The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-08-17
BY JosEPHUS DANIELS,
Secretary OF the Navy.

secretary OF the navy.
OF all the sacrifices that have been
made. that are being made or that will
be made for our country In this war.
there is no sacrifice so heroic. SO un-
selfish, so terrible, as the sacrifice OF
the mother who sends her son. In his
strong. clean young manhood, from the
protecting influence of his home. with
no one near to guide or advise him save
mis- military superiors. No man can
fully realize what this sacrifice means.
Only a mothers heart al understand.
OF all the responsibilities. in these
hours of heavy res disabilities, that
are laid upon the g. % o. .is of the
army and the navy, tnere is, after all.
no responsibility more weighty, more
solemn. more fraught with terrible re-
suits If evaded. han this responsible
ity of acting In a mothers place toward
these splendid youths on whom the ma
ton rests its hope OF existence.
The young sailor or soldier OF today
win form no small part of the nations
very ifeblOod In the times of peace
following. To consider now their moral
as well al their physical well being is
not the narrow view; 1t IL the broad
view, the big. farsighted view OF
things. | have nc patience with those
who sheer at any attempt to keep our
young men as sound I'm mind as they
are in body. TO send them back as wor-
thy TO become the leaders of the nation
In times of peace as If they had not
had the horrible experience of war. be-
cause there is no view so utterly one
sided. so utterly unmilitary in the big
gest sense ~ the word. SO ostrich-like,
SO entirely opportunistic. petty and
contemplate. as the attitude which
considers these boys as SO much can
non fodder" to be drilled with gun and
bayonet. TO be taught 10 obey military
commands aud then through neglect
OF their moral well being to be thrown
back upon their country after the war
debased In morals, broken In health.
like so many squeezed oranges, "A poi
son In our body polite. instead OF a
strong. invigorating new life. That Ia
the policy which those who are arguing
that We should ignore matters of mo-
rality would have us seriously consider.
What military" Means.
Those who prate that interest in this
matter Is "unmilitary" show "a sad ig-
norance of what military" means.
There Is nothing SO important from a
military standpoint as the morale OF
tho mon and narala and morals I'm the
long run are synonymous. Nature in
yariably Furnishes the offender against
her laws by disease. A sailor or "A sol
dier to be efficient must be healthy: TO
be healthy he must be clean living. A
man In the military service stricken by
any of the diseases that follow excess
or unclean living is as dead for mill
tary purposes as IL he was stricken by
the enemy's fire.
Napoleon has said that Ian army
travels on It's belly" II is equally true
hat 1t fights with its soul. No army
Of degenerates could win I'm the Cruel
ing test Of endurance OF modern war
fare against IN army of clean. fresh
young manhood. with all their vigor
of mind and body u~nimpaired. Such Is
my belief. and such, | know. is the be-
lief of the secretary OF war.
So much for the theory. What have
we done in the navy and army to put
this theory into practice2
Newport as an Example.
Perhaps the practical example OF
Newport is the best answer-not that
Newport was In any way a modern
Sodom, not that 1t was a crying scan
dial of the nation. but rather because 1t
represented In Its viewpoint and its
morals the careless indifference OF so
many OF our cities toward those who
are strangers within their gates as to
what they did TO occupy their time. So
far, indeed. as the openness of vice is
concerned Newport was somewhat
complacent. Into this careless. thought
less summer resort were suddenly
placed some thousands OF young men,
fresh from their homes, free from all
restraints they had known.
When | first took up this matter
with the state authorities Ii was re-
ferred to the Newport officials for a
report. The reply was one OF mild
wonder at my questions and a frank
and ingenious admission that IL was
true that there were gambling resorts
and houses of iii fame. easily Access
sible to any youth with money In his
pocket. but that on the whole condi-
tions were very satisfactory.
Tbara GRO tnduv MANI small tnuync
and cities far more dangerous to the
morals of the youths who live therein
than is Newport. And as at Newport,
so will 1t be everywhere our enlisted
youths are stationed II 1t lies In the
power of this great government OF
ours to make ii so.
What ! am doing In respect to the
navy the secretary of war is doing
with equal vigor as regards the army.