The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-10-14
A Time For
United Service

Intolerance and bigotry have 10
place with our allied armies on the
battlefront. We have 1t direct from
lGypsy Smith after he has spent four
years among the boys as "Y" man
and we have it from ]. M. Clinton
who has spent twelve years in for
eign "Y" work, including the most
intense and active service at the
front during the full period of the
war.
When the boys see new hut
they do not stop to ask whether It
is Hebrew, Catholic or Protestant
they break for It. And, no matter
what it is. they find warm welcome,
no sect and no creed dogmas, but
SERVICE for their bodies, their
minds and their souls. OF such is
the war worker, regardless Of mis-
religious belief.
These workers-big men they are
too in affairs of the world-tell us
that the boys are coming home with
different spirit, and awakened mind
and conscience. They tell us that
the boys are going to demand broad.
er liberty Of thought in their church
affiliations but they are coming home
imbued with the idea that real relig-
ion is something more than an old
woman's knitting yarn; that 1t means
red-blooded helpfulness for your bud
dy and four-square principle Of life.
They tell us these boys will return
with an intolerance but it will he
an intolerance that is in accord with
the Constitution of the United States
rather than opposed to It, 1t will be
an intolerance Of the narrow dogmas
that have kept sects apart, not an
intolerance of any religion or belief.
A few of us at the United War
Workers Conference In Jacksonville
last week were privileged to attend a
luncheon at which the two men men,
toned could talk with the utmost
freedom and We were told in conf
dence many things that could not be
uttered in the big meetings. There
were only few Of us there-1S or
20 altogether-and every one of us
will always remember some Of the
facts that were disclosed around that
board. AS a result, the following
resolutions were written and adopted
: by the newspaper editors present:
RESOLUTION
Listening to the inspiring messages
. deliverd by Gypsy Smith direct from
the trenches in France and by J. M.
Clinton, the representative Of the
: foreign work of the Y. M. c. A., we,
the newspaper editors of Florida here
/ assembled, wish to record our pro-
found amazement at the wonderful
!. facts disclosed by these men and our
equally profound conviction that the
present tendency towards a unifica-
l. ton of moral and religious endeavors
among the Allied soldiers fighting the
/ wonderful battle for true and univer-
sal Christianity is one Of If not the
most wonderful development Of the
epochal period through which we are
y struggling; and we hereby
), RESOLVE: That we will return to
= our newspapers and devote our edi.
:: torial space and our best journalistic
Q efforts to convey to our readers the
great message that we have received
here, that they may take equal pride
in and have full understanding OF
g this splendid spirit which is uniting
Gentle and Jew Protestant and Cath
Ollie, in one mighty world-revolution
u ing work of love and service to man
kind, engendering cooperation, abol
: ishing duplication of effort, econom
izing without stinting the boys to
I whom service and support are rend
cred, the strong helping the weak
! promoting unity of spirit, largeness
I of mental and spiritual vision, and g
I national ad individual charity of feel
! ing that will prove our greatest bull
| wark against the encroachment %
I any future depotism upon our indi
I vidual liberty And be 1t further
! RESOLVED: That we apprise ev
cry editor of a Florida newspaper
through these resolutions, Of our con
| viction and Of our purpose and invite
| each one OF them to join us in spread
| ing this wonderful propaganda o
universal love, charity and benevo
lence.
| Signed:
I FRANK B. SLOVENIAN,
| Miami Herald,
E. R. JONES,
DeSoto County News,
GILBERT D. LEACH,