Mount Vernon signal. (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) 18??-current, 1917-10-26
Ny Patriotism

The boy came to me for advice.
l suppose because / had been ms
fathers best friend. The boy
father had enlisted in the Spanish
War and was killed fighting under
Lawton In the Philippines. me
boys mother was an intelligent
American woman-one OF those
women who believe that honor Is
the finest thing in the world. With
the worship OF her husbands pa
triotism and bravery in her soul,
the mother had brought the boy up
to be a straight thinking, straight
acting youngster. had watched
the boy grow up, and / was proud
Of him.
When war was declared 1t did
not take the boy long to make up
his mind that he ought to enlist.
and his mother agreed with him.
II was a perfectly natural decision
for him to make. The training that
he had received from his mother.
and his pride in his fathers devo-
ton to the country. made any
other course seem pitifully weak to
the boy, and, besides, he had
keen appreciation Of the justice OF
the cause for which the United
States is fighting. He did not ask
for advice as to himself. He was
perfectly clear about what he
should do. But he was disturbed
about his mother. Was he doing
right to leave her? Knowing both
the boy and the mother as l did. l
knew that after they had made up
err minds anything that l might
say would be useless. So after
had given the boy the usual good
advice he left.
After he had gone I began to
think about my own position. l
had never thought very seriously
about patriotism, but in a general
way l regarded n2vself as an aver
age patriotic citizen. Since the
trouble with Germany started, l
had stood by the President" l
had had a good deal to say about
liberty and democracy, and the ne
ce3eity of crushing Prusaian mill
tarism. / had also made q number
of more or LEGS trite remarks about
saving and sacrifice; had even
gone so far as to decide to get
along with last years car, and /
had made an investment" In lib
erty bonds. But | had done moth
ing. nor had contemplated doing
anything that would interfere with
my comfort.
But here was this youngster-
just beginning to feel the zeSt OF
life, full of splendid enthusiasm for
making his life worth while, will
ing to risk his life in order that the
present generation and generations
to come may live in peace and Sc
curity. And here was this mother
willing to chance her last hope of
happiness to help preserve the
honor of her corHtrv. What right
had 10 let this fine boy-and there
is nothing Hner under the sun than
clean-Tninded, red-blooded Amer
lean hoy-ro through the horrors
of war while | made no sacrifice of
consequence? What right had | to
let this mother suffer, as / knew
she would suffer. all through the
long days and nights that her boy
was away. and not do my beat to
stop it!
altogether I did not feel yorv
VOL pleased with rayself. | b"sean
to see that my patri0ti3m was q
good deal Of an aTectation. Then
ara there | made ap my mind that
| WIS so.rg to make my patriotism
masa som Ching 10 .ne and to my
country. Ny fighti2g days are
over. would oa!y clutter up the
trenches ard got in the way Of bot
ter men, but l can help supply the
funds that may end this war before
the boy-the boy that l love as my
own SONS killed or returned
hCme a hopeless cripple, and be-
fore the last ray Of sunshine fades
from the mothers heart. and l am
going to Go this to the utmost of
nv ability.