The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1918-05-24
NO LIMIT SET ON EFFORT Of AMERICANS
SAYS WILSON IN PLEA FOR RED CROSS

Interesting incident the other day. lie
said when he was Ia Italy a member
" the Italian government was explain
Ing TO him the many reasons why Italy
felt near TO the United States. He
said IT you want to try an inter
esting experiment 20 up 10 any one
on these troop trims and ask In En-
giish how many OF them have been IN
America and see what happens. He
tried the experiment. He went up to-
troop train and said, How many Of
you boys have been iD American and
he said Il seemed 10 him az II half Of
them sprang up. Me from San Fran-
cisco; me from New York, all over
Love America.
"There was part Of the heart Of
America in the Italian army. People
that had been knitted to us by asso-
citation, who knew US, who had lived
amongst US, who had worked shoulder
10 shoulder with us, and now friends
Of America, were fighting for their ma
live Italy.
"Friendshlp is the only cement that
will ever hold the world together. And
this Intimate contact Of the great Red
Cross with the peoples who are suf-
fering the terrors and depriyatl0ns of
this war Is going TO be one Of the
greatest instrumentalltles OF friend
ship that the world ever knew and the
center Of the heart of II all, II we
sustain Il will be land that we so
denrIy love.
my friends. great day OF duty
| has come, and duty finds mans soul
as no kind Of work can ever find II.
\ Raps Profiteers.
MAY say thisl The duty that
+ faces us all now is 10 serve one am
other and no man can afford TO make
u fortune out of this war There are
/ men amongst us who have forgotten
I that II they ever saw II. Some OF you
/ are old enough am old enough to
1 remember men who made fortunes out
Of the Civil war and you know how
they were regarded by their fellow
| citizens. That was a war to save one
country-this Is war to save the
world. And your relation to the Red
/ Cross Is one of the relations which
will relieve you Of the stigma. You
can't give anything to the government
of the United States-ft won't accept
/ It. There Is a law of congress against
accepting even services without pay.
\ The only thing that the government
will accept Is loan and duties per-
| formed, but II is great deal better
! TO give than to lend or pay. and your
great channel for giving Is the Ameri-
can Red Cross. Down In your hearts
! you can't take very much satisfaction
In the last analysis, In lending money
10 the government of the United
States because the interest which you
draw viii burn your pockets. 1t Is a
commercial transaction, and some men
have even dared to cavil at the rate
OF interest, not knowing the inciden,
tai commentary that that constitutes
upon their attitude.
Giving a Pleasure.
'But when you give, something Of
your heart, something of your soul
something of yourself goes with the
gift, particularly when II is given in
such form that Il never can come back
BY way of direct benefit TO yourself
You know there Is the old cynical def
milton of gratitude as 1.-THE lively ex
pectatlon of favors to come Well
there Is no expectation of favors Z
come In this kind of giving. These
things are bestowed In order that the
world may be filter place to live in
that men may be succored that home!
may be restored; that suffering mal
be relieved; that the face of the eartl
may have the blight Of destruction
taken away from 1t, and that whereveI
: force goes, there shall go mercy an'
| helpfulness.
Until Il Hurts.
4 sand when you give, give abso
A lutely all that you can spare, and don
I consider yourself liberal In the giving
Z II you give with self adultation, yol
!. are not giving at all; YOU are giving L
4 your own vanity, but If you give unit
!. IL hurts, then your heart blood goe
\ into Il.
"And think what we have here
|, We call II the American Red Gross
o but II Is merely branch of a grea
II international organization. which
. not only recognized by the statute
r OF each Of the civilized government
q Of the world, but It Is recognized an
! accepted fundamentally of mere
Il and succor. And one of the deepeS
I, stains that rests upon the reputatlo
q tof the German army Is that the
nave not ffSpeNtcN AAit Ath NAVs9s
:. THAT goes to the root OF the ma
\ ter. They have not respected IN
lnstrumentallty they themselves pa
tlctpated In setting up as the thin
- which no man was to touch becaus
!, il was the expression OF eommo
!, humanity. We are members, by b.
!, ing members OF the American Re
y Cross, OF great fraternity and con
= radeshlp, which extends all over II
|. world. and this cross which the:
: ladies bore today lis an emblem ,
y Christianity itself.
IS Workers Praised.
II ut alls my imagination, ladies' an
n gentlemen, to think OF the women q
X over this country who are busy {
81 night and are busy every night nj
= every day doing the work OF the IA
D. Cross: busy with great eagerne
er 10 lind out the most seryiceable thir
n tn do: busy with forgetfulness
"a an the old frivolities OF their sOci
relationships; ready to curtail u
:. :