Semi-weekly herald., 1915-03-08
II DIDN'T RAISE MY BOY
TO BE A SOLDIER" is HIT
(By Ann Lisle.)

lBy Ann Llsle.)
"There'd be no war today
If mothers all would say:
4 didn't raise my boy to be a SOL
dier.'"
Every generation produces a great
song. A great song immortalizes a
noble sentiment and tells the beauty
of fine feeling better than any sermon
or article or crusade can express it
The sound of stirring melody with
chambers of heart and mind at the
same moment. Every soul is stimu-
lated by song and stirs in response.
Even as Home, Sweet Home"
stands for family life, and "Annie
Laurie" for true love, and "The Wear
ing of the Green" for loyalty, and
my Country It's of Thee" for pa
triotism, so the needs of today have
produced song that takes its place
with the immortals in the world OF
music. 1t is the song that stands for
peace-"I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be
a Soldier"
All over the war-ridden world the
strains of this song ought to float,
Everywhere it ought to be played and
sung. Little, hsping children ought
to be taught its words and melody,
so that the sentiment of peace would
grow in their hearts.
Every heart in our country is tor
tured and torn at the thought Of the
horrible conflict raging across the
ocean. Every one longs and prays
for the cessation of war that takes
its toll of human lives in millions
And yet our powerful country is help
less to stop the carnage-the whole
sale breaking of the commandment,
'"Thou shalt not kill"
There have been Hague confer
ences, and peace societies, and boards
OF arbitration for years-and in spite
Of them all the lands across the sea
are suddenly plunged into the most
horrible war the world has ever
known. All the fighting nations feel
a certain shame, but none of them is
willing to acknowledge responsibility.
Each nation strives to prove that she
was forced by some other to enter
the death struggle.
And yet here is the war, and cyni-
cal people say:
at had better be fought to fin
ish. If it ends too soon and things
are not settled, another conflict will
come soon"
Another conflict That is what we
must stop! If we cannot end this
war we must create sentiment that
will make another impossible.
And the way to begin is to take as
the slogan of civilization the song
that wells from every mothers heart
Every one, everywhere, should work
for universal peace by singing the
lovely, haunting melody that ex-
presses all mothers horror for the
brutality of war-and her longing to
keep the life and beauty and strength
and unnamed manhood of the son
she has borne in sore travail.
81 didn't raise my boy to be a
so'dierw How naturally the thought
springs into being in a mothers soul
and slips into words that express her
sorrow at what she visions when she
sits with breaking heart and sees her
,ad place musket on his shoulder"
ard march away to kill-some other
n nother's boy Tor make a cripple Of
hir unless chance and bullet des-
Ere that he himself be the victim.
y didn't raise by boy to be SOL
dier," sighs the mother visioning the
battlefield red with the blood of hu-
ran life under the angry red of the
sitting sun.
81 didn't raise my boy to be SOL
diei," and yet mothers how have you
brought them up? To chant the soft
sweet hongs of peace or to play with
little top soldiers and cannons and
sabIes and guns that shall make a
savage with savages instinct to kill
cf your child?
avages kill to make room for
IT, emselves and to find food and shell
ter and place in the world-or for
more brute lust of blood. If civiliza-
tion counts for anything this '1ust TO
kill" must be an outworn instinct in
man. And none of the soldiers stand
ing ready to be moved down by the
fire of muskets or great guns are
fighting for place in the world,
Ihty give up their place in the world
TO fight for cause they do not un-
derstand. Suppose they refused to
night? Suppose they all refused to
fight II there were "a world NJ; 10