Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-11-11
Wednesday, November II, 1925.
"The quickest and most desirable
way for America to regain spiritual
leadership among nations is entry
into the World court."-John e. Nell
son, Congressman.
ARMIsTicE DAY

What were the thoughts upperrnost
in the homes of this country on No
.yember 18th, 1918, when news of the
signing Of the Armistice was re-
ceived? How may the two minutes
of silence on the eleventh hour Of the
eleventh day Of the eleventh month
of 1925 be better occupied than in re-
calling what was uppermost in our
minds then: gratitude to the God of
battles as Of peace that those Of our
Boys, who had been spared, were
coming home; that the awfulness of
the war. which had shut down on the
world like a dank pail of death. was
to be lifted, as the sun of peace came
through; the hope that the world
was convinced OF the futility Of war;
profound sorrow for the slain laid as
a sacrifice on the altar; high resolve
to cherish their memories as dearest
possessions; tenderly to care for
those broken on the wheel Of torture
from poison gas ana the remorse.
lessnsss of conflict.
p All, but this win bs q crowded two
minutes! And fortunate indeed viii
we be II consciousness Of that I'M
done which should have been done,
OF high resolves that weakened. does
NOT follow close upon this silent COM
Munion with ourselves.
Armistice Day is peculiarly that Of
the veterans Of the World War. In
recognition Of them was It establish
ed and as such 1t should be main
tanned in the features that character
lie its observance The lessons Of 1t
We al may share. II we wish to set
aside days for observance Of these 1t
Us proper that we should do so. If
those lessons be Of lasting impress
zion they will nowise depend on the
occasion Of Armistice Day for their
observance. !.
And one of these is, that those who
Anow. those. whose day this is, do
not desire war, are not carried away
by false notions Of the glory of war.
None know better than do they the
horrors of war: know the passing
from exaltation to the depths, from
Ehigh hope and inspiration to the
sinjustices, the petty tyrannies. the
lgreed and ruthlessness hanging like
'harpies on the tanks of an army;
know Of the seeds of disease sown in
bodies and souls of men. Back from
sthe muck Of trenches and the
,smother Of gas they have brought
seasoned discrimination between the
ideal and the real but they have,
nevertheless. chung to the ideal Of a
lcountry to be made worthy of the
SACRIFICES that have been made in it's
behalf.
They know out of their experience
THAT peace at any price is a most
sinsidious and dangerous thing; they
know. out Of their suffering, some
what Of the pricelessness of sacrifice
land suffering. We trust they believe
that ways may be found in peace
|. for hardening the fibre and strength
:ening the morale of the human race,
without resort to war, waged by all
the destructive elements that may be
conceived by the brain of man; that
they recognize that sacrifice and high
resolve are as essential in war with
crime and degeneracy, with lust and
greed; with moral and mental
,cowardice. as ever they were with
war to destroy ufe-life of the best
more. often than life of the worst.
We believe they realize that war is
q, today; that unlike the world war
the innocent and guilty are not
drafted to kill the innocent and
guilty alike, for that is what hap
pened from 1914 to 1918: that the
war is on between the forces Of
constructiveness and the forces Of
destructiveness; that it is a war in
which there can be no truce, no
.armistice short Of the millennium,
and that the call is urgent for cour-
age. for loyalty. for endurance and
for all the nobler qualities, which
we like to think our soldiers of the
war Of Mars possess.