Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-09-29
VETERANS AT CAPITAL
Continued from Page One)

representative nations of the world with
regard to the modern spirit of. that
world, and you have the satisfaction
which I dare say few soldiers have ever
had. of looking back upon a war abso-
lutely unique in this, that instead OF de-.
stroying il has healed. that instead Of
making a permanent division il made a
permanent union. This nation was from
the beginning q spiritual enterprise, and
YOU have seen the spirits of TIL two once
divided sections of this CO .try absolute
ly united. \ war which seemed as if it
had the seed Of every kind of bitterness
in it has seen single generation put BIT
terness absolutely out Of its heart and
you feel. rs l am sure the men who
fought against YOU feel, that you were
comrades even then, though you did not
know il, and that now YOU know that
YOU are comrades in 4 common love for
country which YOU are equally eager
10 serve.
This is a miracle of the spirit SO far
as national history is concerned. This is
one of the very few wars in which in
one sense everybody engaged may take
pride. Some wars are TO be regretted;
some wars mar the annals of history;
but some wars contrasted with those
make those annals distinguished, show
that the spirit of man sometimes springs
to great enterprises that are even great
er than his own mind had conceived.
You set the nation free for that
great career of development of UNI
hampered development, which the
world has witnessed since the Civil
war But for my own part l would
not he proud of the extraordinary
physical development of this country,
of lis extraordinary development in
material wealth and financial power,
did l not believe that the people of
the United States wished all Of this
power devoted to ideal ends. There
have been other nations as rich as
we; there have been other nations as
powerful: there have been other ma
tions as spirited: but l hope we shall
never forget that we created this ma
ton, not to serve ourselves, but to
serve mankind. =
Il hope / may say without even-an
implication of criticism Apon any 9TH
er great people in the world that it
has always seemed to me that the
people Of the United States wished to
be regarded as devoted to the promo
ton Of particular principles of human
rights. The United States were found
ed not to provide free homes, but to
assert human rights. This flag meant
a great enterprise Of the human spir-
it, Nobody. no large bodies of men,
in the time that flag was first set up,
believed with a very firm belief in the
efficacy Of democracy. Do you real
ize that only SO long ago as the time
of the American Revolution democra-
cy was regarded as an experiment in
the world, and we were regarded as
rash eXperimenters? But we not only
believed in It, but we showed our be-
lief was we'll founded and that a ma
ton as powerful as any in the world
could be erected upon the will of the
people; that, indeed there was a pow
er in such a nation that dwelt in no
o!her nation unless also in that other
nation the spirit of the people prevail
ed
We now know and the world knows
that the thing we then undertook. rash
as il seemed. has been practicable, ana
that we have set up in the world gov
eminent maintained and promoted by the
general conscience and the general con-
viction.
SO stand here not to welcome YOU
to the national capital as if were your
host. but merely TO welcome you to your
own capital. because l am, and am proud
TO be your servant. l hope l shall
catch. as l hope we shall all catch, from
the spirit of this occasion new conse-
Grafton to the high duties Of American