The Harrison times., 1917-05-05
IN THE WORLD WAR.
Duties of America to the World
and of American Citizenship
Particularly.

In a personal letter to our towns
man, John Keener, the steel range
president w. l.. Culver, of ST. Louis,
who has been in Germany many times
and understands conditions there
writes thus of the present situation
and the duties of our people every
where:
as to this great war, it is simply
too horrible to contemplate; and as
you say, when it is brought so close
home, that is, when we know that we
have sons who are at an age wher
their country will call for and demand
their services for its protection and
the maintenance of its principles soon
er or later, it can only make us shud
der at the thought of the hardships
and atrocities which they will perhaps
be forced to undergo in the fulfillment
of heir duty to their country. 1t is
reasonable to assume that even though
Divine Providence protects and spares
their lives, they will, more than likely,
return to their homes frightfully
manned and injured, being perhaps
mental wrecks if not raving maniacs;
nevertheless, | have three sons, the
eldest being %, the second 10 and the
third, II; therefore, two of them are
now eligible and the third will be very
shortly, and while | must confess an
opinion that it is their duty to respond
to the call of their country in its peril,
/ would not be human if did not have
some thought for their welfare and
happiness and especially so when they
are called upon to fight foe consid-
cred harbaric, a foe whose every tao.
tic and method of warfare had been
condemned by every nation on the
face of the earth as contrary to the es-
tablished principles of civilized war
fare, whose every thought is to seek
plan means and method of avoiding
its Obligations to other nations in the
practice of war, a foe who stOOps to
every ChiCanery, a foe who raVlShes
unprotected women and girls in a van
quished territory, a foe who uses the
same methods of poisoning the wells
and waters as did the most savage pcO-
pie of ancient days, foe who deems IT
honorable in war to execute women
because they exercise the mother-love
and assist some poor fellow to regain
health from wounds or sickness whose
ideas Of "kulture" is to treat its wo-
men in the same manner as they do a
brood mare" and treat them equally
as tenderly, whose methods of diplom-
acy are those of the thief who steals
into a bank and cracks the safe or
vault under cover Of darkness and
tries to get away with it, when the
vault and safe is unguarded,
As for myself | confess a horror Of
war and its attendant consequences,
yet, my dear friend, | am ready to
answer the call of my country at any
time when 1t needs me If my country's
executives deem me a tit man physi-
cally, to withstand the ravages Of
sickness and hardships upon my
health and that | can advantageously
serve IT, have enjoyed the freedom,
liberty and grand privileges of my
country for more than half a century
and know that no government in the
world affords its citizens the same
grand liberties, etc, that we have in
these United States; also know that
had not our forefathers fought to a
finish irrespective to their age lin.
It's" OF disabilities or infirmaties, sac.