The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-05-20
NO Limit To SOLDIERS
DECLARES THE PRESIDENT

| 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 character,
and 1t is that opportunity that we have
| most cOnspicuOusly in the work of the
Red Cross.
mot 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 ad-
mlre; but their duty is the duty Of
force. The duty of the Red Cross is
the duty of mercy and succor and
friendship.
Knitting World Together.
"Have you formed a picture In your
imagination of what this war Is doing
for us and for the world? In my own
mind | am convinced that not hun
dred years of peace could have knitted
this nation together as this single year
OF war has knitted it together; and,
better even than that, If possible, 1t Is
Knitting the world together.
Look at the picture. In the center
of the scene, four nations engaged
against the world, and at every point
OF vantage, showing that they are seek
Ing selfish aggrandizement; and,
| against them, % governments, rep
resenting the greater part Of the
population of the world drawn
together into new sense Of
community Of interest, a new sense
of community of purpose, new sense
of unity Of life.
Cites Italian Example.
The secretary of war told me an
interesting incident the other day. He
said when he was in Italy member
| OF the Italian government was explain
ing to him the many reasons why Italy
felt near to the United States.
If you want to try an interesting
experiment go up to any one 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 a troop train and he said, How
many of you boys have been in Amer
lea? and he said it seemed to him as
If half of them sprang up: Me from
San Francisco; me from New York !;
all over There was part of the heart
I Of America in the Italian army.
Must Serve On> Another.
Friendship is the only cement that
will ever hold the world together. And
this intimate contact of the Red Cross
with the peoples who are suffering the
terrors and deprivatiOns of this war
is going to be one of the :<'eateSt in
strumentalities of friendship that the
world ever knew, and the center of the
heart of it all, if we sustain it prop
| erly, will be this land that we so dear
| ly love.
"My friends, great day Of duty
| has come, and duty finds a mans 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 another,
and no man can afford to make a for
| tune out of this war. There are men
| amongst us who have forgotten that,
| II they ever saw it.
Should Give Freely.
"And your relation TO the Red Cross
| is one of the relations which will re-
| lieve you of the stigma. You can't
| give anything to the government of
the United States; it won't accept it.
There is law of congress against ac-
| cepting even services without pay.
| hot ont
will accept is loan, and duties per-
formed; but it is great deal better to
give than to lend or to pay, and your
| great channel for giving is the Ameri-
can Red Cross.
"Down in your hearts you can't take
very much satisfaction, in the last
analysis, in lending money to the gov
ernment of the United States, because
the interest which you draw will burn
your pockets it is commercial trans
| action, and some men have even dared
] to cavil at the rate of interest, not
knowing the incidental commentary
| that constitute upon their attitude.
No Favors to Come.
| "But when you give, something of
your heart, something of your soul,
something of yourself goes with the
| gift, particularly when it is given in
such form that it never can come back
| by way of direct benefit to yourself.
| You know there is the old cynical def
milton Of gratitude, as the lively ex-
pectation of fayors to come
"Well, there is no expectation of
| favors to come In this kind of giving.
These things are bestowed in order
| that the world may be filter place to
| live in, that men may be succored, that
homes may be restored, that suffering
may be relieved, that the face of the
earth may have the blight Of destruc-
! ton taken away from it, and that
wherever force. goes, there shall 90
mercy and helpfulness.
"And when you give, give absolutely
all that you can spare, and don't con-
slider yourself liberal in the giving.
"And think what we have here! We
call it the American Red Cross, but 1t
| Is merely a branch of great inter
national organization, which is not
only recognized by the statutes of each
of the civilized governments OF the
world, but it is recognized by inter
| national agreement and treaty as the
recognized and accepted Instrumental
ity of mercy and succor. And one of
the deepest stains that rests upon the
reputation of the German army Is