Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-08-14
JOTTINGS FROM
MY NOTEBOOK
Americas Self-Sacrilice: A Moral
Demonstration.
+, BY RALPH NJ. MoRPHETT
(By Harold Begbie.)

in this war has been done by
America. 1t is action on a gigan-
tic scale, and yet OF a directly per
sonal character. Insufficient pub
LEFTY. 1 think, has been given to
this action.
Is it realized by the people Of
this country that America has al
ready saved US from captivating to
the enemy? Either we should have
have been forced into this surren-
der with our armies urbrOken and
our munitions Of war uneEhausted}
or we should at this moment be
struggling to live and work and
fight on one-thiTd Of our present
-ratiOnS.
America is sending to these is
lands almost twC-thiTds of our food
supplies. Sixty-fiye per cent Of the
essential foOdstuffs eaten by the
British citizen comes to him from
the American continent This in
itself is something which calls for
our lively gratitude. But there is
quality in the action OF America
which should intensity our graft
tude For these American sup
plies, essential to our health and
s0lety' rep eSeHt III very large
meas re me personal ana Foltn-
'aLy seli-sacFIhces OF the lhuIYlo-
uaI Anlstlcah cltizen. ihey are
not crumbs from the table Of dives.
They are got the Communicated
SuppIles OF an abtocFalc govern
NehL- 1hey represent, rather, the
klndIy, dllncuIL, and entirely Will
ing self-sacrlfce Of q whole ma
tloh' the vast majority OF whom
a-e "ofklng people.
There IS only one altar for this
act or sacrlhce-lt IS the table OF
me american WORKING classes And
me IlIe Is performed by-Hen, WON
en- anu culIdFen' II every meal OF
the uaF, DAY after day, week after
week:
Inns act OF selI-sacrIfce, let us
remember, is made in the midst Of
plenty. Well might the American
housewife ask why she should de
prive her children OF food, why
she should institute wheatIess and
meatlesS days, when all about here
there IS a visible supeT-abundance
OF these things. Questions such as
these are natural enough on the
other side of the Atlantic. and on
the other side of the American
continent, though five thousand
mics away from the battiefelds Of
+ rance
But the citizens Of America do
not ask such questions. With a
cheerluIness and a courage which
ar as vigorous as their industry,
anu win a moral earnestness
HlCH IS py lar the greatest dem
ohaOfatIon america has given to
lne "orIu OF American character.
IIeSe people so lar away from Us
On the other side of the Atlantic
nave willingly and with no coer-
cIoh by the state denied themselves
lor the sake of the entente. They
are going short for our sakes. They
are practicing an intimate self
sacriHce in order that We NAV hold
our own III their sons come to
!lsHt at our side. All over Amer
!ca the individual American citizen
= making this self-sacrifice and
ma hlng II without a murmur. He
IS IeeoIh&, by his personal self
sacrifice, not only these islands.
out france, Italy and many OF the
ne0srals.
ms great demonstration of
cnaFacier mas had no other in
peIuS Lnan the simple declaration
VI me Iacts by Herbert Hoover. the
- - no req belgium Hoover has
eold ms Couhtrymen how things
n nToo, ne +o uecIafed 70 them, will
he a ,, ~ ndallh nat whether or not
world" His propaganda has no., r,,e
descended to unworthy IavaIe IT.
science of his countrymen. He
H. SPoAeh OF "a personal obliga-
10. upon every one Of US to-
Iii - sollie tnulVlauaI abroad who
VII suEer prlyation to the extent
An1erfo WI h 1nuiDlauaI negligence"
naaI IN a Los ans "eTed This ap-
o. ili'lineI "IIch marks her
So on9 VI me greatest moral
I, " ooS II the world. IL should be
i,n'Js ouS me IN the farm
49, - t.i,t cottages OF the Ameri-
III oo-- -.iiLeI4' t4aI inc people of
and corfroSSt', ,-s.IteA4dhg thelr belts
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. - Gii'liis ne future with an
and cbi1dror ~ for t il-eh uIa women
GOLF 40 a,.f '-L 9'ltTIiIce (