The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-06-04
From Mondays Daily.

Theatre, THIS morning. lie spoke
as follows to a large and patriotic
audience.
Memorial day and our national
thanksgiving day are our best holi-
days for expressing and training 10y
atty to the community and the ma
tion. Once the fourth of July was
day for training patriotic loyalty but
it has degenerated and is now probably
irretrievably lost to the cause of pa
triotism. Let us cherish memorial
day and preserve it from dissertation.
This day is set apart and sacred to
the memory of our departed heroes.
In no other possible way could we
so effectually revive and strengthen
in our souls the consciousness of "Na-
tional Life and Loyalty" A reverent
homage before the sublimities of yes
terday is the condition of fine per-
ception of the hidden triumphs of to-
morrow. To feel the days before me |
must revere the purpose which throbs
behind me. And there is no more in
sidious peril in modern life than the
debasement of our conception of rever-
ance and loyalty. The veneration of
the past is indissolubly linked with
the true vision of our future glory as
a nation.
In ordinary times we are not con-
seious of the depth and strength of
national sentiments. 1t is only in
some crisis that we feel the STRINGS
of loyalty and become conscious of
national life. When Lincoln. Garfield
and Mckinley were shot down by the
red hand of anarchy our hearts were
knit together as one man. The love
and loyalty which had been implicit
became explicit. A common grief and
sense of common outrage made us
conscious of our national life and feel
ing. When they fired at our president
they fired at law, at the government,
at the people, at each one of u.s. 1t
was personal outrage When the
head was struck the whole BODY quiv-
cred with pain and we became con-
scious in every fibre of our being of
the strength and depth and reality
of our patriotism. What a superhu.
man outburst of national patriotism
suddenly manifested its previous latent
existence on the twelfth of April. 1860.
when the news flashed over the wire
and spread rapidly to hillside and plain.
Fort Sumpter has been fired upon -
Some prayed, some cried, some swore,
but all were filed with God given
passion of loyalty to a common cause.
Then came the call to arms and thou
sands of volunteers began their march.
The man or woman or child, who lived
under the terrible pressure of the
events of that day condensed years of
ordinary life into moment of time.
Mingled with the pathetic, beseeching
tones of supplication were the shrill
notes OF the fife and the laundering
din of the brass drum While i'm the
streets excitement was of a rouqber
more intense character when someone
ventured to speak out their sympathy
with secession, in the boiling temper
OF the time, the quick answer was an
oath and a blow. There was diversity
OF manifestation but everywhere It
v.
eight years past and the children of
the veteran fathers who only remem
bered the noise of the fife and drum
and fathers blue coat and mothers
prayer and who had learned perhaps
to sing well rally around the fac.
boys, we'll rally once again, These
children had grown up to be sturdy
business men and were quietly pur-
SUING the occupations of peace. We
scarcely knew we were patriots: we
wondered if the fires that burned in
the hearts of our fathers in the sixtv's
could be kindled in our souls. Then
there came dastardly act of insult
TO our flag because we objected to on
preston so near our borders In day
our whole nation was aroused. we
found that we were children of fire
In moment we became conscious of
onr national life. Mckinley asked for
few thousand volunteers and HIM
dreds OF young men turned away dis
appointed because there was no room
Tor them in the companies. It was
only slight shower compared with
the great deluge of blood in tbe
sixties but it revealed the slumber
ing loyalty of nation and that the
sons were worthy of the noble sires
who had left the bosoms of devoted
wives to embrace the stormy and rug
ged fortunes of the battlefield.
But while ordinarily it takes some
crisis to make lis conscious of orr
love for our country it is fitting that
we should consecrate one day to the
memory of our loyal dead and should
voluntarily and deliberately awaken
and cherish our slumbering patriotism
and loyalty.
First. We need devotion to cause
In order to enrich and ENLARGE orr
own personal life. There is no wav
for the personal life to achieve its fulI-
est development apart from the life
that is common to ALL A man must
share in the passion and action of his
time at peril of being judged not to
have lived at all What would we
say of man who in l776 or in 1861
would simply, quietly go on minding
his own personal affairs utterly indif-
ferent to the common veal He might