Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-21

months.
His article in the Trainman fol-
lows:
How surprising it is, when we
stop to think, with what readiness
we learn to use u new phrase. or ac-'
cept a new definition. Only a short
time ago If one had said in CONVEX
sation pertaining to nothing in par
tlcular, L have Il son over there,
the immediate and surprised re-
sponse would have been over
where?' over there might have
meant the other side of the street. or
China, or Japan. Lately this phrase
has come out of the shadow of the
vague and indefinite. over there is
as distinctly located now as is the
United States. 1t is the center of
the world to us, and u place to which
our thoughts are turning, over which
hearts are breaking, and for which
prayers of mothers, wives and sweet
hearts, like incense, is ever ascend
ing. over there is where the his
tory of the world is in the making,
and the destinies of mankind are be-
ing worked and fought out. While
there are many who cannot go over
there there are many who do not
want to go. They are possessed of a
great fear, and are filled with terror
at the thought that they might be
compelled to go. 1t is with more
pity than censure that we read of the
unmanly excuses and flimsy subter-
fuges behind which some so-called
men" CD are trying to hide from
this duty toward country and the
world, and we sometimes blush with
shame for our kind, when we see
the mad rush for exemption. and
note the joy and satisfaction of many
who accept-any verdict of physical,
mental or moral ailment which will
disqualify them for service. And on
the other hand, there are many men
in this country who want to go and
cannot. Men whose bread is bitter
ness, and whose water is grief, be-
cause physical intirmities prevent, or
they have passed the age limit that
hard AMI fast (yet none too dis
criminating) rule has set as the
'deadline' of soldierly efficiency, not
conscious of any diminution of pow
er or faculties, undimmed eyes nor
natural forces lessened. To-day as
nit as they ever were, more fit by eX-
perience and training than many a
younger man, yet barred from Over
There just by reason of these few
superfiuous years, and they are dead
sore about it, too.
If the recruiting offices were open
to men of middle life the demand
for troop ships to France would
greatly exceed the supply, and ere
long battalions of fathers and grand
fathers would soon he facing the
Beast with the grim determination
to more than make good for their
lack of youth. But, it is no use. We
of the noon or afternoon of life are
comrades of the sunset trail. The
calendar is against us. The page re-
cording the births in the old family
Bible is our condemnation. There
won't be any over there for us, eX-
scept in our dreams, though our souls
srow sick with longing and our
hearts ache with the desire to strike
good and hard blows for God, flag
and country. Our place and part is
over here-rot over there Age does
not exempt any of us from service.
The part is more than the place. Ii
we attempt nothing on this side. be-
cause we are not allowed to do any
thing on the other side of the sea,
we are slackers just as truly as are
those who escape service by fraudu-
lent exemption claims. We are fight
ing here in America to-day, as we'll
as in France or Flanders, and we all
must get into the lines, even if we
never hit the trenches. We need
more over there spirit behind our
government, and less irresponsible,
hare-brained and half-baked, criti-
cism. We all know mistakes nave
been made, are being made and will
be made some of them costly and
terrible. and that as freemen it is our
right to think for ourselves anil to
speak our thoughts with a certain
amount of freedom. But, my broth
ers, does it help matters for every
one of us to set up our judgment
as to the conduct of this way, and
loudly assert it whenever we can get
'switchboX' or stove committee au-
dience? Isn't it just possible that
the authorities are doing as well as
we could? Doesn't it seem reason
able to suppose that some things are