The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-12-28
Learning How To Be A Soldier

dogs" he declared. with energy 81
just met Bethuel Ryder down the road
and he told me that he see John
Doane sterday-Congressma DoafsH
our Representative TO Washington.
mean-and Doane told him there was
talk of putin through a law that
would make every boy in this here
United States speno at least year
right out of his life learnin' how 10 be
a soldier. Think OF it! And. not
only that, but Doane told Bethuel he
was thinkin of votin' for it,"
Caleb nodded. "Um-hm" he said
That's the bill for what they call
Universal Military Trainin'.'
Higgins snorted contempt, "Univer-
sal dunn foolishness, / call it," he
snarled. I've got a boy, amt ["
So've you, Caleb. In a couple of years
they'll be through school. Ever since
they've been born you and ! have
been worl<in' for EN-. feedin' 'em, Civ
in EN- their education. Now, just
when they're gettin' big enough to be
Of some use TO us, them fool Wash
in'ton fellers would butt in. Amt my
boy my boy? Don't he owe me-
Caleb held up his hand. "Sshh."
he ordered. Mate Higgins, it's high
time you and all the fellers like you,
heard the plain truth You say your
boy owes you somethin. Mabye he
does. But what do you and he both
owe the country you live in, the couHa-
try that gives your schools and YOU
laws and the thousands and one
chances You have to be a free man
and a successful man, if the stuff's in
you? You take everything the coun-
tryn give you, take it and ask for
more. Didn't it ever run across your
mind that you owed 1t somethin' In
return? Do you caFlate this Univer-
sal Military Trainin' means that I'm
Gle Sam is hopin' for another wa
after this ones over? You bet he
ain't But he's piannin' to fix it 80
that, with ten million trained young
men-not professional soldiers, no
but young Americans trained TO be
soldiers if they're needed-he can say
to aKiser or anybody else who's
hankerin for war: Here's what I've
got; try it on IL you dare" And they
won't dare.
That's what we need in this coun-
try-Americans. We've been loafin'
along. The average run OF us, waviu'
the Stars and Stripes on the Fourth
of July and talkin' about the United
States bein' the worlds meltin' pot
and all that, never once stoppin' to
figger that maybe that meltin pot
want meltin' everything that went in
to it. We never once stopped to con-
slider that there might be gangs come
In amongst who'd make 1t their
business to see that their kind didn't
melt. And now. all at once we wake
up to find German-Americans who
think German and talk German and
act German: and rish-Americans who
hate England so hard they've forgot
ten to love the country that's givin'
EN- q home; and Socialist-Americans
that have decided to drop the Amen
lean and just keep the Socialist
part; and l. w. WIS that hate every
thing, incIudin' work. and everybody
that's got more than they have.
well, thank God we have woke -,
anyway, even IL we've overslept long
erin we'd ought to. And now it's
our business-yours and mine much
as anybody's, Nate-to see that va
don't sleep again. We've got to see
that the nests OF traitors are broken
up and kept that way, that when
man or woman comes to the United
States and takes a share Of its priv
ieges he or she takes the responsible
tiles, too. And, more than ell, we've
got to see that q child born In Amer
lea is real American, speakin' our
language, readin' our history, thinkin'
our way, ready to work with Uncle
Sam. proud Of what no stands for,
| ready to fight for him it it's necessary
and trained to do 1t well.
The Universal Military Trainin
! bill In only one of the American Ser
vice bills that'lI come up In Congess
| this year, I hope and trust And tel
you, Nate Highs. il you're q reeI
| true citizen of your country, YOU,
not only see that Congressman Doane
| keeps on 'thinkin" OF votin' for then
/ bills, but that he does vote for 'ern
| And you and your boy will be glad oil
L oI,d ,( A~..x