Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-03-19
DOING YOUR UTMOST
"ALDEN"

Lucky there's no law compelling
you to wear button for every fun
you are called on to subscribe, and O
every League, Chapter and Society yoI
are asked to Join to show your patri
otismI You'd look like a WANDERING
Christmas tree or a button collection
If we keep on-hysterically doing ou
bit" instead of "sensibly and seriousl.
doing our utmost"-it will soon be tn
addition of broad ribbon across tn,
chest, a SASH around the waist will
tassels, and a collar with imitation
gold and silver braid like the Suprem,
Exalted and Illustrious Noble Poten
tate of the United Coiored Order o
Passing the Buck.
What hit some new patriotic so
ciety could make right now with {
Safety First Uniform that involved NJ
real danger and made good impress
sion-on the outside. All in the name
of Doing your bit" and making sure
that everybody knows it! This, moi
hiding your light under a bushel,
does not have to be rubbed in very
hard while there is an Oversupply
of buttons, with the price as low as
twenty-five cents and the market
gIutted with an Oversupply of siren
uous statesmen in the safety zone.
1t might do no harm for a lot of us
to take a good look at ourselves to see
whether this unctious, Doing your
Bit and proving it with button dis
play isn't camoufage that doesn't even
deceive ourselves. Perhaps II we can
become aroused to a clear conception
of what Loyalty is, and means, and the
real duties it imposes, we may more
seriously and helpfully do our duty,
and with more patience await the close
of the war before tacking on any more
tin jewelry.
Loyalty means standing by this
Government wholeheartedly and unre-
servedly. You are either Loyal, or
DislOyal.- You are either an American,
or you are not, and entitled to no flat
terine words or consideration to per-
susde you to change your mind.
There are only two classifications:
You are either for the Government,
or you are against the Government.
AS a loyal citizen you are anxious to
do your utmost and that very desire
on your part has made it possible to
pass out so much bunk as patriotic
endeavor.
If within the draft age-and you
haven't a well-to-do mother whose
sole support you have suddenly be-
come, or you've made a quick discov-
cry of a disqualifying defect you'd be
ashamed to let the girls you've been
trying to make a brave impression on
know in times of peace-then the ut
most you can do to prove your loyalty
is to answer the country's call and
serve your Flag If you are beyond
the draft but still within the service
age, and specially qualified for duty,
with no ties and obligation to depend
ents who must have your care, doing
your utmost is to gladly and proudly
welcome the opportunity in giving the
best and all man can give.
But we are told, it takes the labor
and effort of twelve at the rear, to en-
able one to serve effectively at the
front, and that because of this, BUS
mess as usual" is a false slogan to
meet the unusual conditions of war.
What makes our condition still more
unusual is that "the front is three
thousand miles away, and this too
makes it still more difficult for us to
realize fully the horrors as we'll as
the needs of war.
Backed by a loyal citizenship, a
Government at war needs two essen
tials: Men, and Money. We have got
the Men. We have got the Money, but
Money in such an emergency as war,
means only the labor, the food, goods
and things that it will produce and
furnish. SO that back of this essen
tial, Money must stand the twelve
who are TO back up the one at the
front. Except for the unusual condi-