The Monticellonian., 1918-09-06

keep from making other folks sell us things and work for Us instead of for the government. and so that CD the things and the work that would be put into products and efforts for our per sonal use and enjoyment shall be com pelled to turn To the kinds of prod ucts and work that the government must have to win the war. Every dol lar, every cent, that we spend for something that we could go without eemPetes iH the market with the gov ernment. and by just so much impedes the big cause.
 Even if we saved the money and buried IL in the back yard we should he helping the government But there is n better thing to do with it. The government must have money. in im- mense amounts in order to buy ma terials and work. And we are asked to lend it to the government for that purpose, in addition to what We pay as taxes.
 Bonds Are More Than Receipts.
 The Liberty bonds are the receipts which the government gives us for this loan. But they are more than re- eefpts, We get receipts for the taxes. A Liberty bond Is not ordy the gov ernment's acknowledgement that you have loaned the money 1t Is it's prom ise to pay 1t back upon certain day, and to pay you in the meanwhile, at certain intervals, for the use of the money. All of the resources of the country in materials and the labor of the people-our own good faith to- ward each other, our permanence as Il civilized nation-are pledged to the payment of principal and interest Tn strict accordance with the terms Of the transaction as printed on each bond. There Is not n safer or more valuable piece of paper in the world.
 When this war is over there will be only two kinds of folks in the United States-those who did all they could and gave all they could, and those who didn't. Among those who didn't will be the ones who tried to keep on using and enjoying things and the work of other people, as they used to do; those who failed to do their utmost in the way of really useful work, and those who demanded for themselves unnec- essary things and labor which might have been used for the purposes Of the government in winning the war.
 All You Can, Ie the Measure.
 Every man knows in his heart what he can do and whether he is doing it. He may be able to deceive the govern ment by loud-mouthed professions Of patriotism. saluting the flag, cheering at meetings, and other noisy and con spicuous displays he may deceive his neighbors; but he cannot fool himself He knows whether he has done all he could And "all he could"-honestly. on the level, every man the judge or his own effort in the squarest kind of dealing with his own soul in kind of Judgment day--that Is the measure.
 He is a poor creature who thinks of the Liberty bond solely as an invest ment-a grudging gift to his country. with a string on it. But no one need be ashamed to lend to the govern ment. Uncle Sam will take what he needs without money return, in the form of taxes, and we shall pay in will ingiy, cheerfully. We are doing work flor the future-the world will be cleaner and better to live in for all time by reason of what we are doing now; therefore it is right that a part of this burden should be met by those who will come after us and reap the long time benefits.
 In the finest spirit our young men are going to the battle front to offer their utmost their very flesh and blood, in unutterable toll and agony, in doing what must be done there. They hope to come back. but they are will ing to die there if that must be. And thousands of our best are doing just that. In like unswerving spirit we who stay at home must do our part-going without things and making those we have serve to the utmost-and through this seif-denial furnishing to the gov ernment-your government-which Is taking care of our boys, the means to get the enormous amounts of materials and labor needed to take care of them and to equip them for what they have to do.
 This is the meaning of the Liberty bond.