The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-03-05
WITH THE EDITORS.
DON'T BE A CLACKER.
William Slayens McNutt in Golfers Weekly

/ "a
- William Sayens McNutt in Golfers Weekly
81 actually believe my brothers glad he's a
soldier! He was home on furlough last week.
and he was just as enthusiastic as ne could De.
Poor boy! Oh, isn't it shame! All carried
away by it, too, suppose?"
"IIe's wild to get over to France | SAID TO
him while he was home, | said You'll get
plenty of France, young man. If you could look
ahead and see just exactly what you're going to
90 through you wouldn't be in any hurry to get
to France said But there's no telling him any,
thing He's just itching to get over and get
into it."
".Poor boy! He little knows what's ahead of
HIM. If some one could just make him see what
he'll have to go through with, he wouldn't be so
anxious to get away"
There were two in roomful of patriotic Am
erican women, all knitting for soldiers. Inc
others joined in .r,
eff they don't die one way they do another.
tell you when man goes to France these days
he doesn't come back. We've never heard half
of what those Germans have got up their sleeves.
They've got ways of killing we've never heard o.
tell you when soldier boy gets on transport
that's the end of him. There'll be millions and
millions and millions of American boys killed be-
fore we ever see the end Of this"
"Ohw
ooh, my!'
"Oh, my goodness!'
"Oh, isn't it awful?"
"Oh! All our fine young men"
ooh, my"
"Ohw
Click-clack. Knit knock. The knitting knock
ers were at it. The clackers were in session: A
roomful of patriotic American women sat there
cacking. There they sat making sweaters and
trouble for the men who enlisted to fight in their
protection There they sat knitting for the COM
fort of American soldiers and releasing the most
deadly OF all poisonous gases that the German
mind has invented.
Click-clack. Knit-knock Making garments to
warm soldiers body and sentiment to cool his
courage Americans speaking aloud the things
that Germans dare but whisper; loyal American
women working the will of the kaiser! Clicking
their needles to the glory of Uncle Sam and clack-
ing their tongues to the good of Won Hindenberg !!
At worst the Stacker withholds aid from Ameri-
ca the clacker does definite enemy work. The
clacker is worse than Stacker.
l know woman with two sons in the army.
She was found with relative at lumber camp
deep in the Florida woods.
II had to get away from the friends who
wanted to sympathize with me because my boys
were in the SERVICE" she explained. I'm glad
my boys are in the army and can bear whatever
necessary; but could not stand that everlasting
grooming and moaning of people who Thought
don't want sympathy. : | want to be let alone
to be proud of my boys who are doing mems work
in manly way" -.-..
The clackers had driven her from home Click
clack Knit-knock. Oh, they're great help to
their country, the clackers. Day by day they re-
lease from their silly lips the poison that rots the
heart Of nation. Not armies alone go to war to-
day, but nations. An army today is no more pow
erful than the nation that backs it. Every civilian
man and woman in the United States today is
just as much in battle against Germany as any
soldier in the front line trenches. The work of
the clackers in this country is identical in effect
with the work of traitor in the army. That is
absolute fact.
Heads up, you American men and women back
of the lines! Laugh! A laugh helps and a
moan doesn't. No American man or woman to-
day has any right to do anything that does not
help. Laugh with soldier. Laugh with a SOL
der's mother. If you can't play, root! Take it up,
And whatever you do, don't be a clacker!