The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1909-01-29
A Soldier Of Truth Fallen.

Tie death of. Major Orlando ].
Smith, who had alarm ten miles down
the river at Peehskill and a home still
farther down, near the Sleepy Hollow
Of Washington Irving, removed a man
whose ideals will yet be a force in the
world. Major Smith was a soldier in
his early years for his country, in his
later years for truth. While. l had
known him a long time, 1 did not real
lie till recently how closely our opin-
ions ran together in every field Of hui
man thought-in the movement toward
spirituality, in the movement toward
fundamental democracy. in the move
ment toward more beautiful environ
ments and life in the open. 1t heart
ems me not a little to feel that such a
man was stirred by these things that
to me are the greatest things In the
world.
This man believed that immortality
can be proved scientifically and went
as far toward proving it as any man
of his day. He upheld absolute JUS
tice. which he called balance. This we
find in nature, and every requirement
Of thought and of faith convinces us
that it obtains in the world of man.
If so, life after death is an absolute
necessity. for only SO can complete
Justice co,me to the individual. Major
Smith was an advocate Of Individual
responsibility. Moreover, he was an
undaunted champion of the spirit of
democracy, the sort that Lincoln be-
.lieved in. the sort that throws each
man OH his responsibility and makes
him develop the highest powers that
are in him. And finally he loved trees
and noble landscapes. When I find a
man who is broad enough to take in
the whole scope Of this. threefold
movement toward better things my
soul responds to the inspiring fact az
to q trumpet call.
There is hope for this old world 80
long as men of the type of Orlando J.
Smith live and die in it.
1t has long seemed to me that this
nation has an immense part to perform
In developing the countries. on the
shores of the Pacific. Around the
worlds greatest ocean is now forming
4 mighty civilization. During only O.
little more than a half century all these
Pacific countries have been settled or
have awakened to a new life. This
country has been the fundamentally
through which that settlement or
awakening or. at least the impulse to-
ward liberty that has animated these
lands has come. Our diplomacy re
garding China, our OCCUPANCY Of Ha;
wall and the Philippines, our building
81 the Panama canal and our battle
ship cruise through the Pacific all
point to u part in this mighty work
Of the future. America is the key, to
The new Pacific civilization.
The other day l saw for the first
time one Of the new Roosevelt-saint
Gaudens ten dollar pieces, the ones
onsgwhich the eagle seems to be wear
ing trousers, the Goddess Of Liberty
a wooden Indian, and the
whole coin looks like a tobacco tag.
That ] had not seen n before re-
yeals the fact that I am not bank.
This ten dollar, piece may be good
money, but from an, artistic stand
point the old wampum Of the noble
red man had its skinned forty ways:
I am glad the president left In Cpd
Trust of It, for It would. have
been an insdlt to the Deity. Besides;
nobody who had d trust ins God would
haFe been guilty of such Z 4 musonstrrotsss
u s8sss . 5.s
B JAMES A. EDGERToN,
God spring-onsthesH hudson. Is sLss : &