The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1918-03-22
Over Here

extract from story published in re-
cent issue of Golfers is worthy of re-
printing in The Messenger. as it gives
some vital truths in most convincing
way. The opening paragraphs of the
story deal with an American gentle
man who interviews young soldier
who is on his way to the dock to take a
transport to France. He had known
this young man from boyhood up and
the interview. given below, forms the
gist of the story:
Perhaps, thought |, can get from
Jimmy some message for these soft
people who are left behind. But l
knew better than to ask for it outright,
for Jimmy would have blushed and new
er spoken again.
What do the folks out home think
of the war;" asked.
Jimmy's smile faded. aud his blue eyes
were very serious.
They want to know when it will be
over" he said. That's been their one
question ever since we got into it-and
they make me sick. That's fine way
to go into fight shouting over your
shoulder every two seconds to ask if
anybody knows how soon it will end.
It's all right for the poor devils who
have been suffering for three years to
wonder about the finish, but for US who
haven't begun to suffer-
81 tell you we need this war. If we
had stood aside and not got into it. we
would have become the greatest nation
of softies that ever sat down to hearty
meal. We were heading that way.
Who read books any more? Nobody
we crowded into the movie theatres
and dulled our wits with the childish
stuff. Who stayed at home and talked
things over? Nobody-we piled into
the car and hit the high spots. Who
had time to think of life? Not soul =
we were due for foxtrot at the road
house. We were pleasure mad. We'd
forgot how to live.
,''The American people heard about
our entrance into the war just as they
came out of movie theatre and were
about to step into an automobile to
dash off somewhere to foxtrot. And
as soon as they had decided that the
thing was inevitable, they began to cry
aloud: "How soon will it end? Will
it end before we have to make any sac
rifices-before we know hunger and
unhappiness and pain?" That was
their first reaction and they're just be-
ginning to get over it.
''I'll tell them when it will end-it
will end when the men who trampled
down Belgium and France, who murder
ed people like cattle, who ruined the
fruit trees and burned the homes-it
will end when those men feel the grip
of the world at their throats. 1t will
be when the crowd who started this war
of lust and loot are in full retreat,
when Willie down at Verdun is shout
ing to papa in Berlin Come, for God, s
sake!' and papa up ut Berlin is scream
ing to Willie at Verdun: Run for Gods
sake!' 1t will end with the siege of the
Rhine!
That's when it will end if it's up to
us fellows who are going over. We're
ready to stand in ice water up to
our waists, to live with the rats in a
rain of German shells. or go over the
top and be finished Nobody need
worry about our boys over there. But
how about the bunch left over here -
the crowd that want to know how soon
it will end? Are they going to queer
US? Will they fall for the German
tricks? Will the pacifists turn their
blood to water? Only one thing can do
for us-and that isn't the German
army. It's our own people at home.
Maybe some guy in Terre Hsute will
get tired of putting three cent stamps
ON his letters. Maybe some fellow in
Cleveland will get sick of eating gra-
ham bread. Maybe some fat little soul
in Denver will get to worrying about
his profits. And they'll come together
and decide that it's no use fighting it
to a finish-and where will we be?
Done for, licked, finished: thousands of
dead for nothing-all because the peo-
pie at home hadn't the CUTS to stick it
out!"