Grand Forks herald., 1918-08-31

life accompanied by the agreeable
support of their money producing ef-
forts. Perhaps, the men tried to
make places for the MANNED COM
panions. But the dimming thoughts
Of the war were the mist that began
to shut the manned ones away from
participation in the life where they
who loved and clung to them had to
find work to support themselves and
the heroes. And even they grew less
conscious of the heroism and more
conscious Of the strain OF making
ends meet.
Worse yet, q deterioration set in
within the mind and heart of the
hero. It was not his fault that he
could be of so little use. He had
given more for his country than some
of the men who were blessed with
active service and the accumulation
of a competency. Bitter or discour-
aged or else Just slipping without
much resistance into the position OF
grocery store loafer and court house
lounger, the hero of time forgotten
became a kind Of tolerated zero in
the life Of his community-or an act
ual nuisance.
Dear Mothers, Wives, Sweethearts.
this is not a picture too highly coll
ored. You know of men far-fallen
from the heroic days when they came
home bearing the signs of their great
giving. Then, what would / whisper
to the deeps of your heart so sacred
to your soldier-men? BY the strength
of the love you bear them, save their
glory untarnished!
How? There is work that a man
without a leg >can do with his
two hands. There is work that
a man bereft of sight can do by the
sense of touch. There is work that a
man whose arms are gone can do with
his feet. Our blessed heroes can be
taught work that will, in some In
stances. make them even more able
to earn than they were before the
war. The government is looking
after this.
Then what can we do, Mothers,
Wives and Swethearts? We can
and we must-give our men to the
government bit longer. give them
till they are equipped to take mems
places in the active world. 1t means
holding our hearts that yearn so ter
rifically to have them again, in the
strong grip Of our common sense.
When you ache to get them back, to
have them right close to you, to make
it all up to them. just remember that
the mothers and wives and sweet
hearts of those men whom you now
regard as ciphers, loved and yearned
as you do. Just keep atight hold on
the thought that the shiftless. uncon-
tributing member of society, who dec
crates a dry-goods box or lunches up
in a wooden chair at the court house.
4 came home to hearts that blazed with
fervor as yours is blazing now. And
save your men from what your eyes
convince you is their certain future
Six months or more under the wise
hand Of the government they have
served, and they will be fitted for
further service. Six months or more
of loving waiting on your part will
bring you home a hero whose glory
never can be dimmed by the smudgy
hand of circumstances. Six months
or more of positive encouragement
, will keep him from falling victim to
the despair that will come when your
loved one returns to the life he has
, left robbed of the arm or leg or eyes
which have been so essential. 1t IL
really up to us. the women whose
love is the great rock OF shelter ano
comfort for our men, to encourage.
even to insist upon their taking ad'