The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-06-01

the weak-the cause of the slave? At
Gettysburg Meade turned back Lees
victorious host, and thenceforth the
wave of battle, fiecked with fire rolled
southwards. For four long terrible
years the battle ragged on, and now at
last we have the true perspective. The
smoke has cleared and the peaks stand
forth. We begin now TO understand
things that were long hidden. We
concede now the necessity of the long
struggle. Perhaps slavery was a can
GER that fastened itself in the very
vitals of the southern life. Perhaps
it was necessary for God to anoint the
surgeon of war with oil that was dark,
that with knife made sharp and with
cautery of flame the stern surgeon
might cut out the disease chat threat
ened International life itself.
Perhaps also~the North was a young
giant, growing coarse and materialistic
and overstrong. Or perhaps, who can
gainsay tour country even like the
captain Of our salvation, had need to
be perfected through suffering! This
we do know: that that notable war
| localized the thought Of the old world
monarchists upon the young republic.
Formerly the old world scoffed at us,
but now ally that is changed. Now the
nations initiate us. Students from
other capitals come to our shores to
study our institutions All the world
is going to school to our republic to
| tx Rss+ Il. "a
| Civil war that first caught and held the
attention of the monarchies, and held
that attention for four awful years.
We Learn from Our Heroic Dead.
"Many mother will be ovewhelm-
ed with her new access of grief today
as she thinks again of the lad-and
tens of thousands of them have ALWAYS
been such young and inoffensive lads
who sleeps in soldiers honored
grave. Not few fathers and brothers
and other kinsfolk will brood over
their losses and many one will feel
that the cost was too great.
ut is then with fresh conviction
that l bring this message to them to-
day and say: These men live, and in
the immortality of their service and
sacrifice shall live everymore.'
ut is their voice we hear even above
the blare of the silver trumpets today
1t is their blood that sprinkled upon
the affairs. of our patriotism makes the
sacrifice effective and dear unto God.
There are three reasons, excellent
reasons l think, that argue the ever.
living influence of these men. First of
all they are alive in the inspiration of
their personal example. Every soldier
young and old understands this. The
element of the personal cannot be left
out of consideration, even in these
4 days of trench warfare and machine
guns. 1t cannot be left out of life
anywhere! And | dare to say that
through the years, the personal ex-
ample of devotion to the high ideals of
Americanism which was evinced by our
soldiers is beyond all calculation.
There is something almost oppres-
sive in the thought of the very num-
of our heroic dead-even of those who
sleep in the. cemeteries of Kenosha
county. But considered as individuals
each of them stood for certain ideals
and each of them made his own per-
sonal contribution by service and ex-
ample.
Again, / want to insist upon this
other fact that comes out of consid-
GRAFTON of the everything influence of
eur heroic dead; they show us that
our country's real strength lies in its
| conSecrated homes rather than in her
standing armies.
Il do not affect to despise prepared
ness. | am myself an officer of the
| Organized Reserves, and understand
fully the value of being ready for any
unforeseen emergency. But Y never
forget that in the recent test of
strength with the German empire, who
relied upon her standing armies and
think we may say had as nearly per-
| fected that fighting machine as the
mind of man could succeed in SO do
ing that test, it was demonstrated
that actual conservation tola cause and
answering devotion to it for princi-
Piles sake will make such difference in
the morale of fighting men as to turn
presumptive defeat into sure victory.
So 1t Was With Our Boys.
"And what boys they were Both in
the recent war and in the COS. Surely
back of the soldiery was the home with
its ideals and sacrifice, and its in
spring loyalty.
Finally, I want to assert what |
have said theoretically all through this
address, our heroes are alive-ever-
more alive in the grandeur and pres