New Britain herald., 1918-05-20

of the world but it is recognized by international agreement and treaty, as the recognized and accepted in- strumentality of mercy and succor. And one of the deepest stains that
 rests upon the reputation of the German army is that they have not respected the Red Cross.
 That goes to the root of the mat ter. They have not respected the in- strumentality they themselves par
 ticipatcd in setting up as the thing which no man was to touch, because it was the expression of common
 humanity We are members, by be-
 ing members of the American Red
 Cross, of a great fraternity and com-
 radcship which extends all over the
 world and this cross which these
 ladies bore today is an emblem of
 Christianity itself
 "It fills my imagination, ladies and
 gentlemen, to think of the women all
 over this country who are busy to-
 night and are busy every night and
 every day doing the work of the Red
 Cross, busy with a great eagerness to
 find out the most sorviceable thing
 to do, busy with a fOrgetfulness of
 all the old frivolities of their social
 relationships, ready to CNrtail the
 duties of tho household in order that
 they may contribute to this common
 work that all their hearts are en-
 gagged in. and in doing what their
 hearts prompted become acquainted with each other.
 "When you think of this, you
 realize how the people of the United
 States are being drawn, together into
 a great intimate family whose heart
 is being used for the service of
 the soldiers not only. but for the
 service of civilians, where they suf- fer and are lost in a maze of dis
 tresses and distraction. And you
 have, then. this noble picture of
 justice and mercy as the two servants
 of liberty. For only where men are free do they think the thoughts of comradeship; only where they are free do they think the thoughts of sympathy; only where they are free
 are they mutually helpful; only where 1 they are free do they realize their dependence upon one another and their comradeship in a common in terest and common necessity.
 'I heard a story told the other day that was ridiculous but it is
 worth repeating, because it contains the germ of truth. An Indian was enlisted in the army He returned to the reservation on a furlough. He
 was asked what he thought of it.
 He said No much good; too much l salute: not much shoot. Then he
 was asked Are you going back?" Yes Well. do you know what you are fighting for?' Yes, me know fight to make whole damn world safe for democratic party. He { had evidently misund some in nocent sentence of my own. But after all. although there is no party 1 purpose in it, he got it right as far 1 as the word party: to make the
 whole world democratic in the sense 1 of community of interest and of purpose, and if you ladies and gen. | tlemen could read some of the touch 1 ing dispatches which come through 1 official channels, for even through 1 those channels there come voices of humanity that are infinitely pathetic; if you could catch some of those voices that speak the utter longing 1 of oppressed and helpless peoples all over the world, to hear something like the Battle Hymn of the Republic. to hear the feet of the great hosts of liberty going to set them free, to set their minds free, set their lives free, set their children free, you
 would know what comes into the heart of those who are trying to contribute all the brains and power
 they have to this great enterprise of liberty. I summon you to the com radeship, I summon you in this next week to say how much and how sincerely and how unanimously you sustain the heart of the world"