The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1917-04-13
WAR TIME.

green as is it's wont; the farmer goes
forth to SOW his seed and the business
man to his store and his Office.
1t is war time. We note that there
are more flags flying than usual except
on some public holiday. In the larger
cities perhaps khaki dressed man goes
about the streets.
This is war time. We read the daily
papers and learn from them that we are
at war; that the indefinite thing that we
call the government" has declared war
and is preparing to wage war.
We are at war. And yet we neither
see or hear war. 1t may be land God
grant that it so may be) that we who
live SO far from where real war may be
waged, may never hear the guns or see
the havoc.
We are at war. War is hell. He'll
implies devils and diabolical deeds. For
the time being we are therefore devils
1t is dreadful alternative, but we must
fight the other devils with fire.
We are at war. Have you realized
what that means to you and yours? 1t
is hard to Think that with all this bright
sunshine, with work and business going
on as usual. that we are about entering
tho gates of hell; that fathers, brothers,
sons and lovers may soon be >weltering
in blood on the fields of carnage.
In 1861 for almost three months We
we're in state of war;" but as now while
we learned of trouble in the south, that
the Star of the West" had been fired
on while taking supplies to Fort Stump.
ter. that Fort Sumpter had been BON.
barded, that union soldiers had been
killed while passing through Baltimore
on their way to Washington and that
many other similar acts of war we're
occurring, yet as whole the North did
not realize what it all meant. AS now
business went on and people sought
pleasure as in previous days.
But we were at war. As boy of
about sixteen years this writer stood one
day outside the telegraph office in a
small far eastern city. About were
standing an interested and excited crowd
of citizens. We were reading the bull.
letins coming from the battle field of
Bull Run. At first the kilograms told of
the success of the Northern troops and
this caused comparatively little interest
because that was what was confidently
expected. OF course our boys would
win and that would end the war and
then the country would 60 on with
scarcely disturbance in marts of COM
merce.
But later the tone of the kilograms be-.
gan to change. first somewhat indefinite
then came the appalling brief but clear
statements that the northern troops
were beaten and we're actually retreating
IN wild disorder, running as fast as they
could for the shelter of the city of Wash.
ington.
Boy as this writer was, that news
seemed to arouse something in his
nature that he had never felt before. It
was something hard and terrible. Per-
haps it was the awakening of the animal
nature to self.defense and the defense
of home and country. And then we
looked about US with curiosity to see
how the news of defeat had affected the
men IN the surrounding crowd. As We
looked we saw those faces harden with
deep drawn lines; we saw the fists in
voluntary clinch and the bodies stiffen.
No words we're spoken, the crowd was
silent. but the attitude was full Of elo.
quence and patriotism. For. the first
time they realized that war was on. that
war was hell. that it vas necessary, for
at least time, for every man to fight in
some way or other for home and native
land.
Incidentally, the defeat Of the North
at Bull Run was the greatest victory for
the North during the war, because that
defeat awakened the fighting spirit Of
every northern man whose blood ran red.
We are at war. It by some fortunate
chance, this var cloud should pass
away, then we as whole would never
realize that We had been at war. AZ al
whole even nov we do not realize where
We stand. It takes blood to make peo-
pie understand what war means and
what war is. We do not recognize the
war demon until he comes near enough
20 see his red garments.
We write these lines that our ,itixens
may read and be prepared for what Is
here and what may hereafter come.
War means something TO everyone. The
farmer, the professional and the bust
meas man, the fsthsr, mother. sister and
brother md the lover. Are you ready
g give your property, and yoni lives;
|aleE 'you lsady p make syse that hardasI
!saSti60s q yo1r own lossd 60 sbatI