The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1918-02-21


bandages. He had asked the soldier
how he received MS wound In cap
tured German dugout. by lighted
candle, the boy had found fountain
pen. ana had placed II in his pocket.
A week later he has sat down 10 write
to his mother, 10 tell her all was well
with him.
And when | tried to unscrew the
pen it blew half Of my face away. "
was the explanation that Harry re-
peated.
Nov, men," ne urged with earn
estness. THAT is the enemy you're up
against. He knows no mercy. And
when you re over there, and IN d Ger
man dugout. should you see fountain
pen, don't touch il Don't touch any,
thing"
AS he passed through one captured
trench, related Lauder, his coat caught
on a nail and tore the fabric. This
very coat | have on" he 'amplified
Turning to an officer he asked why the
nail was not driven in, out of harms
way.
''0h, no. the officer declined 1--WE
did knock one III about two weeks ago,
Just over the line there, andlwe buried
Y of our men.
There isn't anything too hellish for
the hun. exclaimed Harry, as he eau
toned against nail driving in captuied
trenches. THE 'Boche, the French
man calls him call him the vandal,
the raper of women. the murderer, de-
stroyer of old men and boys.
When you are over there you will
see, as did, little boys with their
right hands cut off. And when you
ask them who did it they will tell you
the Germans did, and when you ask
them why. they will say So | will
never be able to lift my hand against
Germany.
II used to sit by the fire and talk
with my lad. before his voice
wavered. before he went back to the
trenches again. asked him to tell
me Of these things, these unbelievable
things.
Before Harry LADDERS son went
back to the trenches, to die gallantly,
he told the father of the fate of 90
capturei men of the Black Watch,
butchered before his eyes. Taken in
a night raid. they were stripped and
| forced to stand in nakedness through
the chill hours till dawn.
I'm the gray dull of the morning. "
said Harry. "the Germans told them
they could go back TO their own
| trenches again. They crawled through
the barbed wire. torn and lacerated,
those brave men. ! know of nothing
more fiendish than German barbed
wire. Halfway across No Mans Land
the Germans opened with machine
guns and moved down every one
" Dad, my son said to me, 1T was
an awful sight. helped to bury
| them.
What are you going to do men?''
he challenged. "You are going to
leave this building with the resolution
that you will buckle on the sword,
and you will stand at attention every
moment of your lives until the bugle
sounds the blast of peace"
He charged that the estrangement of
England and the colonies was brought
about through the reign of Prussiar
Prince on the throne of Great Britain
"a hun. he termed King George ano
that Prussian propaganda had served
through many years to keep hatred
against the motherland alive in the
American heart.
The spirit of the Revolution prevails
today" he delcared, "the same spirit
You are revolving against the hun.
Prussian propaganda had poisoned
America for long years, declared Lau
der, with one arm around your neck,
coddling you, stabbing you in the back
with the other.
He spoke of German rifles buried il
American SOIL asserting that large
cache had been uncovered not long age
the murderous Instruments intended
to repay American friendship and wei
come.
Rows on rows of them, those guns
buried in American soil, charged
Harry. who put them there? You
neighbor 0. yes, he's a very mic,
man. 0. yes, he's German; you W
known him for 20 years. What for die
your nice neighbor do this? To xii
your wives and your BARNS
"By God, men !" he exploded, There
isn't anything too hellish for the hun
He knows no mercy! He has shown
me no mercy, and, by God he'll ge
none from me, eitherp'
For a space the speaker was silent
trembling, looking down upon tn,
} throng in uniform. Then he said:
This | do know, that this country
the United States of America, had t,
be guided by noble mind and a stead,
hand to come into this world Turmoil
today" With raised hand he held bacl
the cheering.
1T took steady hand and nobl
mind to guide this nation through tn
perils of Prussian propaganda. An,
we, who appreciate the circumstances
thank God today for President vii
son." The storm of applause broke.
Pm glad because my son was sol
der, said Harry simply. "I'm glaO
because | know that he did his duty
"There are three Ds for the soldie
to guard against. The first is deser
tion, the next is dirt and the third i
disease. Guard well against thes
three Ds and give every attention t
the other drill.
Give your officers your concen
trated attention, because an offlce
can't be good officer if he hasn't
} good platoon. And believe, know
there isn't an American officer VIII
l would ask a soldier to do what h
wouldn't do himself.
Il may have an opportunity to NEE
you again, when you go over there
hope you'll have safe journe
across and that shall meet yo
, again.
, Then Harry Lauder sang livel
e bit, written when he saw the frs
American troops in France, somethin
to the effect that We're going to d
t our vera, verra vera best, from tn
, north, sol tn, east and west. -
They brought him to his feet agai
i and again, and he smiled at them al
: fectionately as he said:
e II know you haven't thing to d
t but sit there and clap all day. Bu
+. I've got to work this afternoon. S
. I'll say good bye to you, boys, an
may the good fortune of battle be wit
+. you when you get across.
: He stood at salute as they rose