Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1919-06-21
LAUDS SOLDIERS
Adjutant General Morris Lauds Soldiers
in an Address Given at Grand
Chapter Meeting.

This beautiful and impressive tribute
to "Our soldiers was part Of the ad-
dress Of W. A. Morris, adiutant general
Of South Dakota. and grand high priest
of the ROYAL Arch Masons of the state,
given at the grand chapter meeting held
in Sioux Falls last week:
"W hat shall We say Of the intrepid
| soldiers Of the American army winning
with victories impenshable glory on the
battlefield Of France. We need to -uy
! but little, for the world today acclaims
their valor. For matchless courage and
supreme bravery with heroism thar
| nothing could dannt, with dogged deter
mjnaton, which nothing could over
come, with spirit which nothing could
conquer, the record Of the American sol
dier Is without parallel in the history of
military achievement
Without relief, without sleep, with
ont food or water, they held the line of
| those grim days Of the terrific onslaught
Of the German drive held, when 10
yield would have meant rretrievablr
disaster; held, and saved Paris lix-
hausted to the very limit of human en-
durance, with ranks deCimated, fighting
in American fashion and With American
daring, they met attack after attack,
and charge after charge. They beat 10
its knees the inviucible Prussan Guards
which bad been thrown in TO slow
these amateurs how TO fight; thea
smashing forward, they hurled bach in
disorder and defeat the hosts OF The
imperial army. In all history and al
records of war there is none to be COM
pared with this. But there are many
who will never fight again, they will he
mourned by fathers and mothers, sisters
and wives, and they will be revered by
millions Of Americans who will pay
them homage everlastngy. Every spot
where Americas blood has been shed
for American honor, is hallowed ground;
every deed a sacred memory; every
grave consecrated shrine Be!au
Wood and Chateau Therry are forever
written on the pages Of American his
tory with Lexington and New Orleans, |
with Gettysburg and Antietam and san
Juan. They will endure imperishabIr
monuments to the bravery and Courage
OF American heroes, the vindication of
democracy and the triumph of iibert,
and righteousness.
The State of South Dakota is proud !
of her soldiers When the supreme test
came upon the field Of BATTLE they meas
ured up to the full standard of that hero
of heroes the American civilian soldier
and they have brought undying glory to
their state Words are too feeble to pay
tribute TO their matchless gaIlantiy
their heroic achievements. They have
met and beaten against overwhelming
numbers aud in the face of seemingly
unsurmountable obstacles. They have
met the picked professional soldiers OF
the greatest military machine the orld
has ever produced, aud through it all
their bearing mas been that OF soldiers
in the fullest sense of the word mol
soldier of South Dakota has been called
upon TO explain--their record is clear
accomplishment hey the power OF
words to tell. They have earned not
only our admiration but our gratitude
and all that we can give them in the
way of permanent esteem and encour
| agement. They are good boys in every
sense of the word-good soldiers in all
that the term applies, courage forti
tude, discipline, energy, initiative, skill,
and all the qualities that bespeak yirile
manhood in arms for the defense of
right, are theirs We know this for
they have proven it. These boys, in
going to the front, nave represented this
splendid state in the greatest undertak-
ing and the highest undertaking aud
the highest adventure in the worlds
history. They have taken the place and
represented all of the rest OF us. They
have served ior all the rest of us, and
have sacrificed for all the rest of us
Through them and in them we, vino
stayed at home, have marched and fought
in the battlefelds OF France. These
bows are the embodiment Of the great
State OF South Dakota and all Of liz peu-
pie, and their record is our record aud
their suflerlugs and LOSSES are ours.
And the dead who now lie buried over
there are not the dead of regiment,
brigade or division, they are our dead,
and we honor ourselves when We honor