Gunnison news-champion., 1920-06-04
MEMORIAL DAY ADDRESS
BY MISS EMMA AREN'T
Continued from Firz, Page)

But this ideal of liberty stood in
danger Of being shattered By the in
stltGton OF slavery. Such q bligh.
cannot exist among any people With
out slolatIng the meaning Of liberty
IN every phase Of living. To the
heroes Of the Civil War we are in
CEyaslnsiy indebted for making il
possible 70 remove this blemish
from our nation, and for giving Us
irler conception Of what Christian
Ration really Is Moreover, the
meaning Of liberty needed a clearer
and more definite Interpretation.
should We continue TO exist as one na-
ton or a. separate disintegrated
states 4 different outcome OF that
struggle would have given Us = yerl,
different result in our later history.
Il is never safe 20 predict results, but
you know and | know the wisdom of
tuat well-kn0wn saying. United, We
stand; divided, we fall" Il is moth
ing short OF miracle that this huge
territory OF ours called the United
states Of America, comprising more
than three MILLION square miles, con-
I taInirg more than ll0 million inhabi-
taEts, including people Of almost every
race, color, characteristic, and occupa-
tIOn-I repeat that il is nothing short
Of = miracle that II is able TO exist
Is one nation. carrying out the will of
It's people. And IT is nothing short of
= miracle that millions Of people are
daily gong about their legitimate
business carrying on the concerns of
Local government successfully, so that
It Is the exception rather than the
rule 10 iind any other state than
peace and order in travelling north
or south, east or west. Those who
fought for Us in the Civil War made
possible this wonderful security we
now enjoy in material welfare, and
gave TO Us a greater and cleaner con-
ctpuon Of liberty, freedom and JUS
tIce.
The spirit of '6I did not pass away
a. the close Of the war. nor was the
new significance of liberty, freedom,
and justice forgotten. 1t is a fitting
tribute to the supreme sacrifice OF
these men that n generation later,
thcIr sons again asserted themselves
for freedom, this time, not for our
selves but for others, for weaker
ne!ghbors who were unable to free
themselves from the yoke of a tyran-
meal nation. The immunities and
privileges enjoyed by the Cuban peo-
pie today were purchased at the
price of American blood. Those who
fought for Us in the SPANISH
can War established our recognition
Is nation not to be triiied with, as
4 nation that would not tolerate from
foreign nations, any deed affecting ad-
Tcrsely the welfare of the Western
Hemisphere. Great as was this ac-
compiishment, il is not their greatest.
Greater than this, they gave to US, the |
American people, a still larger con- |
ccptlon of liberty, freedom and JUS 1
uce, We could no longer ignore our
weaker neighbors; we are truly our
brothers keepers. But those of us
who remained to carry on the work I
Of the day had not yet reached the |
final goal; we had not yet grasped |
the full conception of this ideal. 1t
remained for those who fought for I
Us in this last world war to give us
this larger vision. We are still our |
brothers keepers, but our brothers are !
the weak and the oppressed of every |
land. Our slogan has become that
famous saying of Woodrow Wilson:
Make the world safe for democracy"
America as world power, America 4
as vital factor in the worlds peace |
is an accepted fact, a foregone concul- |
sion; and our soldiers at home and 1
abroad have caused this TO be so. But
this is not their greatest contribution /
They saved us, the American people, |
from tribute to an outlaw nation, and
they saved the world from being rul- /
ed by that most bestial of doctrines
that might makes right. Nor is this /
their greatest contribution. No peo-
pie can be a conquered people unless |
they are conquered from within-con-
quered by their own low standards of 4
thinking and living. The greatest |
contribution of these men is that they
gave us a larger, fuller conception |
of liberty, freedom and justice than
has evertained in these, The Unit
ed States of America
We can no longer be content merely
because we may have peace and har-
mony within our own narrow jurisdic-
ton; nor is it possible to be content
with any narrow vision under our
formations which have been wrought |
alone the material forces and agencies
but the whole of society. The isolat-
ed community, indeed, the isolated
nation is rapidly becoming a thing of
the past. Any change for good or
for i'll that affects the welfare of
countries overseas, affects our own
welfare Immediately. We can no
longer ignore this fact. 1t is forced
upon our attention daily, in material
ways. But it is in q much larger
sense that our soldiers have brought
home to US this lesson. 1t is in the
idealistic sense, the sense of our
moral obligations to the weak and
the oppressed of every country, the
sense of greater brotherhood-the
brotherhood of man.
The work Of these heroes is done.
Their sacrifice is the greatest sacri-
fee it is humanity possible to make.
"Greater love than this hath no man,
that he lay down his life for friend"
Their achievements can not be meas
ured by any present standards nor
time. Their deeds cannot be measur- |
ed by the present generation, nor