Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-04-19

he wrote: All service ranks the
same with God
We are all equal in the sense
that we have each a place and a
function within the whole, and each
of us. functioning in our place. is
necessary to the whole Our equal
ity is the equality of service to or
junction within the living body of
humanity. There is no external
equality between the great muscle
which fiexes the fighting arm and
the tiny muscle which moves the
eye-lid or congresses the tea
gland; yet on the basis of service
rendered, each is made equal to the
other, by the body's imperative
need of each. The fighting arm
would not be of much service. if
the due compression of the tear
gland did not keep the eye clear.
The pieces on a chess board are
unequal in value. as they stand :;
but for the purpose of combina-
ton by which the player makes a
bid for victory each piece from low
est to highest, in the combination
is on an equality, in the sense that
the combination works equally
through each. and apart from the
exercise Of the position and capac-
ity of each at its fullest. the COM
bination will break down.
This is not to say that all forms
of service are the same; neither.
If one type of service is compared
externally with another in range
and effect, is all service equal.
Common sense forbids of our
thinking of the ploughman, when
viewed as such, as equal to the
poet: or the Office boy equal to the
statesman. But all sertece ranks
the same from the viewpoint of the
whole
Industry Is Loyal.
The war, however, has lifted us
out of our old selfish individuaIism
and we have become as never be-
fore truly cooperative people. We
have had a splendid expression of
real democracy since this Country's
entrance into the war Prominent
business men, heads of railroads,
colleges, manufacturers, brokerage
firms, lawyers, etc, have closed
their desks and gone to Washing
ton offering their services to their
country in various capacities, with
out any thought of compensation in
return. Mr.. Hoover tells us that in
the work of food conservation, many
+ of the great producers of the coun-
try have come to him and said: We
are ready to cooperate in any pos
sible way to meet this World-prob-
lem. 1t is not a question of profits
any longer, but only a question OF
how best we can help Many of
the retailers of merchandise have
caught the same spirit. And in
/ still greater numbers are the mil
| lions of men who have responded
| to their country's call and are ready
to give up their lives If ned be for
tn sake Of human liberty in the
world
In this general spirit of coop
| Grafton in a time of world crisis
We are witnessing the splendid ex-
preston of the true democracy, all
giving themselves in service, for
the sake of all. But if this spirit is
possible in time of war, why not
still more in times of peace? II
| the tragedy of war has succeeded
in shaking us out of our confirmed
habits of selfish thinking and liv-
ing. it would be monstrous to be-
! lieve that after the war is over
men and women could be ever con-
tent to go back again to self-cen-
tered, ease-loving lives.
I'VE are not only in these days
glimpsing most clearly the true
spirit of democracy, we are actu-
ally giving expression to it in a
/ thousand forms of unselfish ser
vice, as never before in human his
/ tory. We are experiencing the Joy
of service. without any thought of
reward. 1t is for us now solemnly
to resolve that never again will we
allow ourselves to sink back to
that low plane of selfishness. but
that we will continue to multiply
and expand our forms of mutual
service to the whole, until democ-
racy indeed shall fill the whole
earth.
Mutual Interests.
mo one can begin to realize as
yet the new world into which the
war has ushered US. Great changes
have come and are yet to come into
every department of life. During
the few years prior to the war the
great leaders of labor and capital
have been realizing more and more
clearly that their interests were
OnA and the shirt Of cOoparatiop