New Britain herald., 1917-04-23
PASTOR HARTMAN
 DEFINES OUR DUTY
Tells Native and Immigrant How
 They Should Act

Patience on the part of the long, :. established American citizen. and
 caution on the part of the so-called hyphenated citizen were urged by Rev. <. N. H: Hartman at the evening serv- gF ice of the Peoples church last night. # Pastor Harriman's talk was the first <. of two "war prologue sermons and
 in 1t he explained clearly and -in- :: partially the terrible question that
 is tearing at the hearstrings of the
 German and Austrian citizens, and
 at the same time held up just as
 clearly their duty and the status and
 the duty of every man, woman and
 child that lives and prospers under
 the, Stars and Stripes.
 Three things I wish may be true
 of this wal prelude said MT. Harri- man in opening his sermon. "I want
 1t to he manffestly friendly and I 4~Njhnt to speak as if I were addressing / all people of this city of foreign par
 entage. giving them word of cau- ton and word of friendly advice.
 "But my first word Is to those not
 of foreign p4rentaEe if there are any
 s,,ch The fact is that we are all
 hyphenates. all foreign born really.
 though some of our forbears crossed
 the great sea so long ago that we
 arrogate to ourselves the title Aneri-
 can. citizen in a special way. The only
 difference; practically, lies in the fact that some here have friends and rel
 atives now living in the land of their
 birth that divide their affection with the land of their adoption.
 g Have Patience for the Alien.
 "And my plea for these is for pa- tience, sympathy, confidence, for their lot is a hard one. now that we are at war with Germany. Their lot is even harder than was the lot of Schurtz and Sigel and the host of other Germans whose loyalty and ability and valor helped save our country in the dark days of our great Civil war. They were not called upon to face their kindred in battle; these must. if they are true to the United Staes. Put yourself in their place and do not be too f1ippant in your criticism of them if they do not shout quite so loud for the flag as you do. The German-American who joins the forces of the United States 1 and fights against the Fatherland, 1 has a finer quality of loyalty and 1 patriotism than many American born: l he stands for his ideals at ae greater 1 cost. Therefore. give him patience. "He may be slow but he will get there. He belongs to a trace that never hurries;. but it gets there; and with thorohghness and efficiency that has the sxorld beaten: Give him patience. Give him time. Give him confidence. Give him sympathy. He will get there: and when he does hs will be heard from.
 s And lest we forget and fail to appreciate his difficult position. listen to this vail of anguish from the 1 hexlt of German-American mother, the great Singer. Mime. Schumann- Heink. Born in Austria, reared in Germany, a citizen of the United States; just up from a sick bed in her home in Chicago last week she was Interviewed. On the wall hung four portraits, of four fine boys her boys. GeafEe Washington Schumann, Is years old, about to join the U. s. army: Henry Schumann, belonging to the U. s. navy: Walter Schumann. a memberso the National Guard of New Jersey And through eyes that could barely see for tears says the re- porter. she turned from these to the portrait of her other son, August Sdhumann, member of the German navy!'
 :.what can say?' she pleaded. What can any mother say? Oh, I love America! It Is my country, my home. It has showered me with honors But also I love Germany. oh. Germany is beautiful. And the l GeSman people love America and
 rxYtar make war--all of them, all nationan- ties, all kinds-I hate them!
 .!H have a son in the German navy. Fl have a son in the American navy! Just think! some day they may be shooting each other. brother against brother! There are thousands of such cases on the battlef1elds of Europe. sOh. I thought America was the one blessed spot left in the world. I'm not pro-German. I'm not broadly. I'm not pro-American. I'm just mother! and my sons are going out to take each others life!
 The Vail of Mother.
 ''That wall of a mother heart E ought to make us sympathetic with . our German neighbors. But having | saivi that, it remains to be said that thnre are principles that are of more 1 vadue than the lives of any number | oftfriends, or relatives, or even of our selves Our neighbors shall have our patience and confidence, and also our | sympathy. for their lot is hard. But l by just so much as it is hard, by so l kmrch must they do the hard thing; | the issues at stake are too transcen- l dently great to admit of any hesita- | ton. World liberty is at stake! The | future freedom of slavery of humanity fs the issue in this war!