Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-06-02
PRESIDENTS SPEECH
LINGERS In MEMORY
WAR AWoKE AVERAGE CITIZEN
TO REALIZATION OF WHAT
GOVERNMENT DOES.

well, believe me, 1t sure made
the cold shivers run up and down
my back" 1t was Jack still talking
about his trip to New York with
Uncle Ted when the President was
there.
"And didn't we have good time
thought" was Ruths comment. All
that day it had been all Uncle Ted
could do to get her away from the
store windows where hundreds OF
dolls seemed to fairly talk 20 her
at every corner.
Eyes, but you cared more about
the dolls than you did about hear
ing President Harding talk and see
ing the BIG things" retorted Jack,
who was very proud of the fact that
, he had listened to every word the
President said snd had shown real
interest in what was going on. He
had heard that wonderful speech
of the President early in the norm
ing at the pier in Hoboken when,
with tears streaming down his face
as he stood emcng the more than
five thousand coffins containing the
bodies of the soldiers who fought on
the battlefields of Europe, he had
called out for hope that, st must
not be again"
Now that We ara home and can
sit quietly and think" said Uncle
Ted, suppose you iiddies cosl. over
here while we talk over the trip
said by President Harding. You
know there is such difference be-
tween the ways in which various
men look upon war and all the hor-
rible things going with it. You
know I was through a part of it. l
didn't do much, but saw things that
will never allow me to hink or act
as did before. I was glad for the
privilege of helping my country as
was every man who donned a uni
form. For long time, in this coun-
try, we sort of took our government
and the things that went with 1t as
matter of course. We knew that
certain laws were passed and re-
pealed. We knew that at a. certain
time each year we had taxes to pay
and every so often we went to the
polls and voted to elect men to run
the government and then we, as
quickly as possible, went back to
our work and proceeded to forget
it while the other fellows ran the
question Of the day.
But war changed that. With
all its horrors it did accomplish one
thing. 1t made men and women
realize that they owe duty to their
country, a real duty. The fact that
the government is something real
and moving like any other big BUSH
ness organization suddenly dawned
upon people. But there were those
even then, who said that we were
too proud to fight by way of an
excuse because they had failed to
prepare US to meet an inevitable
war.
81 could go on and on about this,
but it is getting late so / must get
to what President Harding said and
show you what wonderful meaning
his words convey. His speeches
cannot be heard or read without
making you love your country more,
and without giving you greater cour-
age to go ahead and take part in
the nations work, work that is
even greater now than during the
war. l don't care what anyone says,
] believe the address of President
Harding at the pier in Hoboken was
the most inspiring ever delivered
by President, unless 1t be the Get
tysburg speech of Lincoln. Riddles,
there is such difference between
a nation unprepared to meet trouble,
a nation armed to the teeth and hunt
ing trouble, and a nation powerful
enough 20 make the rest of the world
understand that it must be left alone.
To me the last kind is the best and
that is what Mr. Harding urged. Try
20 think back and see the scene, with