South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-05-07

W. VINO are 50 Tar from the scenes
Of conflict, realize its seriousness
and what It means 10 US as indi-
viduals.
I'm this very audience there are
doubtless those who have sons or
brothers in the service. perhaps
: here or abroad, and 20 them there
\ is an even graver and more personal
| interest than TO others. and I
know that they are thinking that
while We sit here enjoying the
] lights. the spectacle. the music and
the merriment these youths over
I there may be passing through the
! baptism OF fire; may be facing an
I avalanche Of deadly shells; may be
passing through curtains Of fire and
/ encOuntering the noXiOus deadly
/ poisonous gas; living in damp. dark
I caverns and trenches. which few
short months ago would have been
| thought uninha bita BILE. These
things. my friends, are the personal
| elements, but what OF the vastly
greater, the infinitely more import
ant thing that is the stake of this
| great conflict.
Has il occurred 70 you my
friends, that all those things that
men have fought for and died since
the beginning Of time, all those
/ high ideals and precepts which have
been taught from pulpit and school
platform, all those ideals which par
/ ents have inculcated into their chill
/ dren as the acme of virtue, the
sweet refrains that mothers sing 10
/ their children as they lay in their
arms, that all these are threatened
/ today.
Il know that to some this may
| seem a broad statement. In this
cosmopolitan land of ours, popu-
| descendants of every people on the
face of the globe, there are many
| God-fearing men and women OF
| German descent, and to them the
| things we now know about that
| country are almost incredible. They
| fail to realize the insidiOusness Of
the militarism which has domin
/ ated every idea, every thought,
every action OF that autocrat and
| despot, who profanes the name of
| God and seeks 10 despOf the world.
| This war is a war OF self defense.
! We did not wish to fight Germany.
For months we talked 10 her in
terms Of good faith and sincerity in
an honest effort to avert war, until
we knew, by the words Of the kaiser
! himself, that German promises
were, as he stated it, but mere
scraps of paper. And so we came
into a war to preserve our self re-
spect, that we may live, not as
Germany wishes us TO live, but to
challenge that word 'verboted,
which she has written in letters of
blood upon land and upon sea.
All Can BE of Service.
I'VE cannot all offer our lives but
we can be Of inestimable service in
many ways. Sordid as il may seem,
il takes money 10 assure success.
and the Oversubscription of the
/ great Liberty loan campaign just
| closed, again has demonstrated to
the world the loyalty and devotion
OF the American people. and as
chairman of the local committee for
fraternal organizations 1 wish TO
take this occasion to express my ap-
probation and that of the central
committee. for the splendid manner
in which the societies affiliated with
81. JOseph's parish, have responded
without exception, in this great
cause. st. Johns court Of the c. O.
OF Foresters. with 800: St Jo-
seph's Mutual Aid society. 500; the
Rosary society, with 500: and the
Young Ladies' society. with S10O. as
we'll as the non-afiliated Catholic
order OF the Knights Of Columbus,
with 500. Surely a splendid and
noteworthy example OF loyalty
and devotion.
Morale Must Be Maintained.
Among the most important fac
tors in the winning of this great
cause is the maintaining Of the
morale Of our soldiers and to &C
? complish this it is absolutely essen
tiol that the home ties be preserved
and maintained so that our young
men will keep their self respect
and the religious influence which is
so especially observed by your
faith The Y. NJ. c. A, the Y. NJ
/ l. A
are the three important factors in
this respect, all Offering TO our boys
the only possible substitute for home
ties and dedicated 10 purity OF
mind and heart and the comfort OF
the body.
The X OF c. is about TO launch
great drive, and I say sincerely
that our patriotism. our loyalty and
our devotion can be demonstrated
in no better manner than TO give
cheerfully, without stint 10 this So
Ciety which, both in the canton
ments here and behind the firing
line, is already doing so much TO
b keep our boys in touch with those
who remain behind, so that they
may retLrn healthy in mind and
in body. and If our city will 'acquit
itself as nobly in this great under
taking as 1t just has in the Liberty
loan. surely no one can question its
!. patriotism.
And so. my friends, in this vas'
undertaking we must think only in
terms Of America. 10 forget self. "a
forget ambition, 10 forget partisan
ship. except right and justice. and
: In a..