The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1904-05-26

Many old soldiers have said in my
presence, II believe before another
year passes. Death will claim me.
have met him face to face many times,
and he has retreated before me. And
he cannot daunt me now. There is
q something in me that will triumph
even over DEATH"
lpaid little attention to the remain
der of the PROCESSION. The papers
stated it was the grandest turnout the
city had ever witnessed. Especially
loud were they in their praises of the
business element of the city. Not on
ly did the business men march in the
parade, thus advertising themselves,
but many Of them took the opportuni-
ty to advertise their wares by means
of carts, signs, living examples, etc., as
before mentioned. And this, accord
ing to the newspapers of that city, and
according to public opinion in general
in that community at least-was as
it ought to be. And this opinion
would have met my hearty approval,
had not something happened that in
duced me to look upon the whole mat
ter from different standpoint.
Beside me sat an old soldier-or
what was left of him, for he was min
us one arm, minus one leg, minus one
eye, and his lower jawbone had been
pierced by bullet. When there was a
momentary lull in the shouting and
the noise, and the irreverent and
irrelevant exclamations of the popu-
lace, and more especially that part of
the populace commonly .denominated
"Young America" perhaps Young
America" because "Old America" feels
just trifie ashamed of it, but hates to
admit it, methought deep sigh-al-
most q sob-eseaped from the lips of
the crippled soldier sitting beside me.
Looking at him more closely, 1 discov-
cred that his eyes were indeed suffused
with tears. Thinking that his physic-
al disabilities had prevented him from
joining his comrades, and that, as a
consequence, he realized at that mo-
ment to the fullest the loss he had sus-
tanned, and that, as further conse-
quence, his soul was overcast with sor-
row and gloom, expressed my sympa-
thy, and made endeavOrs to comfort
and cheer him. He looked at me stead
lily for awhile, and then, evidently salts
fed in his own mind that the few words
l had spoken were free from insinceri-
ty and that conventional twiddle-twad-
die that is so often substituted for true,
heartfelt sympathy, he grasped my
hand rather impulsively, and said:
young man, l. thank you, but you are
altogether mistaken. l am not griev-
ing because am physically somewhat
the worse for having met the foes of
our institutions on the field of battle.
l would sacrifice far more than an eye,
or an arm, or leg, for the principles
for which fought, and bIed, and suf-
fered physical and mental pain. What
grleves me is to see this thoughtless
generation losing sight of those princi-
pies which to uphold has cost this ma
tion thousands upon thousands of no.
BILE lives, years of anxiety, sacrifices be-
yond compare, and the resultant heart
aches and soaring of spirits which yet
to a great extent remain unheaIed. On
this day we remember the dead, but we
almost forget what they died for. On
this day, when more than on any other
day our hearts ought to throb with a
patriotism sublime in its benign influ-
ence for real and lasting good to this
and coming generations, we behold a
spectacle that gripes our hearts, and
wrings from the soul of every thought
full patriot the sigh of anguish, if not
of despair. You have just witnessed a
procession, ostensibly in honor of the
dead who, when living, went forth
from our midst to yield up everything
if necessary, that we, as individuals
and as nation, might in safety enjoy
those liberties civil, political, and re-
ligious-which our forefathers pro-
claimed the inalienable rights of man.
But in reality the procession was only
an organized effort to advertise the
city, and its industries. and the leading
business firms. In the name of patri-
otism ask, is this day to think of
booze and beer, or of sport and pas
times? Is this q day on which we