The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1915-05-28
LEST We FORGET

1t is we'll that man makes monuments
to commemorate past events. Memory
as mental ASSIST seems only valuable
and cultivated as it may be useful for
the future.
'"Let the dead bury the dead:','
Because of danger of forgetsalness
man makes monuments, but alas, the
monuments themselves topple with age
and ere buried in the debris OF time.
'Ashes to ashes. earth to earth" is just
as true mentally asphysically.
We dive, play our little or possibly
greater parts. then with the grave comes
oblivion.
The greatest may be remembered
longest, out that expression itself proves
q Iimit.ot recollection.
Thousands of men and women are to-
day spending their lives working .out
tjproblems in arts and science, religious
and social life, unselfishly, for,the bsnefit
of their fellows. A few will achieve
success SO far as to get a few lines in
rthe newspapers. Most will die unknown
texeept totlocal circles.
Millions of men are at this moment
,.offering their lives to their countries.
They fight Tor patriotism and for glory.
They arc and will be mostlyremembered
BY their grateful countwmen as one %.
sembers the sandy beash ,of the sea,
shere. The grains OF sand Together
make the beach which we;recall in bulk.
It'is just fifty years since the United
States began to forget the Civil War
and those engaged therein. The vet
Grams OF the Civil war, Of the Mexican
war, and the Revolutionary war make
an almost .oontemporaneous.o crowd to the
school boys Of to-day Is they read their
schod'hietories, 'l776, ""1sl6" and "l882''
sound to the student like "lAa2." 1920" !"
etc. Aihnndved years more or less in the
dim ages past. makes but little difference
to the .students, and it don't seem to
take loag to dim any old age.
Il is .one of the provisions af ,natuse.
The old dock backward but tie yonng
look forwasd The old live in what has
been, the yoaag live to the future.
It is difficult to walk forward when
1.-THE head is tsraed backwards. and 1t h
more dificsh to mako progress With nhe
fset turned in the opposite directisn.
"A few old ezay-haired veterans of eur
smn Civil Var still stand abost the
oarners of our stpeeta, but they are Ike
tembstones fpen the cemeteries, exoept
that they can stal walk feebly about sor
few more moatha. They are but hviag
resainnders Of death. In tact when they
appear. the mental queries come to a.
most all, Il wondar how auch longer be
will ixe," and II wonder that he has
lived 80 long-so Ioax after the war"
The vareran is now but . seIic. Alive
or dead. he is gone from the cative Life
of the present.
The world in it's mad haste for un.
known goals in the future passes these
old ghosts OF long past history. with
but curious glance-and torsets them
IN instant later.
There j, no kick coming from these
old ones. They know it is the way Of
the world. They also know that it will
be the way of the world for all time and
these who now pass them by 90 lightly,
will only little later stand or sit by the
roadside of life to see others that are
younger pass them BY in turn.
1t is misnomer to say that republics
are ungrateful.''
1t is the TACT that the present genera
ton Of any period is forgetful, Specialist
historians dig into the ruins of the past,
but not because of gratitude. One may
love and respect his living father, but
Grandpa Adam, the father Of all, died
many years ago, and the world long
since forgot even the pace Of bis burial.
Just now, we have recalled the expires.
sion, Remember the Name because OF
certain developments in the present war,
but We remember the event, rather than
the men who perished in it.
"Earth to earth, ashes to ashes."
Men come and 60, but the world goes
on forever.
Sometime. I'VE shall know each other
better" in tho land whore nothing is tor.