The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1914-07-08
ask ourselves what is there in it for


us?
There is nothing in it for us unles
we can translate it into terms OF GU
own condition and of our own lives
We must reduce it to what the lawyer
call a bill of particulars. 1t contain
bill OF particulars-the bill OF partlt
ulars of 177G-and if we are to revival
ize it we are to fill it with bill
particulars OF 1914.
The task to Which we have to ad
dress ourselves is q proof that we arr
worthy of the men who drew TIM
great declaration by showing we know
| what they would have done in GU
circumstances.
Patriotism consists Of some very
practical things; practical in that the!
belong to everyday life, in that the!
| belong to no extraordinary dlstlnc
ton, but to those things which are
associated without every day common
place duty There are some gentle
men in Washington, for instance, who
are showing themselves to be patriot
ic in way that does not attract very
much attention. The members OF the
house and senate, who stay in ho'
Washington to maintain a quorum OF
| the houses and transact public DuSl'
ness are performing an act OF patrlot
ism. | honor them for it and ! am
mighty glad to stay there and STICK
by them until it is over. 1t is patriot
ic also to know what the facts are and
to face them with candor. | nave
heard Il great many facts stated ABOUT
the present business conditions in
this country, for example, great
many allegations of facts, at any rate,
and it is strange that these facts as
stated do not tally with each other.
Now the truth always matches the
truth, and when find gentlemen in
sisting that every thing is goins
wrong when it is demonstrablc that
most things are going right | wonder
what thcy are trying to do. Are they
trying to serve the country, or are
they trying to serve something small
er than the country? Are they trying
to put hope into the hearts OF men
who work and toll every day, or rath-
err are they putting disbursement
and despair into these hearts? II
they love America and anything is
wrong it is their duty to put their
hands to the task of setting it right,
and whom the facts are known and ac-
knowledgcd the duty OF all patriotic
men is to accept them in candor and
address themselves to common coun-
sci and to work in harmony and uni
,.,.u, rnnrart
| have had some experiences in the
last fourteen months which have not
been entirely refreshing. 1t was uni
versally admitted that the banking
system OF this country needed reor-
ganiZation. We set the best minds
we could find to the task of discover
ing the best methods OF rcorganiza-
ton. We met with hardly anything
but criticism from the bankers OF this
country. We met with hardly any
thing but resistance from the
bankers of this country, or at
least from the majority OF those
who had any thing to say. And yet
Just so soon as that act was passed
on the very next day there was uni
vcrsal chorus of applause from the
bankers of the United States. Now. il
1t was wrong the day before it was
passed, why was it right the day al
tor it was passed Where had been
the candor of criticism by the con-
cert of counsel, which makes great
nation successful 1t is not patriotic
to concert measures against one an
other; it is patriotic to concert meas
ures from one another.
You know the declaration Of indie
pendence has in one sense lost its
significance. Nobody believed we
could be independent when that doc
ument was written. Now nobody
would dare to doubt we are indepcnd-
ent. AS declaration OF indepcnd
cnce it is mere historic document.
The independence is a fact so stu
pcndous that it can be measured only
by the size of the energy, ability, pow.
or and wealth of one of the greatest
nations of the world. But it is one
thing to be Independent and it is an
other thing to know what to do with
your independence. 1t is one thing
to come to your majority and another
thing to know what you are going to
do with your life and your energies.
Ono of the most serious questions
TO sober minded men to address them
selves to in these united states is
what we are going to do with the in
fluencc and power of this great ma
ton. Are we going to play the old
role of using that power for our own
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and material bcne-
fit? You know what that means. That
means we shall use it to make the
people of other nations suffer in the
way in which we said it was intolcr'
able to suffer when we uttered the
declaration of independence.
The department of state of the
United States is constantly called up
on to back UP commercial enterprises
of the United States in foreign cOun'
tries; and it at one time went so far
in that direction that all its diplomacy
was designated as dollar diplomacy.
1t was for supporting every man who
wanted to earn anything if he was an
American. Now there is limit to
that. There is no man more interest
ed than | am in carrying the enter
prises of the United States all over
the world. | was interested in it long
before was suspected of being pol
itican have been preaching it year
after year as the great thing which
lay in the future Of the United States
to show her wit, skill. enterprise and
Influence in every country in the