The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-17


 az we'll as your discipline at the front | that counts. The men over there are 1 only the shapened edge of the sword | they are the keen edge that hrst
 comes in contact with the enemy. You ] people here at home are the body or the sword, the driving power the 1 force that makes the keen edge val | uable."
 Colonel Applin grew reminiscent
 and spoke of the struggle that Was being waged in his own home across 1 the seas. @In my nation" he said eV- | cry man, woman and child is working with their whole soul. mind and oody l for the war. It is truly nation uni | ted It is the cooperation among the people that will help largely to end ' this struggle. It is going to be par 1 ticularly hard for Americans to grow ! accustomed to the strict discipline nee essary in military life of today pe- cause of the many liberties that they ! have enjoyed. If was easy for Germany l because the people have never been i used to anything else Only brute l force was needed to lead there-here | it must be a com mbination of brains and force"
 OBEDIENCE TO ORDERS He then impressed upon his hearers the importance of assisting the boys in the army to respond immediately to the orders as they were issued, glv- l ing instant obedience without ques- tion and urged that the people of the nation act the same way in regard to the government orders, acting now, questioning after the war has been won: imploring them to forget person al liberties for the time being in an effort to save them from destruction that fbptt r1ipht he pninVad in the fu- tLre.
 One of the sights that Touches me most is that of young fellow in the army who receives a letter or let ters from some fond parent asking him to get a soft job in another
 branch of the army. This creates dis satisfaction and keeps the army spirit down. M
 "ln all of my experience I have never seen soldiers anywhere so well, 50 comfortable and so happy as I have
 in your camps over here.' continued Colonel Applin. And l want to inn
 press it upon you that when they get over there they can't do without ma terial--and this material is. going to have to be produced in America and
 sent over there to them=-everything. CHALLENGE OF ARTILLERY
 For a year England had men but ITO material and equipment They could nor answer to the charges and the challenge of the artillery went by as unheard. We did not have it to an- sWer With. Enlist the men behind the llnes-ft is equally important as the position in the front line trenches" Quite a surprise was given the audience oy comparison which Colonel Applin made to the thrift stamps, baby bonds
 and liberty bonds which have been is- sued by the government Do not be selhsh and collect too much of that pa-
 per your government is issuing," he cautioned. Wealth is like manure-it is or great value when scattered equally over the land, but an abominable thing when stumbled over in a heap"
 The mothers who have a. service flae Mounting itself before the world were given the next attention of the speaker when he said: "The mother who has sent her son has done her duty. You mothers that have done this have but one other thing to do--keep him smiling and smile yourself"
 Many twitters of laughter were pro- duced by the next remarks of Colonel
 Appi1n, for which well timed mild re-
 puke was made after their conclusion The flower of our manhood is lost already. We are now depending upon come to the rescue to avoid the extinction of the race. Marriages are being rushed in England. People who were shocked at marriage after an enga cement of less than three months are now urging their daughters to marry a matter of weeks afterWard Our boys get 10 days leave of absence every three months and may come home during this time. Dances are arranged and other so- cial events so that the young people may be thrown together for the ultimate ob- ject of marriage. You people over here should see that this is done before the
 boys even leave, for when they leave
 they are gone for the duration of the
 war and will not have this privilege of
 visiting home as our boys have.
 The very fact that you laugh at my remarks convinces me that you do not realize the seriousness of the situation, rebuked Colonel ApplIn when twitter arose over the audience. This has got ten beyond that stage.''
 He made an appeal to the girls of the country to wield their influence over the boys to get the "click" in them. "When a man dons the uniform he is supposed to look the soldier and act the soldier, he told them, and made the assertion that no one other than proud man could kill a Hun.
 A complete history of the origin of the salute was given and convinced anyone that it was not given as a mark of n- ferority. but as military custom brought through time from the days of the nor.
 Colonel Applin was given generous ap- pause at the conclusion of his address