Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-09-18
YOUR POST OF HONOR.

liens of d republic must always be
ready in the hour of need to leave
their homes and take up arms in de
Tense of their rights and principles
otherwise the republic could not Ions
continue 20 exist. The men who now
enter military service deserve this
gratitude and respect of their fellow
citizens.
You are doubtless making q heavy
sacrifice in order to perform this duty
to YOUR country. Hundreds of thou,
sands of other young men and their
families, are face to face with similar
sacrifices. All our citizens will sooner
or later be called upon, each to bear his
or her share of the burden. Men and
women, rich and poor, alike must
do whatever is necessary and must
give up whatever is necessary. For nc
personal interests or feelings can be
permitted to stand in the way at a
time when the safety and honor of the
country are at stake.
AS a citizen-soIdier you are chosen
for a post of special distinction. Amer
lea is justly proud of the soldiers of the
past who have won for us the rights
today denied and put in serious danger
hy TIE high-handed attacks of the Ger
man government. America will be no
less proud of you. --
Your personal responsibility is great.
As warfare today is conducted, the
Individual soldier counts for more than
ever before Your own skill and BRAY
cry, no matter how humble your rank,
may easily be important factors in de
Gliding whether an engagement is to be
won or lost. You cannot depend upon
anyone else to carry this personal re-
sponsbility for you, you must depend
upon yourself.
Americans are well-fitted to meet
this test. During the Civil war, at the
battle of Antietam. the Seventh Maine
infantry lay, hugging the ground, I'M
der furious storm of shot and shell.
Private Knox, who was a wonderful
shot, asked leave to move nearer the
enemy. For an hour afterwards his
companions heard his rifle crack every
few minutes. His commanding officer
finally from curiosity, 'crept forward
TO see what he was doing, and found
that he had driven every man away
from one section of Confederate
battery tumbling over gunner after
gunner as they came forward to fire.
= Of or. CO
a piece of shell took off the breech of
his pet rifle, and he returned discon-
ISOLATE; but after a few minutes he
gathered three rifles that were left by
wounded men and went back again.
In the Confederate armies individual
soldiers were no less skillful. cool and
brave. On both sides they were Ameri-
cans.
Tales of heroic courage can be found
in the annals of all armies and of all
nations.
Other things being equal, an army
made up of self-reliant, thinking men
has a great advantage over Il merely
machine-like army, and this is espe-
cially true in present-day warfare.
Maj Gen Hugh L. Scott chief of staff,
U. s. A., remarks on this point:
"The conditions under which modern
wars are fought are ever making in
creasing demands on the individual
soldier. The individual sol
der must know how to interpret ac-
curately orders and signals, for the
enemy's fire may often so isolate him
from his leader and comrades, perhaps
only step away, that he may be
thrown on bis own initiative in making
his actions conform to those of the
whole line he may have to use bis
own judgment in opening fire, in adj
vancing, In intrenching."
A second tradition of the American
army, which need only be mentioned
is that of fighting fairly and treating
even the enemy with as much human
ity as his own conduct will permit
As for Strengthening or enslaving the
civilian population of captured terri
tory, attacking prisoners or assaulting
women, American soldiers would as
little commit such crimes in time o.
war as in time of peace.
There is a third splendid tradition
of the American army which you vii
help to carry forward. 1t has fought
always and everywhere in defense OF
principles and right-never merely
for territory and for power Even the
Civil war resulted from the clash Of
opposing principles-the principle Of
an indivisible Union upheld by the
North, and that of freedom to wirh
draw from the Union upheld by tn,
South.
To protect the rights of citizens, tn,
American people have several time:
opposed tyrannical gOvernments-th'
English government In 1776 and 1872
the French government for a shor
period in 1898, the Mexican govern
ment in 1913, the Spanish government
In 1898. The final effect in each cas-
has been to advance the cause of lib
Crty ard democracy throughout tn
world, even in the countries agains
which we fought. Our weapons hav
not willingly been turned against an
peoples, but only against the ruler
who miSgoverned and miSled them. Il
fighting for our own rights, the Ameri
can army has fought also, in Presi
dent Wilson's phrase, for the right
of mankind"
For like high purpose, the Ameri
can people have entered into the pres
ent war against the German govern
ment--a government which in our be
lief miSrepreSents and miSleadS tn
German people. Only by so doing cal
we make America and the world "saf
for democracy" But one ending ca
be thought Of-an ending that vii
guarantee the continuance of all thes
principles and rights which the Amer
lean army has in the past so nobl
fought to establish.
Never lose sight, even for an IL
slant, of the fact that ali of your trair
ing. your efforts. and your sacrifice
have this one great object in view, til