The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1900-06-20
4 PATRIOTIC ESSAY.
at the Brookhaven Graded Public
school.
BY CHARLES BUTLER.

Composition Which Won the Gold Medal
at the Brookhaven Graded Public
school.
The following essay won the gold
medal in the Graded Public School at
/ Brookhaven. The senior class, com
posed of thirteen young people, rang
| ing in ages from sixteen to nineteen.
were required to draw for a subject,
after being seated with pencil in hand.
! The subject of the essay was drawn,
and without aid the composition be-
gan and ended under the eye of the
teacher. When the thirteen papers
were submitted to the judges no name
was signed to any, so that no fairer
method for an honest victory could
possibly be given. Mr.. Chas. Butler.
the fortunate winner of the medal, is
the grandson of Col. j. Harvey ThOmp-
son of this place, a nephew of Mrs. j..
T. Chrisman, and the only son of DR..
! j. Il. Butler, a prominent physician of
/ BroOkhaven, who is also related to the
present Governor of Mississippi:
THE MILITARY SPIRIT IN AMER
When our Puritan forefathers land
/ ed on the bleak shores of New Eng
land they brought with them in their
hearts spirit which has done a great
/ deal toward the formation of the
worlds history.
That spirit, which our forefathers
had, and which we have inherited
from them, is the military spirit which
has actuated the great Generals and
military geniuses of the world.
1t is closely allied to and is the nat
ural sequence of patriotism, one of the
most God like virtues possessed by
man.
The love of country is in the heart
of every true man.
A poet says:
"Breathes there a man with soul so dead.
Who ne'er to himself hath said.
/ This is my own. my native land.
Whose heart hath neer within him burned
As home his footsteps he hath turned,
| From wandering on a foreign strand?
If such there breathe. CO. mark him we'll;
For him no minstrel raptureS swell!
| High though his titles, proud his name,
BoundlesS his wealth. as wish can claim:
Despite those titles, power. and pelf,
| The wretch concentered all in self
Living. shall forfeit fair renown,
And doubly dying. shall 20 down
To the vile dust, from wheneehe sprung,
Unwept. unhonored, and unsung."
The love of country, which is ever
present in the hearts of true men, has
the best opportunity to display itself
in the time of troubles of ones coun-
try. In the first war of our country,
the Revolution, in which our fore
fathers, believing that "taxation with
out representation is tyranny" took
up arms in freedoms cause, the Amer
lean people first displayed their mil.
itary spirit to any great degree.
In this war George Washington prov
ed himself to be what he was, the
greatest General of modern times.
When he had led his country's forces
to victory and gained her freedom, he
was given the greatest gift in the power
of the people, that of President. He
was called the "Father of His Coun-
try" and his name will be forever
blest.
1t is to him and his men, for what
they were actuated to do by patriotism
and the military spirit, that we owe
our present great and glorious com
monwealth.
This sentiment has forever been in
the hearts of the people of the world,
for protection is natural. and the best
way to defend ones country is by force
of arms.
A large per cent. of the worlds great
est men were soldiers.
Caesar, Alexander, Napoleon, all we're
great Generals, and their names are in.
delibly written on the pages of his.