Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-08-07

sleep in good beds-eat good food
ride in our automobiles-go to church
enjoy ourselves in the park, and are
apparently free from the horrors of
t3is worldwide conflict that is claiming
4 lives in untold numbers, on the battle
! fields of France, thousands of soldiers
lie mortally wounded without surgical
or medical aid, and with none of the
care that makes the saving of their
lives possible.
Theodore Roosevelt has just told US
! thousands of soldiers bleed to death
! because there are no bandages wit.
which to bind up their wounds; that
Gi~:y ! cwspapers are being used in eff
fort to give some relief to the wound
CO, flat operations of the seyerest ma
ture are being performed without the
use of anesthetics.
! 1t is said that there are no children
| less than five years of age now living
in Belgium This means that the help
| less little tots starye to death or perish
by reason of exposure. 1t is also said
that there are thousands of boys too
young for military service who have
J been MANNED by the conquering Ger
mans to make it certain that they will
never be able to offer effective resist
ance for their country.
Suffering always appeals to the bet
ter nature The helpless always have
the keenest sympathies Of others, and
we are now face to face with situa-
ton that calls for our most generous
giving and our most unselfsh service.
A little while ago the kaiser was re-
ported as having laughed at the in
efficiency of democracy" While no.
body in this country is especially in
terested in what the kaiser may or
may not think of democracy, we recog-
nize the fact that in a democracy
there is always the grave danger that
in national crisis it will be impossi-
| BILE to arouse the people quickly
enough to enable them to strike the
effective blow, which generally in the
! beginning counts for much more than
the same effort at a later stage of de-
velopment We are slow to realize
that this country actually is in war. We
do not seem to understand that only by
grace of the English fleet have we
been saved from German invasion and
only by force of the Allies have we
been saved from most active participa-
ton in the war.
Now it is no longer a question Of
whether or not we want war, nor it is
question of whether it was wise for
this country to engage in ar-the cold
fact stares us in the face that we are
at war, and that we must win the
fight or lose everything.
We are sending thousands of boys to
the trenches. Within sixty days Amer
lean boys from Denver and Des Moines,
from New York and Minneapolis, from
Spokane and New Orleans, will be fight
ing in the trenches. They will be
manned by German machine guns and
torn by German bayonets. Are we go
ing to permit them to die where they
fall without such attention and without
such help as will give them chance
for their lives?
Once more, this is the time for us
to demonstrate in a practical way the
spirit of democracy. Let US all give to
the Red Cross. Let us give not what
loose change we may happen to have
IN our pockets, but let us give gener-
ously Let us give until it is a sacri-
fee to give. Let us give until we feel
that we have made a real effort.
A little while ago the government
asked for one hundred million dollars,
and this money was raised in ten
days. Not only one hundred million
dollars, and much more, and yet we
49,. - lsate ov,o,,oh XUa paad yO0re