The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-06-04
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4 THE OBSERVATORY X
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Memorial Day has come and gone
again. Old soldiers have visited the
public schools and talked to the child
rem; probably many lessons have been
well taught, the patriotic principle of
which is being assimilated by many
boy and girl. the effect of which will be
felt years hence.
If a Memorial Day speaker had pro-
phesied year ago that the whole
world would be at war within a year,
and the United States in danger of be.
ing drawn into it, he would have been
year hence we may not tell of our hav-
ing been in it.
In my boyhood lived so far from
the meeting house, in which services
were held both morning and afternoon
with Sunday school between, that |
and many other youngsters took a
lunch with US, and spent the noon
hour in good weather under a great
elm on the shore of a beautiful lake
that bordered the town burying-
ground, or IN wandering through that
burying place and reading the in
Scriptions on the grave-stones; one of
the Oldest citizens also spent his noon
hour thus and often took us boys to
the graves of the Revolutionary
heroes, and recounted to us their
deeds; and | we'll remember the thrills
] felt over those stories: and when the
Civil War came on l remember when
the body of the first of our fallen
boys was brought home and inferred
IN that old burying-ground; and the
exercises of marching citizens, dirge
music by band and the address at
the grave brought the fact of war
home to us. and deepened the lesson
of patriotism; for the victim had been
popular youth.
For one would not awaken love
of war; | wish to teach our youth of
its horrors; but show them to proper
ly value Our country; its government
and its blessed free institutions. and
that If need be we should pay the great
price of war to preserve them. And
note the tone of many addresses re-
ported to have been made on the re-
cent Memorial Day; still depreciating
war. but saying that there may be
Something worse than war" | was in
Salt Lake last year and meeting a gen.
tleman he reminded me of having met
him in Chicago in February, 1898;
had forgotten him but when he re-
minded me of the place and hour and
OF lady appealing to me. asking if war
was not the most dreadful things,
replied that war was as dreadful as
any one depicted it; but there were
some things worse than war. and our
people might yet come to believe that
we must go to war for Cuba. Our
Christian President then held us back
from war till at last he and the nation
felt its Gods call to liberate Cuba
and give her freedom. And so it may
yet be for Mexico. as was plainly
limited by the speaker in his address
in the Methodist church last Monday.
But l started out to say something
else; and it is that | wish the stories
of Our old soldiers. which they freely
recount to one another could be writ
ten for preservation. Mr.. McNair who
died last year, told me thrilling Incl
dents, and just after the sinking of the
Titanic he commented on the cool
ness with which so many looked death
in the face. and said our race can do
that; but that is what we soldiers were
called to do time after time for three
years" He was a modest man. but
that day told me of an incident in his
soldier experience. which he said he
had never before told; he was so
ashamed of a part of it that he could
never tell it. What was it? Why.
right after the battle of Shiloh in the
following campaign he one day care
lessly ran on to Confederate picket
md was taken prisoner; he was asham-
ed of himself for his carlessness; but
in a few moments he turned the
scale on "the Johnnie" and took his
-aptoT a prisoner and took him into
BUR own lines. A volume of thrilling
interest might be written composed of