Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-06-02

/
x body but an old soldier
5 6 ! !: 1 ! ! ! /: ! ]: ! ]: ] ] ] ! ! !
1\H /has anything worth
az - while to offer from such
| HE< . platform as this.
AA This is day when the
| l0M3 heart must speak and
Mhh nothing but experience
N% has power to teach the
| AUX heart what to say. Only
| V4D they who have inspiring
| memories to relate can
~ make this memorial sig
nificant. That four years course and
drill on southern battle fields has
developed type Of effective oratory to
revive the memories of the war that
| will cease forever among men when no
longer the Grand Army of the Repub-
lie has a heart to remember and tongue
to speak. And feel that Memorial
Day will have lost much of its power
and its peculiar significance when that
time shall come.
Already you have listened to an in
spring address of that sort, but from
me you have no warrant for such q
recital, for q man may not choose
either the time or place of his birth,
and he must, in the main, be the pro-
duct of his times. And so we are glad
that we have with us still some Of the
old soldiers of the civil war. They are
the strongest links to unite us to q
period of our national history that
should be held in sacred memory.
They are the most powerful inspiration
for patriotism today under the flag.
The world will be more lonesome when
they are gone. We need evangels of
patriotism as never before and none are
so effective as the old soldiers. The
most fiuctuating and uncertain thing
in America today is the spirit of true
patriotism. We can organize long pro-
cessiOns on anniversary days and make
loud noises, but it does not mean much
more than commercial enterprise or
an athletic exhibition. The old robust
type of patriotism is getting to be
thing of the past. A Republican form
Of government that has no patriotism
except on dress parade is not very Sc
cure. The war Of the Rebellion was
sad and cruel experience, but war has
always been q fOrceful school of patriot
ism, and the old veterans are the best
patriots under the flag, for they know
how much it cost to keep it aflOat. We
want no more schools of that sort. But
we want patriots of peace who can be
true to the flag with no enemy in sight,
for the government Is in as great dam
ger from the selfish and careless neg
lect of its friends as it ever has been
from the attacks of it's enemies. And
1 believe it to be due the Grand Army
of the Republic to say that they have
kept the patriotic fire and that when
no. longer they had use for arms, they
still found use for patriotism. And In
this they have rendered the nation as
great service in true American loyalty
for thirty years Of succeeding history
as when they marched to victory on
southern battle fields.
My friends, to serve God and country
Is the nOblest duty of men. And re-
jOice to know that the religious senti-
ment is growing throughout the world.
But patriotism is phase of true re-
ligious sentiment. They cannot be
separated in thought; they ought not
OF Ia the true christian. Whatever is
face of the other. Both christians and
not by reading constitutions or rituals
other in speeches however eloquent,
but by sacrifice to duty, whenever nee,
essary and fidelity to conscience all the
time. The constitution of the United
States and the Proclamation of Eman-
cipatiOn are as religious as the ten
commandments if they are filled with
the spirit ofJesus. For the act that
emancipated q race of slaves, and made
a nation free is in the line of practical
christianity and stands as an added
chapter to the ever expanding word of
God. George Washington and Abra-
ham Lincoln were as truly prophets of
God as Isaiah, Daniel or Paul. For
God is in America as well as Palestine
and as truly he led the Union Army to
victory as he guided Israel out Of
Egyptian bondage. You can and
should keep the state and the church
separate, but you cannot separate patri- |
otism and religion. They are eternally
related and "what God hath Joined to-
gether let no man attempt to put
asunder.n Love of God and love of
country are two wings of the same
bird, and whoever would rise to patriot |
ism or religion must 60 up
lon both wings. "Render |
- unto Caesar the things that
4; s.: J; ::
T;sH:Z and Is an equally good mot |
fsXTNs1 to for church or State |
NsHo#sp House. The National hymn |
kIM Is equally fitting for q pray
z!sssA or meeting or Fourth Of
July celebration. The church of God |
is coming at last to recognize that the
surest way to fill the heavens with |
saints Is to fill the earth with christian |
patriots on the principle that there Is
no better world for man who does not |
do his best to improve the conditions
of the present one. This is the practi-
cal trend of the christian churches that |
are awake to their opportunity and
understand the danger that threaten
us. They are following their splendid |