Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-05-14
A WAR SAVINGS
PLEDGE SERMON
RY SMALLER MATHEW S.
dean OF the Divinity School, Uni

! u CIV = - II
No we have not-but our sons
have. They do not fight only when
they feel like it; when it won't in
terfere with their everyday affairs.
/ Day and night, in sun and rain,
they face the foe. They stand in
! the trenches as shells fall about
them, ready to repel charge OF the
| gray green waves at any moment.
| No man among them knows but
" hat any moment will be his last.
| He may be called upon to make
the supreme sacrifice at any time,
and he stands ready to do it. He is
resisting unto blood.
Here at home we have not fully
{ learned what war means. We say,
Il have subscribed to Liberty bonds,
! I can't afford to take war savings
| stamps. I'm doing all l can now.
/ And then We spend our energies and
our money doing what we please.
| No, we have not resisted unto
/ blood against this war OF conquest,
! the greatest sin ever thrust upon
| suffering world. We have not re-
sisted unto sacrifice. We have not
resisted to the point where we are
willing to deny ourselves our lux
uries and our pleasures. We nave
not resisted unto saving. AS mat
teT of fact we have hardly begun
to resist at all.
True. some OF us work for the
| Y. NJ c. A. and the Red Cross and
many of us knit for the soldiers,
but as a people we are only begin
ming to realize we are at war. We
complain and criticise when every
one of US ought to be resisting unto
| blood. Do you ask how such hero
! ism is possible for those at home?
We must resist our enemy by re-
sisting unnecessary use OF materials
| or services needed to wage war.
| We cannot make the world safe for
! democracy without using materials.
! There are not enough materials to
! fight the war and do everything we
! have been accustomed to do at the
/ same time.
We must use less iron, gasoline,
| wheat, sugar and meat. in order
/ that they may be used 10 wage the
war. We cannot make the world
! safe for democracy without releas-
ing wOrkmen from services that are
I not absolutely necessary in order
that they may help pr&are mate
| rails. Such saving will not bring
! unemployment. There are enough
wOrkmen TO fill jobs already open.
If they are not employed in usual
ways they can be used in govern
ment shipyardS, munition plants
| and in those industries which pre-
pare US to conquer autocracy.
Therefore, the war is teaching us
self-denial. We must save before
we use. We have learned to do
without wheat to a large degree.
We are beginning to learn to make
sacrifices in clothes. We may have
to learn to get along without all OF
the coal we have been accustomed
to burn We must limit the produc-
ton of things made of iron and
steel because the metal is needee
! for the manufacture of guns, and
ships. We must be sparing in use
of goods brought from distant LANDS,
because ships cannot be spared to
| bring them.
We must resist OF enemy by saw
ing money to lend TO the nation so
that war materials and supplies ca%t
be manufactured. The war savings
campaign is one way of bringing
this economy about. COmpulsiOn by
the government is anouher. The
one is voluntary and the other is
not. A democracy always prefers
voluntary action to cOmpulsion, but
when democracy is menaced with
destruction from without, compul-
sion from within may sometimes be
necessary
War savings pledge week, which
began Saturday. is dedicated to this
voluntary action. Every American,
young and old is 10 be asked 10
pledge his loyalty, and to prove his
loyalty by performance, not words.
He will prove II by saving md
sacrificing for his country. If he
cannot join the army of soldiers he
must join the army of savers. He
will agree to purchase every week
or month, a certain number of war
savings stamps. He will make this
agreement. if he be a true Amerf-
/ lent to do so or not He will sacri-
flee TO keep ite He will do without
some of the things that heretofore
have given him pleasure He will
even do without some of the things
which he has considered necessary
If he refuses his loyalty will be
questioned.
This week we have the opportu-
nifty to join in the fight. This week
we should Join the great army of
fighters behind the lines. This week
we should and must pledge cur 10y
alty-nOt of words alone but of sac
rltice. Every man, every woman
and every child should sign a war
savings pledge. Then we all should
not only keep il, but do more than
We have pledged. We must deny
ourselves; We must save materials
and service; we must save money
to lend the government. We mrst
lend until it hurts and then lend
again.
We must be prepared to throw
our ali into the scales. lest, if we
fail. democracy shall fail and right
and justice perish from the face Of
the earth.
We, like the gallant men of our
army and navy must resist unto
blood. That is our duty as Chris
tian citizens. Not to meet II is to
aid Germany, to be disloyal to the
nation and to the God Of justice
and love