Evening star., 1923-11-11
An Armistice Day Reflection
On Qualities of Citizenship

zeal and pride in our labor, our Joy
In accomplishments--a are far less
than they were before the war. We
seem to do what we do because of a
fear that there Is a force somewhere
to compel US to do 1t. We shirk more
galley slaves than like village black
smiths at eventide with our work
well done. I do not imply that In
the event of another great emer-
gency we would not be sufficiently
patriotic to face it, grapple 1t and
overcome it. That reserve strength
has always been the remarkable trait
of our race. 1t Is nevertheless to be
deplored that a democracy which can
only rightly exist upon the judgment
and conscience Of its Individual citi-
zens should, after accommodating in
orders and doing gladly the things 1t
was called on to do, suffer the reflex
action that with victory nothing more
was required Of it.
X 4 ~
The Apostle Paul was quite prone,
for a hunchback, to use military
phrases. He speaks Of the supreme
qualification of a soldier in these
words. "And having done all, to
stand" BY this 1 understand him to
mean that In the course Of q soldiers
life there come moments, perhaps
hours. in which the supreme test Of
his qualifications rests upon his abil-
ity to grin and bear 1t, to trust that
things viii come out all right, to be
willing to go down if they don't
come out all right. 1t has not yet
been given to me to understand the
men who hour after hour stayed In
the dugouts in France, waiting for
the command to go over the top. I
have tried to visualize the whole
thing, and it still seems to me that
L would far have preferred to take
rather than to have stayed in the
dugout. Yet what would have hap
pened If every man had taken 1t
upon himself to be the Judge as to
the time when he should make an
assault upon the German lines? He
was the good soldier who. doing
what he was told to do. knew how
to stand. He did not break out into
insurrection; he did not disobey or
fail to obey orders.
Did we at home learn how to stand?
We bore with cheerfulness every
burden and sacrifice which the war
imposed. But since it's close, how
many of US bear burdens cheerfully
make sacrifices gladly? How many
of us are willing to await the slow
operation Of orderly processes to cor
rect grievances under which we suf-
fer? How many of US are leaving
our posts Of duty to engage in inspr-
rections against constituted author
ity? All this may have no effect upon
the life of the republic so long as 1t
simply has to do with the relations
of one man to another. but 1t Is CAL
culated to have tremendous effect
when 1t has to do with our relations
to the republic itself. This govern
ment cannot endure IL maintained
by force. We may call 1t a democ-
racy. but twill not be such. We
must get back to the attitude of
the civil war soldier. We must re-
member Pauls supreme test of SOL
dier-his ability to stand. This gov
ernment of law and order rests upon
the judgment. conscience and conduct
of each individual citizen, whose duty
to his government demands willing
ness TO suffer grievances until they
can be rectified lawfully and devo-
ton as though its fate depended upon
him.
Copyright, 1923. BY Twenty-n -nnt Century
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