The National tribune., 1910-07-28
AN IDEAL, COMMUNITY.


ST. Cloud cannot help achieving vast
iy more National interest and reputa-
tion than 1t has already gained. 1t is
"a community of highly exceptional
character and such as must win in
creasing fame The flower of the Grand
Army has been attracted to the place.
and they are making of it a town which
will be proud memorial to our glori-
Gus Order. The men and women who
have gathered at st. Cloud from all
parts of the country and who have es-
tablished the character of the town are
of the highest types, not only of the
Grand Army, but of American man
attempts in this country to establish
communities on religious and social
lines, but these have too often lacked
the element of practically. They would
too likely attract men and women who
were theorists and sentimentalists with
out proper knowledge and judgment OF
life and its duties. st. Cloud differs
most markedly from these. The men
who have settled there were of su-
perior class as youths. They had the
severest lessons as to life and manhood
in the terribly exacting school of war.
and since then have been plain, practi-
cal men in civil life. Every one of
them has learned fundamentally ard
thoroly what life has to teach. Their
wives and children have had much the
same schooling. They have all been on
the highest plane of citizenship in the
communities from which they have
come, and they will work together in
complete harmony in developing st.
Cloud according to their best ideals.
There is no higher grade of men to be
found anywhere than in the Grand
Army of the Republic. No church
maintains a stronger morality than is
practiced by the comrades. At the
same time they have an exceptional
breadth of view in all that concerns
the community and the country which
makes them the most exemplary of
citizens.
All this win find its best expression
in ST. Cloud, a community made up abb
soluteIy and controlled by these men
and their wives This is not saying
that there is not a percentage of un-
worthy men in the Grand Army. nor
that some of these did not go to st.
Cloud. There are the same unworthy
men to be found in every church. But
the tricksters, blackmailers, the dishon-
ests, the muckrakers, were speedily dis
covered in establishing the community.
Men of the experience in life of the
veterans speedily saw thru the masks
of these undesirable citizens, and in
one way or another forced them out of
the community.
They are now taking revenge. as
must be expected. by circulating SLAM
ders. While it is very sorrowful that
there should be such an element among
it any more than can the churches or
any other association of people We
believe that the plain, practical, COM
mon sense of the people of st. Cloud
viii reduce this alloy to the very small
est percentage. The moral, intellectual
and progressive character of st. Cloud
will become every day more momen-
tous and more attractive all over the
country to those who are seeking the
best possible conditions in which to
live themselves and bring up their chill
dren. They will find these united to
the best climate of the United States at
st. Cloud. where everyone can get out
of life the very best that life has to
offer.