New Britain herald., 1915-04-16

had enough, but, I tell you what we want. We want the people of this country to know that we are not any too we'll guarded on our borders The government is entirely too penurious with its national guard.
 Every boy ought to be taught about our defenses. It's not that we want war, but we want to keep people from making war on us. would rath- CT build warships at several million dollars of expense every year than send one of our boys to die. It's the very best material we have that takes up arms. We want to take care of them"
 Widows Pension.
 Commander Palmer spoke in favor of an increased pension for the wid- ows to the soldiers He did not think any woman should be denied a pension because she was not first wife" 'I tell you," he said, "any woman who is willing to strike out and live with you duffers for only a year ought to have a pension.''
 Growth Of Democracy
 Louis P. Slade, principal of New Britain High school, made the princi- pal address of the eveing. his subject being, The Growth of Democracy" The speech follows:
 My first object as I come before you tonight is to assure you and have you continually reassured that I appreciate most genuinely that honor you con- fer upon me. My knowledge concern ing the great war between the states has been acquired indirectly. Born some years after peace had been guaranteed, I cannot look back for in- spiration to a father called, within my memory, to the colors; nor to the sending forth of the local company of volunteers. I cannot point to letters from the front addressed to an anx- ious mother. You have followed the flag, have faced the cannon and the bayonet, have stood up against the volleys of regiments, have endured the intensest suffering, exposure, and neglect. Some of you suffer to this very hour as a result of the great con- flict. My calling has led me in the ways of pleasantness and in the paths of peace and yet I am asked to say something appropriate to this occa- sion. In assuming that we have, you and I, in common, within us, those "ellS oI pdlIlOllSlu anu uSFOtlo'l springing up into everlasting lift, and manifested once in military efficiency now perhaps in other forms, but all ways in the service of the largest cause in assuming this, you introduce mo most happily and most auspiciously.
 What is this largest cause in which you once served on many battle fields, in which you and I are still ,f ha distinguished commonwealth of Con- Eecticut? In his beautiful Gettysburg address reaching so far, so high, so deep, President Lincoln defined this largest cause. He said: Tt is for us. the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion ot that cause for which they gave the last full measure of de- votion; that we here highly re- 1 solve that these dead shall not have i died in vain, that this nation under 1 God. shall have a new birth of free 1 dom, and that government of the l people is our task; and it is the ad ] shall not perish from the earth
 The maintaining of government of | the people, by the peeople, for the 1 people is our task; and itis the ad- 1 vance of this movement or the growth | of democracy which I would ask you l to follow with me for II little while l this evening.
 Beginning of Government.
 T,o Io ct of people, came the need of some sort 1 of government of the people and judg- 1 ing from the savage tribes of today in Australia, in Africa, in the east, and | ;n our own America, following the 1 need came the organization of 8 cer- tain kind of government under the | authority of sorcerers or medicine ] men. With the domestication of l animals came an advance in the gov ernment; and with the introduction | of agriculture and the taking of q 1 settled abode, a further advance. But 1 1t was still 8 mere government of the l people. The chief of the tribe, the | heads of the clans, the fathers of the l families interpreted and administered l the customs of the race.
 Population increased and there was 1 a scarcity of food; wealth increased 1 and there was temptation 70 the mih tary adventurer; weapons of war inn proved; there were migrations; new | territory was seized. Races were 1 the blood relationship faded | away; the tribe and it's chief, it's i clans. and it's families, gave way to the state and its citizens.
 In these states we have a few examples of democracy. In Athens of the time of Pericles, in the fifth cen- tury before the Christian era, the con- stitution had the appearance of being B pure democracy. The assembly was made up of all the male citizens over