Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1918-08-29
COMMUNITY SING
Continued from page

own nelghborS were honest and lived
up, by over fifty per cent, to the
principles of the Golden Rule. They
believed that culture, not spelled
with ''k'' if you please, excellence
in art and science, refined nations as
we'll as men. The fact that in a
country where they boosted of the
greatest educational advantages,
where most of the material sciences
had been developed to an extent as
great at least as in any other country
there was a boastful and partly paral-
ytic monarch, who while he ratified his
sword in its scabbard announced
that God was his partner, failed to
impress anyone except humorously.
The actual steps leading up to
the war are too we'll known to be
mentioned now. 1t is sufficient for
US to know that the cid star spangled
emblem has again gone forth in de-
Tense of the principles of its birth,
surrounded now by a million and
half of our bravest and best, and that
it will not return to the flag staff of
our nation even though shot-torn and
drenched in blood until the purpose
for which it was carried forth has
been accomplished.
That our participation in this war
is in defense of our own liberty there
can be no doubt. Though many have
set forth with the avowed purpose of
Rambling proud and naughty Eng
land, with whom we have had our
family differences ever since this
country first put on short clothes,
though the aggressor was devastating
and destroying France, the god
father of our country, and worse and
most despicable of all that he had by
brutal savagery of kind unknown
and unthinkable to civilization, ter
rorized and ground beneath the ty-
rants heel on the claimed ground of
military necessity" unotfendlng
Belgium; though we could consistent
ly think that the controversy between
Italy and the so-called Central Pow
ers was Of no moment to US; though
we could complacently turn our
backs while the tyrant's yoke was put
upon the necks of the millions of
simple Russian peasantry and the
natural resources of their country
exploited for the war making Of the
war lord; though our right to the
freedom of the seas was denied to
us, and the lives of hundreds of wom-
en- and children were destroyed by
the sinking of the Lusitania and other
ocean going boats by a means which
would shame any other nation, ex-
cept it be the Turk; and even though
by the most fragrant breach of inter.
national ethics our own country was
overrun by spies, our factories blown
up and destroyed by hirelings, anc
every effort made to subsidize pres!
and speech and to poison our nation
al thoughts, l say all of these things
- might have passed by with partia
indifference, or at least withou
awakening our national spirit to it
> warlike duty, but at last we did ava
ken to the realization that instead o
70 mere interested bystander in thi
greatest of worlds conflicts we wer
l" in fact one of its calculated victims
that in the vast domain of militar,
t. "kultur" our own beloved countr.
E. was q coveted goal, that we were il
fact to provide the treasure to re
plendish the depleted chests of tn
Ks war lord, and in the event of a pro
test on our part the mailed fist Gov
5.' cred with the gore of Belgium
-. France, England, Italy and Russia
~ and ali other nations which dared it
vengeance was to be brought acros
the water to our destruction finall
to make US a bright and shining sta
in that grand world-domain of the sc
called Fatherland.
That this was their ambitious Pre-
cram is now apparent, and, as we ga
see it today, had they not miscalcu
lated in a few particulars their chanc
of success makes us shudder.
They miscalculated first with re
gard to Belgium. That this numer
cally small nation would ever thro'
itself across the devastating path @
the great army of Germany in its TT
umphant march to Paris on so sma
a matter as one of national principl
was point too refined to be anticips
ted by the German mind.
When the history of the great seer
fees of this terrible war is write
1 believe that high up on the tablet c
renown will appear in letters of pul
est gold the story of little Belgium.
Again the military Goliath misca
culated with regard to England. H
figured that England, like ourselve
was asleep. That a persistent lyin
propaganda of peaceful intention
would keep the great United Kint
dom quiet and out of the fray unit