Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1916-06-29

PShuOhe, TIC Seouy VI lhe WI fu-leHinS
hero of Verdun, DIS found the follow
ing timely food for the earnes
thought of the nation. Says the writ
er:
1--WE are amazed and thrilled BY
the superb sight of one man holding
at bay the mightiest army In the
worlds history. But when we look
around, right here at home, we are
shocked and appalled, by facts as
ugly as the feat of General Petain
was glorious.
WE ARE UNPREPARED.
1--WE are the nation of the unpr ?
pared. 1t took nothing more than a
cheap Mexican bandit like Villa to
show how fearfully We were unpre-
pared for war But for peace, and
everyday life, and safe and happy
future We are as little ready. We
are, in fact, the June-bug among ma
tons. We start to buzz and. bat
around only when our day of oppor-
tunity is closing and the light in
some other nations house-the glare
of war just lately-reveals the dark
ness in our own atmosphere. Look
at these facts recently compiled by
an expert.
Tho our national wealth is $751;
000, 200, 000-three times that of
France and twice that of Great
Britain or Germany-about II 1000 900
of our citizens are in actual want,
and one person in every ten dying
in a large city is buried in a pau
per's grave.
Every year we spend 100000, 900
for candy, soda water and moving
picture shows; while to ethical and
industrial education in foreign lands
We give only $40 900, 900. Yet the
stabilizing force of Americas future
is the religious extension work of to-
day. We think more of our palate
than we do of our posterity.
Our annual income of s35, 900, 000,-
900 is the largest proportionate IN
crease of any nation; yet we rank
fifteenth in relative number of saw
ings-bank accounts; and of the TO-
100000 homes we occupy, more than
100000 are encountered by mort
gage, rent or otherwise.
Nearly 1000, 900 children from ten
to fifteen years of age are working
and growing prematurely old and
SICK, when they ought to be in
school 9f sur i3 5, 900, 6t16G adult wage
100000 are inadequately
trained or temperamentally unfit for
the work they are trying to offence
they can never succeed as they
should. Every year $4,000 workers in
American industries are killed, and
[ 100000 injured by shop machinery
and railroads This army of cripples,
4 saved and prepared, could effective
y guard our entire coast from in
7asion by any foreign power.
Z" THE need for indus rial, financial,
educational and social preparedness
S here, all about us, all the time.
Must Fate plunge us in war to
cleanse us of our national sins and
onies? Or have we the courage and
Fisdcm to redeem ourselves?
{ Now the individual Is the nation
Fhe man who has formed the pre-
,aredne SIS habit is the man to save
lis country, his community, his fam !
ly and himself. The technical de, ais L
4 national preparedness must be
ounded on the broad base of per- /
onal preparedness. To be ready for 4
whatever comes-physically, mentally t
md morally ready; here is the test U
or soldier and a man. III
TO be prepared for life 10 to be C
eady in two ways-against calamity c
nd for opportunity. Calamity is real d
, opportunity hiding in a shadow. o
ur worst foe is usually our best Il
lend in disguise. Not then hating
1T foes, how may We discover them, O
tack them, outwit them, surpass il
lem, learn from them without being o
jured by them? st
How did Petain hold Verdun? BY In
arning who and what his foes were, W
leir wonderful efficiency, and how OF
I'd when and where they would
-obably attack-then massing all his a.
rces behind his weakest point. M
entail shrewdness we must have to p,
cate our enemies, but also moral ii
,aveness to mend our own weak te
'ots. The strength of man lies al
his wrath at his weakness e.
What do you fear? Why? Fear is sc
70 guaranteed seed of failure. And d.
we call misfortune Is the tn
uit of sons :ssal1ure in ourselves Do w
NJ fear pain. poverty, loneliness, W
lief, loss, unpopularity, abuse, druid to
Try, fatigue, responsibility, failure, pr