Willmar tribune., 1903-07-08

morning appropriate for the day afte
we'll filled with attentive listeners. Pa
decorations of the church. With the c
pleasure in reproducing some extracts
was 'Some Essential Elements of True
Now that the noises have subsided
and the smoke of fireworks cleared
away we can calmly and dispassiou-
ately discuss the significance OF it all.
dare say that many joined loudly
and Enthusiastically in yesterdays
celebration who would be puzzled
what to answer if asked what they did
L. for.
Some peoples conception of the sig
ni6cance OF Independence Day is that
it ia time to make q noise and have
| q frolic. They think of its meaning
and use somewhat as a boy in an
eastern school thought of a flag. A
distinguished visitor came to the
school one day and was addressing
the pupils on loyalty and patriotism
To emphasize his remarks be pointed
| to large national flag that almost
covered one end Of the room, saying:
"Now, boys, who can tell me what
that flag is for?" One among them
who seemed to understand local con-
| ditions better than the speaker, re-
piled: 81 know, sir. It's to hide the
| dirt"
That boys conception of the signif-
cance Of the flag is like some peoples
conception of patriotism. To many
it is nothing more than noise, or at
least war aud bloodshed.
A timely question for US to ask, in
view of so many misconceptions about
it, is: What is patriotism?" I found
an excellent definition Of it the other
day in my dictionary where patriot
ism is defined as 1.-The spirit that,
originating in love of country, prompts
to obedience to its laws, to the sup.
port and defense of its existence,
rights and institutions and TO the pro.
motion of its welfare -
In time of war this love Of country
naturally D finds expression in dev otion
to the flag on the field of battle.
| But there are elements in true patri-
otism which require it to be manifested
in other ways and upon other occa.
| sions. There are perils menacing
our country at the present time do
not speak of outside foes. We do not
need to be fearful lest an enemy from
without should mOlest US. We may
be thankful, as nation, that while
all the other great nations of the
world are armed to the teeth, and when
war seems imminent among th9m, we
are enjoying rest from conflict. In
speaking recently upon the causes OF
unrest in Europe and the reasons for
regarding 2 great war as certain,
Baron Conbertin closed with this re-
mark:
''The people of the United States
should thank God that they are free
to remain quietly outside of the threat.
enipg struggle"
| But not so free are we to rest quietly
from all concern about inside foes
and internal dangers. There are enc.
mics within more dangerous to the
welfare of our nation than any enemy
that ever threatened US from without.
1--WE suffer more'' said VIM. E Glad.
stone one time in the house of com.
mons "year by year from intemper.
ance than from war, pestilence and
famine combined. And that is true
of our own nation as we'll as his. A
war that cost the country 100, 600 lives
and q thousand millions of dollars
annually would be considered by all
the people of this nation to be q dire
calamity, but the liquor traffic is an
enemy that costs US that great sacri.
fee and the nation, as a whole, does
not seem to be very much concerned
about it.
"Civilization is ever straining at a
gnat and swallowing a camel, {" said a
Chicago pastor recently. "It grows
very virtuous over its quest of leaks
In the sewer connections and ignores
the moral stencil of the low vaudeville;
it wakes warm over the poison of d.
luted milk and forgets the poison in
the whisky glass;
Let not our eyes be blinded as to
the real foes that menace us, and let
US not think that patriotism can be
exploited only on the battle field or
by the noise of fireworks.
Patriotism means love for country
and to be truly patriotic one must
cherish q desire for our country's well
fare and seek the ful6l]ment of that
desire in unselfsh devotion to our
! country's interests.
One essential element of enatriotiann