Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1926-06-10
SOLDIERS OF WAR AND
SOLDIERS OF PEACE
Address Delivered by O. v.
Simon, President Of Modern
Business Institute, st. Paul, at
the Decoration Day Celebra-
ton i'm AskOv, Arranged by the
American Legion.

Memorial Day, when fittingly OBJ
served, is an event of profound sig
nificance; a day of memories; of re-
spectful tribute to the heroic dead;
of showing appreciation and honor to
the living who have served. To
make it a day of riotous celebration
or of commercialiSm is rank desc
Grafton
Yes, we are paying tribute to the
heroic dead but we do not pretend
to be trying to add to their glory.
That would be as futile as trying
to add effulgence to the moon or ex-
ira beauty to the lily of the field
of which it is written, Solomon, in
all his glory was not arrayed like
one of these
Our nation is a highly favored one,
and that in numerous ways.
We have broad plains, fertile fields,
healthful climate, wide rivers, high,
majestic, awe-inspiring mountains
and productive mines.
Throbbing cities, such as New
York, Boston, Pittsburg and Phila-
delphia of the East; Seattle, Salt
Lake City, Portland, San Francisco,
Los Angeles and Denver of the West;
Saint Louis, New Orleans and Atlanta
of the South; and Detroit, Cleveland,
Chicago, Saint Paul and Minneapolis
of the North, are veritable hives of
industry and commerce.
Desirable places of habitation are
to be found from the Atlantic to the
Pacific; from Canada to the Gulf of
Mexico-in the. North, South, East,
and West.
Our people have access to all the
H. IL
Gus age of steel, steam, iron and
electricity.
Educational institutions, of diver
sified nature, are flourishing in all
parts of the land.
Churches of various kinds, and
fraternal organizations, are to be
found in all states of the Union, as
well as in most of the island posses
sions.
Splendid libraries, filled to over
flowing with good books, newspapers
and magazines, are to be found every
where.
Our government is based upon the
principles of equality and justice.
But America is a highly favored
nation in still another sense; namely,
that her stalwart sons, of all walks
of life, have, in every time of crisis,
defended her.
The true American is thrilled by
the very names of Bunker Hill, Lex
ington and Concord, Valley Forge,
Yorktown, New Orleans, Lake Erie,
Buena Vista, Gettysburg, Vicksburg,
Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, San
Juan Hill, Manila Bay, Belleau Wood
and Chateau Thierry, because of what
American heroes did there
Such military and naval leaders as
Washington, Jackson, Perry, Taylor,
Grant, Farragut,> Dewey, Sampson,
Schley, Funston, Roosevelt and Per-
shing are bright stars in the national
armament.
There is glory enough for all, from
the private to the highest commander
in each of our wars-no need to de-
tract from any.
The Revolutionary patriots quar-
ried the foundation stones of our Re-
public from the mountains of Eternal
Truth.
These brave men had crossed
treacherouS seas to find in the New
World that which the Old World,
generally speaking, denied them;
namely, civil liberty, religious liberty,
opportunity, hope-not only for them
selves but for their children and
their children's children.
But the hand of autocracy stretched
itself across. the seas and invaded
the new fields of democracy in Amer