The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-05-30
IN HONORlNC THE DEAD DO NOT
FORGET THE WOUNDED IS PLEA
or JORDAN IN MEMORIAL TALK

not Anished whsn the grave y dec
GRATED, but should b the begin
ming Of rendering services 70 me
wounded, Colonel H. B. Jordan.
commandant Of Rock Island ar
senal, said this morning ut the
court house square. where patri-
otto exercises were held foiioWans
the parade.
The colonel put special stress
ON the fact that the public II prone
to forget the sailor who served IN
the war. Without the men OF the
sea, victory would have turned
away from American shores. the
commandant said. adding that hon
or, too, should be paid to the con-
federate soldier, who fought ior
what he considered was right.
Colonel Jordan said:
Memorial day in the hearts OF
many Is . day full of sadness ana
sorrow, Of mourning for those who
have gone beyond. In my mind.
instead Of q day of sorrow and sad
ness, Memorial day should be q DAY
full Of happiness and 1oy-happi-
ness in the thought that God gave
US for a time the pleasure Of those
noble souls who have given their
lives for their country, and happf-
ness in the knowledge that all in
1 dividuals in our country are today
honoring their memories in way
they have never done before.
Memorial day does not mean and
should not mean that our duty is
done when we have placed flowers
on the graves Of those who have
gone and have taken part in the
services In their honor, but 1t
should mean only the beginning OF
our services to those men who so
calamity did their bit in the war
and have returned to us broken
and disabled. The saddest thing
In all history is the fact that we
are too prone to forget those who
stood a. q bulwark between US and
the enemy, who gave their all prac-
tically all in this service and who
are now in hospitals or homes suf-
fering in ways that it is hard to ap-
preciate.
Harding's Tribute.
Commenting upon President Hard
ing's recent pilgrimage to New
York city to meet the transport
which returned with the body OF
the first American to fall in the
war, Colonel Jordan said: mo hon
or is too great for them. nor could
our president do anything which
would on behalf OF our government
pay them too great an honor. The
eternal admonition which President
Harding said rang in his ears, 1t
must not be again; it must not be
again. is the hope Of all.
There is no question but that
the president voiced the thought
and will Of the American people in
his speech, but we must remember
that strength that is not organized
is not strength in this day and age.
1t is worse than weakness, for it
tempts the aggressive to attack and
its posseSsor to an unwarranted
confidence in his strength. The
life blood Of patriots sacrificed in
unnecessary wars and in the IN
skilled comb4ts Of unframed men
pays for the hardness Of unprepar-
edness. 1s
IF We fail to organize we are
simply dedicating our young men
OF the future to the same sacrifice
we have demanded of the heroes in
the late war. and we have no right
to ask needless sacrifice Of this
kind, for it is simply sacrifice to
our unreadiness to defend what il
is our duty to defend, and we are
sacrificing them to our failure tt
live up to that ideal which the
president enunciated-a nation sc
powerful in righteousness thai
none will provoke her wrath.
"On Memorial day, in spite Of oul
desire to do honor to all of on,
heroes, am afraid that we neg
| lect to pay sufficient tribute to one
branch Of the service which in tn,
last war fought in none of tn,
glamour OF battle. but did the hard
thankless tasks Of which very littl,
was heard. I mean our sailors