Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-07-17

] What can be said to the parent WIN has
Tossed open-eyed until dawn, wondering how
! What message can go to him or TO her who
VINO has spoken cheerful words when tears
were yelling, who has the empty chair
| was a sons voice !?
Brave fathers and mothers are they who
nave given up million TO risk their all
IN the struggle for world decency. Uncom-
planning they go their way, but in the still Of
| me night there come thoughts
IN a London restaurant young wife was
sewing al the tables. A man in khaki came
in-her husband He extended a hand. and
| she pressed il in both of hers
Inc husband had offered his services in the
physically unfit. Bet now-now england
needs men to help hold the lines. So, what if
TINS on,s man mas one bed eye? He can level a
robust! His head has overcome that before
and can again.
There, they stood and talked in hushed
| scene too cacred for any thought Of i'm
patience on the part of the waiting guests
Then she kissed him, and patted his shoulder
| encouragIngy as he left. She watched him
descend the stairs, culver coming to her
| chin and lips. She asked another maid to
| rake mp the work of serving her tables and
disappeared into cloak room.
When she came out her eyes were wet, but
her mead was erect, her step firm, her whole
bearing one of resolution.
And SO it is that brave young wives of
America shed their tears in the secret Of
their closets do no less brave wives of
Britain and the equally brave wives of France
| them?
We all love peace. but we are at war.
Can aught be gained by glossing' over war
| when We are in the conflict?
We are not people who must deceive our
selves into the thought that war is mere
game when the instruments of play are rifle
, and bayonet, machine gun and bomb.
He is best armed who knows his task
Ours is people of that stern mettle that
can look Grim War straight in the face and
buckle in for that long hard winning fight
that will beat him down.
1t must be so for we have entered and there
! is no turning back.
Our people may not have been a unit for
entering the war, but we and must con-
tinue unit for pushing it to a right finish
and an honorable peace.
1t must be for this is more than war
/ for the life of a nation. This is a war for
keeping pure the life blood of all nations
which flows in honor among peoples, in keep
ing sacred the given word, in ending world
brigandage and cheating ruthless military
spirit OF its unholy reward. "a = J
wars OF nations are won by pitting men
against men--justice of cause, numbers equp-
ment. food. skill. relative position, staying
quality, unity of action, they count.
How stands it, then, with boys over saes
/ and those to follow? Which means, how
stands il with our people a nation? Which
| means, how stands il with the stars and stripes
and all they have meant to a free people?
| Which means how stands it with England
proud mistress of the sea? Which means
how stands it with France and other nations
| IN the conflict? Which meRas, how stands il
with world civilization? Shall lis future be
| built in the arts of peace, swsytd by love "a
| the heart, resting its hope in fertile valleys,
humming industry, peaceful fresides or shall
1t wear helmet and spur riding the steed of
! hatred, pushing its way with the thrust of
| the bayOnet?
How it stands with these depends largely
on how it stands with Americans at home.
Our people must understand the enemy they
have to fight; they must understand, too, the
| strength of our allies, and that which we
must supply to make the winning
! front: there RACES the struggle of peoples
who love the arts of peace against a people
who would rule by the sword.
In 1909, when Napoleon Bdnaparte was
haveing things very much his own way in
Europe, he whipped Prussia, took a large
portion of Prussian territory and about half
sovereign, and, finding the rulers still very
much inclined toward militarism. prescribed
| limits to their army, to which Prussia agreed
because she had to.
| The agreement was that Prussia should not
have an army of over $4,000 men. Prussia
lived up to that agreement to the letter, but
Even in that early day she showed her
ability to wriggie out of an agreement that
| was distasteful to her, and she did not live
up to the spirit of it.
| She did not maintain army of than
| $4,000 men at any one time-that is active
army-but she kept men in until they were
well trained; then they went, out and others
went IN Tor training, ana so II was until a
| very large portion of the male population
was drilled and ready for action should ne
cessity arise.
The military policy instituted then has been
! maintained to this day, as has the policy of the
| rulers of bending their morals to their per-
soral desires, and, taking the other half of
| the step, violating agreements in letter as
| That Prussian military spirit did not sub
side even lie dorment. When others
thought they had il paralyzed, it still thrived.
1 r. LnI aNrA hat INV
| Germans themselves rebelled against it, and
4 left the country rather than submit to its
advocates. Hundreds of thousands of others
In 1871 it was even stronger. and it was
then hiatt Germany reaped the greatest har-
vest of its policy. wrestling Alsacc and Lor-
And il is this same military spirit that the
| world faces today.
| Stronger, arrogant, grown selfish,
cold and brutal, militarlsm is trying to fasten
itself on the remainder of the world, TO the
profit of one nation that became an armed
camp.
II is the fruit of this militarism that one
sees everywhere along the fighting front in
Europe, the militarism that menaces America
| today as, it menaces every European country
that has fought and is fighting TO prevent its
| TO understand fully all that this war means
TO us and the problems America has to face
US have realized-must consider the situation
| in four important phases. They are:
What is it going to take thoroughly to whip
| Germany?
| How much of il can and will England do :?
| How much of il can and will France do?
| How much must America do to hnsn the
| job?
We cannot understand what it is going to
| take TO whip Germany unless we get something
| of a notion of what there is left OF Germany
TO whip and the method OF fighting our men
In studying war conditions had gone into
England first, where l had observed al inc
| various activities, with the view OF watching
| both men and materials from the recruiting
| of the men. through the training in all
| branches TO the battle front and back through
base hospitals, hospital ships and INTO the ne
general hospitals; also the manufacture Of
| munitions from the factory TO tne front anu
| back to the salvage plants.
| This brought me to the British trent the
| week before the German offensive OF 1918 be-
| gan. Driving through all the larger cities
4 north of Somme and about IS smaller villages,
| stopping at scores of places OF interest: L
| had hte opportunity of observing all the lines
| an Understanding of the terrible sacrifice
| that an army must make in an effort to
break through
| into the various lines Of defense the British
| and German cannon were even then sounding
out each others guns and trying TO silence
i the opposition with shell FIRE.
| for two hours, the shells flying over our
heads with whiz-A-z and whir, but they
| were of no great danger to us. for they were
| aimed far enough in front and back of us TO
Al times we stood by cannon as they were
fred at the enemy. Everywhere was seen
desolatiOn. In Belgium and IN n, many parts
| nitfed in so thick that they Tapped into each
| other. They were filled with muddy water.
and with stranded tanks. cannon, shells dead
horses helmets, bayonets, barhed wire, wreck
| cd trucks and here and there the body OF a
German soldier hiatt probably had been buried