The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-05-05

i serving America is very profound
| inspiration:
| After the War.
"Haye YOU not thought what might
be the outcome of this great struggle,
so far as the nations already engaged
are concerG ed? Can you not imagine
the great awakening that has come to
country like France, for example;
| how much more intensely every
Frenchman and every German feels
the national compulsion than he ever
felt it before? How much more he
feels himself, not an individual but
| fraction in a great whole? How much
more his blood springs to the chal-
lenge of patriotic suggestion? He is
not fighting for his own life. He is
sacrificing his own life, or willing to
sacrifice it, in order that a greater
life than his might persist, the life
of his nation. So, in America we are
getting already the indirect benefit OF
that suggestion. We are beginning to
realize how nation is unit and that
any Individual of it who does not feel
the impulse of the whole does not be-
lorg to it and does not belong in it.
1--WE have heard a great deal about
divided allegiance in this country, but
| before we discuss divided allegiance
in its political aspect We ought to let
our thoughts run back to what were
perhaps our divided allegiances in
respect to our relations to each other.
,America had been brought to such a
point of diversifcatioa of interests, OF
occupations or objects sought, that
she was in danger of losing the con-
sciousness of her singleness and SOL
idarity. There were men pulling at
cross purposes in this country long
| before the war came to remind US
that we were a single nation, with a
single duty and single ideal; aad
the first thing that has happened to
us is that we have all been pulled to-
gether by a great tug at the heart IN
respect to our individual interests.
We have all been reminded with al
emphasis for which I for. one thank
| God that We are first of all Amsri-
can and only after that at liberty to
! seek our individual interests. And
then those of our fellow citizens who
may have for little while been
tempted to think rather of the lands
of their origin than of the land Of
their present allegiance have been re-
minded that there is, politically speak
ing. only one allegiance conceivable
and possible.
But Few DislOyal.
'You have heard a great deal about
the hyphen. l for one have never
been deceived. The number Of per
sons of really divided allegiance in
this country is very small E. have
never had the slightest doubt of what
i would happen when America, called
upon those of her citizens born in
other countries to come to the sup
port of the flag. Why, they will come
with cheers, they will come with a
momentum which will make us real
lize that America has once more been
cried awake out of every sort of dis
temper and dream and distraction,
and that any man who dares tamper
with the spirit Of America will be
cast out of the confidence of a great
nation upon the instant.
81 belieye that a certain spiritual
regeneration is going to come out Of
/ this thing. I'VE have been thinking
tco much about our individual selves
and too little about the country Of
which We constitute a part, and one
of the services which you ladies are
going to render is to show how, upon
60 summons at all, upon the mere Of
<ering of the opportunity, women will
come together to render those in
est;mable services which are neces-
sary if the country should get into
any sort of trouble.
God forbid that we should be
drawn into war, but if we should be,
America would seem once more to
shake herself out of Zream to say,
Did any man deem that we we're
asleep. Did any man deem that We
had forgotten the traditions OF Amer
lea? Did any man deem that he could
tamper with the honor or integrity OF
tae United States? And in the great
| voice of national enthusiasm which