The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-06-07


other day there were $4,000 women work
ers and hundreds or men in line de7ote
to some form of Red Cross work. Thi
is only one form of activity but it is al
indication of the spirit of the age.
must permeate every phaze of our life
This is not time for idlers, whether
street corner The government is .b
solutely right in demanding that ever.
man of draft age unemployed or in
useless occupation, shall leave it an,
work, or go out and fight, and it woul'
be better yet if this order were no
limited to draft age. We must learl
to obey the scriptural injunction.s
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do
do it with thy might" My friend, fin,
the thing you can best do and throw you
active. part in every good thing in you
community and national life.
Another key, word for this age is I'm
selfishness. 1 heard Private Peat tn,
other day in Minneapolis, and he sail
that almost any kind of a man, no MATES
how bad he may have been. if he coult
only get the selfishness out of him
would be a mighty good scout. AND
Private Peat is right about that. On,
of the curses of the humanity is selfish
ness. SelfShneSS is responsible for TIL,
world war. The selfish ambition of Z
lunatic emperor and a group of war mac
military leaders plunged the world. int,
the awful carnage of the past tire,
years 1t is national selfishness ant
presumptuous arrogance that has pro
longed the conflict until today. 1t wa.
brutal selfishnessr that prompted TIL.
trampling of Belgium, the devastation o.
Northern France, the massacre of tht
Armenians, the plundering of villages
the raping of women, the numbering o
innocent men. women and children. /
was Selfishness which sent the Son o.
God to a Roman Cross and crucified Hin
between two thieves.
1t will be unselfshness predominatine
in the hearts of men and nations which
will make it possible to win the wal
and restore the world peace. A number
of years ago when General Booth of the
Salvation Army wished to send cable
to his officers stationed in al
parts of the world he sought for one worG
that would express his mind to them
And when the message went out it was
one word: Others The spirit of the
new age must be to think consta nty OF
others. And yet there are some who are
chiefly about self. There are
some American Shylocks who have tried
to fOreclOse mortgages on the little homes
of our soldiers who are across the sea
defending our liberties. One who does
that ought to have his property confis-
period of the war. At the outbreak OF
the war Canada passed law making that
Such a law ought to be
passed here. Such selfish greed as this
selfshness in this new age must make il
impossible for such things to be
done.
Sometime ago I overheard man
telling that as he rode in a Minneapolis
street car two women were engaged in
in a seat Just ahead of him
One of them said to the other. .'If this
war continues another year my husband
will be millionaire, and | hope to God
it continues Both that woman
taken across and put in the
trenches to become food for German
cannon. Any man who makes million
dollars out of this war is traitor to his
country, to humanity, and to God. Think
of a civilized woman. hoping that the
war might continue. that her neighbors
boys might be MANNED for life, or killed
upon the battle field so that her husband
might be a millionaire. That is not
surpassed by the brutal rawlings of the
mad kaiser. Away with such supreme
selfishness!
1 have said we are in this war with
the most unselfish motives that ever
impelled nation to take up arms. One
million, five million, perhaps ten million
of our finest men are going out in the
were engaged; they are giving themselves
and all that they have for others. With
them it is not a matter of personal safety,
personal profit, or personal honor, it is
q complete surrender of self for the
security and peace of the aged and help
less the women and children of two con-
tinents, and of genera lions yet unborn.
1t is a wonderful exemplification of the
saying of our Lord:
Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his
friends"
Shall we who remain at home be less
unselfish than they? God forbid! We too
must make a surrender. We too must
of unselfishness. Whatever our nation
calls upon us to do, we must do willing,
gladly, unselfishly. Let there be no with
holding for selfish ease. in this hour of
the worlds need. And above all we
should make our surrender to Him who
gave to the world the outstanding ex-
ample of devotion to others, when He, the
Son of God, gave Himself to be crucified
for a perishing, sin cursed world.
Akin to this is the third thought in
selfshness will always result in sacrifice.
When man forgets himself and thinks of
others sacrifice is inevitable. This is an
age of sacrifice. What priceless treas
ures have been laid upon the altar in
the last three years. oh, the desolate
homes, the vacant chairs, the lonely fire.
sides, the broken hearts the blood poured
out on Flanders field! Infinite sacrifice!
We cannot comprehend it,
But shall the sacrifice be cover there"
or in the homes of those who have gone
lover there" No, my friends, the sacri-
flee of those who give all in this cause
will be too great, indeed will be in vain,
unless this nation, as individual citizens
of sacrifice We haven't begun to rea-
lie the meaning of that word. In our
security, surrounded by our wealth, with
every need. supplied. with comforts and
luxhrieS in abundance, we have con-
graduated ourselves on giving a small
back in complacent self satisfaction while
Belgium and Armenia starved.
Private Peat told two thrilling Incl
dents in Minneapolis recently. He said
he was in hospital in France one day
when there came walking in from the
a wounded British soldier His
arm. hung limp, he stumbled from a
wound in the leg, and one side of his
face was almost shot away. His teeth
were chattering with the cold and his
chide him gently, and asked:
did you walk in from the trenches?
YES said he. 81 did" Z
''But where is your coat? You oughtn't
to come in like this"
Now, nurse don't scold me- he said
"you see it's this way. AS | was comma
in I saw my chum lying dead upon the
ground. and he looked SO cold that
couldn't come away and leave him like
that and so wrapped my overcoat around
him.
That my friends. is the spirit that i.
dominant cover there" Selfshness hat
been purged from that brave soldier unit
sacrifice inevitably followed. HE had al
most nothing left but he gave that little
for the fancied comfort of dead COM
rade.
On another occasion Private Peat We.
in a railroad station in Northern Francs
when troop train was. about to depar
r. 4.