Evening star., 1903-07-04
UNITED SOCIETIES
PATRIOTIC WOMEN DO HONOR TO
OLD GLORY.
An Address by Rev. DR.. Van Schaick
on Dark and Bright Sides
American Revolution.

celebrated Independence day in an inter-
esting manner on the beautiful lawn on
Sherman Square at the intersection of l4th
street and Florida avenue, this afternoon.
There was a good attendance considering
the uncomfortable state Of the weather and
the varied program was highly appre-
ciated
An old army wagon. suitably decorated
with the national colors. served as a stand
for the officers of the day and those who
took part in the exercises. Commander l.
G. Kimball of the Department of the Poto-
mac, G. A. R., presided and the program as
arranged included addresses by Rev. DR..
John Van Schaick jr. and Mr.. w. E. An
drews, auditor for the Treasury Depart
ment The latter had for his subject
American Soldiery and Womanhood."
Pleasing musical numbers were arranged
by Mrs. Flora c. Lewis, president general
of the Spanish War Auxiliary: Col George
Lillibridge. Prof. j. NJ. Layton and son.
Miss Louise NJ. Luki and Miss Houchin.
Miss Esther Jennings was down for reci-
tation and sixteen young ladies were to pro-
vide flag drill.
The rain came up just as the program
was being started. and interfered mate
rally with the affair.
DR.. Van Schaick's Address.
DR.. Van Schaick was to speak on the
LARK olue anu inc DliSht VI tHC
can Revolution In part it follows:
''On days like this we are apt to be ex-
travagant in language because We are
stirred in thought and feeling. There is.
however, no day of the year when there
is so much need Of well-considered thought
and of well-controlled feeling as on the
Fourth of July. There should be rejoicing
without boasting. pride without vanity.
self-confidence without conceit.
I'm these days we are apt to get only
one side of those great events Of the past
Time has softened and mellowed what was
harsh and stern. We come often to think
that nearly all the men of the old DAYS
were incorruptible nearly all the women
were patriotic and unselfish. We place
the golden age in the past instead OF In the
future. So we come to nave low un-
worthy view Of our own time and our own
great men. We are unduly oppressed by
the evils of the present because we believe
them to be something new and startling In
our history. The fact Is that all those
things which we call evil-bribery and cor
ruptfon in public life, commercialism, mill
tarism pride of power. lust of gain, race
hatred-are not new things, but old. They
all appeared in the days OF the American
revolution. They tried to throttle WASH
inpton and drive him from the army. They
did succeed over and over again In tying
his hands and wounding his great patient
heart The point to be remembered is
this that as we won then In spite oi 'ne"i'
30 can We Will louoy-
The Bright Side.
1.-The bright side of the revolutionary
story is that which relates to the labors OF
Pitt Fox and Burke in our behalf abroad,
the courage displayed. the sunerings en-
dured, the patience shown by our fathers
and mothers at home and most or all TO
the tremendous meaning of the victory won
as related to the civilization of all the
world
:.The dark side is that which speaks Of
the bitter rivalries among the ofhcers OF
our army the cabal formed against WASH
Ington as commander-ln-cme1' the weah
ness and incompetence of the Continental
Congress the intense but needless suffer-
Ing among our troops caused py pohucat
chicanery and the terrible treachery OF
trusted generals like Lee and Arnold
And vet in both bright and dark chapters
of the history we read much to encourage
and help today. The darkest cioua OF
treachery has the silver inning OF lnsplia-
ton In telling the story the dark side |
must not be neglected any more than the |
bright.
ION the one hand we must never forget |
Chatham and Fox and Burke and the merry
Younger Pitt who pleaded our cause in |
pa riament. But, on the other hand, we |
must not let the darker strands slip from |
our history, for then it will not be history. |
We must remember the blind and bigoted |
king who dismembered his en- |
pire: Lord North, who danced attendance /
upon his whims, and Lord George German, |
who unloosed the Indian hell hounds upon |
our unprotected border.
I'm our day, when despots get temporary |
power. whether they be arbitrary CONNER |
cial kings, money kings or sceptered kings. !
let remember that -espotism for centu- /
ries has been slowly losing its grip upon the i
world; that Caesar had his Brutus, I
Charles his Cromwell and George III his /
Chatham and his Washington. Let us re-
member the bad men of the past as well as
he how good has !
triumphed over evil as the years have /
rolled on.
Striking Contrast.
I'm America there was afforded striking |
in character as we'll. On the one |
side we had the stern, resolute. indomita- |
ble figure of Washington. On the other the |
vacilating form of Horatio Gates, who |
tried to supplant him. It is not pleasant to |
drag it up, but it is history and may do us |
good. Like a rocket Gates went UP to the |
presidency of an army war board-in one |
sense above Washington-and then like a |
stick he came down, when the plots of the |
came out and their lies were
nailed. 1t is not only in the memory of |
eight years of brilliant generalship or of |
two terms as President that Washington
shines, but in the splendid self-control and |
patience he showed that terrible winter
when this cabal of officers was trying to
pull him down.
1t is we'll for us to remember these
things when petty men seize temporary au-
.hority today, when by treachery or stealth
hey hamper the leaders of the race ostra-
Else a Darwin or malign a Spencer. 1t en-
us to read the dark side of the
American revolution and remember that |
the mills of the gods grind slowly, but |
that they grind exceeding small"
We have often heard the story of Valley
Forge. In words We cannot forget that awful
winter has been pictured. The army was
without supplies weak and discouraged held
together by the high resolve of one great
patriot. Without clothes and blankets, food
and fuel, shelter and medicine, the soldiers
eft blood-stained footprints in the snow
from their cracked and frozen feet In the
hospital wigwam they lay without straw
between themselves and the frozen ground
The record of this fortitude, the story of
praying alone in the silent
woods for help, forms one of the shining
pages of our history. But We miss the real
of it all if we do not realize that
his suffering was unnecessary, that it
could easily have been averted, that sup
plies were plentiful. that hogsheads of
clothes and shoes were left to rot along
he way, all because of gross political mis-
Change at Critical Moment.
In II. at most critical hour, Congress