they are of
slow growth and they fatten upon
the negligence, the indifference, the
topor of those citizens, VINO, by
their commanding position, their in
telligence, their opportunities, ought
to be a power for good.
The good citizen IS moved by pa
triotic motives. The question be-
fore him is What do the interests OF
the community. the state, the country
demand OF me? For we are a great,
inter-dependent community, and
our conduct, our work, effects more
or less a larger or smaller portion
OF that community. A secretary Of
the treasury at Washington, who is
unable to cope with the financial
problems of the day, and who lacks
the confidence Of the great financial
houses, may bring widespread dis
aster upon the community. He is
not q good farmer who suffers his
farm to run TO weeds and thistles;
but more, he is not a good citizen,
for the winds will carry the seeds OF
the weeds and th1stles over the lands |
OF his neighbors, and he will thus |
InJure a portion Of the community. |
A poor school teacher IS a public |
SO is a poor sermon or a
weak judge or a drnnkard or a
criminal. He is a good citizen as
well as good teacher who |
inculcates into our youths the prin-
ciples OF manhood and womanhood; |
she, although she cannot vote, is a
good citizen as well as a good wo-
man, wife and mother, who brings |
up her son to fight the battles, main |
tain the principles and keep the faith |
of their country, and who rears her !
to be the mothers of |
patriots.
The duties which our citizenship |
imposes upon US are alike. privileges, |
for we are part and parcel of a great |
movement that is to send the world |
bowling along a higher plain, and |
like the minute men Of the Revolu- !
ton we should be ever ready to |
leave the plough in the furrow and |
the hammer on the bench, and has |
ten forth IN the interests Of our
country, to see that her laws are
and obeyed, that her in |
remain intact against the |
attack of open enemy and secret foe,
that her liberty does not degenerate |
into license, that her humblest citi- |
zen's vote is correctly cast and hon |
estly counted, and that bitter par
tisan zeal and the tricks and subter- |
fuges which are sometimes called |
practical politics are not mistaken
for patriotism and craftsmanship. |
Standing in this peaceful valley
and looking back over the years of |
prosperity, which we
have enjoyed since the victories
which these veterans and their COM
Fades brought us, this may seem idle
talk, but we have only to look out
beyond the valley to see that it is
not idle talk. So long a human
nature remains as it is it will re-
main true, that eternal vigilance is
the price of liberty; nations like in
dividuals must go forward or they