Daily Kennebec journal., 1917-10-16

service of the University OF Maine, dele
gates from high schools, canning clubs.
Oranges and local committees attended
meetings and these delegates in turn in
structed girls of high school age and
women in the communities all over
Maine. At 50 meetings of this kind 4033
delegates were in attendance. During
the campaign 42s other meetings in 1893
towns of the State were held with total
attendance Of 1e,S3S.
Names long and exposed coast line com
bined with the traditions Of seafaring
people naturally aroused great interest in
the naval side of warfare. Enlistments
in the Navy have been heavy and for
several years the Maine Coast Artillery
units have alternated with those OF Rhode
Island in holding first and second places
in the whole country. When the war
came on 1t was found that coast patrol
boats we're needed at once, much more
quickly than they could be secured
through the usual department channels
in Washington. In this emergency the
State of Maine purchased feet Of patroi
boats of it's own. turned them over to the
government together with the boats used
ordinarily by the State sea and shore
fisheries department, and then secured,
largely from wealthy summer residents
OF Maine, the offer to the government
free Of charge for the period of the war
of about twice the number purchased
Thus. an adequate fleet was put promptly
at the governments disposal and an effi-
cient patrol of Names long coast line
was Immediately installed. The extent
of this service on the part of the State Is
uneoualled in the country in proportion
to resources and population. The results
were accomplished by cooperation be-
tween the Governor and Council and the
very energetic and efficient naval SUBJ
committee of the Committee on Public
Safety.
Not only in auxiliary activities but in
actual enlistments Maine IS proud of her
record The record for June 3oth. showed
Maine second only to Oregon for the en-
tire country in proportion to population
The addition of enlistments in the navy
saw-rnil units etc, would have given her
first place. The crowning recruiting
achievement was the enlistment OF 1ull
regiment of heavy artillery complete in
70 days. In ten days more It was mus
tered in and modified and in five days
more had uniforms and other necessary
en1iprent except heavy guns. II Is pc
,,a,.aa that This record is unsurpassed in
the whole country.
On July q. two states only oregon ana
Montana. were ahead Of Maine In recor
Of enlistments and Of the next four
comprising the first seven states II
+he Union three were New England
states New Hampshire, Rhode Island
and Vermont in the order named.
: Seven local districts in Maine had more
than their quota Of volunteer en!istments
and so mad to furnish no men in the hrst
draft.
In the management of the draft, Maine
was among the first states able to report
10 the provost marshal general at Nash-
inston that all the machinery for regis
ration was ready, one Of the few states
whose registration approached the total
estimated by the Census Bureau, one OF
the first to report the complete organ1za-
ton OF local exemption boards, ana 'he
Maine men were the first from any
state to report at he cantonment at aver
on the morning of sept last. Less than
a dozen cases of compulsory registration
occurred and a careful search or the
Stata revealed very few wilful failures
to register Names percentage OF re-
lection for physical defects by local
boards is among the lowest in the enure
courary and practically no Maine men
have been rejected on re-examnauon oy
army surgeons. Maine has yet to De
short" single man of the various con-
tingents sent, though many have been
trusted to 90 to camp alone from points
outside the State. 1t is worthy of note
also in the first draft Maine has averaged
to call only four men for each man ceri-
fed for service, while the whole country
has avera ged to call about six men for
every man certified.
l have briefly listed some OF the items
of New England's response to the present
crisis. The real significance Of the record
is the evidence 1t offers Of the spirit Of
New England.
From the time when the human race
first emerged from the twilight OF pre-
historic ages. down through the long
struggle for freedom and democracy each
nations place in history has been fixed
ny INC spirit VI us pSOPi0 Gnu hOI ~ 49,
material or physical resources. The de-
cay and falI Of empires has come through
inward canker of the spirit; never has
nation been utterly destroyed so long as
its spirit remained undaunted
1t was Leonidas and his 300 Spartans.
nay. rather it was the very soul OF Greece
in the narrow pass at Thermopylae that
thrust back the Persian hordes and saved
European civilization fer mankind And
It was the undaunted soul Of gallant little
Belgium, thrust across the path OF the
invader like a flaming sword. that stayed
the onslaught of the lustful. murderous
Hun. until the French defenders. and
that thin brown. British line could form
to save France and with France the
world.
There were those who feared that the
soul Of America was dead. slowly atroph-
led through the morey-grubbing years and
then drowned utterly beneath a food OF
foreign gold. New England's response,
typical OF the nations response to the
world emergency, serves notice on man
kind that the ancient spirit OF America
still lives, that her sons are still willing
to do and dare and suffer in a righteous
cause. that the soul Of Lexington and
Bunker Hill leaps forth again to cham
,{Hya Nf FyAn a.