The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-01-12

u. 5. Grant, were depraved characters,
because they fought and then kept on
fighting.
If Buffalo Bill once upon a time
rode out across the plains and came
upon a band of Indians attacking a
settlers cabin and went dashing I'D
with his scouts and killed a few red
skins, is there any boy in the world
who would go back on Buffalo Bill
and pick out some quiet, elderly real
estate dealer as a substitute hero?
It's too foolish to talk about.
Suppose we say it is not wrong to
fight. Then we remove all blame from
the Indians that Buffalo Bill killed
and we find ourselves so mixed up
that probably we had better back up
and take a new start.
In answer to the question, as it
wrong to fight" there can be but one
sensible reply, as follows: sit all de-
pends."
Suppose a boy of fourteen walking
along the street with his sister and the
ne~ighborhood bully swaggers around
the corner and pushes the boy up
against a fence and cuffs him along
side the head and then tries some in
sulting familiarities on the sister, and
suppose the boy who is thus humili-
ated and whose sister Is in tears, sud-
denly remembers that he has been told
to keep out of fights"
What shall he do?
Retreat to an alley. or stand up in
defense of his own self-respect and try
to protect his sister?
Suppose he says to the bully, 81
believe in peace and no matter what
you do to me, l won't strike back"
Then he would get a few more cuffs
for good measure, and his sister would
be ashamed Of him and the little
rowdy who attacked him would cali
himself cock of the walk and be a
greater nuisance than ever before.
The United States of America is in
volved in hideous war because Presi,
dent Wilson and congress and all per-
sons who are warmed by red blood in
stead of being chilled by s%arsaparilla
pop had to make the same decision
that every boy is called upon to make
when he is jumped upon by a tough
customer.
Another question (boys only: Did
you ever let a boy up before he yelled
Enough" and then have the whole
fight over again?
If so, you might go around in your
neighborhood and give some valuable
information to people older than your.
self.
If you (this is for both boys and
girls) went out into the woods for q
picnic with another bunch" of young
people you knew and liked, and If your
crowd had q basket of things to eat
and the other crowd had a basket and
some TOUCHES came along and stole
the basket belonging to the other
crowd, would you give them someI
thing to eat out of your basket, or let
them sit over by themselves, hungry
and miserable, and watch you stuff
yourselves?
You'd play fair, of course, even if
you had to go a little hungry.
Mr.. Hoover is now asking every boy
and girl in America to play fair and
divide up with the hungry youngsters
of France and Belgium and Great
Britain.
There isn't enough food in the world
to go around if we are selfish and
claim more than our share.
How can a boy or girl under high
school age really help to win the war;
First join the Junior Red Cross.
Then keep on saying, 81 know Uncle
Sam is right and l will pull for him
until he wins.''
Believe what you say.
Root for the U. s.. A. as you would
root for your baseball nine or your
basketball five.
Stand out on the edge of the side
walk and cheer the soldiers as they
swing by.
Probably the children to whom we
are now talking are better posted re-
garding United States history than
are some of the people who talk
about it.
They know that III boys now in the
training camps or On their way to
France are getting ready to tight
against the expressions of a cruel des-
pot, Just as some other American boys
once fought at Bunker Hill.
By the way, if you can find a man
or woman who does not understand
how the rights of democracy are to
be preserved when kings go on the
rampage, you might loan this ignorant
person your school history. Mark the
pages relating to the Boston tea party,
the Liberty bell, Lexington, Valley
Forge and Yorktown.
See If you can find any favorable
mention of the pacifists Of 1776l