The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-24
Who Is a Patriot i?

Catch ten persons away from their
dictionaries and ask them to define the
word patriot and nine. perhaps the
whole ten, would answer that he was
one willing to become a soldier and
fight in defense of his country. Pa
triotism and militancy are regarded as
synonymous. One does not have far
to go to find the reason for this. It
is the result of every form of popular
education Our school histories in
culcate it. They deal mostly with our
wars, and it is the soldiers who were
the patriots. The greater mass who
continued the pursuits Of peace and
also bore the sacrifices incident to war.
the mothers who waited at home for
the husbands and SONS who never re-
turned, are not classed among the pa
triots, although their sacrifice was as
great as any. General history lends
aid to create this Impression. The
revolutionists, rising against oppres-
sion, the armies stoutly defending their
countries against aggression, form the
patriotic element. Poetry and song
lend their assistance. The heroic in
war appeals to the imagination of the
poet and the signer. Art, too, with
it's painters and sculptors, the one with
their stirring battle scenes, the other
with their monuments to the heroes
of the strife, help on the confinement
of the good word to those who don the
uniform, shoulder the musket and go
forth to make proffer of life for coun-
try's sake.
The vital element of patriotism, the
distinguishing characteristic Of the cit
izen that marks him the patriot is
self-sacrifice. That is the tombstone
that reveals the true and the false.
Without it patriotism cannot exist
whatever may be the pretense or ap-
pearance. It is the subsection of the
interests Of self to those of the COM
monweal embodied in the common
wealth. 1t finds it's highest express
sion in the emergencies of the country
that demand of the citizen the exposure
of his life in her defense, but in those
larger spaces where peace prevails and
the common welfare demands Of the
citizen civic duties, Of officials public
duties, the same vital element marks
the true patriot, and men prove them
selves patriots or renegades in exactly
the proportion in which. they put pub
lie before their private interests 1t is
the citizen who. in his private capacity.
gives of his time and effort to the bet
torment Of the conditions, public and
private, Of his fellows; who believes
that he belongs to the country and not
to party, and makes the sacrifice such
Oft
information that he may form correct
judgment in public affairs and stands
by his judgment when thus formed
uncaring for consequences, who is the
patriot 1t is the man in public Mace
who does his duty unswerved by per-
sonal or partisan considerations. who
looks over the clamorous few urging
dereliction, to the people whom he
serves; who braves the wrath of the
populaee to do what is right and duti
full, accepting the consequences with
| calmness, who is the patriot in office
Measured by this standard, tested INV
this tombstone, how many patriots
| have we either in our citizenry ar
among our officials? And yet, when
there comes man in public station
who comes up to this standard and
reveals the patriot in civil life. who
stands immovable against assaults on
the eommonweal, who bravely does his
DUTY when duty-doing brings contun1e-
~ now quick and strong is the popu-
lar approval. What does this indicate
OUT that there is latent sense of what
is patriotic in civil life among the nea-
pie, that recognizes boxuo,,o, 5;-.,
that duty-doing is patriotism whether