THE CHEM AW A
AM ERICAN
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carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task
remaining before us, that from these honored dead we may take in
creased devotion to the cause for which they gave the last full measure
of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have
died in vain; that the nation shall, under God, have a new birth of
freedom, and that the government of the people, by the people and for
the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
If that is the greatest speech in the history of our country, then we
can place second to it a speech of one of vour own Indian people. This,
too, is short, but great and eloquent because it recognizes the same
truth that Lincoln uttered. It is the speech of Curly, the famous Cus
ter scout of the Crow Indians:
I was the friend of General Custer. I was one of his scouts, and
will sav a few words.
The great Father in Washington sent you here about this land,
The soil you see is not ordinary soil; it is the dust of the blood, the
flesh and the bones of our ancestors. We fought and bled and died to
keep other Indians from taking it; and we fought and bled and died
helping the whites.
You will have to dig down through the surface before you can find
nature’s earth, as the upper crust is Crow. The land as it is is my
blood and my dead; it is consecrated, and I do not want to give up any
portion of it.”
Both messages gi.-e us a truth we often disregard. When we look at
the stars and stripes waving in beauty above us, let the led bars speak
of the blood of our fathers; the white of the purity and devotion of our
mothers; the stars in the blue of the God who rules over us. The
opportunities and privileges that cotne to you have been purchased by
tremendous sacrifice. They come to you as gifts from the past. You
must hold them sacred; you must use them rightly.
Our word, “ patriotism,” comes from the Greek word for country,
patrios,” embodying the idea of a gift from our forefathers; but our
word is literally their patriotes,” meaning one’s fellow countrymen.”
Iru e patriotism must include a love for our fellow men that will lead
us to give our best in their service.
It is to be hoped you will never be called upon to fight with gun or
sword in defense of your country’s honor. But you are called upon to
serve your fellow-men with the best powers of your life; to fight against
the evils that destroy; to help men onw’ard in righteousness and good
ness. The battle calls for the strong and the brave, and its rewards are
ample. Feel it a privilege to go back to your people and give to them
the new insight and the richer life that has come to you in the days of
your schooling. If you go back sometimes to conditions that are harder