Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-31
NATION LOYAL To
SELF, BUT HELPFUL
PRESIDENT IDEAL

WASHINGTON, May ga nation
loyal first of all to itself, but never
failing to measure up to the demands
of an advancing civilization was pic
tured by President Harding as an
American ideal today in Memorial
day address at Arlington National
cemetery.
American heroes of every war, the
president said, had accomplished far
more than the immediate ends for
which they fought, because they had
helped erect and preserve a shrine
for the liberty-loving of every race.
He declared the whole mission of
America would become an unrealized
dream if this heritage ever were
sacrificed.
Our country" said Mr.. Harding,
has never failed to measure up to
the demands presented to it in behalf
of humanity, and it never will. When
it ceases to meet these drafts, 1T will
no longer be our country; it will be,
if that time ever comes, the wretched
and decaying memorial of another
civilization that has crumbled of am
other ideal which has failed. of an.
other ambition for mems happiness,
which has somehow gone awry."
In equally emphatic language the
president asserted his conviction that
this duty to civilization could be ac-
complshed only if the nation took
care first of it's own integrity.
'I counsel no selfshness," he said,
mo little Americanism. no mere
parochialism, when l urge thats our
first duty is to our own. and that in
the measure of it's performance we
will find the true gauge of our
capacity to be helpful to Others"
Text Of Address
follows:
1--WE are met on sacred soil today
for a solemn hour of sacrament and
conservation. But the soil whence
we come is 0lf-sanctified through
the sacrifices of those who lie here.
Wherever our flag flies, within the
boundaries of the republic, it is
over lands whose freedom and secur-
ity have been wrought through these
sacrifices.
ut is the privilege of this com.
pany to utter our tribute of love
and gratitude in this sacristy Of
beauty within the sight of the ma
tional capitol. But others, no less
devout, will assemble all over our
land, and other lands, under foreign
skies and among alien peoples, to
pay like tribute of love and MEM
Dry. There are no restricted boun.
daries to the reverence of this day.
There is no discordant note in the
hymn of gratitude. With old wounds
healed, and new generations offer-
ing on the affairs, of our patriotism
there is no sectionalism in our mem.
orial. Above the murmurings Of
grief is the swelling concord of un-
ion and the dominant note is our
faith in the republic.
ut will be tribute today spoken
in many tongues. and by diverse
races. Wherever men are free they
are wont to give thought to- our
country's services in freedoms cause.
Where men may but aspire to a
freedom not yet achieved, their in-
stinc, turns the eye and the thought
of hope this way, and they pray
that their cause may gain our ap-
probation. They know that we have
never drawn the sword of oppres-
sion, that we have not sought what
was not our own, nor taken all that
we might have claimed. They have
seen our protecting 3rm stretched
over the outposts of liberty on eve
cry continent. For more than a cen-
fury our plighted word warned ty-
ranny from half the world, then
when the gauge was taken UP by
mad ambition, men felt the blow
that arm could strike when freedom
answered in its utmost might. Across
the seas we sent our hosts OF Lbs
ertys sons, commissioned to redress
the eternal scales Today, the sons
and daughters of other lands I'd
which they gave their all are plac-
ing with loving hands their laurels
on American graves, not less rev.
erently than we are doing here. To
me, no thought comes with more OF
Memorial day is become an interna-
tional OCCASION; that it calls upon
the fortunate free of many lands
and countries to help in it's observ-
ance; and that equally to them and
US 1t is a reminder of our common
troth to civilization, humanity and
everlasting justice.
Our Debt
There are gathered here the
ashes of a great army Of those who
fought in the struggle which pre-
served our union and insured our
high place in the community of ma
tons. Our debt to them will never
be paid, but we can come for them
and for ourselves on this national
commemoration day, to attest our
veneration and undying love. They
rendered a service greater than they
knew, for they saved our nation to-
the cause of human freedom and
paved the to that power and in
fluence which enabled it to play it's
part in behalf of all mankind in the
time of supreme crisis of the world.
We will not over appraise their sac.
rifice if we say that had they failed.
their failure would have so weak-
ened the forces of liberty and en-.
lightenment that they would have
been doomed, in the more recent
world trial. to failure and defeat. A
divided America would have been in
capable Of the effort that was de-
manded to hold our present day