Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1918-01-03
Keep Level Head
During War Stress


those about you
Are losing theirs, and blaming it on
you
and If ever there was time when all
of us should keep our heads, that
time now is with us.
Under such stress and strain as
prevails at present-though, as yet,
we Americans are feeling only the
fringe of wars fearfulness-it is
more than ever necessary to keep
level head; to use common sense,
and, above all things, not to jump at
conclusions.
We have entered upon the most
serious business of the ages, and as
sure as the sun gives light, unless we
throw into it the whole sum of our
strength and ability, We cannot hope
to succeed
Meantime, each smaller issue
which We permit to interfere with
proper prosecution of the main issue
becomes an obstacle in the path to
victory.
The particular incident which
prompts these words is the reported
freezing to death of two soldier boys
in one of our cantonments.
In the last three or four days more
persons have bemoaned this in my
presence than have heard regret for
incomparably greater losses on the
battlefronts or in Halifax.
Because two out of some coo, 600
soldiers have frozen to death-and, f.,
OF course, this misfortune may have
been due in some measure to their
own carelessness-a wave of doubt
as to the way our boys are being
cared for is sweeping along to help
the German propagandists in their
work of undermining our cause.
OF course, in this huge, new organ
ization there must be some careless.
needless young men and some Of
ficers who might be more thoughtful
and humane.
However, BY reason of the rules
governing military organizations, the
percentage of each of these probably
is reduced far below that of careless,
needless young workers in everyday
civilian occupations, and thoughtless,
inhuman employers.
And it must be. remembered that
uniform cannot change human ma
ture. Yet many persons who never
did so much as lift a finger against
similar conditions in their own neigh
borhood or their own town or city
will become almost hysterical over
routine misfortunes or mistakes, if
they happen to occur in the army or
navy.
If this were an international pink
tea. any one might be justified in
picking flaws or magnifying mistakes
or railing at. ordinary accidents as
evidence of lack of care or misman-
agement
But this is the grimmest business
we ever have undertaken, and, while
not one life Should be unnecessarily
sacrificed ordinary risks should be
assumed and their consequences ac-
cepted more freely than ever before.
Without much fear Of contradic-
tion, it may he said that many of the
boys in these cantonments are get
ting more advantages than they ever
had And they deserve to, for they
are placing at the disposal of their
country all they have and all for
which they can hope.
The most ave can do for them is,
in the final analysis, the least we can
do Meantime, however, let us not
impede the progress Of the cause for
which they will risk their lives by
false emphasis of anything,
Let us support them with such
.calmness, clearheadedness and COM
mon sense that they can 90 forth with
a feeling OF comfort concerning us.
1t is as much our duty to do this
as TO support the government with
all our hearts and all our strength
and all the money we can spare
Leigh Mitchell Hodges in Philadel-
phia North American.
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