The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1918-06-19

we're going to stay here, even it 1t
takes twenty years, because-well,
just look at what the Huns have
done, right and left of you, the ruin,
the desolation, the indescribable bar
barities."
| Ay, it was true. With my own
eyes I had seen the hellish work of
the Hun-and no one who has not
seen with his own eyes can have
even a glimmer of an understanding
The boys in the trenches know that.
1t is because of their knowledge of
Hun savagery that they are standing
the hard blows and wounds that
come from fighting in the bullet
swept stretches of No Mans Land.
From whatever country they come
Great Britain, Ireland, France, Be-
GUM, America, Australia-they are
inspired by the same heroic spirit.
they are determined to struggle and
fight, not simply to break the Hun
and Prussian military system-be-
cause If it is only broken it will re-
assemble again-but to destroy it
completely.
Now that I have been in the war
zone, realize that my sons life was
not given in vain. And then, too,
/ there came through the gracious
agency of God that other thought
came so clearly and wildly that
know it is true-that out beyond I
shall rejoin my boy. l spent many
days in the trenches, the rest camps,
the hospitals and the surrounding
towns, and the most lasting impress
sion that I carried away was one
concerning the spiritual atmosphere
which surrounds the French and
British soldiers in France. All these
men possess a calm, clear conviction
that if they fall-no matter what
manner of lives they may have lived
before-they will pass into the life
beyond
That is why we take such chanc-
es,' one man told me simply. "Do
you think for moment that if life
held nothing for us but the earthly
body we possess, we would fight with
such a confidence and eagerness It
would be impossible, because we
would be doing everything in our
power to preserve this life of ours.
But, seeing men die as l have seen
them, know better than not to be-
lieve in future life. And because
we have no fear of death, we fling
ourselves over the trenches and on
to the Huns with a fierce, almost
savage joy. Because that spirit is
going to win this war. We. do not
believe it possible that men who go
into battle, knowing that they are
fighting for a righteous cause are
unafraid of death, can be beaten
back forever"
am often asked what sort of
songs the men at the front prefer.
AS far as Scottish soldiers are con-
cerned, l found that best of all they
liked the old love songs, the old
songs of Scotland, tender, grooming
melodies that would help to carry
them back in memory to their homes
and if they had them to the lassies
of their. dreams.
1t was no sad, lugubrious songs
they wanted, but note of wistful
tenderness they liked. That was true
of the sick and wounded and of the
hale and hearty too; and it showed
that though they were soldiers. they
were just human like the rest of US,
for all the great superhuman things
they had done out there in France.
One of the concerts that 1 gave to
the soldiers was in a Y. M. C. A.
hut. But do not let the word "hut''
deceive We. 1t held an audience of
two thousand men, although it was
tight squeezing. And what roar
ing, wild crowd that was, to be sure!
They sang with me and they cheered
and clapped until l thought that hut
would be needing new roof.
The Y. M. C. A. huts, I may add,
are really the soldiers home. There
is where he sits and talks of home.
That is where he dreams in the quiet
rest that he gets when he returns
from the trenches. For that reason
am only too glad to help the Y.
NJ C. A., which is doing such grand
work for the boys, at the front.
| What impression did l gain OF
Americas war spirit during my re-
cent tour from the Atlantic to the
Pacific and back? I was astounded
at the gigantic preparations that are
being made with men, materials and
| IHOIley. SpOhe anu Sang dI some
of the largest camps and therefore
had a good opportunity to observe
what is taking place. Away from
| the camps, however, l was impressed
by the fact that there are many
things which people in the United
States cannot understand, because
they are too far away from the war
zone to comprehend all of it.
The farther get away from the
war zone I find there is more indif
ference about the war;, until I think
that vast numbers of people need tx
be inoculated with the serum of serv-
ice and sacrifice. For that reason
say to people in this country who
are Indifferent: Wake up and have {
thought of the war and its response
bilities. Those men out there arr
fighting for you and deserve the bes
from you. They are fighting for lib
erty, the best word in any Language
on the face of the earth. Collectivel,
L II