The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-07-13

by r.. w. Meyers dC Ilo C0l0UrdClOn
held at Kiron, Iowa, on Independence
Day.)
Today, men of every race and nation
sality, men born beneath southern
skies, men Of the east, men of the
west, men Of the Northland where
pine trees wave and the sea muir
murs the songs of the vildngs, are
gathered together to commemorate the
birthday of America. the land of the
free and the home of the brave; the
nation which, under God, shall point
the way to all the nations Of the earth;
fixed in its destiny as the north star
In its course; cleaning like jewel
in Gods diadem; telling to all the
world that the men and women were
born to be free and that the only just
government is that which derives its
powers from the consent of the gov
erned.
Other nations have their holidays:
the German heart beats bold on Sc
dan day, the French celebrate with
rejoicing the fall Of the old bastile,
but the celebration of our natal day
is q worldwide celebration, because
the American nation belongs, not to
us alone, but to the poor and the OPP
pressed. the heart hungry, the fam
ished, the liberty loving people of
all the world.
In bygone centuries to be Roman
citizen was to wear the proudest title
Z known to man, but since that time
the crown has passed to us and we
must wear it, not with cruelty and
selfishness and lust, as did the ancient
Roman, but with the dignity, the JUS
3 tice, the forbearance, the wisdom and
the self-restraint becoming to kings
and freemen
Ia the days Of chivalry there was
much in use athe old French expression
Nloblesse oblige.' It meant that the
wearing Of a title carried with it an
obligation, an obligation not borne by
the common or the low-born man; an
obligation to wear ones; honor I'M
sullied, to be merciful to the weak
ard to be fearless to the strong. We,
each of us, wear a title Of nobility, a
title as one of the sovereign kings of
ga mighty nation and that title carries
with 1t the obligation to be just and
true, to- give time and thought to
Others, to read, to study, to vote, to
act, not for ourselves alone, but to
enlist as soldiers Of the common good.
While the Fourth of July is preem-
inently a day Of rejoicing, of gladness,
OF noisy celebration of the great deeds
OF the past. it should also be a day
of education; that some thought
should be given to the history of the
country whose birth we celebrate. And
SO at the risk of repeating some things
that we have learned in our school
histories, am going to talk for a little
while about the history of America,
the events which lead up to the
Declaration Of Independence and the
glorious campaigns of self-sacrifice
and valor which followed it.
Did it ever occur to you that the
colonies were old when they asserted
their Independence? Did it ever oc-
cur to YOU that the period from the
first settlement Of the colonies to the
Revolutionary war was longer than the
period from the revolutionary war TO
the present day? That more than
half the history of this country was
written before the Declaration of In
dependence? That from 1920, when
the first settlement was made, to the
historic Fourth Of July 1875 was one
hundred and fifty-six years, while we
celebrate today but the one hundredth
and thirty-ffth anniversary Of our
nation?
A few years ago was the fiftieth
anniversary of the first Fourth of
July celebration in Crawford county
and we felt that we were getting old,
indeed. But the colonists had dwelt
q in America for more than three times
that length of years. What does that
mean? 1t means that the fathers and
the grandfathers and the great great
grandfathers of our revolutionary
sires were buried here. That the men
of that time were living in country
made great and prosperous by the toll
and sacrifice of those they loved and
4 honored. That they had a proud his
tory of their own behind them, that
they had every reason of tradition and
of patriotism to love their homes even
as you love yours, and love mine.
Many of you left your homes in
the fatherland to come to this coun
try and you can well remember the
commotion it meant in your old home;
the great venture 1t was. You remem-