The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-22

copyright. 1881


chat this love must be shown by war
rors alone. When we speak Of patriots
more rise before our mind the names
~ Grant and Logan and Putnam and
~ the like. recently bought pat
riotic series" of books Sr my little
how: they are all of battles. the pictures
are of scenes OF carnage. Our Fourth
~ July we must celebrate with explo-
sIons. that we may be reminded OF
those conflicts of which the orators OF
the day tell us. In fact, patriotism
does not after all mean love OF coun-
try so much as 1t means firing cannon,
charging bayonets, hurrah, flag waving
and the beating of drums.
Now. l am ready to grant there Is
something grandly fascinating about
war. 1t gives one a creepy feeling even
10 see a platoon of soldiers move down
the street, their legs all crooking as
one leg and their guns tilted like q
common plane Of steel. There must be
something sublime in seeing two mar
shaled hosts facing each other upon
the plain, ready to grapple in the awful
death struggle. The game of war has
been the royal game from all time. 1t
rlotism. On the contrary. many OF
those who engage In ii serve from the
basest motives, some for pay some for
fear some for very love of violence.
Xenophon's Anabasis tells the war story
of 10000 Greeks who went out to fight
in a quarrel not their own, for money
and for the hope of plumber. Far be
il from me even to seem to cast any
slur upon the dead, but there were
among the list of seamen who persisted
in the wreck of the Maine a number
of Japanese and other foreigners; their
death was a dreadful thing but does
1t entitle them to the name of patriots
could love of country possibly have
accounted for the presence of any eX-
cept the American seamen on board the
Inflated ship?
We have become so used to coupling
patriotism with seges and battles that
we rather welcome war so that 1t may
fan the slumberlng sparks of this noble
public emotion. For that reason the
lingo is most dangerous person. To
criticize him appears to be to criticize
patriotism. He has assumed the point
at issue, and we have let him. He has
taken it for granted that whoever is
not in favor of fighting is in favor of
dishonor and disgrace. Thus a nation
not endowed with a liberal store of
common sense can be stampeded into a
war which may be unnecessary and
which may really do infinite damage
even to the victorious nation. But the
lingo is merely q recrudescence of the
duellist; once 1t was a sign of cow
ard to decline a challenge. We have
learned. however, and 1t is amazing how
long we were learning, that Ii is no
sign of brave gentleman to want to
fight. Likewise are we also to learn
that the bravest and most truly he
roc nation will leave no stone un-
turned to settle its dispute, If possible,
some other way than by warfare. i do
not believe in peace at any price, but l
do believe that wicked wars have out
numbered good wars 10000 to 1, that
mere superior force never settled any
question except which nation had the
most arms and men and the best fight
ers, and that since time began there
has never been one war where the mat
ter at issue could not have been ar
ranged infinitely better by the arts OF
peace, If the parties concerned had used
common sense and had desired justice
instead of revenge or the sating of
pride.
Those who are now burning to give
their services to the nation, to raise
regiments and lead battalions. should
be given due credit. Any act that shows
love of our country should not be
evil spoken OF. But 1 merely wish to
call the attention of some of these noble
men to some work they could have
been doing all along for their native
land had they been so disposed The
dictionary defines patriotism as being
"zealously and unselfshly devoted to
the service of ones country" Here,
Tor instance, are public officials, who
shall be nameless, who have volunteered
the services of themselves and their
state to eat up Spaniards, yet who re-
Gently have been in the thick of the
most disgraceful attempts to debauch
and plumber the people who elected
them to Office. They might have inter-
vened to stop the most colossal brib-
cry and corruption of politics had they
SO desired; they did not; they were
poor; they are rich.
While glorious statesmen were
champing the bit to get into the fore
OF battle, little company of men and
women were opening a social settle
ment over In the Gad's hill district OF
Chicago; going to live and teach and
practice unselfshness among the poor.
what about them? They wave no
nags. shoot no bullets. They are pat
riots, however. real, not fustian.
open saloons and houses of shame
carry on their nefarious trade Of sap
ping the life and wealth from the COM
mon people. Why don't some Of these
nre breathing patriots run tilt at
these? Why don't they seriously adj
dress themselves to the task of remov-
ing these agencies OF public ruin that
are working more death, tyranny and
nome spoliation right now than Spain
could work in a hundred years?
Giant trusts are monopoizing the
iree treasures of nature, occupying the
streets with their tramways, selling the
entire business ~ tra psporfa nv