Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-08-26
he Master of Men a thousand years


rank and file of the American colon.
lists, rises 1.-The Father of his Coun-
try, who breaks asunder once and
forever, the ties of kinship and SUI.
premacy of his motherland, that
America might be reserved in the
same free state that his great fore.
fathers had found 1.-THE renoavou7
of nations-the abiding place Of the
hosts of freedom Another flag is
hoisted to the winds as signal to
the world that freedom is here. II
has bar for every colony and a star
for every state, every bar is strength
and every star is glory, beaming and
twinkling above the rest of the
world, like so many stars in
the heavenly skies. The people
of the world soon behold it's signi-
ficance, and the immigrant came
here-came here to make America
his home. What a welcome banner
to the people of the world mas been
this flag, and how you loved 1t and
unfold and waive in the summer
breezes over there in Norway. You
had never before beheld any-.4g so
beautiful, so enobling, so uplifting
as our own, our country's flag.
| Yet even in our fair land the sun
: of freedom has been hidden behind
a dark cloud. Fifty years ago, the
, beautiful form of liberty, CROPPED in
darkness, and stumbled on the dark
and monstrous object, of slavery, but
she is rescued through the kind as
sistance of her dearest friend, Abra-
ham Lincoln. Walking up tie Ma
tons highway, he finds her there,
extends his strong arm and raises
her on her feet. Tears are in her
eyes; she is weak for she is wound
ed in the fall, and blood stains are
on her garments from her wounds
He cheers her, pets her and encour-
ages her to brace up and live on, and
we behold her stronger now. Her Sa-
viour ascends to another world but
his soul sends forth a radiance of
service to his country, faith in its
institutions and new freedom to
all the world. You well remember
when that bust in the likeness of
Lincoln was unveiled before that
throng of people over there in Nor
way How you realized as never be-
fore that he was brother citizen, a
relationship that you wouldn't have
severed for all the riches in the
world. How you could almost hear
; every foreigner there murmur, Our
country has never reared anc revear-
ed such noble citizen" And how
it seemed to transform the very
ground on which the bust had been
placed into American soil, yet how
; appropriate it seemed to place it
there for Lincoln now belongs to the
world, and Norway herself has given
of her best blood and her best brains
! in building our land and making Sc
, cure her freedom. If America will
follow the admonition and the exam
pie of Lincoln she will live ON and
on until the end of time.
"Why do you Americans think SO
much of your country" inlerrogat-
ed a foreigner to an American tour
J ist in Europe. There was no answer.
, why do you Americans think so
much of your country" he asked
: again. "Other Countries" was the
resulute reply. How true! The trav-
eler soon wakes up to the fact that
whether you see America first or see
America last, America is the
: best. The salutes and the trips
of Europe have no charm. and
the customs, the habits of the peo-
: PIE, and the sudden mobilization of
the armies followed by war does not
lnSeI WIFI our dppIONdi, UuI Ouly
satisfies us that the American way is
the only way. Seeing a king is only
: seeing a man, of human Characters
ties, but in America you behold ev-
cry man a king and every woman, a
, queen. 1t is true that in this coun-
try we have much to be ashamed of,
and there are dark spots and stains
| on our institutions, but the individ-
ual who has placed them there must
carry the blame, not the nation.
What America needs is manhood and
higher citizenship Let us remember
that there is not another undiscov-
cred America to flee to if this country
, should meet the fate of a Titanic, so
it is up to you and | dear citizen to
, keep her course right. Kind guests,
your journey abroad will have a ten
/ dency to make you better citizens
: and greater admirers of American
I ideals. You realize just now, when
| Europe is war and turmoil, that If