The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1910-06-02
dedicated this day to the memory of
Al Ill. "a

Of peace whose lives have nor been
touched by the stir and stress and
tumult OF war, who have not heard
the thrilling call to arms, nor felt
your hearts beat responsive to the
throbbing and pulsing of the great
heart of the nation in peril. and you.
Young women, on whom neither the
glamour nor the shadow of war has
fallen. do not forget that such days
come-that they are imminent in the
| life of every nation-that there are
higher duties and higher things than
| your daily round of study and work
and pleasure. We must keep alive
! the noble traditions of American
| heroism.
! We must not, in the practical, every
! day affairs OF life, stfe the sentiment
Of national pride and greatness.
France, the most yalorous OF nations,
preserves the memory of grenader
D'Auvergne, who, though OF noble
blood refused promotion from the
ranks, and, as a private soldier, with
single comrade, held a fort in the
/ Tyrol against a whole army, and then
marched out with all the honors of
war, with his musket on his shoulder.
Though he fell dead in battle more
chan hundred years ago his is the
first name called every morning when
the regiment he helped to make illus
trious is mustered. The Sergeant
answers Died in the forefront OF
battle for the glory and honor OF
France" England proudly cherishes
that celebrated battle signal which
Nelson flung from his flagship at the
memorable battle of Trafalgar, Eng
land expects every man to do his duty
today" And the quarter deck on
i which the great hero fell mortally
wounded in the moment of victory is
sacredly preserved as a national relic.
| Sergeant Jasper, who could not write
Ills own name. yet lives in sculptured
marble, and his name is writ on the
/. bets of fame, for heroically risking
MS life at the storming of Fort Moul-
! trie to rescue his fallen colors from
the hands of the enemy,-and his
name has been an inspiration to every
American youth since that day. what
true Englishman does not feel MS
heart thrill at the mere recital of The
Charge of the Light Brigade, and,
where is the American boy who does
not feel his blood Jingle as he reads
the stirring lines OF that noble lyric
old Ironsides'?
That something within us which
stirs these emotions we may call sent
incentive may call it the spirit Oh
natriotism.-we may call it the mar
tial spirit.-but by whatever name we
call it, it is the spirit without which
nation is doomed to decay and de-
struction. 1t is the spirit which moves
men to do and dare, and fight, at need
and die for a righteous cause.
Rut while we thus exalt the spirit of
patriotism, which makes a nation
strong and valiant in war, we do not
by the same token, slority war ltseli.
War is terrible and brutal in all It's
forms. and hardening in It's eHects.
Yet we must not shut our eyes to the
incontestibe fact that war has been
the great civilizing force OF the world
Down through the ever lenSthenlhs
and ever changing chronicle OF human
events, the march of clNlllzatlon mas
followed the lead of the sword ID
ward through the ever evolving ana
ever advancing types OF human NE
force guided by the superior intelll-
eence has triumphed over force guld-
ed by the lesser intelligence. Inc
ruder and more barbaric races nave
been swept away by the on coming
tide of more intelligent and more
highly trained races We cannot
dispute the logic of events, ana, as
deeply as we deplore the fact OF war
we cannot, in the light of history. es-
cane the inevitable conviction that IL
has been an instrument in the hand Oh
God for the uplifting of humanity ana
tho advancement of civilization. Upon
the issue of the battle fought upon the
nlains of Marathon twenty-four nun
dred years ago depended the whole
future progress of Civilization. Inc
victory won by Miltiades with his ten
Thousand Athenians over the Persian
host which ten times out numbered
/ his little army, halted the march Vi
Persian conquest which had ALREADY
subjugated the fairest portion Oh Tue
i then known world, and saved Europe
from the stagnating and corfuptlns III
auence of the civilization oil the orient.
From that day dates the ascehdancE
of the Grecian civilization when mas
since permeated the language the
literature, the science and the arts OF
all the western world. IL was the
spirit of Marathon which animated
Greece. in after days, and made her
the proudest and most resplendent
nation of the Ancient World. Ana,
today. the spirit of Marathon llVes ana
still pervades the life of the world
The armies of Alexander, the Great
one hundred and sixty years later.
made secure the fruits of the victory Oh
i Marathon. when, by the GROWING VIC
tory of Arbela the Ancient PERSIAN
Empire was irreparably crushed, ana
the ascendancy of the Grecian CIVIL
cation permanently assured
A century and quarter later lhe
long struggle for supremacy between
Rome and Carthage was decided by
/ the victory of the Metauras, and the
Great Empire of Carthage went down
in the dust. Rome became the mis-
tress of the world and the mother OF
learning. She received and trans
mitted through her vast Empire the
civilization of Greece, and from her
We derive most of the literature and
laws of the modern world. 1t was
the mettle, the skill, the resolute dar-
ing, and the lofty spirit OF national
ity of the Roman Soldier that triumph
ed over the innumerable legions OF
Hannibal, the Carthagenian leader
and one of the greatest soldiers OF
ancient time-indeed of all time. Lei
me- here add the words of one of the