The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-22

Thursday evening, in the Presbyterian church of Ensley, President Thornwell Haynes of Birmingham college delivered the annual address before the local wom- ems clubs and visiting representatives.
 It was a discourse at once eloquent and inspiring and eminently worthy of Liberty Day. Just at this season of the year the women's clubs of Ensley hold what is known as Ensley's annual edu- cational rally, and the subject dealt with IS usually that of education, but on the anniversary of the first shot of the Revo- luuonary war, and especially in view of the abnormal warlike conditions of the present time, President Haynes said a man could hardly be an honest man and not speak of patriotism just at this time Tn our nations history, and throughout the address he forcibly urged both a na- uonal and Individual patriotism.
 Ihls great God of War has reached his mailed hand across 5000 miles of a beautiful sea and suddenly seized us in his grasp" he said, ''and quicker than spring tip-toes across the trees all our religious and educational and philosophi- cal and social and political questions are thrown into new relations and set in dif- ferent contexts. So much so, that what ever we may say in our homes or shops or on the street or in the office or pull pit or schoolroom, immediately comes war to challenge the truth of it.
 If the minister takes his stand in the pulpit and talks of love and peace, war asks, And, by the way, what has be- come of these?' If he mentions sacrifice and atonement, he is reminded that an opportunity is waiting for him to put his doctrine into practice.
 If the pacifist decries the wickedness Of battle, war wants to know what about 10 Qrrnn nHNr] .s0I-. H.. xl-.u at home to enjoy the blessings of those who fight for liberty.
 II the philosopher proclaim that the principle of life in plant and man is God war asks, What then is death?
 Let the artist begin to prate of his pictures, and war points him to the real picture of Verdun just as the sun sets!
 And the educator no sooner begins to talk of the value of an educa tion than war challenges him with the question, Is not ignorance dressed in bravery more b beautiful and more worthy than learning clothed in cowardice?
 Yes, war is ready to ask us a great many questions, just as we have been asking war a great many questions dur ing the last two or three years. About the most difficult question I have heard recently was an interrogation made by one mother of another which I overheard on street car few mornings ago. She said, can't understand how 1t is that just as I have spent perhaps the most useful part of my life in raising my two strong boys I should be asked to send them to be used as cannon fodder
 Tt was sometime before I found an answer to that question, but as I was descending from the street car I think it came to me- And it was on the order of this: We have been demanding all our lives so many things from our gov that we have grown into the habit of demanding, and we would be greatly shocked if we were to be re- fused. Our government has invariably granted our requests. We have demanded free speech and have been given it; We have asked for free schools, and they are ours; we demanded it as our right that we worship God as we please and our government has said, You shall have It, every man, woman and child of you And so, all our lives we have kept on everything we wanted, Our government has given us our flag, our lakes and mountains of which we sing, our freedom, liberty and an unparalleled gem of the ocean whereon is followed in glory the pursuit of happiness
 But now, in a supreme crisis, comes our government and says to you and to me: Look here, it is my turn; I need you There is not a single true-blue American who will hesitate, and I ven- ture to say that If the worst came to the worst, the mother whom I overheard should she lose both sons, would later in life In recounting the deed, glory in the telling of it.'
 The latter part of the address was de- voted to an individual call to duty, and an illustration of. the remark that 1ife's worth is measured by the amount of it's