Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-06-04

of the craft, it would be the very same
thing, that our unpatriotic destroyers
of our public morality are doing, name
! ly, smashing the bottom out of hope;
only with this difference Your cap
tain would quickly be locked up as
criminal or crazy. But what can you
do with the mob of worse than heath
ems who are publicly working at the
destruction of the state? You can
and must range yourself on the side
of all true patriots and fight them
Napoleon the Great proclaimed that
battles were won on a soldiers full
stomach; the Prussians in 1901 ov-
| erthrew his dynasty while feeding on
the world famed ''Erbswurst." But to
give right minds and hearts to man,
woman and child, both in time of war
and of peace it takes more than mater
ial things. There you must have pa
triOtism, which people of good taste
will use as the only dessert with every
meal. In all the history of the world
true patriotism has never been known
! to sour a single stomach or to have
| poisoned single heart. But where
people are to grow on patriotism they
must be fed on patriotism. And for
| that there must be a place where pa
| triotism is distilled and instilled. And
| such a place is Northwestern Univer-
sity.
! But | cannot close without drawing
on several examples of patriotism
That Athenian nobleman, Aristides,
who with the single purpose of serv-
| ing his country braved all criticism re-
garding his honor or courage but un-
seltishiy showed higher courage and
of his own accord withdrew from the
command of the army, that a better
soldier than he might lead the army
to victory on the fields of Marathon;
he was a patriot.
We are all agreed that the noble
band of 300 Spartans, who held the
pass of Thermopylae till death re-
leased them from their post, deserve
the title patriots.
Again, what glowing love of what is
good must have dwelt in the heart of
| that intelligent Dutch boy, who braved
death by drowning rather than run
| away from danger, when he saw the
yet small hole, which a mouse had
dug through a dixie, a hole, which
shortly by the continued oozing must
become a general breach, through
which the waters of the sea must then
pour as an unclaimed terror and de-
stroyer. There he stood in the very
path of death stopping the yet small
hole with his finger till help could
come. Little patriot!
Nor is the history of our own coun-
try and church without it's grand eX-
amples of patriotism. Just think of
lists headed on the one hand by
George Washington and on the other
by Martin Luther.
All present and especially the work
ers at this institution will excuse me
if | do not praise them to their faces.
But | will ask the question: Have
not parents and teachers, who help in
moulding hearts into patriotic charac-
ters just claim to some credit? Think
only of those Spartan mothers, who
would inspire their boys with the pa
triotic thought, to come away from
the enemy on the shield, dead, than
with the shield, dishonored fugitives!
But let me come nearer home. What
in the light of all, that makes for
nobleness and patriotism-what will
you call a woman, who carefully looks
about her to find a place where even
after she had passed away, her money
might best serve a good and noble
purpose? She loves her home city,
Watertown, and who would not, and in
it that school, where as she knows,
pre-eminently is taught all that makes
| for patriotism in the best sense of the
word, our own Northwestern Univer-
sity. And she beQueaths $4,000 and
more to this college. l say, her gen.
erous act is an act of patriotism, an
act of loyal love. All honor on this
Memorial day to the memory of this
same woman, Mrs Fannie Lewis.
And furthermore I say. Honor also
to that patriotic man, who had not
money, but who had brains and heart
and faith and placed it all at the dis
posal of this institution; knowing it to
| be nursery Of truth and love, first
principles of patriotism. Of course
mean that true nobleman and long
| time president of the board under
which this school works, Rev. Philip
Won Rohr.
And once more. Among those, who
as staunch and steadfast friends, love
what is good, there looms up that
christian couple, who, both husband
and wife, undeterred by the example
of others, themselves set a noble ex-
ample of love, when they bequeathed
| practically all they had, $4,000 and
more to what comes under the head
and character of Northwestern Uni
versity. Memorial days will come and
go, but on our roll of honor there will
ever remain the names of Rev. Theo-
dore Jaeckel and wife, Alvina.
OF course, it is not my intention to
enumerate all names on the roll of
honorable mention today. Only this
l would finally do. l would draw your
attention to the fact that people of
such patriotic minds and souls are
amongst men, what diamonds are
among the totality of stones, namely
the rare exceptions! And it is in this
sense, that st. Paul, that godly cosmo-
politan patriot speaks to the Corin-