The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-16

pleasant. but the thing which it is our duty
to do. The life of duty, not the life or
mere ease or mere pleasure-that Is the
kim of life which make the great man as
IL makes the great nation.
IF WE ARE FARSIGHTED.
we cannot afford to lose the virtues
which made the men Of '61 TO '65 great in
wal. No man is warranted In feeling pride
in the deeds OF the army and navy of the
past If he does not back up the army and
the navy of the present. II we are far
sighted in our patriotism there will be no
let up in the work of building, and of keep
ing at the highest point Of efficiency. a navy
suited to the part the United States must
hereafter play in the world, and of making
and keeping our small regular army. which
in the event OF war can never be anything
but the nucleus around which our volun-
teer armies must form themselves, the best
army of its size to be found among the
nations.
so much for our duties in keeping un-
stained the honor roll our fathers made in
war. 1t Is OF even more instant need that
we should show their spirit OF patriotism In
the affairs OF peace. The duties or peace
are with us always; those of war are but
occasional; and with a nation as with a
man, the worthiness of life depends upon
the way in which the everyday duties are
done. The home duties are the vital duties.
The nation is nothing but the aggregate
of the families within its border; and II
the average man is not hard working, just
and fearless in his dealings with those
about him. then our average OF public life
will fin the end be low; for the stream can
rise no higher than its source. But in ad-
dition we need to remember that a peculiar
responsibility rests upon the man in public
life. We meet I'm the capital of the Nation,
I'm the city which owes it's existence to the
fact that it is the seat of the national gov
m 1t is well for us In this place,
and at this time, 70 remember that exactly
as there are certain homely qualities the
lack of which will prevent the most bril-
liant mar alive from being a useful soldier
to his country, so there are certain homeiy
qualities for the lack of which in the public
servant no s~hrewdness or ability can atone.
The greatest leaders, whether In war or in
peace, must Of course show a peculiar
quality of genius; but the most redoubtable
armies that rave ever existed have been
redoubtable because the average soldier,
the average officer, possessed to a high
degree such comparatively simple qualities
as loyalty, courage and hardwood And
so the most successful governments are
those in which the average public servant
possesses that variant of loyalty which we
call patriotism, together with COM
mon sense and honesty. We can as little
afford TO tolerate a dishonest man in the
The murderer takes a single life; the cor
ruptionist in public life, whether he be
bride giver or bride taker, strikes at the
heart OF the commonwealth.
vIGILANT WATCH NECESSARY.
I'm every public service, as in every army,
there will be wrongdoers, there will occur
misdeeds. This cannot De avoided; but
vigilant watch must be kept, and as soon
as discovered the wrongdoing must be stop
ped and the wrongdoers punished. Remem-
Der that in popular government we must
rely on the people themselves, alike for the
punishment and the reformation. Those
upon whom our institutions cast the initial
duty of bringing malefactors to the bar of
justice must be diligent in its discharge;
yet in the last resort the success of their
efforts to purge the public service OF cor.
ruption must depend upon the attitude Of
the courts and of the juries drawn from
the people Leadership is of avail only so
far as there is wise and resolute public
sentiment behind IL.
I'm the long run, then, il depends upon
us ourselves. upon us the people as a whole,
whether this government Is or is not TO
stand In the future as 1t has stood in the
past; and my faith that it will show no
falling of Is based upon my faith In the
character Of our average citizenship. Inc
one supreme duty Is to try TO keep TINS
average high. To this end II is well TO keep
alive the memory Of those men who are At
TO serve as examples of what is ~loftiest and
best In American citizenship. such a man
was General Sherman. To very few in any
generation is 1t given to render such serv-
ices as he rendered.; but each of us in his
degree can try to show something OF those
sum, the high worth of Sherman rested
his courage, his kindness, his clean and
simple living, his sturdy good sense, his
manliness and tenderness in the intimate re-
lations Of life. and finally, his infiexible
rectitude Of soul and his loyalty to all that
I'm this free Republic is hallowed and SYM
bolized by the national flag"
AS soon as the applause following the
Presidents address had subsidized David Il.
Henderson, of Iowa, former Speaker OF the
House of Representatives. spoke on behalf
of the Army of the Cumberland. For the
Society of the Army of the Tennessee
] Representative Charles H. Grosvenor, OF
Ohio. spoke. Gen. Thomas j. Henderson,
of Illinois. eulogizeo Sherman on behalf OF
the Society OF the Army OF the Ohio, and
Gen. Daniel Z. Sickles spoke.