The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-08-17

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fell, leading their half enslaved
subjects to battle for conquest or
to perpetuate a dynasty. 1t was the
heydey of the professional warrior.
Fighters singly or in companies,
came to be traded around Europe
from sovereign to sovereign very
much as baseball players are eX-
changed between clubs today. The
elimination came when the Thir-
ty Years War laid half Of Europe
in ashes, and the soldier became
an object of terror and disrepute.
sin. England however the seeds of
civil liberty sprang into early flow
er and there we, find the first re-
vival of anything ike the citizen
army. Englishmen point with pride
to certain periods of their history
when great strides were made in
the cause of human freedom.
These were the times when yeomen
the ranks. Thus it was the sturdy
long bOwmen with Magma Charta
to fight for who in the days of
Edward 1 and Henry ) defeated
the chivalry of autocratic France.
When Spain threatened civiliza-
ton with the terrors of the inquisi-
ton and sent her immense feet
against protestant England, there
was another cutpouring of men to
serve on shin and on shore a gen
uine response of the people to an
a cute military situation. On the
other hand the army of the despot-
ic Henry relied largely on sold
iers of fortune hired from ali over
Europe and we re all familiar
with the fact that the troops sent
by England to suDdue her REBEL
ious American colonies included
large contigents' of Hessians and
other hirelings whom King George
found it necessary to employ be-
cause the people of England were
not united in his support.
But a new era for the cause of
popular governmnt was at hand
in Europe as we'll as in Europe
In 1889 the French Revolution
broke like thunder storm at the
close of a sultry day. At the very
start a true army of the people
was called into being. The obi
cation of every Frenchman Of
fighting age to serve in defense Of
the rights of man was proclaimed
At the same time the Royal family
covering in THEN place at Vtrsa-
lilies were defended not by French
men but by a hired body of Swiss
guards. The armies of the revolu-
ton Unprecedented in size and fir
ed by the new wine Of liberty
swept to victory after victory over
the opposing forces of autocratic
Austria. Prussia and Spain. A
government of the people had once
more created a peoples army. But
the French Republic in her new
found glory was not strong enough
to resist the familiar succession of
events. Within a few years we
find Napoleon become military die
tator and emperor, using the army
as tool for his ambitions. Pres
emily the democratic hosts of the
Revolutions have changed to pro-
fessional forces supported by
drafts from a reluctant population
The result was the downfall of
NAPOLEON.
Those stormy years left Europe
saddled with the habit Of maintain
ing large standing armies. To
bolster up waning cause the mon
arches of Europe then attempted
to adopt the methods of democ-
racy. Conscript armies based on
universal service became the rule.
The reactionary leaders of Euro
pc, such as Bismark, sought to
create an army Of the people to
serve as the shield ard buckler of
monarchy. They took the form
without the substance: the weap-
ons of democracy without its vital
spirit. Everyone knows how near
to success their attempt came.
German autocracy convinced of the
effectiveness of such meas ures
challenged the democratic spirit of
the world and maintained the
struggle till the army itself turn
ed against its leaders.
| hope | have not wearied you
by this rapid survey Of history. I
ventured upon it in order that we
might the more correctly appraise
the true worth of the soldiers of
Craftsbury whose names are in
scribed on this tablet. "He is thrice
armed who hath his quarrel just
ConspicuouSly is this true of the
men whom Craftsbury has contri-
buted to the conflicts of our coun-
try. They have been soldiers of
the people, not mercenaries hired
to sustain the ambitions Of a milit-
airy chief. They are brothers in
arms Of the Greeks Tho stood Mt
Thermopylae and the Romans who
marched with Cincinnatus. The
boys of '61 going forth to over
power secession and slavery carried
with them the same enthusiasm
and confidence in the right which
fired the men of old England sail
ing in their frail ships TO turn back
the Spanish Armama and sustain
English freedom against religious
intolerance. The men who, only five
years ago left their home deter
mined that PrusSianism should not
dominate the world. marched spir-
itually shoulder to shoulder with
the citizen soldiers of the French
Revolution as they cleared the long
obstructed highway for the advance
of liberty. Therefore. I say. let
US honor these men Of Craftsbury
living and dead who have formed
a part of that great brotherhood in