McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1918-05-24

that we have most conspicuously In
the work Of the Red Cross. The duty
of the Red Cross Is the duty OF mercy
and succor and friendship.
knIts World Together.
Have you formed picture in your
Imagination of what this war is doing
for us and for the world? In my own
mind / am convinced that not hun
dred years OF peace could have
knitted this nation together as this
single year OF war has knitted 1t to-
gether, and better win than that, II
possible, 1t Is knitting the world to-
gether. Look at the picture. In the
center of the zone four nations en-
gagged against the world, and at every
point of vantage, showing that they
are seeking selfish ACKNOWLEDGMENT;
and against them 20 governments rep
resenting the greater part of the pop
ulation of the world, drawn together
into new sense of interest q new
sense of power, a new sense or unity
of life. The secretary of war told
me an interesting incident the other
day. He said when he was In Italy
a member of the Italian government
was explaining to him the many rea-
sons why Italy felt near to the United
States. He said, II you want to try
an interesting experiment, 60 up to
any one Of these troop trains and
ask in English how many of them
have been in America and see what
happens He tried the experiment.
He went up to troop train and he
said, How many of you boys have
been in American and he said 1t
seemed to him as IL half OF them
sprang up: Me from San Francisco,
me from New York; all over There
was part of the heart of America In
the Italian army. People that have
been knitted to us by association,
who knew us, who had lived amongst
us, who had worked shoulder to
shoulder with us, and now, friends OF
America, were fighting for their ma
tive Italy.
Friendship is the only cement
that will ever hold the world together.
And this intimate contact OF the
great Red Cross with the peoples who
are suffering the terrors and depriva-
tions of this war is going to be one
of the greatest instrumentalities OF
friendship that the world eyer knew,
and the center of the heart of it all,
If we sustain it properly, will be this
land that we so dearly love.
Great Day of Duty.
"My friends, great day of duty
has come, and duty finds mans
soul as no kind of work can ever
find it.
"May l say this: The duty that
faces us all now Is to serve one an
other and no man can afford to make
a fortune out Of this war. There are
men amongst us who have forgotten
that, IL they ever saw 1t. Some OF
you are old enough am old enough
to remember men who made for
tunes In the civil war, and you know
how they were regarded by their fell
lowmen. And your relations to the
Red Cross is one of the relations that
will relieve of the stigma. You cant
give anything to the government. It
won't accept it. There is law
against accepting even services with
out pay. The only thing that the
government will accept is a loan and
duties performed, but 1t is a great
deal better to give than to lend or
to pay, and your great channel for CIV
ing is the American Red Cross. Down
in your hearts you can't take very
much satisfaction in the last analysis
In lending money to the government
ofsthe United States, because the in
terest which you draw will burn your
pockets. 1t is commercial trans
action and some men have even dared
to talk about the rate of interest, not
knowing the incidental commentary
that constitutes upon their attitude.
But when you give something OF your
heart, something of your soul, some
thing of yourself goes with the gift,
particularly when it is given in such
form that it never can come back
by way of direct benefit to yourself.
You know there is the old cynical
definition Of gratitude as the lively
expectation OF favors to come Well.
there Is no expectation Of favors to
come in, this kind Of giving. These
things are bestowed in order that
the world may be filter place to
live in, that men may be succored,
that homes may be restored, that
suffering may be relieved, that the
face OF the earth may have the blight
of destruction taken away from 1t, and
that wherever force goes there shall
go mercy and helpfulness.
Give Until II Hurts.
"And when you give, give absolute
ly all that you can spare, and don't
consider yourself liberal in the giving
II you give with self-adulation you
are not giving at all; You are giving
to your own vanity; but II you give
until it hurts, then your heart blood
goes into it.
"And think what we have here.
eve call it the American Red
Cross, but 1t is merely branch Of q
great international organization which
is not only recognized by the stat
utes OF each of the civilized govern,
ments. OF the world, but 1t Is recog-
nized by international agreement and
treaty as the recognized and accept
ed instrument alike Of mercy and
succor. And one Of the deepest
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