Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-04
IlRcE APPLICANTS
FOR CITIZENSHIP
TO CHERISH FLAG
..,ostiug Patriotic Exercises Are
Weld For Those Seeking Nat
uralization.
IS ARE MEMBERS OF THE CLASS
,r-sm Is Arranged by Rock Island
Jndge of Elks-Excellent Ad-
dresses Are Made.

dresses Are Made.
The first great doctrine in our ma
.,onsl politics today is the doctrine Of
u u. and this great doctrine
ffsonld be the first article in our ma
"a, creed" declared DR.. ]. Edgar
wilson. pastor of Broadway Presby-
.,-;.n church, this morning in speak
:rg 10 a class of as applicants for
Capitalization. The exercises were
.ss most unique ever held in the cir
.r;, court here and were arranged
:, officers Of Rock Island lodge No.
asn p P. O. Elks, at the suggestion
:, sam Ryersop, county recorder and
.,-mer exalted ruler. A committee,
.o,,nosed of Mr.. Ryerson, C. n. Isaac
can Edward Bakersfield, j. f. Murphy
and George H. Richmond, had charge
Of the program.
The court room had been beauti-
fully decorated for the occasion.
american flags had been draped
throughout the room and placed so
that the electric fans would unfurl
Them Pictures of Washington. Lin
roln. Mckinley, Grant and Logan
we're hung on the walls, and so at
,ractiye did the court room appear
that it has practically been decided
10 follow the same plan on each nat
uraIization day.
At $50 Judge ". T. Church called
the assemblage, which was so large
that it could not be accommodated in
the court room. TO order. The first
sneaker was Dr.. Wilson, who is
Canadian subject who has taken out
his first papers and who will receive
bis full rights of citizenship in an
other year.
Meaning of Citizenship.
DR.. Wilson spoke on THE Meaning
Of American Citizenship" and said
among other things: 1T IS a great
thing to be a rich and prosperous ma
ton, with barns filled with plenty,
and with presses running over with
new wine; and that Is what we are.
Il is great thing to be an educated
and cultured people, with libraries
filed with books and with universe
ties running over with new students;
and that is what We are. It is a great
thing to be a strong and athletic folk,
with bodies filled with rich, red blood,
and with spirits running over with
new enthusiasm and that is what we
are. But it is a far greater thing TO
be holy and righteous nation, with
hearts filed with love to God, and
with souls running over with love to
our fellowman; and that is what we
should be; that is what it is our priv
ilege to be.
There is one glory Of material
prosperity and another glory of men
tai culture and another glory of ply
steal strength. For one thing differs
from another in glory. But the high
est glory is the glory of perfect man
hood The Hebrew of the Hebrews
glortes In an infallible law of God;
the faithful Catholic glories in an in
fallible church of God; the orthodox
Protestant glories in an infallible
word of God; but the patriotic Ameri-
can citizen, whether he be a Jew, a
Catholic or Protestant, should glory
in an infallible will of God-in Gods
infallible purpose to build up in this
land Of promise a manhood that will
match the character of the Matchless
Man.
Keep National Soul Pure.
There is a loss far more terrible
than the loss of material prosperity
or of our mental culture or Of our
physical strength, and that is the loss
Of our national life. We may gamble
with our national wealth; we may
speculate with our national culture II
We choose; we may dissipate our ma
uonal strength, if We so desire. But
We cannot afford to gamble with, to
speculate with or to dissipate our
national soul. We who have received
the spirit Of adoption into these Unit
ed States should above all things pre-
pare ourselves TO keep our national
soul pure"
The speaker then quoted from
PRESIDENT Wilson's last message to
congress, In which the statement was
made that the gravest threats against
our national peace and safety have
been uttered within our own borders.
There are citizens o T the United
states, l blush TO admit, born under
other flags, but welcomed under our
generous naturalization laws to the
iull freedom and opportunity OF
america, who have poured the poison
OF disloyalty into the very arteries OF
our national life"
Or. Wilson then showed that people
coming TO this country did so from
free choice and that the adopted
iand owes them nothing. In conclu-
sion, he said: But we owe every
ming to It. And, therefore, American
citizenship should mean TO her adop-
led sons that we, in the language Of