The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-01-26

positions as. that of safeguarding lhe
country in the national defense.
would not be p-esumptuous
enough to pose before you as in any ,
sense the authorized Interpreter OF
the utterances on this floor of the DIS
tinguished leader of the minority, the |
gentleman from Illinois Mr.. Mann ;,
but ! believe that he had something
of that kind in his mind when a few
weeks ago in this Chamber in speak
ing on the measure for Philippine IN
dependence he pointed out to us the
remarkable strategic position this
country had acquired in the Pacific
Ocean. and how resolutely and how
jealously we should guard the adVant-
age we have secured in that great
western sea. because some day our
children might rise up and call us
blessed because we had secured that
advantage for them, or might regret
in unspeakable humiliation because
this very year we might have given
it away.
have any more war do not seem to
read the lessons of history in very
| discerning way, Ii seems to me. 1t IS
| easy to talk peace, but in the old ana
| oft quoted language of Patrick Henry,
| f'Men may cry peace, peace! but
| there is no peace" How many men
| in this last summer anywhere in
| Christendom who were following at
that time the recent unusual demon
| STATIONS of our international peace
| advocates would have dared to fore
tell the awful war that is now raging
| in Europe? How many men in July
would have dared to venture the
| prophecy that within a month the
most awful war in history would be
raging across the sea- No man.
How many men today, in the light of
all that We have read about the war,
can agree as to the true cause of IT.
| That is one of the reasons why II
seems to me that while we may talk
ton OF the future~-that is. the
proposition that nations Will beat
their $40 DIS into pillow shares and
heir spears into pruning hooks--wo
ought still, as prudent men, 10 set our
house IN order lest the millennium do
not come after all
The other argument We have TO
meet is that, il war does come, We
will be prepared for it, Thit is born
of Il true instinct OF patriotism. II
rings true TO the good old-fashioned
self-possesslon and ease and conf.
dence that we hope always will In a
proper degree distinguish our Ameri.
can people: but | am afraid il we
come to analyze It very closely, we
might reasonably suspect il was DO II
Of little bit OF overconhdence. Some
how. in this land OF ours. we Amerl
can boys grow up with a good deal of
pseudo patriotism that linds its vent
now and then in carrying imaginary
chips around on our shoulders. We
Ame leans are rather volatile That
is one Of the characteristics that peo-
pie of other lands point out about us
We are inclined TO sgagger little
bit and buster a bit 1t is harmless
and perhaps meaningless. and II
grows out OF the buoyancy and effer
yescence of the spirit OF a young Ma
ton that never has been whipped
but il breeds an overconfidence. One
hundred and thirty.seven years OF
boyish racket in celebrating one hun
bred and thirty-seyen Fourths OF Juls
have somehow got our minds to ring
ing to the inharmonious tune that ",
can lick all creation" We do MOI
stop to analyze ii much. but we ca ry
that notion in our minds.
Then, too, in this land Of ours, win
all respect 20 the good. old fashioned
honest. and deep-seated patriotism
that does lie in the hearts of all on.
people. we have a kind of noise thai
might be termed "music-hall patrlo
tlsm.' We love TO cheer the flag in {
musical show. We love to make {
great ado about standing up in the
alter when the national anthem is be
| ms Hlae WI. W . QO tOL vi tlltSt
pretty, Spectacular, picturesque. anC
rather ostentatious things ut these
times and satisfy ourselves that they
are really tho outward and visible
signs CT an inward and spiritual pH
triotisnl. And then. tomorrow, When
the she IFS deputy comes arounc
with a little piece of paper that says
he wants us to sit for two hours on q
jury in municipal court, we put NJ
a job on him because it looks as Il
the fish would bit Laughter and
applausel We have a good deal OF
'music.hall patriotism" in this coun
try, which We must not mistake fol
the real, the genuine the very true
thing
The fact is-and this is not said in
any split Of criticism. for we are al
counseling together for the same pur
pose and with the same honest in
tent, whatever the variance of our no
tons about 1.-THE fact is that this
country has never yet fought a first
class power when that tirst-class pow
er was in a position TO put up FIST