New Britain herald., 1916-07-31
Mrs. Henry Smiths Son.
(NeW York WOrld.)

Mrs. Henry Smith of Winamac, Ind. wrote a letter to President Wilson complaining of the hardships her son was compelled to undergo as a mcm- Der of the National Guard on duty in Texas. The president, in his reply, has explained to her that the Nation- al Guard is at the border mot for the purpose of drill, but for the pur- pose of protecting the country" and that he "cannot believe that the men of the National Guard would wish to be excused from it, or would lose heart because of the discomforts and inconvenience of the service"
 If Mrs. Henry Smith were a wise woman she would not be writing to the president bewailing the tritling hardships to which her son is obliged to submit as a member of the Ma tional Guard. She would be down on her knees thanking God that the president is exerting every honorable effort to bring about a peaceful solu- tion of the difficulties with Mexico, and that her boy is not already out on the firing line with the boys of 400, 900 other American mothers
 The hardshipa to which the Na- tiOnal Guard is subjected on the Texas frontier are about equal to the hard ships of an ordinarily strenuous vaca- tion in the Maine or the Minnesota woods; but war Is serious business When Mrs. Henry Smith thinks about the petty inconvenience to which her son is subjected, let her think also of the millions of boys in Europe who are in the trenches and who are dying daily by the thousand in the midst of the most ghastly warfare known to human history.
 Let her think of the boys lying on the field with arms blown off, or legs blown off, or faces. blown off, perisiing in horrible agony for the lack of medical assistance which cannot reach them.
 Let her think of the millions of boys in Europe who after this war is over will be crippled for life or with health shattered doomed to eke out a Wretched existence as hopeless invalids.
 Let her think of the millions of m others who are not worrying because their boys have to eat army ratfons, but who are worried day and night lest they will never see their boys again alive.
 Let her try to visualize the hourly IelIOIS oL d war III WnlCn S,UUO, OOO or 10, 100000 men have already been killed or wounded-most of them boys like her boy.
 Then let her remember that except for the craftsmanship of Woodrow Wilson the body of her own son might be lying today in an unmarked grave in Flanders or France
 Mrs. Henry Smith with true ma ternal solicitude, naturally thinks it is a great nuisance that her boy should have to sWelter in the heat of Texas summer and live off coarse food, and so it is, but the troubles of her son are very small In compar- ison with what they would be if the United States had undertaken armed | intervention in Mexico. Her own troubles, too, are very small in con- 1 parisOn with what they would be if l she were watching the newspapers l wounded in the fighting
 There are millions of Mrs Henry 1 Smiths in this country with boys who l would be subject to military duty f l the United States went to war When | they arc disposed to find fault with | the policies of the president, let them i devote a little praNcrful consideration | to the millions of Mrs. Henry Smiths in 1 Europe whose boys are now only | But for President Wilson | these American mothers would be ] drin king the bitter dregs of that | same cup. ...--...,.---.-- |