The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1897-07-03
THE KIMBALL GRAPHIC
CLATE r. TINAN.
Official Pauer Of the CITY and County
THE BEST COUNTRY,


THE BEST COUNTRY.
1t is but the soberest truth that the
best country the sun shines on is our
own country. The imam without city,
says Socrates, "is contemplate fellow
The "man without a country" we all
know must be wretch. The republic
says Cicero. is the mother of us all
But there is no other republic on the
globe. nor never has been, to which our
own can be compared. How much we
all owe to 1t, as furnishing to us the
best incentives and all highest adyant-
ages for making life worth living, there
is no arithmetic that can sum up.
We have two national Thanksgiving
days; the one comes in November, the
other is today. There is, to be sure, a
difference in the manner of the obser-
vance, yet the meaning is the same.
Every good citizen, home born or for
eign born, halls the day with g!adness
and exultation, as the day devoted to
patriotism; halls it with more or less of
noisy demonstration, but at any rate
with gladness touched with emotions
of the deepest gratefulness.
No other Fourth of July ever meant so
much for our country as this one. The
conditions Of the country are changing;
some OF the most important conditions
are changing rapidly. vast number
of people find it no easy task to keep up
with the swift changes that seem so in
evitable and so inexorable; and of
course the needless, the ignorant the
obstinate, and the undisciplined are apt
to left. And yet each year it becomes
more evident how wonderfully the es-
sential principles Of our government
and Of our institutions are still the
glory of our country. While the fathers
and founders Of the republic never could
have dreamed Of such country as this
has become, yet they saw, as il by
divine inspiration, the principles of law
and liberty, of popular education and Of
morals, which could never be outgrown.
The American social system, including
all industrial and economic interests.
has lost much of Its former simplicity.
1t Is every day becoming more and more
complex. But the country, il true to
its unchanging, guiding principles,
has nothing to fear.
Labor troubles ara real; so are capital
troubles real and perplexing. And yet
the chances for both money and labor
are unspeakably better here in Amsrica
than in any other country. Grievances
are admitted. But a multitude OF the best
minds OF the country are giving their
earnest thought, in most patriotic and
unselfish ways, to the one grand en-
deayor to make plain and open the high
way for every man who is willing to do
his level best to advance the better
things. There are some cranks and
more demOgogues, and the two sorts Of
social marplots have luckless way of
playing into each others hands. Their
little games will shortly be played out.
A mighty process Of inquiry and of popu-
lar education is going on all over the
country. There may be good deal of
cropping, but trust the American people
always for solving any problem Of self
government Acountry that conquered
in three foreign wars and then con-
quered herself need have no fear of seri-
GUS internal dissensions.
We can never love tho Nation to
much. Patriotism did not die with the
dead soldiers. 1t is as sweet and noble
to live for ones country, unselfshly, self
sacrificiogly, as to die for it, when need
requires. No carnon's roar can possibly
voice too much the fitting emotions Of
patriots who do SO much to glority the
day we still celebrate.