The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-07-26
ODD THINGS THE WAR HAS DONE
FOR US.

thankful for it; a man has neither the
desire nor the temptation now TO be
other than patriotic. The martial ardor,
as our Chicago contemporary well says,
has aroused us from stoLd ndlffer-
ence.'' In the business of map MAX
ing we are now diligently studying the
atlas Posting ourselves on interna-
tional law, we are learning heaps OF
things about the rights and the obn-
cations of nations.
Meeting a friend it is no. more
"howdy,'' but has the bombardment
ware" Carrying our umbrellas
straight up at the shoulder nowadays,
once we trailed them. When we saw
flag over house we asked whats.
up?" Now if we don't see one we en-
ploy the same meaning inquiry.
America" was very dull awhile ago,
the "Star-Spangled Banner" was
trotted out only on holidays and none
but the school children and the choir
sang them. Now we all roar out the
national hymn and split out Threats
trying to touch the top notes of the
banner song.
We are marching through Cuba to the
old tune and Dixie threatens to become
a national instead of a sectional air.
Fact is our appetite for patriotic music
is Unsuitable in these days, and as re-
suit host of wishywashy new songs
has been sprung on US, but we for
give the authors and take the dose
gladly. We drag our steps no more; it
is heels down and toes out nowadays,
with shoulders back, chin up and
twenty eight inches to the stride. We
no more lift our hats, but give the swift
sharp military salute.
Our coats are taking on the military
cut, and the women's hats show the
tri-color In plunnes and cockades,
while Old Glory rests peacefully upon
millions of coat lapels and more mill
ions of glorious bosoms. We have be-
come a naval people, and what we do
not know about armored ships, knots,
displacement, tonnage, thirteen-inch
guns, dynamite tubes and rapid firers,
is really not worth the knowing.
1t was the bicycle face" a little while
ago, now it is the war bulletin face"
one encounters on the street. When a.
salute was fired formerly we said softly
to ourselves, powder and money soon
parted, now we listen and respond with
a sounding hurrah and remark upon
the self-sacrifice of some patriotic fell
low. We have become discoveries since
the war We have discovered Dewey
and Schley and Sampson and Shafter,
and Guhau Island, Governor Gen
eral Poreusach and the Philippines,
and how to lick a war tax stamp. We
know now where all the ocean cables
liel no one knew before, though most
people believed they lied nevertheless
out of pure deep water meanness.
Before the war a magic lantern show
concerned no one, but let the poorest
kind of a lantern now flash up Dewey's
portrait on a blank wall and We honor
the fellow who works the dauby slider
and congratulate him upon his pa
triotism. We thought our country was
fenced in a few months ago, but since
the war we have discovered that our
fancy was error, and that the jump
ing off place has been moved westward
some thousands of miles.
We laughed at the marines, now we
take off our hats to them; we called
the National Guardsmen play-day SOL
diers, now we boast of them as the
finest on earth. We chatted prettily
Of the white fleet, now we talk learn
eddy Of the greater navy. The idea
of an auxiliary cruiser we looked upon
bloated corporation for carrying a few
mail bags, now we are very proud of
the auxiliary and praise the foresight
Of Congress in making it available. The
dude was a few months ago the de-
spised Of his race, now that he has prov
ed his patriotism and demonstrated his
lighting quality we no more cartoon
him. Cowboys have become rough
riders, pleasure yachts have been trans
formed into gun boats, and woman
once awheel in drab and gray or SOM
Der black, now spins through the parks
in true blue military cut, with a naval
cap and a stripe of honor in bullion
braid
Old soldiers have become oracles, and
new ones the promise Of heroes We
have snuggled up to Great Britain,
ceased to twist the lions tail and stroke
his nose gently instead. We are pick
ing UP a smattering Of Spanish and
have discovered why Manila is spelled
in these days with but one a." We
carefully count the stars in the flag and
argue the question learnedly whether
the blue comes first in draping with ma
tional colors; we have discovered what
not one half of us realized before that
there is such a thing as the Red Cross
Society. and that through its beneficent
ministrations, despite war, diplomacy,
bloodshed. ambition and jealousy, the
nations of the earth are drawn nearer
together than ever before in one com
mon bond OF sympathy.
The official survey OF the Cervera
ships destroyed or beached by Com
modore Sehley's squadron shows that
on two of the ships all their magazines