Palisadian., 1915-07-10

! you cannot Iall 10 observe Ine MANY
extremely narrow escapes we have
had from national diaster. Several
times, with little or no adequate
means of defense, we have stood on
the brink of the gravest peril, and
once we were nearly rent by a ter
rible internal upheaval, that of the
civil war. But as ex-President Taft
has so truly said, though satirically re-
marked, "God takes care of drunken
men, children and the United States;"
and SO We have been preserved as
nation But there is another reason
| for our preservation. 1t is this: With
all our lack of readiness to repel in
vaders or to cope with rebellious
forces, there has been in US that one,
strong, sincere, though perhaps child
like, faith.
Certain European nations, with
less wealth than ours and far less
border-line to protect, have spent In
one month more millions of money
for warlike purposes than we have
spent in year. Many times it has
been pointed out that we were at the
mercy of those foreign powers, and
yet God has preserved US and the
drunken men and the children, be-
cause, as | say, of our abiding faith
Our faith in our flag and in its
glorious destiny comes chiefly from
the fact that we are not seeking and
never have sought war with any other
nation We have been essentially a
people Of peace. War could come
only if it were thrust upon US, and
if it were thrust upon US we have
believed that we could bring our
great internal resources to bear in
such way as to repel and conquer
any foreign foe This, perhaps, is a
Quixotic way of looking at the stu
alton, but our history has proved all
the way through that our wars, being
righteous wars, were won by faith.
The right was with us, God was with
US, and we were victorious.
believe that Americans are the
most intensely patriotic people on
earth But they are not merely pa
triotic-they are loyal. Patriotism
mere patriotsm-in itself is rather a
cheap virtue. In fact it is less
virtue than an instinct and may be
based upon common gregariousness.
The man in the gutter shares it with
the man in the limousine, the Jail
bird with the Judge Old Samuel
Johnson, the first English lexicog-
rapher of any note, defined patriot
ism, in his whimsical way, as "the
last refuge of scoundrel." This was
not definition to be placed in die
tionary, as it was. 1t was merely
personal opinion. What DR.. johnson
meant, and what | mean as to the
cheapness of patriotism you Will
readily understand, for you have had
ample evidence of it. In your hearts
YOU know that the man who puts out
the largest flag is no more patriotic
than the man who has never owned
one. You know that the loudest
shouters, the biggest jingoes have
less true patriotism than the. quiet
man who is for peace on any honor
able terms and who never struts
around with a chip on his shoulder.
Yes the man who proclaims himself
the greatest of patriots may easily
be the greatest scroundrel. He may
fill his windows full of flags and at
the same moment may be plotting to
betray the people by some corrupt
political means. When we speak OF
patriots we are sometimes reminded
of old Artemus Ward who was will
ing to sacrifice on the altar of his
country all his wife's relations.
But, my friends, there are true,
quiet, loyal citizens, and they are not
shouters, but the men who, if their
country needs them, are ready at
once to enlist in her service. All such
men have stanch faith in the flag.
They love it and they will follow 1t
wherever it leads.
You often have been reminded that
to be an American was a precious
privilege. Do you realize how much
more precious it is to-day than ever
all the world, coming and going at
will, with perfect freedom, and each
day rising up and going about our
chosen vocations unmolested and uh-
restrained Yes, we know what peace
is and freedom; but just across the
sea-what a spectacle! Great en-
eines of war, giant guns, deadly
gases, aeroplanes, airships, sub
marines and all that science can con
trive in the killing line are there IN
full play mocking the very name of
civilization and setting back the
clock of progress.
One little year ago and there was
peace in Europe, but it was BIND,
unreal peace, for the nations were all
in armor, ready on the slightest eX-
cuse to fall upon each other and slay
and slay and slay. The excuse came
"a poor one, to be sure, but an eX-
cuse-and now the sickening carnage
is going on and may go ON for years.
How happy we ought to be so far re,
moved from this terrible conflict and
to have no part in it. We have no
part and we pray we may have none.
| The heart of the nation hopes for
peace, and it has faith in its great
| leader that he will act in such a way
as to keep US out of the fray and at
the same time preserve our national
honor. Have you ever thought now
extremely fortunate we are to nave
such leader in such a time? How
easy it would have been, with less
wise and less peaceloving one, to