The Oskaloosa herald., 1914-06-11

tue WleIu music VI WAL anu UBuIlnB
for home and country during all
those eventful years.
1t was a long and weary and bloody
march from Fort Sumter to AppOmat-
tox. Boys in Blue, when you return
ed after AppomattoX what a host
there was. And a blue coat was al
ways in sight but the tramp, tramp,
tramp of that noble army OF war
riors is reduced to an echo. and the
remnant, limping and halting, renew
the memories of those days, with
fraternity, charity and brotherly love
with the boys in Gray.
Brothers, sisters, friends, these
gatherings on these occasions ought
to grow among the oranges. Among
you is the true spirit of patriotism,
unsullied by commercialism or bad
surroundings; and here on May 3Oth
each year can the smouldering fires
of loyalty and love OF country be re-
kindled,' renewed and fresh fuel add
ed.
Since the close of the war of the
Rebellion the soldiers of the Spanish
war nave been added to our list OF
comrades to keep the fires OF patriot
ism burning, and now the boys in
Mexico are demanding respect to and
salutation of our glorious Stars ana
Stripes.
1t has been said that to love the
same thing and to hate the same
thing, constitutes true friendship.
Measured by this standard our organ
ization should all be true friends
| The lessons we are taught are TO
love our country and hate its foes.
The soldier growing old, gray and
| halt and blind reminds us that per
haps the words of the poet are true
to YOU that:
The souls dark cottage, battered and
| decayed,
Let's in new light through chinks
| that time hath made.
| But the high qualities that charac-
Iterize the soldiers of 1861, in the days
of their greatest vigor, animate them
still. Tie citizens of our noble state
have shown our care and yeneration
to our soldier citizens. In our falr
state no soldier, his widow or lam
lily could be sent to the poor house
| and his little home is freed from the
| burden of taxation and the soldiers
home cares for him and his VIE tne
day of trouble and poverty and SICK
ness. A tax Is levied for his aid and
burial and every soldiers grave must
be marked by tombstone.
| Another Decoration Day has come
and gone and the people OF Iowa have
made this day holiday for the com
| ing generations in which they Will
cease from the busy cares of life and
cast a flower and tear above the re-
! of soldier
To these dear ones who sleep the
sleep that knows no waking Memo
rial day is unavailing. They are be-
yond commentator or censure. But
this day is OF the highest import TO
the living. BY this day will be kept
| in remembrance the service, nara
ships and death of our countrys de,
tenders and it's lessons repeated
each year will inspire the generations
vet to come to emulate the patrlotlc
example OF our cOuntry's dead, whlch
ithey decorate ITO live in hearts we
leave behind is not TO die
! 1t is the soldier that makes the
countrys history; every battle mas
left a scar on history's pages; but
generations yet unborn will know OF
AppomattoX.
Wars and battles are not determln-
ed in their importance by the size OF
the army OF the number slain. only
L. were buried under the monu-
mpnt at Marathon, and history tells
Ius there are only 10 graves at APP
IpOmattoX. -.
Do not forget no American soldier
or sailor died at Manila, and only one
at Santiago, yet these battles ana
their results have changed the geog-
raphy of the world.
The first shot fired at Sumter was
a death knell to slavery not only mere
but in all parts of the world; but no
one knew it then. ThermOpylae saw
ed Greece and her civilization many
times. Bunker Hill, Gettysburg and
lAppomattox and Manila will continue
to be rewritten and sung 50 long as
the Stars and Stripes wave.
i Let our motto be that old one. ii
anyone attempts to haul down the
American flag, shoot him on the spot
Webster said: II was born an Ameri.
can; | will live an American; | Will
die an American" What a noble mot
to for us all. Only think, at the time
of the Revolution there was not a
railroad, a steam engine, tele'
graph line. a sewing machine, reap
ing machine, a corn pillow, mower, a
Telephone or an automobile or moving
picture show or a flying machine. TO
day we fiirt with the clouds, dive un
der the sea, talk around the world
and you cannot go out of hearing oil
the snort of the iron horse, or the
buzz of the telegraph wire; and yet
daylight is just breaking, and the
Yankee has hardly begun to think YET
or invent.
Love of country boils over from the
fullness of our hearts. Only yester
day the wireless flashed the terrible
news of the sinking of the Titanic
and the world hid its face in sorrow
Vessels from all directions caught
the message and hurried TO the
, scene of the disaster
| We are all again brethren undei
/, one common flag. Few, indeed, are
, the men North and South who wouiC
: reverse the result OF that war, II the,
could.
In the late war Lee fought for Vir
ginia. Gordon for Georgia, Bouregart
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