The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-07-19

people who never before had heard
of it or its significance.
Seven score and one year ago
forefathers brought forth on this
continent new nation, conceived in
liberty and dedicated to the PROPOSE
tion that all men are created free
and equal. The world scoffed and
shook its head at the idea. Four
score and seven years thereafter our
fathers and brothers engaged in a
great and bloody internecine strug.
gle to determine whether that ma
ton or any nation so conceived and
so dedicated could long endure
Righ triumphed; the nation was pre-.
served, and the virtue of the princi
pie upheld. Still foreigners doubt.
ed. The kings and emperors by
power of might, masquerading under
the fiat Of divine right, held ti.ht
the leash of governmental authority
and continued to reign. But all this
time the infant idea was growing up
and the people of all hues and with
all the tongues of Babel were dis
cussing and learning of the rights
and powers of individual man. The
earth wns dry for tie holocaust
needing but the spark to set off the
confagration.
The God of the Universe works In
mysterious ways his wonders to per
FORM There is no fate but the hand
of Him who wills. In the middle OF
the year 1914 the finger of that hand
pointed to an obscure town in an
obscure state in eastern Europe
You will remember the service the
little, unknown town of Bethlehem
played in the worlds history. SC
with Sarajevo. A prince OF a grea,
nation sojourning there was assasi
mated by a crazy Servian and the
spark thus struck ignited the world
Events followed rapidly. Thirty
days later an insulting peremptory
note was sent by Austria to little
Servia; the demand was refused and
war was declared and commenced
In three days Germany, Russia
France and England were rapidly
mobilizing their fighting forces; Bel
gium WIS invaded and, determining
to resist in self defence, was drawn
into the struggle. The awful thing
was going; Europe was on fire and
but few of the nations Lave been able
to remain neutral.
And now comes our fellow Ameri
can, necessarily a little fellow, he o;
the thin, white blood and of weak
physical and moral fibre, he of re
stricted vision and of no imagina
tion, content in his aarr1 Nv orbit and
incapable of cherishing IDEAS, and
demands: why has America inter
fered in this Old World war? Why
has she, happy and prosperous and
uninvaded, entered into Europes s
quarrels?" All, my friends, il max
es one proud to answer. America is
at least in this war because sue sees
the peoples of the world arc ready
to recognize the spirit which gave
her birth and she is inspired to help
in the propaganda. She Is in this
war because she is actuated by lne
same spirit which impelled Colum.
bus, Martin Luther, Savonarolla, Liv
ingstone and every other man OF
every other time who risked his ,lfe
and fortune in defence of an ideal
and that suffering humanity might
be lifted up. How could she dc
otherwise with the examples of 17.6
1861 and 1898 before her? The very
name of America stands for freedom
Of and for the individual and for
whatever sacrifice becomes neces
sary to obtain it. An ideal of un.
selfish purpose, sacrificing, without
hope or desire for territory or gain
or reward but that which comes
from the emotional satisfaction
of duty performed and right pre-.
served. America is also in this war
for a far different and more practi
cal reason, the impelling one of the
first law of nature-self defence,
When will the small body of blind
Americans who are guilty Of inactive
treason by opposing our long-deferr.
ed preparation to meet armed force
in kind learn that their much-vaunted
safety is really and truly endanger-
ed? Will they actually have to see
the beast coming over the brow of
yonder protecting hill and the sight
of the bodies of their brothers and
fathers slain or mangled by tie bru-
tai arts of the relentless enemy
Wake up, We sleeping! This is a
life and death struggle to make the
world safe for the democracy you
have been wont to enjoy, and it is
simply a case of fighting to pre-.
serve it. You abhor government by
might, you detest Prussian militar.
ism-then strike against their com.
ing before your feeble blow will be
in vain. Be patriotic in deed as
well as in word, on every day as on
the Fourth of July, put your shoul.
der to the wheel and push with all
your might. There are a thousand
ways in which you can do your bit,
not the least of which is to stop
abusing those in authority and crit
icising those who are offering their
all that you may save your fortune
and skin.
Is Democracy right and are the
Stars and Stripes worth defending
In the Civil War hundreds of thou
sands fought the flag and the Things
it stands for. Yet our country to-
day has no more loyal and sacrificing
defenders than the sons of those
brethren who now rejoice in their
own defeat and glory in the loss of
the cause for which they fought.
Our mother country, England. for
eight long years resisted the ambi.
tion of the Colonies and scoffed at
the idea of self-government, but on
ly last week hoisted our National
Emblem beside the Union Jack in