Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1952-07-31
Paul Revere, Model 1862
Needed to '.Ride Again

When Henry Wadsworth Long
fellow wrote stirring poem which
began, =.
Listen, my children and you shall
hear,
Of the midnight ride of Paul Re-
we're ="
capable silver and coppersmith
became a prominent figure in
American History. His name was
Paul Revere. 1t is known that there
was at least one other hard riding
messenger out on the same mis-
sion on the eighteenth of April
in seventy-five". Man by the name
of Dawes. But for Mr.. Longfel-
lows selection, Dawes or some
other chap might have received the
credit for the ride. And if Mr..
Longfellow had not been inspired
by the incident, maybe no one
would have received mention. So
Mr.. Revere's fame as the "siren"
of ITS seems to be somewhat ac-
cidental.
But that fact that Paul Revere
was on watch was no accident.
Neither was the response to his
summons an accident. Can we be-
lieve for a moment that after
years of bitter contention with the
British; of Boston massacres, tea
parties, port sealings, in effect a
long "cold" war; that it just hap
pened that a couple of men de-
cided to go over to the Charles
town shore that night? And did
his friend go up in the tower of
the Old North Church on a bunch
or a rumor? Far from likely. What
about the "embattled farmers"
who gave them ball for ball from
behind each fence and farmyard
ASwall?" If they had not been part
bf system organized and partial5
ly trained for such an emergency
they would probably have turned
over in bed with uncomplimentary
remarks about the yelling horse
man who disturbed their sleep.
No, this was no happenstance.
An organized group, "the 80 me-
chanics" had maintained a patrol
in Boston to warn the 10000 en-
rolled minute men" of the town
and those of the countryside.
These people recognized that a
danger to their liberties threaten
ed, they were determined to pre-
vent it, and they took serious
steps to do so. They were busy
men, too, but they added defense
activities to their work days.
After TT years we find our
selves back in the same situation
as when mounted couriers turned
out the minute men to defend our
liberties. A merciless potential
enemy armed with weapons of
fantastic power is ready and eager
to use them on US as soonl as he
feels he can win.- He probably
b couldn't win in the long run. This
is America. But if he decides he
can win, he will strike. And though
we defeat him in the end, he can
rain disaster on US that simply
sickens the soul to contemplate.
We need Paul Reveres to-day
And we have some - but not
nearly enough. The men and wo-
men of the Ground Observer Corps
are the modern Reveres. Right now
they are watching all about you
in Montgomery County, all over
Maryland, and in twenty-six Other
states. They are watching right
around the clock for the low fly.
ing enemy planes which could slip
under our far flung radar screen
and attack our cities. They must
put in long, long hours on this jot
if they are to maintain their watch
with the pitifully small number
now enrolled in the Ground Oh.
server Corps. But they are doing
it.
Fortunately their warnings will
be received by an expert profes
sional Armed Force which car
q limit the destruction these fiend'
want to visit upon US. But all de-
struction can't be avoided.
There were some American
deaths at Lexington too. But wher
the British Commander saw tina
a ready resistance was operating
all around his force, he had t.