The Benson signal., 1917-04-07


prairies from Kaskaskia to Vincennes.
Last week I passed by the crumbling
timbers of the old fort and found their
bullets sunken in the logs inside the
embrasures. Some Of you men in this
audience were with him in that ter
rible march and daring assault. It is
useless to say that we will never for
get what you have done for us. Gen
eral Clark is now a penniless and pal
sled cripple in his sisters home. Do
not expect that republic which has
no rewards for the leader will be less
fOrgetful of the man in the ranks.
"YOu have not entered on this death
lessly heroic struggle with the wilder
ness with the expectation of material
reward alone: you have come here
from the old quiet places in Virginia,
in Massachusetts, in Connecticut, in
Pennsylvania and New Jersey because
you have the fighting spirit in you;
and you stay here because the fighting
spirit stays in you.
"'FOr which Of you, intending to
build tower, sitteth not down first,
and counteth the cost, whether he have
sufficient to finish it?
"Lest haply, after he hath laid the
foundation, and is not able to finish it,
all that behold it begin to mock him,
"'Saying, "This man began to build,
and was not able to finish."'
"The tower that you have begun to
build is an invisible tower new and
mighty nation. Today you sit down to
count the cost of the building, to see
whether you have sufficient with which
to finish the vast edifice. What is the
cost? The world watches you, and not
only it's generations of today but those
unborn generations who will weigh
your work to see whether it was good
or bad. I know that you have counted
the cost and are willing, ready TO pay
it: treasure of sacrifice, treasure
of blood and wounds and dreadful
agonies and bitter tears. But you will
pay it. You will pay it to the utter
most, holding yourselves to the grim
account with iron wills, forcing your
selves on with unconquerable resolve.
"Not of you shall it ever be said:
After he hath laid the foundation, and
is not able to finish it, all that behold
it began to mock him.
"'Sayiag, "This man began to build,
and was not able to finish."'
"For the tower which you build is
not built with hands, but with souls.
ESQ likewise, whosoever he be of
you that forsaketh not all that he hath,
he cannot be my disciple.
"'Salt is good: but if the salt have
lost it's SAVIOR, wherewith shall it be
seasonedY'
"All Of you know how hard it is to
get salt in this new country-how we
have to haul bushels of salty earth
from the spots which the red deer Of
the forest have discovered, the deer
licks.' You put this salty earth in an
ash hopper, pour water over it and
catch the water in trough after it
has leaked through the dirt. And then
you boil the salty water down till
there is left little of the precious
mineral with which we can preserve
our meats. You all know how labo-
rious and tiresome process it is, and
how much the salt means to the set
tier. How the cattle moo for taste
of it! What would our children do
without milk!
"We can all understand this manner
of speaking: Salt is good: but if the
re- XuhnrnUifh
shall it be seasonedY
"That great soldier, Christ, means to
say that he looks to his followers not
only to begin great tasks, but to con-
tinue in them; for there are no greater
soldiers than the soldiers who fight in
a good cause. The man who stops mid
way in his fight is like salt that loses
it's essential quality. There is no
longer any reason for it's existence.
Better not be at all, than to cease from
being strong. For then who is left to
give new strength to the salt? There
is no one for you to fall back On-yOu
have chosen a certain work in life and
you must stick it out to the end.
81 want you to remember this
through all the great struggles which
are left before you. Today we are
waiting, and waiting for the appear
ance of a terrible foe. They may come
to raise the war-whoOp or they may
come in peace. But however they may
come they will find us ready, like the
wise king who hath consulted and
found himself ready to meet the force
that cometh against him. For you
have learned to fight the greater strug-
giles of the spirit. You have learned to
be cool, temperate and steady, first Of
all; and having learned these virtues
of manliness and pluck and mastery
over self, you will add to them the SUI
preme virtue of tenacity: to keep, to
hold, to grip as in wise the purpose
to which you have consecrated your
selves.
"And then, some day, the tower Of
this new and beautiful nation will