The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-02-19
THURSDAY MORNING. FEB. 1s. 1914
The Power of
The Symbol.

The Symbol.
A. sound struck the ear with a sad
peczx1Aar cadence. Tt was the music
OF a band and the music was sweet
and fun of pathos and fraught with
ms vuAcs OF so1row.
Pedestrians stcpped on their hurried
HzzE wondering. shoppers paused and
Saasoed. and merchants and clerks came
% their 9ooxways The music of the
hand drew them. and its note Of sor-
rvw held them.
Anrd them slowly NO Earafox street
ne procession came ana then sudden
N xhose who waecfed its coming knew,
and eyes grew misty.
Rua the vtsion cleared, and In rev.
ereuDce mem and women and children
ssasrdaed and waf3ed-for the nnstc
fege was an that was mortal OF one
who had served his country, ana the
esrUrA Of honOr Than paid him It's last
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hae such power 90 move us? The
H4zz and Stripes were furfed, and
crepe was ON the standard. His coun-
nyAs Nag vas 6raped about hts bier,
and walking Ike men craven OF stone
I'm the full Dress OF the American navy,
were hfs compatrfots and former com
rsdes.
Behind the fiag-draped hearse walk
ed the Man ON God In hts robes Of
white, with head held hfgh-a Soldier
of The Cross
And then there came more brother
officers, I'm their blue uniforms and
gold Iace-the fun dress of the navy
and squad OF United States sailors,
and they moved with the regularity
and precision that only trained men
know. And the procession passed, and
stf1 ON the soft southern air ffoated
the strains of the funeral march, pofg-
rrnnt1y sweet, beautiful In it's power
and It's paxnos.
What Is there SO wonderful in this
10 beautiful. so overwhelming in tragic
and beautiful sfgnif1cance-tha ones
Ehrca4 contracted and tears filed the
eyes Of the harxfest7
It was tribute paid to courage and
20 valer. Bot fe was more than this.
The procession was the passing Of
N symbol The music, and the furied
Hzw, the men In their blue and gold
$500. $3.50 ,,,~v1-.JS Tg1~. ,r+~,-,-.4>-,-
the Soldier Of the Cross, In his robes
of wnfta the squad of men in their
arct1es suats-thev stood for some
ming. And the officer under the Stars
z.nd Stripes. IN hts last long sleep,
he represented va1or. and bravery, and
scpzRfy.
He 6fe7 in the discharge of HIS duty,
f19ng Co win this afr 10 his bidding
Sha1 future ages might profit thereby.
It was the symbol OF loyalty and
courage that passed. and the reverence
and q strange feeling OF prfde-of one
ness with this passing pageant-was
the natural tribute paid by the Amer
Fcans who stood and watched the
American sailor go by to his last
post, TO take HIS orders from the Com
rrander OF Hosts.
We boast OF being plain Americans.
And we are. We do not need the
trappdngs OF royalty. They are not
for plain American citizens.
But imbedded deep down in the ma
ture of every human being there Is
something that responds to the sym
boil OF power, OF courage. OF loyalty.
And 1t is good that this is so. When
men and women become so practical,
50 callous. so material that they can
witness such a pageant as passed up
Palafox street on Tuesday afternoon,
without glow of pride in their coun-
try and the men who follow that coun-
try's flag, they are lost to the deeper
meanings OF life, and have missed
something that is their birth right.
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