Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1917-10-25
My Patriotism

The boy came to me for advice.
| suppose because I had been his
fathers best friend. The boys
father had enlisted in the Spanish
War and was killed fighting under
Lawton in the Philippines. The
boys mother was an intelligent
| American woman-one of those
women who believe that honor is
| the finest thing in the world. With
| the worship of her husbands pa
triotism and bravery in her soul,
the mother had brought the boy up
to be a straight thinking, straight
acting youngster l had watched
the boy grow up, and l was proud
of him.
When war was declared 1t did
not take the boy long to make up
his mind that he ought to enlist,
and his mother agreed with him.
1t was a perfectly natural decision
for him to make. The training that
he had received from his mother,
and his pride in his fathers devo-
tion to the country, made any
other course seem pitifully weak to
the boy, and besides, he had
keen appreciation of the justice OF
the cause for which the United
States is fighting. He did not ask
for advice as to himself. He was
perfectly clear about what he
should do. But he was disturbed
about his mother. Was he doing
right to leave her? Knowing both
the boy and the mother as | did, l
knew that after they had made up
their minds anything that l might
say would be useless. So after |
had given the boy the usual good
advice he left.
After he had gone l began to
think about my own position. l
had never thought very seriously
about patriotism, but in general
way / regarded myself as an aver
age patriotic citizen. Since the
trouble with Germany started, l
had stood by the President" l
had had good deal to say about
liberty and democracy, and the ne
cessity of crushing Prussian mill
tarism. / had also made number
of more or less trite remarks about
saving and sacrifice; had even
gone so far as to decide to get
along with last years car, and
had made an investment" in lib
erty bonds. But l had done moth
ing, nor had l contemplated doing
anything that would interfere with
my comfort.
But here was this youngster-
just beginning to feel the zest Of
life, full of splendid enthusiasm for
n1y -, HI xr-I.i 10 will
ing to risk his life in order that the
present generation and generations
to come may live in peace and Sc
curity. And here was this mother
willing to chance her last hope of
happiness to help preserve the
honor of her country. What right
had to let this fine boy-and there
is nothing finer under the sun than
clean-m minded, red-blooded Amer
lean boy-go through the horrors
OF war while made no sacrifice of
consequence? What right had to
let this mother suffer, as l knew
she would suffer, all through the
long days and nights that her boy
| was away, and not do my best to
| stop it?
Altogether I did not feel very
| well pleased with myself. l began
| to see that my patriotism was a
| good deal of an affectation. Then
| and there l made up my mind that
| | was going to make my patriotism
mean something to me and to my
country My fighting days are
over. I would only clutter up the
trenches and get in the way of bet
ter men, but l can help supply the
funds that may end this war before
the boy-the boy that love as my
own son-is killed or returned
home a hopeless cripple, and be-
fore the last ray of sunshine fades
from the mothers heart, and l am
going to do this to the utmost of
my ability.