The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1918-05-03
PATRIOTIC ADDRESS
DELIVERED AT
SPRINGF|E LD
Thirty-Nine Drafted Men Leave For
Camp-Cheered by Hundreds
Of Citizens.
GOOD PROGRAMME RENDERED
Trying Period For The Race But Can
Stand The Test.

Thirty-ltinS of Robertson Countys
Colored draftmen wA.e entertained
by the Springfield Ladies' Relief
Club, last night Sunday, at Saint
Johns A. M. E. Church. A very ap-
propriate program was rendered The
program follows:
Music, "America"-High School
Glee Club. ....
,Prayer-Rev. Hill.
Music, Battle Hymn of the Re-
public"
Address-By Rev. l. T, Jefferson,
! D. D.
Music-"Aint Goner Study War No
More"-Glee Club.
Remarks-,Nlr. Neal Glenn.
Music, Rolling in Zion"-Glee
Club.
Announcements.
Benediction-By Rev. ]. T. Ridley,
D. D.
Mrs. Hattie V. Nixon, president OF
the Ladies Relief Club, acted as Mis-
tress of Ceremonies. and in befitting
words introduced DIR. Jefferson, pas.
tor of Saint Johns A. NJ. f. Church,
as the speaker of the hour. AS the
speaker came forward silence like
the stiffness of death came over the
house and the audience, white and
colored seemed bent on catching
every word
DIR. Jefferson spoke as follows;
chairman, Brother Ministers, Eel
low-citizens and Soldiers of the Unit
ed States of America:
We have been called here to DC
honor to thirty-nine of the greatest
men in Robertson County. They are
great becauFe uncomplainingly ant
fearlesslv they have come forward
In answer DO their country's call
They are the men who came forth tt
) make good Prsidnt Wilson's an
; swer TO the Ger an war lords, wh'
hav CHALLENGED the world with thei
5 threat of force" and in the spiri
of true Americanism we shall al
swer force.
= SOLDIERS. we came here to homo
1 YOU, because your spirit of patrio
ism has predominated the spirit
: distrust and prejudice which Is
. part of every human being who ha
' met with the impeachment which yo
have met with, and in answer to tn
lcall of this American government
5 which you are a part, you have said
\ "Here am |, send me, send re" w
ore now entering upon the most TT,
ing hour of our race life-an hou
'. when the severest tests will be al
y 1lied and I am glad that we az
:. ace can stand the test.
p a thank God that the Negro ha
;. lad representative in every We
!. this nation has waged, and we wi
n be 10 less patriotic in this the grca
v est crisis the world has ever know
i. YOU are our representatives in tn
Il war If wars. You arc going forth
r'.h Gu" battles. and 70 II; >"u II
&C as great as was the English host II
a. Ter Wellington when returning fro
N the Little of Waterl,,
If "In sending you forth to Il
n, camps and to the battle line
Is France we would have you know v
N are reposing all and our uttermo
ID confidence in you. We belive "
Ut are the force which will bring Il
m Kaiser to his knees, and plant &
y, STARS and Stripes" upon the adm
n istration building in Berlin LIE
le you forget | want to remind you tn
to YOU are a part of fighting ra
n that has always been fierce Al
ts strong in battle, race that has ne
m err faltered nor quailed in the til
IS of this country's distress. We the
&C. fore ask that you honor and refle
is credit upon the fathers by dol
e. your duty, and in obedience to yo
u. commander, go forward; never
~ treat.
OF "You go forth to fight for yo
ce country: you go forth to fight
the protection of our women and cf
u dren, and in doing so you must
'p- to forget the differences here
a home. David told his servant the
Ia was no time to fight mosquitoes VIII
RI tigers and Mons awaited. We 6
at going out to get bigger game. '
ng are going to capture a madden
ms lion which has been turned alot
on civilization, a lion crazed by
ait lust for power, dominion and &c
RS. You are going to fight-not to fiji
Mt, for the white mans country,
W, for your own country. | do not
lieve in half way citizenship. T
is your country, this is my count
| was born here and you were b,
Sh- here. And since we were born h
'ro and have lived here we have no {
raj err country to fight for or to die
ne In the same language and in
ION same sense that Paul said, 81 an
I'M Roman" say, am an Ameri
ap- citizen. America is my country
NIX is ours. We gave the first blood
me the independence of this country
iid there isn't anything that can "
out this truth. Historians can
pes write of the American Revolut
be without telling how Crispus Attn
ill. barred his bronze breast to Bri
the bullets on Boston Commons, nor
the they write of the brilliant achi
the ments of Grant, Sherman, Sherit
'ols Buell., Hallark, Lee or Jackson W
inc out telling of the heroic stand of
'hlack phRlanx" Ht lMilligan B,
led Wagner and Fort Pillow. T
au. cannot speak of the rise and fal
ice kingdoms and nations without
ing ing how Hannibal crossed the /
A. to carry the war into Italy. or
Viii saint LOverture, who forged Ii
few derbolt out of the sable SONS of H
(n1o+,n,,ol -. Do~o ~