| Show A PATRIOTIC DeI delivered vered at the banquet of the sons of the american revolution lution by bishop orson F r whitney of logan the second celebration in utah of the battle of bunker banker hill other exercises THE has already published a general beneral account of the second annual celebration of the bunker hill anniversary in utah at which a number of patriotic addresses were made music was interspersed through the program and when the toastmaster finally called upon mr whitney to respond to the concluding toast the genius of americanism he responded as follows THE GENIUS OF americanism it was david of old who said As his part is that goeth down to the battle so shall his part be that carrieth tar rieth by the stuff they shall part alike the occasion was the rout of the Ama lekites and the recovery from them by the jewish hero and his warlike band of the spoil taken at two hundred of davids men had not been in the fight exhausted by previous action they had remained behind to guard the baggage while their four hundred comrades continued the pursuit and vanquished the foe the fi fighting ahting over a question arose as to the proper division of the spoil some of the victors were unwilling that any but actual combatants should share in the division and they proposed that their brethren who had not been been in the battle but had bad guarded the baggage of those who fought should only be given their rescued wives and chilgren chi children laren and allowed to depart it was then that david scouting the uin ungenerous generous 0 and ud unjust 1 list apropo laid down the rule to be permanently observed as an artlin ance in israel As his part is that goeth down to the battle so shall his part be that carrieth tar rieth by the stuff they shall part alike I 1 was reminded of this incident and particularly of davids part therein on rece receiving ivino M the invitation which brought me here a guest of the utah society of the sons of the american revolution I 1 thought I 1 could see in the action of your committee inspired no doubt by the genious of your organization Lation a spark of the same generous spirit which shines so luminously even at a distance of three thousand years in the noble example of the noblest hebrew of his time so far as I 1 am aware no direct ancestor of mine was present at the battle of bunker banker hill none of my progenitors that I 1 know of abou though h I 1 am not in full possession of the facts took part in the glorious strife resulting in the independence of the colonies A brother of my great great grandfather rand father was at the battle of bennington an and d others of the same name and blood served in the patriot army during the war but they do not happen to have been my direct ancestors 1 i who however I 1 have every reason to believe faithfully tarried by the stuff while their brothers and cousins went down to battle this characteristic of staying g by the stuff particularly if the stuff be of good quality is more or less inherent in our family perhaps that is one reason why I 1 am here tonight why I 1 was invited to this banquet if so II 11 I 1 am P pleased leaved to note that this honorable society recognizes merit of that kind my staying slaying qualities ties on such occasions are e equal to those of any but seriously I 1 see shining chining through C this simple act of your committee what I 1 conceive to be i the genius of americanism the genius of justice and generosity the spirit actuating david of old in ora ordering ering an equitable division of the spoil taken in battle all I 1 who had bad served him faithfully in any capacity all whose hearts had gone with him into the strife all who were with him in spirit no matter where their bodies were meanwhile were to be remembered and rewarded were to part alike were wera to share equally in the blessings resulting from tile the struggle this to me is the genius of americanism and david was an american in spirit compare his hia attitude with that of the fathers of 0 our ur country who battled tor for justice and equal rights founding a nation as a haven of hope and refuge for the on oppressed pressed of all countries and dimes climes compare it with Lincol ns attitude in issuing the edict ii of emancipation and wit with the constitutional amendment granting full political privileges to the freedmen compare it with grants magnanimity on the field of appomattox and with the ge generous and wise policy of the victorious north iti in welcoming back to equi equality aliby and sovereignty the vanquished and forgiven south compare these attitudes attitude and be convinced that the spirit of americanism or something akin thereto burned in the breast of the shepherd warrior of bethlehem do I 1 err in supposing that davids appreciation of the position of those who tarried by the stuff was waa due in part to his recollection of the time when as a rud dy checked cheeked shepherd boy he tended his fathers flocks while his elder brothers went forth to fight the philistines wai it any fault of his that ho he was kept at home for that peaceful purpose or sent bent as an occasional messenger to the camp with provisions to help feed those who were fighting davids turn to fight came later and he lost nothing by waiting well for goliath of gath had david or himself waited a little longer now my ancestors awaited their turn to fight during the days of 76 they were pione pioneering erino up in the woods of vermont nor were they numbered among that gallant band of green mountain boys who with ethan allen alien at their head descended like an avalanche upon ticonderoga 0 a but when the war of 1812 broke out that second war for abue diaan independence dence which secured the results of the first my grandsire grand siro was where lie he could shoulder a musket and engage in the fray lie ile fought at plattsburg Platts burg on lake champlain and lost all his property by the war pardon these personal all allusions S they are made to illustrate a principle the spirit of americanism does not consist in a vain worship of ancestry well has it been said that ho be who depends upon the merits of his ancestors is like one who di digs s about the roots of a tree for fruit that should be found upon the branches such things are not american they savor more of the other side of the atlantic and even there they are fast losing their popularity we cannot live in the past it is a sepulcher a monument a memory we must look forward not backward men go in the direction they look the only human being that ever looked backward and remained stationary was lots wife all who would livo live in the past become like her they lose their freshness and live if progressive non people can he be said to live only to exemplify the truth of the proverb in the midst of life fire we are in death progress is the insignia of americanism the true american faces the rising not the setting sun our forefathers all honor to them did much but they did riot not do all something remains for us to do or dare the foundations ons of li bertys temple have been laid and the walls partly reared but we or our children or our childrens children must put on oil the capstone an and d erect the pinnacles the past however glorious however admirable is never so go im important as the present and the future eternal p ogress makes this true the past was of paramount importance to our 1 ancestors anc estora for it was their present their time for action their season for sowing that posterity might Is reap a harvest our or present is equally important to us we owe a debt to the past which can only lie be paid to the future and the present is the time fr for payment we can best discharge the ibe obligation by emulating and striving to excel all that is good in the examples of our ancestors but who are our ancestors ancestor and what is the past did the history of human heroism begin with the year 1775 or the year 1620 are all our ancestors upon this side of those lines linesa neither the genius nor cor the lineage of americanism neither the blood no nor r the spirit that answers to the blood is compressible within such narrow darrow bounds away with them aown own with geographical hinesl down will all arbitrary and unreal distinctions ions our ancestors were the lovers of liberty in all ages the champions of freedom in every land and clime some of the blood now cow warming the genial heart of those around me may have flowed in the veins of the tell of switzerland the bruce of bannockburn may have conquered with cromwell at marston moor aboor or at ivry followed 0 to o victory the white plume of henry or of navarre may have stood with horatius at the roman bridge or fallen gloriously with leonidas at thermopylae may inay have reddened ned romes arenas with the seal mal of christian martyrdom or gushed from the pierced bosoms of beho prophets upon the altars of moloch and baal wallace brutus miltiadas and all the patriots all the freemen of the past who were they americans iii ia spirit americans in all but name because they loved justice because they prized freedom and fought and bled for her on many a sanguine field fought and prevailed whether in victory or defeat for freedom s battle once begun bequeathed from bleeding sire to son though baffled oft is ever won these men or men like them we were ere our ancestors ance and they bequeathed thed to our sires and our hires to us freedoms battle begun while earth was young lt let us see se 0 to it my countrymen that we are worthy of such euch a bequest their great fight for freedom being over let us is ins insist as they the would upon an equitable division of the spoils it was in the interests of human freedom of universal justice jus that the american government was founded and the god of freedom and justice was its founder weary with the cries of trampled humanity ascending from the crime sfa stained ined tyrant trodden shores of the old world lie he who holds in the hollow of his hia hand the destinies of men and nations decreed that the reign of eagle caste and cruelty should cease that here upon this chosen soil consecrated to liberty liberta and equality should arise a nation devoted to higher and holier ends americal america A land of liberty A home borne of peace and human brotherhood where men should equal stand a sovereign host nor owe to haughty birth their high de gree where merits marits star oer cammons mam mons might ascend where brain and brawn should blood and birth outweigh where law should liberty libert and life defend and tyranny be traitor to the realm where right not might should monarch rise and beilen oer all that breathed or blossomed I 1 neata the sun where linked in chain of loving unity the only chain that Freedo freedoms mg land could bind A sisterhood of 01 empires hand band in hand band timing their steps to truths triumphal tread might t march to music of millennial strains rains Bl glad harbinger of kaill etim e glorious state the welding of the nations worldwide world wide chain with freedoms exis elingo igia bavi ng ill over all it was for the sake of all nations that this nation was founded not in any narrow sordid commercial sense out but in a broad moral phi philanthropic sense all nations nation 9 that went before it contributed toward its creation the flower and az fisit uit of all past political experience it represents in governmental science the ripened wisdom of the ages and in spite of its faults the faults of its people not its principles it stands today a beacon light and an exemplar to the world who would limit to any class the blessings blessing 3 bequeathed by its founders who would arrogate to those founders peerless patriots though they were all the honor all the glory for the planting ot of this precious tree of liberty whose leaves like those of the apocalyptic tree ree of life are for the he healing alino 0 of the nations and n not ot only it iu leaves under whose broad and generous shade from the scorching heat and pelting storms of tyranny all lovers of freedom may find rest but its fruits as well its fruits which while firstly for the chosen seed are ultimately for all mankind thi is the genius of americanism the genius of justice and generosity ero sity the spirit of freedom and philanthropy to promote and perpetuate which to rear a temple and erect an altar to its name for universal worship the good and great heaven inspired inspire ed and building better than they knew knew have labored and not in vain throughout the ages it was for this that columbus pil pushed hed his bis prows into the sett setting 1 ll 11 9 sun con and unveiled this hidden hemisphere it was for this that Lt luther ither warrior no less les than priest in spirit hurled his gauntlet at the foot of the papal throne causing that mighty upheaval which rent christendom asunder and peopled with liberty loving wor i the western shores of the atlantic it was for this that IVashin uton freedoms greatest creates t champion unsheathed his haming flaming falchion and vindicated the immortal legend end all men are created c cigal carved out by the pen 0 of f J jefferson efrer con and haloed halhed with t the he lightning 0 that franklin extracted from the skies men alen and brethren americans in spirit and in name et ever ver be just and geri generous erous rend rendering erino 0 honor and reward where honor and reward are due 11 let this banquet to which were e bidden some borne whose eires went not down to battle in alie th e days of bunker hill and yorktown sy symbolize in for us fair freedoms feast to which all men all rations nations are invited andin this spirit the 9 genius of f america americanism nis m let le t us build upon the massive foundations of the past the mighty superstructure of the future the tern temple ale of universal liberty from whose loftiest loft iest pinnacle shall forever float that star flo flowering g banner whose blossoms of light are the hope of the world |
