The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-12-13
Returning Soldiers
Will Lead Nations in
Swatting Old Evils
ny RICuNRn srIIJA>E

ny RICHARD sriI.I4NNE
Editor 81 Commerce aud Finance .
and Special Writer for The star.
Assigned To Nitallse and Iiumanise
the Topics Of Economics and lie
construction.
Copyright. 1918 by y. ". AZ
American troops arc 10 be brought
home as fast an conditions abroad
permit.
DO you appreciate what this
meansf
Few persons do.
After the civil war the soldiers
who fought In the armies were the
leaders of thought. the shapers of
opinions. the doors of things. The
war had given spur Co their ensr.
giles and 90 their lima ginatlon.
The soldiers We have in France
have learned more. hroadened more.
seen more In the last two years than
they would In 20 or more years OF or
binary life. They have learned moro
than they are aware today they have
learned. Their teaching began In the
training camp. IL has lowered on
the blood soaked fields OF France.
They know now and take deep In.
tercst In many things That once were
haxy or OF little interest 20 them
They know that the roads OF
franee-roads that Caesar built or
are fashioned on the roads Caesar
huilt-savcd France. made IL possible
10 supply the armies on the long
front from tho channel 70 the Vos
res. They never will he satisfied
with tho dirt roads or the corduroy
roads or the poorly built roads they
knew in the old home state.
THEY KNOW,
They know the virtue OF the rail.
road. They have seen railroads built
hastily but magnlficently By Amcri,
can engineers to become the life lines
for the armies at tho front.
They know the province OF ship.
pins az they never knew II before
Tho shipping question used 10 be an
abstraction to the boys In Kansas. OF
Idaho. or Indiana. To-day they know
that but for the Bridge OF Ships.
Europe might be cnslavcd.
They have grown. broadcncd. do
veiorcd In mind. in body. In spirit
They have sounded the depths anc
risen to spiritual heights. They nc
longer are OF narrow vision or insu
lar IDEAS
THEY KNOW THE RIGHT
THEY HAVE FOUGHT FOR THE
RIGHT THEY ARE GOING Tc
WANT THINGS HERE TO III
RIGHT.
Such men are going to be the re
makers OF America.
They are not going TO be content
with poor roads. Have you any con
ccp,ion OF tho waste there Ii In pool
roads,
They win BE- makers Of roads--en
during roads. honest roads.
They are not going TO b. satisfied
with poor railroads. They know
what n railroad should be. They ars
not going to BE- content with tho pres
ent American railroad system. good
as Il IL In comparison with other ma
tionai systems.
SPIRIT STIRRED
They are not going 70 siothful
crafty or dishonest Men who Offer
their lives 20 free mankind arc re
fined In the cruciols,
The folk back home have little re.
aiixation Of the ramiflcd knowledwe
the soldier has obtained. IL ranges
from the shoea he wears-he knows
now the virtue OF a common 80 nae
shoe and the vice OF a toothpickstoed
or narrow shoe. that cramps his foot
and distorts his toes and causes
corns and hunions and other Grip
pllng ills--to the elements In the air
that can be utilized for the greater
good Of mankind. There never In this
world has been such a sehooihouss
for the American young man "a this
war has furnished The doughboy
has been learning from textbooks
and from observation from the day
he entered the army.
But the broadening OF his mind has
been not so great an the stirring Of
his spirit and the elevation Of his
soul. He IL not n provincial Ameri-
can any longer. but n man who
thinks and sees IN terms interna-
tlonai.
The war has made the American
soldier know himself IL has made
him enterprising. resolute. resource
full.
After our civil war. the soldiers
went forth and gave to America the