Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1918-10-24
Love and
Uncle Sam
-
By KATHARINE EGGLESTON
OF The Tigiidnfes


soldier lovers, with the arms of our
love round each other, let us reason
together. From some of us, surely,
loves supreme sacrifice will be de-
manded. But it is not giving our best
to death; it is seeing the soldier
come home crippled or blind or deaf.
Every heart among ours aches il the
giant grasp of pain at the thought.
In the streets Of London before this
war began, there were crippled and
blinded men, pitifully capitalizing
their infrmity as they thrust their
bit Of green or bunch of lead pencils
forward to cover the fact that they
were beggars. In every other coun-
try where war has laid it's devastating
weight, there are such men. Even
here, where we have pensiOned the
veterans of the Civil war, we have the
tragic evidences consequent on mems
knowing that they are not helping in
the worlds work.
These were the sons of mothers like
you, the husbands of wives like you,
month or a year, the glory Of their
sacrifice burned brightly around them.
They were heroes in loves eyes.
They were petted and appreciated.
Then, the routine of life swept on.
The other men went back to business.
their sweetheartS went on with life
accompanied by the agreeable support
Of their mOney-prOducing efforts.
Perhaps the men tried to make places
for the MANNED companions.
Save Their Glory.
But the dimming thoughts Of the
war were the mist that began to shut
the manned ones away from partici-
patton in the life where they could rem
der no service. The women who loved
and chung to them had to find work to
support themselves and the heroes.
And, even they grew less conscious
Of the herOism and more conscious
of the strain Of making ends meet.
Worse, yet, a deterioration set in
within the mind and heart of the hero.
1t was not his fault that he could be
of SO little use. He had given more
for his country than some of the
men who were blessed with the favor
and comfort resulting from active ser
vice and the" accumulation Of a COM
potency Bitter or discouraged or
else just slipping without much re-
Sistance into the position Of grocery
store loafer and courthouse lOunger,
the hero Of time forgotten became a
kind of tolerated zero in the life of
his community-or an actual nuisance.
Dear mothers, wives, sWeethearts,
this is not a picture too highly col
Ored. You know Of men far-fallen
from the heroic days when they came
home bearing the signs of their great
giving Then, what would | whisper
to the deeps of your heart so sacred
to your soldier-men? BY the strength
Of the love you bear them, save their
glory untarnished!
How? There is work that a man
hands. There is work that a man be-
reft of sight can do by the sense Of
touch. There is work that man whose
arms are gone can do with his feet.
Our blessed heroes can be taught
work that will, in some instances,
make them even more able to earn
than they were before the war. The
government is looking after this.
Then what can we do, mothers,
wives and sWeethearts? We can
and we must-give our men to the
government a bit longer. give them
till they are equipped to take mems
places in the active world. It means
holding our hearts, that yearn SO ter
rifcally to have them again, in the
strong grip of our common sense.
Duty of Our Women.
When you ache to get them back, to
have them right close to you, to make
it all up to them, just remember that
the mothers and wives and sweet.
hearts of those men whom you now
regard as ciphers loved and yearned
as you do. Just keep a tight hold on
the thought that the shiftless, uncon
tributing member of society, who dec
crates a dry goods box or lunches up
in wooden chair at the courthouse,
came home to hearts that blaZed with
fervor as yours is blazing now. And
save your men from what your eyes
convince you is their certain future.
Six months or more, under the wise
hand of the government they have
served, and they will be fitted for fur
Their service. Six months or more of
loving waiting on your part will bring
you home a hero whose glory never
! can be dimmed by the smudgy hand of
circumstances. Six months or more
of positive encouragement will keep
him from falling a victim to the de-
spair that will come when your loved
one returns to the life he has left
robbed of the arm or leg or eyes
which have been so essential. 1t is
really up to us, the women whose love
is the great rock Of shelter and COM
, fort for our men, to encouragement
To insist TnOn their taking adVanta po