The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-09-07
THE MIGHTY MOTHER.
BY Henry Dwight Sedgwlck
of the Vigilantes

Max Muller the great Oriental schol- |
ar, in editing a friends "reminiscences
of infancy, tells how one Of the ear
liest incidents that friend could re-
member was how he first saw the |
stars one night he felt cold shiyered |
and was frightened his mother picked !
him up and hugged him in her arms, !
and pointed up to the shining stars.
Il was full Of admiration" said the
friend "and thought my mother had
made them very prettily."
This serves as an allegory. Our
Mighty Mother America. takes her
children in her arms, and allays their
fears by pointing to the bright stars
that crown the flag. When we are
children we think that our Mighty
| Mother has made those stars and that
she has made them we'll But when
we are grown up we know that the
! Mighty Mother is made up Of ourselves
that her great heart is made up Of all
our hearts. and that the stars she
points to are mere emblems Of justice,
! Righteousness, equality, fraternity
temperance, fortitude. and whatever
other virtues ennoble humanity. The
| Mighty Mother longs to show these
stars to all her children whether they
are born into cradles over here or
whether they have emigrated from for.
eign lands; but the Mighty Mother can
only do this, if We one and all, endow
her with the strength and the will to
do it.
! II is our Mother America who Is now
calling to us 10 make the stars upon
our flag stand for real things. Now is
the opportunity for all her sons to per.
form their mothers wish Our first
step in the bitterness Of war; we must
do all the seemingly inhuman acts that
war imposes upon us. Then when the
war shall be ended and we can say
to our Mighty Mother, behold, your
children have brought you the ripe
fruits harvested by the great scythe
Of war, there are no more Tsars or
Kaisers in Europe the peoples Of Eu-
rope are all free men, no longer bound
90 commit acts of injustice at the bid.
ding Of selfish lords but free 10 follow
the kindly instincts Of man
Then the Mighty Mother viii feel
that she. too is free, no longer threat.
ened by foreign armies and navies. no
more obliged 20 train her sons with
sword and rifle. she will be free 10
. work the works of human justice. And
we. her children, may hope 20 see her
. grid W. her loins for the great tasks
OF democracy TO abate the privileges
Of the toofavored classes, to repress
! luxury. 10 give all men greater op
! portunities for the individual pursuit OF
happiness, 20 save waste by vast co
. operative effort TO extend the spirit
Of democracy to all the great industrie.
railroads, shipping petroleum. sugar
: copper. iron and steel lumber. agricul
: ture etc.
4 But before we enter the Promise,
, Land we must enter the red sea OF war
The Mighty Mother will lead us on
from our strength she will draw 81
strength from our purposes she wi
tougher her will. from our enduranc
she will be able TO endure from ou
resolve 10 conquer she will conquer
and from our going into this was no
]. with hatred but with pity. not for ri
II venge but IN order 10 help she wi
e be able 10 behave with kindness an
ID affection TO an the peoples Of Europ,
p o, Mighty Mother. we dedicate ou
selves 20 thee.