The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-14
MEN, WOMEN AND THINGS

read them and they are all common place. then the seventh is lit up with genius. You hear half dozen speeches and they are conventional, then the sev- enth electrifies you.
 At the tail-end of business meeting of the Rotary club which had about tired out the membership, in walked Mir. Bar officer, who was presented by him to the club. You could sense the feeling of the members as they slouched back into their seats as if to ask, What will this fel- low say?"
 Then he clicked his heels together. Note carefully the little word "click, for it was the key word of his address which literally took the slouch off the backs of those present and stiffened their backbones until they were sitting up as stiff as ramrods, all attention
 
 Being something of professional when it comes to being called on to try and wake up well fed "bunches" who had much rather "beat it' or lounge about and converse with one another than to listen to a lot of canned ora tory about the eternal war question, felt sorry for the accidental guest who was politely asked to speak.
 He set splendid precedent, for instead of opening with a funny story, his man. ner and his words gave evidence that fr, hn hn dried after dinner dope to soothe and pacify overfed patriots and convince them that by lunching bountifully they were making real sacrifices to defeat the Germans and hurry on the march of democracy.
 .GentIemen," said he, coming fresh from the western front where regiments are being. not smashed, but wiped out, where a man minute is giving his lie to preserve liberty throughout the world, I dare not be other than serious. for l have seen and l know that the hour nas come when we must make those who have remained at home and far away from the firing line realize that all we prize in our civilization is at stake and that civilian as well as soldier must do his all or we will be beaten"
 I have been so interested in the man and his message that I have neglected to tell you his name. It ought to De John Bull, for as he stood before me with his iron jaw I was face to face with the incarnated Englishman, the oreoa which fights best with it's back to the wall, and never runs unless it's uphill to meet the enemy. Salute Lieut.. Col. R. V. K Applin, of the British army.
 
 Now if you had seen and heard him you would pardon me for not herald ing his name and title at the beginning of my story, for he was a voice crying out in the wilderness with oracular force, prepare, get ready, learn discipline for the way is hard and the day is short and night cometh when no man can work. Now he may have made differ ent impression than this on others, but his short, sharp words sounded to me like the crack of doom. He spoke With the force of prophet.
  Did he smother us with snug praise? Not bit of it. Like forked lightning spitting out beneath ominous war clouds he flung it into our teeth that the Ger man Emperor had passed judgment nn America by saying it was not to be feared, for it's democracy would not stand for discipline. The hardest lesson of al re 4n know just how hard it is, look into your own undisciplined life here at home whan you fret if you are called upon to put up even with slight inconveniences. The American child has the reputation around the world for being the least dis ciplined of all children. Small wondel, then, that when they pass from child hood into youth and from youth into way of doing and thinking and are the greatest indiyidualists i'll creation. Now this officer of the general English staff comes here and bldfts out if you want to win this war you have got to bow be- heath the yoke of army discipline or your soldiers will run amuck when they get in line with their European allies. have talked much about my sacred | rights | have written reams to set | forth the value of the indviduah but 1 after hearing Colonel Applin, I am a dis l ciplined soul and l am ready to salute ] those in authority, and believe that m l so doing while submerging my rights ] am contributing to greater rights of the whole He drove home with telling force that until armies learned to keep step 1 and march shoulder to shoulder and moved at the same moment that they | could not in modern warfare win vic 1 tories.
 ! "CliclS' was word much used by him. l, It stood for uprightness, it meant obe- ] dience, it carried with it the idea of pre- l cision, it had the smoothness of an en- zine well oiled and humming in time to l every part of the great war machine, i from the smart salute of the private to i his superior, to the swifter rolling of a i tender woman's hand, to the speedier l thrust of the soldiers bayonet It had rude alarm of the buSle's call to battle when the army over vast stretches must l get into action, not on the minute, but l the second.