The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1919-04-02
SOLDIERS AND
SAILORS MEMORIAL

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The subject of a fitting memorial
for our brave soldier and sailor
boys has been under consideration
for some time and is about to take
shape in the building of monument or
memorial hospital or both. The
writer having been named on com
mittee appointed at the Public Mass
! nreeting held Monday March oath to
plan and place before the citizens of
.iounI County plan for the erec-
ton of suitable memorial, has been
requested to make statement as to
his ideas on this subject. AS prac-
teal builder and superintendent of
construction for the Aluminium
Company of America and having
hdllt a number of hospitals it has
been suggested that an article setting
forth some general ideas on this sub
JocU WoaId ue OF interest at this time.
The erection of memorial for the
brave boys who laid their all on free
dom's altar is a sacred trust, which
we as citizens of this great county
cannot and must not shirk. We
honor the living as we'll as the dead.
We have only to look back at the
dark days when with the last hand
shake and aching hearts we sent our
boys forth to uphold the ideals of a
freedom loving people. At that time
we did not hesitate to assure them
that we Muld stand back of them in
the mighty struggle that they were
entering and we made good that
promise as was shown in the splendid
~OrK that was cone in connection
With the Red Cross movement and
the great money raising drives. In
every case Blount County far exceed
ed all that was asked of her. As a
Hitting climax we must shoa~ltn \ "
4A- appEeciation in suitable memor-
y ! icated TO the services of those
who have served us.
This war has wrought great chang
es, it has taught us to do things which
we never considered possible before.
We have learned to do things in 6
bigger way, it has changed our meth
cd of living: it has given US larger
vision; old precedents have been shat
tered and new precedents have been
established, new ideals have been
raised Therefore in settling these
questions let US not loose sight of the
fact that changed conditions have in
many cases necessitated changed
view points.
In considering a Memorial Hospital
versus Monument or vice versa or
both let us consider which will best
commemorate the lives and deeds of
those we wish to remember. 1t
seems to me the reason we wish to
commemorate these is on account of
their lives and deeds in the service of
mankind. Is it not then true that
this can better be done in similar
way and perpetuate their memory in
service rather than in stone. No
more earnest advocacy of perpetual
ing a noble life by good deeds has
ever been expressed than in the
words of the great American whom
the whole country has recently sought
to honor-Theodore Roosevelt isl
impressive at this time to
read some extracts from his letter OF
May 18, 1916 to DR.. H. Holbrook
Curtis. Vice President, of the Nation
al Institute of Social Sciences, re-
garding memorials which "take the !
form of doing good to the living"
Ny dear Doctor Curtis:
Col. Roosevelt's Opinion
I wish to back you up as strongly |
as | know how in your effort to build |
a memorial hospital for good works"
as protest against the erection of
meaningless mausoleums and monu
ments to the dead. There is an oc
,asional great public servant to whom
it is we'll to raise monument-really
not for the man himself, but for what
ne typified. A monument to Lincoln
or Farragut is really great symbolic
statue to commemorate such quail
les as valor and patriotism and love
If mankind, and willingness to
sacrifice everything for the right.
There are very few men in a genera
ion who have the character or the
reputation which makes
4 monument to them symbolic all
,hese things. AS for the rest of US
Who, with failures and shortcomings,
out according to our lights, have
;triven to lead decent lives; if any
friends of ours wish to commemorate
is after death, the way to do it is by
some expression of good deeds to
hose who are still living. Surely a
lead man or woman would wish to
feel that his or her taking away had
become an occasion of real service
.or the betterment of mankind,
,ather than to feel that a meaningless
,ile of stone, no matter how beauti-
'ul, had been erected with his or her
name upon it in an enclosure crowd
ID with similar piles of stone-fo'
uch a tomb or mausoleum often