The Redwood gazette., 1917-06-06

Oe$S
there are the incompatible beauties of
nature all around us; the works of the
sublime artist. But above all this, and
standing out as the greatest treasure OF
the nation, is the host of happy children.
These are more beautiful than any work
of art, more inspiring than the greatest
wonders of nature. There is no music
so sweet as the laughter of happy chill
dren."
/ do not believe in prematurely casting
upon the children the cares and burdens
of life. This is their play time. Let the
children enjoy their happy years. Under
the wise guidance of parents the children
should be given all the enjoyment pos
sible out of their childhood. The memory
of a happy childhood makes for happy
manhood and womanhood.
Children have two main motives in their
young lives; to find pleasure and enjoy
ment, to play and be happy and to learn !;
to inquire into and understand and know
the many strange objects and creatures
that surround them The child's mind is
ever inquisitive, questioning, seeking at
ter knowledge. And the problem of child
life is to so combine these two motives
that the child shall acquire the maximum
of knowledge without sacrificing its play
time, the joys and pleasures of childhood.
Happy children are these of our own
land, coming from happy, prosperous
homes. And as we rejoice at and with
them our thoughts turn necessarily to
those other children across the sea, who
are suffering, starving, dying today, be-
cause brutal military autocracy is car
rying on a ruthless war. Our hearts grieve
for the children of Belgium, of France, of
Germany, of Russia, and all the nations
devastated by war. We see these inno-
cent victims of the war homeless, or
phaned, hungering for bread. And from
these helpless ones comes an appealing
cry for aid, for protection and relief from
an into,erable condition.
The call comes to us to save the little
children of Europe from further suffering
and destruction, as we'll as to safeguard
the children of our own land To make
all lands safe for little children.
But there can be no safety for little
children nor for men and women under
autocratic governments. Wherever any
man or government claims to rule by di-
v.ne right there is no safety. This doc
trine of the divine right of Kings and
Kaisers to rule over their fellow men is
man made doctrine spread for the pur
granted to any man the authority to rule
over9oshers, and he who claims to rule
men by divine right, because of birth or
family, commits sacrilege So long as
autocrats are permitted to rule nations
under the cloak of the divine rights theory
miIitarism, war and suffering must come.
And before the world can be made safe
for the children and for all men, autocracy
must be destroyed and democracy made
supreme.
So America has gone to war to destroy
militarism and autocracy because only by
can peace and safety come to us and to
the world. And l am proud of the fact
that American manhood has answered the
call and taken up arms. It was the only
way out. Only by forever shattering this
hypocritical doctrine of the right of any
man to rule over his fellow men, can child
life be safeguarded and children be as
sured Of the enjoyment of happy child
hood in these war-ridden lands.
AS said by President Wilson in his great
message to congress and to the nations:
1--WE are glad to fight for the ultimate
peace of the world and for the liberation
of it's peoples" "The world must be made
safe for democracy
When the world is made safe for democ-
racy, then shall children be safe also. We
deplore the fact that the war must be car
ried on and that further suffering must
be endured. But there is no other way
until this cancer of militarism and auto
cracy, which has long been feeding upon
the vitals of humanity, is cut out and de-
stroyed, there can be no safety and no
permanent relief-and war is the cnly
operation that can accomplish the cure.
So we enter this war to make the world
safe for democracy and for little children.
We fight for peace that shall be safe and
enduring, when no King or Emperor shall
longer rule by assumed divine right, as
autocrats rule, but only as the chosen
representative of the people and respon-
sible to the people.
May God grant power to the arm of
America today that it may strike down
and defeat this brutal system that has or
phaned, starved and ill-treated the little
children Of Europe. May He grant US