New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1918-01-11
Whatever HAPPENS
MUST Be ALRIGHT
AN AMERICAN MAJOR
COLONEL ROOSEVELT SAYS
THIS IS THE AMERICAN
IDEAL WHICH MUST BE
SET UP AND MAINTAINED
BY CIVILIANS
BY THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Copyright, 1917, by Tho KansAs City
by special permission.

In the papers there recently ap-
pearcd a brief statement made by
an unmarried young American ma
jor to his troops in the trenches in
France. He said:
"We have reached the top in train
ing. If you need anything come and
tell me and | will get it for you if
I can. If do not get it I do not
want to hear about it again, for It
means that I can't get it. We will
have three meals a day if we can
get them. II we have to miss one
meal we will not be badly off, and
if we miss two or three it will not
be much worse. We are expected
to work from midnight of one day
to midnight of the next day. If
there is any chance to sleep between,
all right. 1t will also be all right
il there is no chance. Let every
body pitch in. While mud and water
must be fought. it may be much
worse. The hopes of the nation are
fixed on each man."
Effort And Endurance
The ideal of duty thus set before
our soldiers, before the Americans
who at this time ri,k most and suf-
fer most, is substantially the ideal
of duty towards which all the rest
of us here in America should, in our
turn, likewise strive We must brace
ourselves for effort and for endur-
ance through a hard and dangerous
year. High of heart and with un-
faltering soul, we must do our part
in the grim work of toiling and fight
ing to bring a little nearer the day
when there shall be orderly liberty
throughout the world and when us-
tice and mercy and brotherly love
shall obtain between man and man
and among all the nations of man
kind.
Prove Faith And Truth
We must show our faith by our
works. We must prove our truth
ly our endeavor. We must scorn
the baseness which uses high-sound-
ing speech to cloak ignoble action
and which seems to betray suffering
right with the Judas kiss of the
treacherous peace.
During the year that is opening
we at home will suffer discomfort
and privation and wearing anxiety.
What of it? What we at home en-
dure will be as nothing compared
to that which is faced by the sons
and brothers, by the husbands and
fathers at the front, and what the
fighting men of today face and bear
will be no harder than what was
faced and borne by Washington's
troops at Valley Forge and Trenton
and by the soldiers of Grant and
Lee when they wrestled in the VIII
derness. We inherit as free men this
fair and mighty land only because
our fathers and forefathers had iron
in their blood. We can leave Our
heritage undiminished to those who
come after US only If we in our turn
show a resolute and rugged manli-
ness in the dark days of trial that
have come upon us.
Whole Duty Is Varied
Let us all individually and coilec-
lively do our whole duty with brave
hearts. Let us pay our taxes, sub
scribe to the Liberty loans. work at
our several tasks with all our
strength, support all the agencies
which take care of our troops and
accept the stinting in fuel or food
as part of the price we pay. Let our
prime care be the welfare and war
like efficiency of the men at the
front and in the training camps
Let us hold to sharp account every
public servant who in any way comes
short of his duty in this respect.
But let us also insist that the SOL
diers at the front and in the camps
treat every shortcoming merely as
an obstacle to be overcome or re-
medied or offset by their own energy
and courage and resourcefulness The
one absolute essential for our peo-
pie is to insist that this war be seen
through at no matter what cost until
It is crowned with the peace of over
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