Baxter Springs news., 1918-10-18
AAIERICA's GIFT OF
CITIZENS TO EUROPE
Many Soldiers Marrying in Europe
Likely to Remain There Per-
manently

When America entered this war il
was apparent to all that many thou
sands Of our finest young manhood
would inevitably be slain on the bat
iIshelds Of Europe. It was also un.
derstood that large numbers Of our
men would, in all probability, be cap
tuned by the Armies of the Central
Powers. American relatives, friends,
and sweethearts, fully realized these
crave dangers when they bade their
soldier boys goodbye: and, as they
now read with anguish the names Of
their loved ones in the ever-lcngthen-
ing casualty lists, they console them
selves, IN a measure at least, with the
thought that their boys have heroic
ally helped to pay the cost Of saving
the world from irreparable disaster.
They did not realize, however, when
they said farewell to their loved ones,
that in addition to the huge losses
from battle and disease, America
would be called upon to make an even
larger sacrifice of her young men, due
fundamentally to the wars terrible
depletion of Europe's manhood hut
brought about directly by the fact
that French girls are practically the
only female acquaintances and COM
panions of Americas millions Of SOL
diers during their sojourr in France.
It is hard enough for the American
relative, friend or sweetheart to bear
the thought of giving a loved one to
die, even for the success Of most
righteous cause, but it may be even
harder to become reconciled to the
Thought Of giving that one to live for
the happiness of charming French
girl, however necessary It may be to
provide men for the rehabilitation Of
France. Moreover, not emily will rela-
tives, friends and sweetheaits find this
unexpected sacrifice of thousands of
our young men hard to bear, but the
whole country will feel the loss. As
dearly as America loves France and
rs deeply as we appreciate our great
and long-standing debt Of gratitude
for her assistance in gaining our in
dependence, we cannot but feel, at first
thought at least, that to give up a
single one Of our American boys to
become q citizen of France or any
other country is an almost impossible
sacrifice. Yet, is it really too great?
Surely, when we consider the fact that
dear old bloodstained France had al
ready drenched her soil with the blood
Of more men than we now have in
Europe before we placed single SOL
der there; that many thousands Of
French families have long since placed
on the altar Of world-liberty every
male member Of their homes; and that
but for these sacrifices German kul-
tur might even now engulf the whole
world, we cannot but feel that no price
that America can possibly pay, with
our treasure, our blood, or even with
our living, vigorous, pulsating young
manhood, can ever cancel the debt of
gratitude we owe to France.
Then, too, we may we'll remember
the fact that, for many years prior to
this war, America had been drawing
large percentage of her rapidly in
creasing population from Europe-the
total sometimes running as high as n
million year-and it is therefore not
unreasonable for European countries,
including not only France, but also
Belgium, Serbia, England and Italy,
now that their populations have been
50 terribly decimated by sacrifices
which have proven to be almost as
much for our safety as for their own,
"a ask America to permit n reasonable
number of her young men now in
Europe to aid them in their tremend-
ous task Of repairing the ravages OF
fhis awful war by thus substituting
their citizenship and allegiance for
ouru. Il will be hard for our boys to
rive up the Star-Spangled Banner for
hy other flag, but, perhaps, in doing
. they win be Fastening the great
a,y Of international unity and the fed
srntion Of the world.