Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-12-02
WEED SINS. CT 4ATIONAL|SM
America Has Insidious and Ter.
rifying War on Hand.
Con. rcssman Greene, In Eloquent
Address On Love of Country. Says
screws on individual Liberty
Must BE frightened.

mont IN an eloquent ADDRESS on we SUD
ject Of Love of Country" delivered sun
day noon at the College Street Church.
said that America lad on her hands d
more insid.ous and terrifying war Than
the one now raging in Europe and that
she should tighten the screwson Individual
liberty before it is too late. The fret step
In national preparedness and in the rem
edying of the burning. bomb throwing and
killing. which Is now going on here. rs.
said Mr.. Greene, the nstillng Of love
of country. a Willingness to do for her
and to die for her that others may do for
her, in the minds and hearts OF every boy
and girl in this land. The work should
begin very early and our schools could
we'll afford to drop some of the latest fads
in education and use the time now spent
in such work to plant in the breast Of
every member Of the coming generation,
a deep, stern sense of nationalism
! EXPERIMENT IN CIVIL GOVERN
MENT.
In his opening remarks Mr.. Greene said
that most Of us regard life in America as
something fixed, permanent ana enduring,
and do not realize that we have been dar-
ing the rest of the world with the most
hazardous experiment in civil government
WHICH IL HIS ever KNOWN. we never stop
to regard our government as a venture
although all the pages Of history remind
us that our form of government has pre-
viously proved unstable. The speaker
said that he was not pessimist. but wish
! ed to call to the attention of every think
ing man and woman certain facts to
which they have closed their eyes. He
also stated that he thought we had dis
q n of
rectine many of the errors which pre-
viouslv caused the fall Of the republics
Continuing. Mr.. Greene said that a re-
publican form of democratic government
is splendid up to a certain point and that
many of the obstacles which our fore
fathers saw to proper local representa-
ton in a central government had been
removed by the succession of remarkable
inventions. which had conquered remote
ness and distance. In addition 10 these
inventions. there Is the tremendous infu.
ence of the printing press and printers
Ink, for there is no compelling power in
America equal to or in any way approach
Ing that Of printers ink. which in one
morning at one breakfast table. makes
loo pn0 600 people think Of the same thing
at the same time.
II we were dealing with a people Of
common origin in our democracy said
Mr.. Greene, our problem would be great
iy smrlifed. for We would not have to
begin at the beginning with each one. as
they would all have the same inheritance
of freedom, education and opportunity
But, although we have long realized that
we have an immi gration problem. we have
never felt its vitalne.s until. with the
whole world at war. when our neutrality
to mean anything or to accomplish any,
thing must be the strictest neutrality we
find ourselves with war on our hands
more insdious and more terrifying than
the one now raging in Europe. We have
here the most mixed population and we
| have done the least to nationalize It, Tho
immigrants come here without any sense
of restriction on their lib ty, save that
of obeying the rules Of law and order in
the communities in which they reside.
AN OVERDOSE OF LIBERTY.
II our immigrants could be confined TO
the peoples living in n circle around the
North sea. the cradle of the English
! speaking race, We could gradually as
sinilate them, because they would he
imhued with the same principles as our
own people, But a large number Of
Immigrants have an over-consplcuous
ilulNlIltl!Sln ana consequently the COLn-
try suffers from an overdose of liberty
When this overdeveloped individualism is
applied to world conditions, we no longer
are a united people, but have in our
midst men and women. who will burn,
dynamite. throw bombs and STAY. and
America, while seeking 10 preserve her
naturally. must suffer the consequences
Of these acts.
ynt
Just now. for If a person becomes too
ohstreperous there is always n strong limb
and a Ions rope with which he NAV be
cared for. and the great mass Of people
are safe and sound. Put just at the point
of a world crisis. these people without
nationaism may hold the balance OF
power and their effect iron the admins
tration can never be foretu!d The cues
ton then comes home whether or not Il
scheme Of unhounded freedom and liberty
works in crisis, ana whether ii might
not he advisable 20 tighten w the screws
before II is too late. We are not at
present In danger of physical crisis, but
1t may come at any time
THE REMEDY
The remedy. Mr. Greene said. would
come in the proper time out Of the stirring
We cannot curtail the right of free spec h
without importing our basic principles
hut we must realize that we are passing
| through a transition period and that one
distinctive weakness is the overstrain of
the love of liberty ana a supcrlndulgence
of individuality. There are various good
reasons for our having developed this
weakness, for We are pioneer nation.
and have always favored the volunteer
system as AGAINST conscr; ion, believing
that all of our citizens have the capacity
for leadership. The Civil War proved
that we could meet n great crisis sue
cessfully and that we are now one coun-
try but are we bringing mp each boy to
sense of rationalism and investing our
idea Of country In tho Young men end
4 women of to-day"
I The speaker brought his address To
close by stains that We must realize
that history is s,ill in the making and
that Nc must have a religion in our cit
zenship, with our young men and wcmar
, consecratinG themselves to a love % couu.
try as well as to a love Of God This work
must begin very early aud our schools
could well AFFORD to devote some part 4
! each DAYS time to passing on to tn chill
dren love of Old GLORY and all that 20
| represents. some sacrifice must be made
and national preparedness cannot h
figured with day book and ledSer, but w
should all begin to worl, among ourselves
, on the first step In national preparedness