The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1919-05-30
Veterans Decorate
Continued From Page Three

CONTINUED From Page Three.)
aggressive Christianity. ana the low
er of liberty. we believe that the
United States of America is destined
under God, to-. cmbrase all Of these
elements of national greatness, and
10 become the Exemplar OF still high
er advancement.
From that day when that daring
GenOese navigator, searching for the
shores of the old world, gazed across
the bow of the Santa Maria upon this
earthly paradise, and kneeling upon
the shore beneath the uplifted cross,
kissed the virgin soil, and dedicated
this land to Almighty God, in the
name of Ferdinand and Isabella of
Spain, the Hand of God has been
wonderfully present in our national
life. From that hour when civiliza-
ton planted it's standards at James
town, down to the present moment,
the mountains round about us have
been filled with the invisible hosts OF
Jehovah. The Spirit that Gained
the waves and stilled the tempest on
Galilee has lowered over our waters;
our land has been blessed with the
footprints of Him Who went about
doing good, and our homes have
been sanctified with the sweet spirit
Of Bethany.
Our tongues break into song, and
our soul into thanksgiving when we
contemplate the mercies which have
been our lot When dangers have
threatened, relief has always been
near; when discouragements have
come, the heavens have smiled in
brightness, and the bow of promise
has spanned the continent.
The War of the Revolution deter
mined and settled our political sta
tus among the peoples of the earth.
The Confederacy which followed the
Declaration of Independence demon
strated the weakness of the founda-
ton upon which we were about to
build. The Constitution of 1889
welded the States into an enduring
chain of common interests. The War
of 1872 strengthened our national
bond, unified our people, and proved
to the world our ability to maintain
our rights. The War of Rebellion
abolished slavery, freed the soil, land
destroyed the idea of secession as a
constitutional right. The return OF
peace and the organization of the
Grand Army of the Republic crystal
liked American loyalty into gem OF
purest ray serene, and of unclouded
beauty. Step by step we have as
cended the heights of national hon
or. and have taken our place among
the foremost nations of the world;
we have done our part in curblng
the insane ambitions of the Prussian
War Lord for universal dominion, IN
freeing the world from the whitening
blight of the Teutonic Kulture, and
to make the world a safe place for
1emocracy. and today our grand Old
&. - TIT has never known defeat.
Il ~ - every Sea, and floats in every
~ known. loved feared, and re-
spected to earth's remotest bound.
Today our thought goes back to
the Memorial Day of one year ago.
Then We found ourselves the rather
reluctant participants in tie most
gigantic struggle the world mad ever
known; a struggle, the outcome OF
which, no man could then conjecture.
s AS we laid flowers upon the graves
I Of our patriots our armies we're dead
locked in the trenches of Europe
and the colossal struggle was on
with it's awful slaughter and carnage
and untold expenditure of money.
After two and one-half years of
neutrality, even in thought. we came
at length to see that the great con-
flict had assumed far larger proper
lions than mere differences between
contending nations. That it had be-
come a conflict of ideals. That it
was to determine whether the prin-
ciple Of self-government should be
perpetuated or the rule of Force, the
rule Of "Blood and Iron" should sup
plant 1t. We abhor war. We are a
peace loving people. We have never
waged a war for conquest, ambition,
territory or gain. All our wars have