Cleveland County herald., 1918-05-23
upted with God bless YOU"


many thinks we are going to Sacrifices
anybody for our own sake I tell them
now they are mistaken.
For the glory of this war, my fei-
low citizens, in so far as We are
concerned, is that it is perhaps for
the first time in history an unselfish
war. l could not be proud to fight
for a selfish purpose, but l can be
proud to fight for mankind. If they
wish peace let them come forward
through accredited representatives
and lay their terms on the table. We
have laid ours and they know what
they are.
"But behind all this grim purpose,
my friends, lies the opportunity to
demonstrate not only force which will
be demonstrated to the utmost, but
the opportunity to demonstrate char
acter and it is that opportunity that
we have most conspicuously in the
work of the Red Cross.
Not that our men in arms do not
represent our character, for they do,
and it is a character which those
/ who see and realize appreciate and
admire; but their duty is the duty
of force; the duty of the Red Cross
is the duty of mercy and succor and
friendship
Nation Knitted Together.
Have you formed picture in
your imagination of what this war is
doing for us and for the world? In
my mind | am convinced that not
100 years of peace could have knit
ted this nation together as this single
year of war has knitted it together;
and better even than that, if possible,
it is knitting the world together.
Look at the picture. In the cen
ter of the scene, four nations en-
gagged against the world and at ey-
cry point of vantage, showing that
they are seeking selfish aggrandize-
ment and against them % govern
ments, representing the greater part
of the population of the world, drawn
together into new sense of commun-
ity of purpose and a new sense of
unity Of life.
THE secretary of war told me an
interesting incident the other day.
He said when he was in Italy a mem
Der of the Italian government was
explaining to him the many reasons
why Italy felt near to the Unite-
States.
of you want to try an interesting
experiment go up to any of these
troop trains and ask in English how
many of them have been in America
and see what happens
"He tried the experiment He
went up to troop train and he SAID
, How many of you boys have been
in American And he said it seemed
to him as if half of them sprang up:
Me from San Franciscos me from
New York; all over There was
: part of the -6eartas. America the
~ italian army. People That had been
knitted to us by association who knew
us, who had lived among us, who
had worked shoulder to shoulder
with us and now friends of America
were fighting for their native Italy.
Friendship is the only cement
that will ever hold the world togetn-
err, and this intimate contract of Rel
Cross with the peoples who are SUI
fering the terrors and deprivatiOns OF
this war; is going to be one of the
greatest instrumentalities Of FRIEND
ship that the world ever knew and
the center of the heart of it all, if
we sustain it properly will be this
land that we so dearly love.
Pleads For Red Cross.
my friends. a great day of duty
has come and duly finds a man s
soul as no kind of work can ever
find it.
May l say this? The duty that
faces us all now is to serve one an
other and no man can afford to MAKE
fortune out of this war. There are
men among us who have forgotten
that, if they ever saw it. Some of
you are old enough am old enough
to remember men who made for
tunes out of the Civil war and you
know how they were regarded by
their fellow-citizens. That was war
to save one country-this is a war w
save the world.
"And your relation to the Red
Cross is one of the relations which
will relieve you of the stigma. You
can't give anything to the govern
ment of the United States; it won't
accept it. There is a law of Congress
against accepting even services with
out pay. The only thing that the
government will accept is loan and
duties performed: but it is a great
deal better to give than to lend or to
pay and your great channel for Civ
ing is the American Red Cross.
"Down in your hearts you can't
take very much satisfaction, in the
last anlysis, in lending money to the
government of the United States be
cause the interest which you draw
will burn your pockets; it is com
mercial transaction and some men
have even dared to cavil at the rate