The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-07-25


or sleep.
have seen homes, Office buildings,
churches, cathedrals that have been
destroyed by shells. or air raid bombs
taking a toll of human life-whole
towns literally wiped out. Rheims,
for example, is a city in which no
family remains, and the grass grows
between the tracks IN the street. Yer
dun is a nightmare where it is hard
to realize men and women once lived.
I have seen soldiers, thousands,
tens of thousands, matching to the
front, struggling drought the night
with motor transports, big guns, NUM-
tions, pontoon bridge equipment and
all The paraphernalia of war.
I have visited hospitals where hun
dreds of fine boys were recovering
from wounds, other hospitals where
there were none but those who had
one or both legs, hundreds of
them, yes, thousands. More pathetic
still were the boys just out of the
some light, others more serious,
formed into companies and being par
AIDED about the hospital grounds, Civ
en- exercises Of different kinds to
develop their strength and muscle
that they might go back to the trench
es again and for many it was the sec
ond, third or fourth trip from the
hospital to the trenches. Back to the
trenches to await their fate--not tel
ling what--possibly the worst of all
capture.
Farmers are denied the privilege
of eating eggs, butter milk, beef or
pork they produce on their own farms
except in accordance with the food
regulations of their Government.
Much more have 1 seen but it can
not all be told here.
is there complaint of personal dis
comfort or deprivation? No! Only a
protest that such a horror should
come over the world. Only the ex-
preston of a firm determination on
the part of these war-Weary men and
women who are fighting your battles
and mine that the war must be won !;
that there should be no turning back /;
that ell must be sacrificed, all must be
devoted to the ask of Kidding the
world of a ring of lust-mad men
whose ambition to rule the world has
caused this suffering. Only the de-
termination that the war must be seen
through to the bitter end and cOndi-
tions brought about that will prevent
| the recurrence of such an awful eX-
perience during the lives of our chill
| DIRE, their children, their children's
| children, or ever again.
For whom are these great sacrific-
es being made? For themselves?
Yes, but as much for you and for me.
For humanity, for liberty, for the
people of the world. This is as much
your war and mine as it the war of
any brave man who has given up his
life. AS much your war and mine
as it IS the war of the mothers, wives,
| sisters who have sacrificed dearly. AS
much your and mine as it is the war
of the men an women in Europe, who
are giving their nights, their whole
effort, their comfort, their very lives
to this cause. If they lose hbery,
you lose liberty. If they retain lib
erty for themselves, they retain If
for you. If they make the world a
zee in which it will be safe and
pleasant for their children to live,
they do the same for yours.
These people of Europe are wal
weary. They are war worn. The
strain is great, the enemy strong. The
outcome is not at all assured except
America make herself felt and felt
effectively soon. All that can be
done is being done by those in charge
of our Governmental affairs to whom
you and I look for the conduct of our
actual war activities, but are you and
giving that every help possible? Do
we make their burden as light as pos
sible? Do we complain and critizise
Do we waste? Do we complain of
high prices? Do we protest because
of slow trains, fewer trains, etc? Do
we relieve transportation? Do we pro-
duce food and materials? Do we work
gladly on committees and give our
time cheerfully and generously or do
we fear to neglect "our business?" In
Europe the business" in thousands
of instances is gone, wiped out, stock
gone, burned up, the building blown
to atoms, the farm barren waste of
shell holes, and in many cases the
who lie family wiped out and we stop
to say "our business" will suffer if
we neglect it for war work
I am not pessimistic, I am not dis
couraged. I have faith in the cause
of the allies more faith than ever in
the wonderful people of France, Great
Britain and al the countries who
have been longer in the war than we
have been. I have faith in America
and Americans. I know we will do
our part, but, oh, how vital it is that
we should know what the part is and
should do it promptly. To delay
means that more and more of our
onderful boys will never return. To
be too late would be a castrophe. To
act and to act promptly each one as
he may, means success, our sons re-
turned TO US, our institutions pre-
served and civilization permitted once
again to go marching OH IN search
of ali that makes for a bigger and
| better life for each of US
Do not delay doing your all. It
means your son to you, your neigh
bors' son to him. It means your
home. your country, it means all you
hold dear. Would that 1 could i'm
press upon all the wonderful sacri-