Evening star., 1924-05-30


has been accepted as best betokened
in the supreme sacrifice" upon the
battlefield. In more martial ages,
men sought war for glory; in our day
men know that all the glory is but
unfiinching duty-glorious not be-
cause of its gore and savagery, but
because their horrors failed, their
terrors could not swerve duty from
the awful task
The soldier, dead upon the battle
field, proves his self-sacrifice; the
same spirit also may guide the living
patriot though often undemonstrated.
1t is the spirit and not the act in
which lies the nobility.
Abraham Lincoln, in his address at
Gettysburg, spoke words of self-ef-
facement which perhaps have been
misconstrued by most interpreters:
THE world will little note, nor long
remember. what we say here, but 1t
can never forget what they did here"
Beyond the total result of the bat
tie, what acts of personal valor done
imperishable? 1t is not found in
deeds, but in eternal truths. The
bronze Of the tablet bearing the
words of that address, which today
stands upon the wall Of the Lincoln
Memorial, will decay. but the spirit
Of the truths there embossed is
7 met traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs OF
Stand in the desert Near them on the sand,
Half sunk. shattered visage lies. whose
And wrinkied lip and sneer of cold command
ron hat tee Into MAJ .
Which yet survive. stamped on those life
The hand that Knocked them. and the heart
that fed.
And on that pedestal these words appear:
My name is 0zymandias. King Of Kings;
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
The mightiest deeds are lifeless
without a mighty spirit actuating
them.
THAT from these honored dead
said Lincoln, 1--WE take increased de-
votion to that cause for which they
gave the last full measure of devo-
ton"
The soldier who dies In battle is no
more hero than the one who sur
wives. IL both are equally ready in
spirit for the full measure" of serv-
Ice and sacrifice.
The soldiers who never got across
In the world war, too often feel apol-
ogetic, as IL something had been lack
ing in their service.
The civilian who never enlisted,
nor was drafted, nor accepted COM
mission, has no ground whatever for
humiliation when the bugle call is
sounded. If in his heart was the same
spirit Of patriotic devotion, though
stacles to military duty.
1t Is not the uniform that makes
the patriot. He is the hero who does
his utmost; Gabriel with his fiery
sword could do no more; patriots
will do no less.
X *+
Every morning the bugle sounds
reveille and assembly, just as clear
ly "in these piping times of peace
as 1t ever did in martial camp. The
Battle of national glory and national
safety and greatness is refought in
every heart on every day, for the Ar
mageddon Is the heart of the citizen,
not Flanders field.
The battle Of civilization and civic
Righteousness never was more hotIy
contested than 1t is today. There is
no roar of artillery, no deadly sputter
of machine guns, no explosive bombs
falling from clouded skies, yet the
battle of Armistice day was not
fought In denser fog, than is our own
Armagedden in America, while poison
gas rolls through the smoke screens
and the hosts of corruption, greed
and treason steal their way from
trench to trench, insidiously advanc-
ing.
y \ X 4
More than half the men and women
OF America are slackers in this bat
tie; they shirk and hide from the bal
lot. They take no training in politi-
cal tactics and drill. They boast their
shirking as If 1t were a virtue in
stead of q shame. They bask in the
protection, the liberty and the op-
portunities of this great republic, but
beyond compulsory taxes. refuse
service.
What a shame-faced crowd OF
slackers they would be II Gideon
drinking water at the brook--squat-
ting down at ease! He would send
them all to the rear, though he found
only 800 red-blooded fellows who
Tapped water putting their hand to
| their mouth" the other hand clutch
| ing their fighting weapons, and their
knees unbent to seldshnesS and ener-
| walton. VIII America ever aSaiu