Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-02
The HAMPTON Patriots.

IL all started Win speech maoe "
Major Campbell Of the Hampton @. A. r.
at their meeting on Washdngton's birthday.
Comrades" he had said. as he looked
soberIy about "our ranks are fast thinning
out Not year passes but some of US
fall by the way. 1t il easy to see that
soon the last of US will go. Who then will
there be to cherish the memory of our he
roes? Who win hold up the fiag?"
1t was a somber view the major took OF
the future. He had no children Of his own.
Brave man and good citizen though ne
was, he seemed for the moment to have
lost faith in the growing generation. Com
rade Hartsell responded to the majors
speech.
sit is true that we men of the G. A. r.
will soon be at rest but for one have no
fear that even then the country Will be IN
good hands. The boys who are coming up,
thanks to the public schools, are better
educated than we were, and am sure theN
are all good Americans"
Better educated they may De, Dut When
1t comes to their patriotism fear we snaii
find it poor stuff" replied the major dole
fully.
a captain during the war, was now editor
of the Hampton Local, and usually saw
practical way out of difficulties.
Suppose we give the boys trlai; ne
said. land the girls too. Let us find out
who are patriots and who art not. II run
a short article in the Local every htue
while from now until June, inviting every
young patriot in Hampton 10 neip III .ne
Fourth of July celebrate There are more
ways than one comrades, to show patrlot-
ism. and we shall require every youhsster
claiming drop of patriotic blood TO give
some proof of 1t. ,
no one spoke Capt. Collier put his idea as
motion and it was carried, though the
major freely expressed his doubts
The first little article that appeared
aroused only slight interest me young
people hardly knew what it meant Not
word was said about the veterans ulscus-
sion. 1t was a simple announcement tnat
all patriotic young Americans would be IN
vited to take part in the exercises on the
Fourth, and was signed by the commander
of the G. A. r. Next week when the an
nouncement was repeated ana there was
added a very short talk by the editor ABOUT
being patriotic, the interest was renewed
AS Editor Collier continued his talks.
making them different each week, the boys
and girls began to see that being patriotic
was not so very different from being good
citizen, and that being good citizen was
merely doing the best you could for your
own home and the place you live in Ihey
began to talk patriotism at home and at
school, among parents ana teachers anu
even among themselves.
I'VE can't go to war like the Grand
Army men did, because there is no war to
go to-" they argued.
II would go if there was a war. said
one: and others added, 80 would 1, SO
would l.
IF I wasn't old enough to be a soldier I
would carry the flag or be drummer.
.'I hope there never will be another war
in our country cried one of the girls, and
the rest agreed
The boys retorted You girls are fine
patriots, you are. You will not have much
of a hand in the Fourth of July doings.'
All this idea was new to Major Campbell.
He had never thought of patriotism in quite
this way, still he saw that a person who
would be loyal to home and to neighbour
hood would most likely be loyal to state
and to country.
By the 1st OF May Capt. Collier had the
young people of Hampton pretty thorough
ly awake, and really things were beginning
to happen. He had never told them in so
many words that there were wagon loads Of
rubbish lying about town waiting to be
carted away or buried; nor that there were
rfckety gates, ugly broken-down fences,
dead limbs on foliage and trees, holes In the
paths and streets, bare places that needed
flowers and trees, dingy looking windows
in cellars and garrets that needed iirst
cleaning and then a neat bit of white
muslin.
Two or three of the most wide-awake
youngsters caught the spirit and all the rest
fell in line. Everybody was working. Not
door yard, not a back yard not street
in Hampton escaped cleaning up and i'm
provements were In the air.
Before Decoration day the old burying
ground came III TOT us snare in the general
improvement. BY the end of May Hampton
wasn't the same place. 1t was the old town
made new, and the boys and girls had done
1T.
Capt Collier had meant to require every
one who claimed to be loyal to send word
of what he had done. but 1t was unneces-
sary. The invitation was made unanimous.
In warm-hearted little article he praised
the young patriots for what they had done.
Best of all was speech Major Campbell
made in the park the Fourth of July.
With tears in his eyes and a smile on his
lips he declared his belief that the country
was safe. The loyal spirit in the boys and
girls was like a revelation to him. You
are patriots, every one of you," he shouted.
1T makes me feel like I used to when our
side won victory. You take off your hats
to the veterans, and that is right I take
off my hat to you too" And when he sat
down there were three cheers and a tiger
for Major Campbell.