The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-03-21

ones country has always been most
noteworthy among populations that
have inhabited one region for ages. The
| rocks and rills' of such a land all
become, in time the scenes of events
that makes them precious, and the hill
sides cover the bones of unnumbered
dead, whose names are still borne by
the living. So the hearts of the people
strike their roots into the soil, and be-
come part of it; as even with the
IGreenlanders, whose dreary coasts hold
the feelings of the inhabitants in such
thrall, that absence means agony-even
death.
| l reckon also,. it is easy of proof that
| the ancient peoples most firmly knit
| together in one, We're those whose pre-
! cariouS existence was continued only
! by vigilance and conflict. / need not
hesitate to cite the Spartans, since the
mind of each well-informed reader will
| at once recall the hardening and uni
flying experiences of that little nation,
whose members preferred to perish to-
gether, rather than live separated. Sim
liar proof is given by Rome in its early
days, when it was being prepared by
most strenuous experiences for the con-
quest of the world. National trials
largely account for national strength.
| Furthermore the nearer people come
to telling the deeds of heroes by word
Of mouth-as did Homer, the Old Tesla
ment worthless, and the bards when
books We're few,-the easier is it to keep
alive the flames of hate or, the willing
| c11rrandQr nf RI nc trintip 6ntV
When the flashing eyes of the father
accentuate the story Of his own deeds
that he is pouring into the child's soul,
or when the ''mother-knee" instruction
tells why the child's father fought and
died, then the father becomes to him
"a living epistle" and his ancestors. "a
cloud Of witnesses"
|
Where are we now? Approaching
the homeland. When long residence
in one place, a perpetual state of con-
1ict, and the handing down of war tra-
ditions by the fathers, are found to be
strong inducements to patriotism, what
hope is there for our country? In one
hundred years, or, in other words, since
the fathers of living aged men were
boys, our population has grown from
something over 100000 to about TO-
100000. OF these, 100000 have
come from abroad since 1890, and the
offspring of these fecund immigrants,
who can number? Our swarming and
restless population, ever moving for
ward into virgin territory, has made the
area of the United States increase from
325, 900 square miles in 1116 to over
5000, 900 square miles in 1897. Our
people Of New England, notwithStand-
ing the remarkable history of the ear
ly settlement of that region, in many
cases gathered their belongings to-
gether and settled along the southern
boundaries of the Great Lakes and be-
yond. The group of Southern States
| with Virginia as q center scattered
their children North, South, East and
West, breaking up almost entirely the
| ties Of location. AS a consequence Of
this mixing and moving and changing
of inhabitants, it is practically impos-
sible to find in America the never-dying
affection for places that characterizes
more stable population. Compared
with older nations in Europe, we are
but newborn infants. For instance,
Buda-Pesth in Hungary has recently
celebrated it's thousandth year of ex-
istence.
| Bulwarked by oceans, free from Euro
pean entanglements, placed apart by the
fiat of the Almighty whose will set our
| bounds, the millions of this country,
without a known possible invader are
beckOned forward into a new century.
A nation whose population increases by
leaps and bounds, is being subjected to
none of the concentration that comes
from attack and is realizing none of it's
benefits. We have more of subjugated
territory behind us than of slain people,
and the wars in our history are as moth
ing to the bulk of our population. What
| of military glory have we to start the
blood of the modern boy tingling within
him? The revolution is a mere shadow
to our myriad new corners; the war of
| 1872 even more SO, except for Perry;
the Mexican war one of mere extension;
the rebellion, battle between brothers
to have been forgiven as soon as ended,
If Lincoln had lived. Even admitting
that the titanic struggle was thrilling,
what meaning has it for the twelve mill
Iionimmigrants who have landed and muI-
tiplied since then? Our heroes are mere
|
something they have never seen. The
boy of other lands can know that the
blood of his kinsmen has wet the earth
to keep inviolate from conquest the spot
on which he stands Thrilled by their
deeds he can swear to dare what they
have dared and can sanctify himself
| to the task left by them. But our bays
father may not so much as know the
smatterings of our language, and prob
ably may understand still less of our
history. The average American youth
is therefore entirely deprived of per-
sonal touch with warriors who have
fought for home and native land. What
he learns of warfare and our country's
battles must be from the unimpassioned
pages of school histories.
| Because some, even many, nations
have reached their highest civilization
by means of continuous battles and be-
| cause the redolence of human blood is
not on every page of our history there
are not wanting those who can foresee
no bright future for us, ordained, as We
are, to isolation and peaceful develop
ment. They fear that our civilization
| will come tumbling around our ears
some day because there is no over-mas-
| tering cali to arms and to the subjuga-
| ton of self that war entails. The fear
| is not ill-founded, neither is it unan--
swera BILE. The attempt will be made in
this column to show that peace hath it's
victories" and quietude it's problems;
that there are calls sharp and decisive,
away from selfishness. and that whether
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