New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-12-07
By Margaret W. Lukes

By Margar'
FNHE night the newspapers blazed
forth the lines Berlin Sends Depu-
ties to Conclude Allied Armistice
Terms Sergeant Irving Sidney Clair,
Of the 1O9th Infantry sat in the
dining room of his home in Philadel-
phia with his arm around his little
sister. To be exact he was running
his fingers through her hair, thick
golden hair, aglint in the light of the
lamp. There was a general CONVEX
satiOn, feverishly light-hearted, going
on Then suddenly it stopped. Sen
en';es half finished faded into the air.
why, let me feel it, a strong
Dice on the other side of the table
saying. TN bet it's twice as
~n- as when I went away" And we
a there in silence, watching the
strong vigorous hand of the soldier
SLOWLY maFe its way through the
shining hair of the beloved little sis
ter, in whose name he had made out
his life insurance.
If there were stray tears hastily
Kicked away in that room that min
ute, why then they did no harm.
White bandages tightly bound around
mans eyes are merciful trappings
for those who come for the first time
to wiring the hand Of a boy who gave
his eyes for his country, In a min.
ute the room was ringing with laugh
ter and college day "reminiscences
again. And Sergeant Clair, two years
ago boy Of twenty-five entering his
third year law and that night home
rom the war totally blind. will never
know there were those about him who
laughed through a mist of tears.
Or If he does know we are never
going to be aware of it.
Il Am Going to VIM
With all the world standing on the
threshold Of a peace where men will
be forever safe from the mad burst
Of shells that MAIN, with America
herself in the main unbroken, Ser
geant Clair, who gave the gift that
al the indemnities Of the earth can
not pay back, smiles cheerfully. Eyes
are no longer the windows of the
soul The spirit Of a man never shone
more wildly than from that splendid
Sunburned face cleaning bronze
against the white gauze.
81 have not paid too high price"
was the way he explained things.
Sergeant Clair will never see again,
but he is content This young man
who gave his eyes to America is
more. Sitting there, with strong
eager hands unlike the hands Of the
blind because they lately belonged to
a boy who was winning medals for
athletics in school, this youth outlined
q program of stupendous courage
that can well serve as a flaming ban
ner for all the men who must march
down the ways Of life paying the
price of victory as they go.
II am going to win out" he said.
Eyes do not count; legs and arms do
not count. It's the man inside that
matters. Eyes do not count. Why,
can see with my memory. You won't
believe that.
If you said it to me five months ago.
Then looked at blindness as a seeing
man looks at it. Now it is different.
l look at it as blind man looks at it.
And I know blindness to the blind
isn't the crushing thing or the handi-
cap it appears to the outsider.
81 am going to be a lawyer, as had
always planned to be. The Govern
ment will pay for my schooling. 1 am
going to try to make good because I
believe making good depends on the
determination in a man. It's up to
the stuff inside Of you"
Strictly speaking, Clair gave his
eyes in the cause of world democracy.
But in the fine human vernacular Of
the trenches he gave his eyes for
pal The cane which the Repub-
lican committee of his ward presented
him has in letters of gold, blinded
In the Second Battle of the Marine,
July a." All America knows now 1t
was on July IA the 109th massed
itself near the banks Of the Marine,
waiting to hurl back what proved to
be the last offensive of the Crown
Prince of Germany. On the 18TH the
Germans crossed the Marine and the
Americans attacked and pushed them
hack. On the 14th, Bastille Day, the
bombardment began and men went
mad. targets for the first time of the
most terrific artillery fire the world
had ever known.
That tells part of the story. AS
for the rest:
Blinded Helping Comrade
A boy named Shortall was hit. That
,,,oe what he called out. I'm hit"