The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-10-13
Helping to Win the War

! Ages of Six and Sixteen. Prepared
for the Indiana State Council of De.
Tense by George AIDE.
Assuming that this letter is now
being read by some boy or girl old
enough to go to school but still
| young enough to be called kid
| (by those who don't know any bet
teri let us begin by asking the
question, rs 1t wrong to fight?'
Every boy or girl with civilized
parents can answer that question.
It is not to be answered by YES
| or mo-"
III we say YES" we admit at
once that our old friends George
Washington and U. S. Grant were
depraved characters, because they
fought and then kept on fighting.
II Buffalo Bill once upon time
rode out across the plains and came
upon band Of Indians attacking q
settlers cabin and went dashing up
with his scouts and killed a few red
skins, is there any boy in the world
who would 60 back on Buffalo Bill
and pick out some quiet, elderly
real estate dealer as a substitute
herot
It's too foolish to talk about.
Suppose we say 1t is not wrong to
fight. Then we remove all blame
from the Indians that Buffalo Bill
killed and we find ourselves SO mix
ed up that probably we had better
back up and take new start.
In answer to the question. IFS 1t
wrong to fight" there can be but
one sensible reply, as follows: at
all depends" 3D..
Suppose a boy Of IA Is walking
along the street with his sister and
the neighborhood bully swaggers
around the corner and pushes the
boy up against fence and cuffs
him alongside the head and then
tries some insulting familiarities
on the sister, and suppose the boy
who is thus Inundated and whose
sister is in tears, suddenly remem-
bers that he has been told to keep
out of fights!'
What shall he do?
Retreat to an alley, or stand up In
defense of his own self-respect and
try to protect his sister?
Suppose he says to the bully, Il
believe In peace and no matter what
you do to me, l won't strike back"
Then he would get few more
cuffs for good measure, and his sis
ter would be ashamed of him and he
would be ashamed Of himself and
the little rowdy who attacked him
would call himself cock of the walk
and be greater nuisance than ever
before.
The United States of America is
involved in hideous war because
President Wilson and Congress and
all persons who are warmed by red
blood instead Of being chilled by
sarsaparilla pop had to make the
same decision that every boy is call
ed upon to make when he is jumped
upon by tough customer.
Another question (boy only: Did
you ever let boy up before he yell
ed Enough" and then have the
whole fight over again?
II SO, you might 60 around in your
neighborhood and give some valu-
able information to people older
than yourself.
If you (this Is for both boys and
girls) went out into the woods for
a picnic with another bunch" Of
young people you knew and liked,
and If your crowd had q basket Of
things to eat and the other crowd
had basket and some TOUCHES
came along and stole the basket be-
longing to the other crowd, would |
you give them something to eat out |
Of your basket, or let them sit over
by themselves, hungry and miser-
able. and watch you stuff your
selves?
You'd play fair, of course. even
IL you had to go a little hungry.
Mr.. Hoover Is now asking every
boy and girl in America to play fair
and divide up with the hungry
youngsters of France and Belgium
and Great Britain.
There isn't enough food in the
.unrId ~ ar aro,,pd ~ xun a ra oaIftuh