The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1919-10-24
THE MEMORY or ATLANTA
The Old Vet and the BOY Scout
Text and Pretext

GSAl ICukAlOH VI tlC GOhlC0CAdtC ' e.
Grams in Atlanta, says:
Never had Atlanta looked quite
so beautiful to me as during this
past week. with the Stars and Stripes
fraternizing in these friendly autumn
breezes with the Stars and Bars our
avenues q medley of Confederate
grey and American khaki, while the
;"ete.nal feminine contributed ev-
cry tone and shade Of color to the
human currenf upon our streets.
But the most beautiful scene in
the whole panorama-no, I am not
going 10 try 10 describe these south
'ern girls. III | were writing the So
Getty columA / am sure that my vo-
:cabulary would go bankrupt and my
mind 20 MiAedgeville, trying to pick
the Winner8 among these maddening
sponsors. they would indeed, form a
.splerdid text or pretext for an essay
ion AESTHETICS, but just now am
thinking OF another kind Of beauty.
For Shaar sentimental significance
ana nroplAtic perspective, the most
beautiful FIGURE I have seen during
his raualbn was The Ole Confed
leaning upon the shoulder Of the lit.
.+'e khaki #ecout, who was guiding
l5m to tie home Of southern sym
.9athy and appreciation, These little
scouts strighteaed into youthful
strength and dignity beneath the sa-
.crod BURDEN OF these heroic builders
lof orr past, and in their eyes there
seemed 70 shine the light that prom
ICED tha9 the spirit q Cts shah
Tive in the coming years.
The cyHic We have always with you.
lie has been present this week and
posing al the prophet Of the practi.
cal has not failed to ask, What's the
use? Let the dead past bury its
dead But no nation and no age that
breaks with its past IS safe To for
get yesterday is to make today mean
iingless. The present gains it's defini-
ton and the future its direction from
the past. To blot out that past would
leave us in absolute darkness, with
out even i memory of the goal to-
ward which we started.
The light by which we move for
ward falls over our shoulder The
light does not shine on the past, but
from the past. We must not look
backward but forward. The past
gains true significance only in terms
OF tomorrow{and tomorrow's meaning
is only reveh led by the light OF yes.
terday The hand Of the old Vet.
with vital touch, = on the shoulde,
of the scout, bit the eyes OF the hoy,
wien military &lertness, are front
By the light or the Past
y am far IRON saying that we arc
10 live in tho p1st, but by The light
of tha past. We are not 10 prattle
it's Phrases. mimic its movements
nor robe ourselves in its forms or
formulas But God does speak in tho
experience Of oar elders with clear.
ness Of reyelati5n found nowhere else
IN the universe. I am sure that He
IS saying through them, Speak unto
The children Of. Israel that they go
forward Not back to Egypt, but
forward to CanQan.
rs it not true@ that every age has
its 'Ye have heard it said of old
times?' This heard it said Of old
times is its inherited wisdom and
Experience of the past-its traditions,
sentiments history 1t has been
characteristic of#the human race to
hold all that was worth the having
that it has gathered in it's progress.
This is the stuff out of which civili-
z&tion is made. But it is also true
that if there is to be any progress
each generation must also have its
u say unto you.s This is the fan
within its hand with which it is to
separate the wheat from the chaff:
or. the testing fire of time which is
to burn up the awood, hay and stub
lie" while it refnes the pure gold.
For without this right of revision,
this freedom of judgment, there
would be no progress. and the pro
cession would turn back upon itself.
Nothing is good because it is old.
but it must be proven that it is old
because it is good.
But while l am moralizing, the
! little scout has taken his Confeder.