The Knoxville independent. [volume], June 21, 1919, Image 5

About The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current

Image provided by: University of Tennessee

                
Scene of Battle of
"By th rude bridge that arched the flood, their flag to April's breeze unfurled, here once the embattled farm
era stood and fired the shot heard round the world."
FREEDOM OVER
ALL THE EARTH
Due Recognition of Human
Rights Now the Aim
of Mankind.
Independence hall Is holy ground at
the entrance to which, like Moses at
the bush of fire,
one should re
move Ms shoes;
but It pales Into
insignificance be
side Interdepend
ence hall which
someday we
must build across
the street . from
the "birthplace of
American liberty."
One hundred, two
score and three
years ago, the
... federation of the thirteen colonies into
a federal, union was a political event
of prime import ; today it is overshad
owed by the thing of which Tennyson"
- dreamed. "The Federation of the
World.'' The Declaration of Inde
pendence is a state paper of such sig
nificance as to stand in a class by it
self. It immortalized every man who
: signed it. "These united colonies are
.and of right ewght-to be free and in
dependent states; absolved from all
allegiance to the British crown; and
. all connection between them and Great
" Britain, is and ought to be totally dls
' solved." So run the words of fire the
idealism of which was to be made real
if need be, by the lives, as well as the
. property and sacred honor of the sig-
natorles. But the Declaration of In
terdependence of all free peoples will
overtop that of July 4, 1776, as the
oak overtops the daisy.
Great Patriotic Aim.
But at that time independence was
the biggest and best thing the fathers
could purchase in a war of seven
years. They could not enjoy the un
nliennble rights of "life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness" while ruled
by Great Britain, for to be subject to
England meant to be robbed and ex-
plotted, Jailed or hanged at the tfehest
of a hulf-mad German, George III, who
wore the British crown,
, And so the patriots proposed to
stand alone, to be independent. They
, proposed an equitable self-rule on lines
more liberal than ever had been tried ;
there were' to be neither kings nor
kinglets but rather a stale of human
'quality. .
Across the water It was a dark day
for human rights. In all Europe 1 Lb- i
city wnB eclipsed; there was not one
free people. Monarehs were supreme
t.T.l r.'.oi'ti or Ida tryitnnlcal; and so, J
When the
, 1 , iff f ,1 '
Mi
r xwt hi tMt
But I was never surprised, at any re-i
semblance that appeared when your boys
and ours stqod side by side In the
trenches'. The mlnuteman of Concord Is
the ideal pf the young Englishman of to
day, who flung himself over the top. giv
ing away his comforts and risking his life
for every man In his company.
We long to see England rich in just
such young men as your mlnuteman, and
you make the same prayer for America,
so that in this, as in all the things by
which men live, you and we have the
Bame aims liberty and the service of our
country and our God. - ,
I saw a very beautiful expression of the
feeling between us on Memorial day last
year, says a writer in Scrlbner's. I went
early in the morning to the Old North
bridge with flowers for the mlnuteman; a
Southern friend was with me, and the
two lost causes, British and Confederate,
were alone on the bridge. We laid flow
ers before the mlnuteman and on the
grave of the two British soldiers whose
fate so moved Hawthorne. His spirit
may have, joined us as we passed the Old
Manse; but no one else was to be seen,
when suddenly a ghostly procession came
through the mist six old veterans just
risen from their graves; four tiny boy
scouts hardly yet born; and two young
men of the present carrying a bugle and
a flag.
They went first to the British grave,
and for the first time In history they laid
on it England's flag and a branch of New
England apple blossoms; they saluted,
blew a bugle call, and passed on to do
the same for the mlnuteman and his flag.
Then they stood in line on the bridge
each of the 12 threw a flower Into the
river and saluted, while the leader said:
"We Balute all the sailors who died in the
Civil war."
Then after a last ghoBtly bugle call
they melted away Into the mist. Was It
the mist of past or future? for they had
saiutea the three great facts of past,
present and future history the birth of
democracy, the friendship of Anglo-Sax-onlsm,
and the future peace of the world
which will surely spring from It ,
to stand alone and even aloof, as
Washington counseled, was to be pru
dent. No alliance was possible save
with that which they had Just 1 re
nounced kingcraft.
Old Order Abolished.
But "the- old order changeth, giving
place to new." Today, In 1919, the
proper social desire of the individual
Is to "live In a house by the side of
the road and be a friend to man." And
similarly, to live in the crossroads of
the nations and show vital interest in
all that pertains to humanity Is the
proper attitude for the nation. The"
setting for the next act on the world
stage must be big enough for Inter
dependence and internationalism. In
terdependence Is life and opportunity
for both. "We must hang together or
we will hang separately."
By maintaining independence and
aloofness the fathers hoped to suc
ceed; Isolation spelled safety, and so
they trusted that a deep, wide moat at
their front door, the Atlantic ocean,
would keep their foes at a distance of
3,000 miles , while they should gain
numbers and wealth and experience in
governing themselves. They minted
coins bearing the inscriptions, "Let Me
Alone" and "Don't Step on Me," the
latter beneath the figure of a colled
rattlesnake, and cutting themselves off
from world politics and world inter
ests they became a self-contained, self
sufficient people, enjoying free assem
bly, free speech, free press and free
Declaration Was Signed
1
if
&3
Concord
religion, but making Americanism dan
gerously near a big provincialism. We
helped no other people to gain our
glorious liberty. All was well if we
were let alone by the political and
warring world.
Autocracy In Rout.
But a new world order has come in.
The western hemisphere is all free.
China has astonished the world by
electing a president. " "The bear that
walks like a man" becomes human for
a fortnight and is free until his lib
erty, mistaken for license, enslaved
him to the bolshevlkl. France and
Portugal are free; Great Britain, our
ancient oppressor, is free and is our
friend. ' The British empire Is free, a
galaxy of great self-governing peoples
Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
South Africa all free, even though a
figurehead king is its nominal head;
but Lloyd George, democrat,, not
George V autocrat, is the real ruler of
the British empire I
Now for "Peace on Earth."
Free peoples do not menace the tran
quility of the world ; they are not bent
on conquest; they seek not to impose
their will on their neighbors,, even
though the neighbor be weak and
small. They covet nothing which is
their neighbor's. They stand for peace
on earth and good will among men.
The considerations alike of safety and
ethics demand the observation of the
golden rule among nations.
On July 4, 1776, the old Liberty bell
rang out in order to "proclaim liberty
throughout all the land, unto all the in
habitants thereof." Suppose that on
another July 4 it were. -permitted t&4
raise its cracked and wheezy voice to
do a bigger and far nobler thing : Pro
claim liberty to all the oppressed of
the world ! Where is
the man who would not
wish to live in that
good world? Surely not
one would pray with
Simeon, "Lord, lettest
thou thy servant now
depart In peace."
Let all the free peo
ples of the world send
representatives to meet
In Independence hall.
Let them create and
sign a nobler document
than that which the fa
thers made and signed;
nobler and larger for
one reason only the
new document will be
the Declaration of In
terdependence. That declaration will
enable all free peoples to stand against
the aggression of autocratic spoilers.
It will assert the solidarity of all who
stand for freedom and who-Jove their
fellow men. It will set forth the grow
ing sense of human brotherhood. It
will express in larger measure the high
political ideals of our time. It may
not ring in a thousand years of peace,
but it will herald that dawn
When light shall spread, and man be
liker man,
Through all the circle of the golden year.
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I ' ' I B M
CfflLHOWEE
EYEHY FSOHD AY
ABIE;
Ladies And Children Will Be Admitted Free
I At The Gates Until 6 P. M. (War Tax 1 cent)
A Smashing Vaudeville Bill Next Week At The
FREE OPEN AIR THEATRE ALL NEW ACTS
THREE REELS NEW MOTION PICTURES ALL SEATS FREE
SHOWS AT 4.30 AND 8,00 P. M.
BATHING
ROLLER COASTER --MERRY-GO-ROUND- THE PERENNIAL FAVORITES
FISHING.- BOATING ON THE LAKE- BAND CONCERTS.
SHELTER FOR 10,000 IN CASE OF STORM
The Price of Admission to Chilhovveo Park is Never Changed
Always 10 cents Children 5 cents War Tax 1 cent
- S&
Will Be
DAY
BEACH WILL OPEN NEXT WEEK
Everybody Appreciates the Enjoyment of k Plunge into the Lake
Every Safeguard W:ll Be Provided For Patrons
DANCING PAVILION
Now the Reeognized Resort For Ladies, Gentlemen and Children.
Special Dances Wednesday, Friday and Saturday Nights.