'The American community eelerated their annual Memorial Day on Sunday momming with a service at the Bubbling Well Road Cemetery =-the balmy spring weather pro-Yiding just that atmosphere, so congenial to a day devoted to' war dead. Punctually at the hour, the.V.C. units, in full dress, the American Ca., Municipal Band and the American Troop, with a contingent from the Navy, arrived at the cemetery and stood by while the civilian population—including Jarge numbers of the Am Behool-vand representatives of all organizations, gathered for the ser-Vie. The American Legion and Spanish War Veterans came as but the G. A. individ Jatter body is for the veterans of the Civil War fare but a few in number now. Mr. E, 8. Cunningham, U. S. Consul-General, acted as master of cere-
Have you ever stopped to consider why we should have a Memorial Day, why we should do honour to our glorious dead, why patriotism should be a virtue?
The Love of Country Sean the pages of history, study the rise and fall of nations, and you will find patriotism the propelling force behind all national achievement. A decadent nation you will most likely find smothered by its own ashes of selfishness, indifferfence and discontent, A people Jwhose heart is stirred by the love fof country will rise triumphant [from any defeat. Extinguish a governntent by force of arms and if its citizens retain that vital spark jwe call patriotism a new government will rear itself Phoenix-like from the dust of the old, strength-Jened, encouraged, chastened by the sacrifices of the' past.
The purpose, then, of a Memorial Following the invocation na to honour our hero dead and whose command he was offered was to be used in opposition to-the doctrine of States—rights in which hho believed. President Lincoln de-dered a blockade of the Southern States on April 19, 1861, and the next day Colonel Lee resigned his commission and returned to Virginia. Think of the personal sacrifice involved! "He was giving up all because of his duty, as he saw it, to his State and in'spite of the fact: that he regretted his action his State had taken. You must remember that he was earnestly opposed to disunion and had given his slaves their freedom, regarding slavery 26 a moral and_ political evil in any country. Nevertheless hhis State had acted and he bowed to the will of the majority. Does: not his dation epitomize the fundamental principle upon which our government is based! Is not the will of the majority the cornerstone lof our Constitution when confronted Jwith the situation Colonel Lee him-union that can and bayonets, and in which strife and civil war are to take the place of brotherly love and kindness, has no charm for me. I shall mourn for my country and for the welfare are virtues we should strive to at tain; they are virtues that go to make the ideal citizen, the ideal patriot. And as we meet together to honour those who have gone be-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.