The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-12-05
= CARRY ON
Letter From Chaplain ]. L
0'Connor to officers ard men of
the Fifth Minnesota lhfahtry,
Nj. II. c., u. S. A,
1t cannot be denied that tho boyl
who fought the nations battles, pro

ifDeCt Tor hcr interests the Eorll DER
are thoroughly capable of judging
what is best for hor present and fu.
ture welfare.
Gathered from every comr,unit.
beneath the "Star Spa ,glod Banner,
the north and the south ,ho east an
the west, met in our various TRAINING
camps and there learned to know
each other in 4 manner which per-
> CC~"l cNrecicnCe' alune can teach.
The boys from tho north in com
ing into personal contact with the
boys from tho south. east. west and
vico-vcrsa. became broader in, Their
vision OF American interest a1'l
learned manv things Of which they
had been in ignorance.
From these Schools of EXPERIENCED
Sr una frfh into existence an insti-
tuition, which, for generations 10
$500. si'"i he known as America s
Legion OF Honor. IN institution that
sl.dil be a living, vital force in pre-
-~-''-''s~ 'hp traditions and shnDing
the destiny of our national life. In it,
IN precious casket. shall we ever
hope to find preserved. for genera
t""~ 20 follow after. all that orr fa~e :
fathers fought to secure, all that
urr fathers Fought 10 preserve. altl
end all that or own dear Boys
defended so 'bravelv and scaled so
sacr2dly with the innocent blood or
en- The battle fields of the old world
seventy thousand Of their comnan les
b, The American Expeditionary forces
wcrc the world wide delci7i>s OF this
American Legion. Sent "a strangers
into foreign lands: rubbing shoul
der to slculder with delegates from
every other nation of the world:
continuing with men of every ma
tiCnali,y: studying humanity ct its
very best, for it's very best must
manifest itself in its supreme trial:
they have finally returned home fully
equipped to unite with their com
radcs in solving, not only our own
domestic problems, but will intcrua-
. ticnal problems Us well
Is it any wonder, therefore, that
with hated breath America should
wait the pronouncenents of this
body CT typical American men lately
in conclav? Is il any wonder that
politicians of every platform, should
. trcrlble over the attitude these men
would take in public affairs? Know
ing as they did the character o. the
people of the world it was no sur
piise to those of US, who were wiling
to look facts square in the face, that.
one of their first pronouncement5
went diametrically against the vain
theories of those, who would have us
believe that human nature has
changed its essence and men have
become like unto gods. To such as
these it came as a shock. They had
hallucinated themselves into the be-
lief that a League of Nations would
forever and anon free the world of
tits last court of appeal--war. In
fheir hlindncss they could not see the
Palace of Peace" which men had
buiiued at the Hague as monument
OF Universal Brotherhood, shattered
to fraat;ents by shot and shell but a
few years after its erection. The men
of the American Legion saw il, how
ever, and through its broken arches
they caught slippses of another
temple reared upon a mistaken notion
OF human nature and a people ell
ready seating themselves beneath its
Geeontive shadows.
And as they knew human nature as
onIy ii soldier can know it they real.
lied that as long as human nature
remains constituted as il has been
in the past, and IS at present, there
should also remain the necessity OF
protecting il from itself by establish
ing and enforcing tkase lays and
regulations which will guarantee I
minimum of justice to every man
And they are right in their judgment
For we may prattle and prate as we
please about the New Era" the
"Sopcrman" the New Order Of
Things. etc" theories will not change
Sacts. Human nature is human M!
ture. We must take it as we find il.
AS we find it we must make the BEST
of it. When all has been said and
done we shall discover that its the
same old nature. it always was-sub
ject to an appalling amount of fraiity,
Geluged in an ocean OF contradictory
desires and ambitions, which can only
be kept in bounds by CO. operation
with the Grace of God and just APP
plication of law and authority
To confirm these facts all we need
do is to cast our glance backward
over the past and read The history OF
the world. Scarcely year has past
since the signing of the Arn.istice,
which brought 10 close, as we
thought, the greatest calamity of
history. We closed our eyes in de-
vout thankfulness TO open them twelve
months later to another conflict COM
Pared TO which the past war seems
hut child's play. For today our bat
tie is Hpt an open warfare. Ii is not
{. conquest against human pride and
world dominion. On the contrary ii
is a struggle to hold together the
foundations of our social order. HUI
man nature has heaved up under the
~'rurtnre of our verv civilization and
threatens to topple the temple of hui
, nan existence. Better, far better, TO
enjoy minimum of human rights
than TO destroy forever the principals
upon which rests oun entire social,
religious, domestic and national ex-
istence Justice must exist. But
that justice may exsist, Law is abb
colutely necessary And law without
sanction is a mere fign1ent of the
/ human mind.
In advocating universal military
training the American Legion had
undoubtedly these things in mind
They realised Ie necessity of law