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

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be 1t from me to belittle anyone all
the more since the term Patriotism is
a wide and indefinite term, no matter
how noble the sentiment thereby ex-
pressed. My object today, as I have
I already stated, is to urge you on, to
raise a crop of grand memories of
your own which might be proudly re-
called on some future Memorial day
And l make my attempt by presenting
for your consideration this very ques-
ton: What might patriot and in
cidentally, patriotic deed, be?
My friends, it is long time since
my class graduated from this institu-
| tion-the class of 1878. And the half
dozen instructors of our day-as
against the twelve professors of today
were not nearly enough to fill with
learning the Grand canon-vacuum of
our ignorance. But if my memory
| serves me right (the professors will
| kindly touch in red ink if | am wrong)
the word patriot" originally stands
for country-clod. The name was
| first applied by naughty conquerors
to the degraded slave, whom they saw
weeping at the thought of a far-away
| home and it's loved ones, in defense
of whom he fought and fell captive.
But under hardships and bowed down
in grief and shame, his love was un-
| fettered. And this love of home it
was the captors observed and remark
ed upon and sneeringly called pa
! triotism'
| Those naughty conquerors have long
| since become conquered. The cul-
| tured observer of the slave and his
hearts love, the cynical inventor of
the then sighting phrase, that juggler
of words, has passed away and is for
gotten; but the word patriot" and
patriotism" has survived and grown
and become flower, developed into
| fit emblem of all that is good in man
nor thank God is the good it stands
| for dead!
But if you ask me, where you are
| to look for patriotism, l will not simply
point to the snowy decorations of
"Legions of Honor" nor will I first
of all single out this man or that man,
woman or child as examples, but l
will appeal to you to search your
hearts with the question: Is it there?
1t ought to be part of your system.
And if you ask me to define it, will
not merely say, patriotism is love Of
country; but rather, patriotism is
true love of all that is good and in it's
effect enhances the greatness of
country and home.
/ will not like a surgeon simply dis
sect the question, nor like a physician
prescribe, nor as a druggist compound
and let you take your dose of medi
cine; but let me as a friend set pa
triotism before you as wholesome
dish, guaranteed under the pure food
act; and while we mutually partake
1 will try to tell you what there is all
in it. Patriotism! First of all take
the Kettle of your Heart. 1t is sup
posed to be of the stout kind, and
built on the lines supplied by the mas
ter-builder, the carpenters son, Jesus,
| the Son of God. Now place this ket-
tie on a so-called spirit-lamp and heat
by the fire of Love. Next place into
your kettle a worthy object of af-
| fection, outside of your self of course,
soused well in Charity mixed with wa
ter, the SO called aqua pura, drawn
| from the Well of Life. You will now
be ready for the next addition; this
| is called opportunity, which grows so
| plentifully on the field of Need and
Distress. Beware of the artifcially
compounded substitute of Opportunity.
| You can recognize it by it's bitter
sweet taste of demagogism, and a per-
vading smell of bravado; it causes
nausea. This is carried by the job
| bing firm of Don Quixote & Co. But
| let us back to the true patriotism mix
| ture. Put in as further ingredient
some Intelligence, which grasps the
opportunity; add a dash of Pepper of
Courage, that is courage of convic-
ton, and a pinch of Willingness.
| life. And do not forget the sa1t-the
salt of Persistency-that of the 10y
al Brand Without salt of Persistency
patriotism will putrify, that is, turn to
rotten, rank treason. Now to keep
the mass stirring and to prevent burn
ing or boiling over, and to take away
the scum of sordidness, use the Ladle
of Guidance. The best type is the
| Guidance won oben herab" (from on
| high.
Without proper guidance patriotism
to say the least, grows ridiculous.
! Think of the woman, who braved ridi-
cule and had her patriotic soul extend
itself wide-eyed over the family of
cats. In her last will and testament
she left a legacy to a pet feline! What
misguided willfulness and moral de-
pravity. Her request and beQuest, the
| enacting of the same and the carry
| ing it out can, on the face of it, only
be called lunacy legalized! What
mess in general people will make of
what they, l presume, take to be pa
triotism, when they do not use, what
l call the Ladle of Guidance won oben
herab'' (from on high. Many are
surprised that hell should be describ-
ed as a burning pitt Yet, only see,
how utterly black hell let loose on
earth" is. Only see, what sorry pa
triots are many Of our statesmen and
moral teachers and society leaders. In
| their ignorance, if not worse (patriot-
ism they themselves would style it,,
| thor are tearing away the very fouD-