The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-06-03

tions with due regard to these divine
principles; these sacred principles
principles we see have widrmed lno
that have been secured
You gentlemen of the G. A. r. are
among us today to transmit-to in
spire, to inculcate in the hearts and
lives of your sons and your grand
sons, and in some instances I am
aware, your great grandsons, this
vital spirit of patriotism that in
your youthful days led you to the
field Of battle.
Patriotism is defined ais love of
country" That is simple and right to
the point,but it is also exceedingly
broad. What is our country? What
are her interests, her fundamental
principals; her dangers? her forces +?
her God-given purpose? Her place
in the world?
Here are 80 million people. Here
are homes, and schools, and church.
es, and institutions of all kinds,
charitable, philanthropic, educative
What about these people and homes
and institutions.
Patriotism demands that they be
not only maintained and protested,
but that their highest good and
greatest efficiency be ever sought.
Why you gentlemen of the G. A.
r. before me were mere boys at that
time, the fact that you are still with
us is proof of that. Add forty-four
years to the life of a boy of IS or
so and you have a man the age of
you who are representing the G. A.
R.
Boys, sacrificing their lives for
their country, shedding their preci-
Gus blood for their country's good
boys suffering the privations and
perils of the battles front that the
union of the country might be pre-
served.
Think of a regiment of boys going
into a battle in which everyone of
them expected to be killed.
What are our boys of the present
generation doing for the countrys
honor, good, glory, maintenance, for
which the boys in blue fought and
the privileges and advantages we en-
joy which they secured for us? How
many of the youth of our land real
ize that for the sake of what the
veterans have done for us, and to
keep unstained that glorious banner
under whose stripes and stars these
men fought, they, the youth of this
day have place to occupy, a work
to do, battles to fight, foes to van
quish that will require all the rich
young warm blood.
Upon the young men of our day
rests the future good of our country,
and the patriotism that this hour
awakens, the loyalty that the men,
cries here made alive and fresh
again, quickens; this loyal patriot
ism, these scenes and recollections,
these rehearsings of the former days
and their mighty task accomplished
by soldierly patriotism, demand that
the patriotism of day on the part
of our boys and young men should
be clean, moral, upright, righteous,
Jhristian-for the maintenance and
defence of the great principles, al
ready mentioned, that are the bull
wark and foundation Of our nations
endurance.
But there are now and will con-
tinue to be demands upon patriot
ism. There will be foes to van
Quish and enemies to conquer. Foes
of civic Righteousness, enemies of
piety, invaders on the rights
of humanity, trespassers of the de-
pendent classes, those who will en-
croach upon the just requirements
of the laborer-so called. There are
foes of temperance without which
our nation cannot be strong and
there are enemies of
who are constantly dragging
down to moral degradation the girls
and women in our land making ira
fic of them; there are invaders in g.
the realm Of integrity whose effort