The Mankato free press., 1902-06-06

Americans were better trained they
were in finer form; they were more
over, invariably sober The regula-
tions of United States navy allow
nothing else. Hence it is an effective,
economical and altogether admirable
arm of the service.
| = It is we'll that we have put the army
upon the same basis 1t is wise to
protect the land service from whisky
and from vice 1t is just to give the
foot soldier to preserve his lusty man
hood inviolable. And in my judg-
ment. with the canteen abolished an
army of American volunteers need
fear no physical enemy in any part of
| the earth. The day is coming when
the wish of the people for fair play
will encompass this end not only for
the army-as it has for the navy-but
also for the civil citizen. The banner
of this nation stands for another thing
and that is, religion.
During the civil war there was a
certain general who, on the eve of the
battle, telegraphed to headquarters,
81 have got the enemy where even
God Almighty cannot save him" But
the sun of that day set upon the defeat
of that brilliant "organizer of vic
tory He it was that also said that
a soldier must have "a spark of the
devil in him. but when General
Sherman was picking out good sol
, dier for promotion, he passed by that
| fellow and took General o. o. How
ard, the confessed Christian, in his
stead.
Now mark this down, that, while
we believe in the absolute and un-
dying separation of church and
state the nation cannot live unless
the individual citizen is ever ready to
seek, to acknowledge and perform the
will of his God. Heaven forbid that we
should forget whose gentle breath it
was that waited the Mayfiower to
these shores whose good hand deliver
ed the people alike from savages and
despots; whose revealed word in
fuenced and guided the fathers of the
republic in framing the constitution
upon endurable principles.
Let it be impressed upon our very
souls that "The wicked shall be turn
ed into hell with all the nations that
forget God.
Senator Beveridge, in his speech de-
livered, shortly after his trip as
national commissioher to the Pacific
archipelago, gave utterance to the fol-
lowing reassuring words: "Those who
inconsistent with religious feeling are
soldiers have been inspired by pro-
found religious convictions. Where
the religious sentiment is not present
! mere physical struggle. The Ameri-
10ll exny rha nSxn ho q
always felt that in some sense he was
the soldier of the forces of light
against the forces of darkness. His
commanders have always called on the
Almighty Father. Perhaps the deep
est feeling of our nation is religious
feeling and our national qualities are
all present in our soldiers The
American soldier, therefore, like the
American citizen no matter what his
surface conduct and attitude may be
has deep religious sentiment as the
bases of his character. Perhaps he does
not manifest it. 1t may be that he
would himself deny it but you have
only to put him to the touchstone of
large events to see that it is there.
"Most soldiers have Bibles I would
venture the belief that the immense
majority of soldiers whom | met in
the Philippines had Bible or at least
testament Going into book store
in st. Paul to lay in supply of books
for the ocean trip noticed strong
seryiceable testament, so stoutly
bound that it could endure great
deal of hardship, so large in print
that it was easy to read and yet SO
small that it could be carried in the
vest or shirt pocket. | was informed
that theMinnesota soldiers as they were
starting for the Philippines had nearly
all supplied themselves with these
testaments. It was an incident full of
meaning was it not2 Here were young
men going to war on the other side of
the world. They were Of the vital
producing classes of our great north
west Their last act before they left
their state was to provide themselves
with that book of books which had
been the stay and comfort of their
fathers and their fathers father
They carried with them in that
volume the counsels of their Christian
mothers, which after all are in various
forms the divine words of the Master
1t is interesting to know that Wash
ington expressed strong opinion up
on the subject Said he: "Whatever
may be conceded to the influence of
refined education on minds of peculiar
structure, reason and experience both
forbid us to expect that national NOR
ality can prevail in exclusion Of re-
ligious principles. '
| In the charming autobiography of bis
life entitled "The Making of an
American, Mr. Jacob Riis, born and
Da NJ fn so
try which he adopted for his own,
tells how he found out that he was an
American. SIT was when [ went back
to see my mother once more, and
wandering about the country of my
the city of Elsinore. There fell i'll
house of "a friend upon the shore of
the beautiful Oeresund. One day
when the fever had left me they roll
ed NV bed into a room overlooking
the sea. The sunlight danced upon
the waves and the distant mountains
of Sweden were blue against the
horizon. Ships passed under full sail
upon and down the great water way
of the nations, but the sunshine and
the peaceful waves brought no mes
sage to me. I lay moodily picking at
| the coverlet, sick and discouraged
and sore. I hardly knew why my
self, until all at once there sailed
| past. close in shore. ship flying at
the ton the flag of freedom, blown out
on the breeze, till every star in it
shown bright and clear. That moment
I knew. Gone were illness, discour-
agement and gloom. Forgotten weak
ness and suffering. The caution of
doctor and nurse. I sat up in bed and
shouted, laughed and cried by turns,
waving my handkerchief to the flag
out there. They thought 1 had lost
INV head, but l told them no, thank
ca hod foupd II and nv heart tO