South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-30

n URING the spring Of 1917 certain groups of pa
i triots in the cast particularly in New
Boston, did great deal OF worrying about the
middle and western states. These fasteners would
come together at IuncheOns and committee meetings
after getting condition collective depres-
sion about the apathy of the country they would ap-
point OF their number oratorcaI COM
mission "Rudiger, 60 out there" they would say 10
him. "Rudiger, for Gods sake go
middle west" And Rudger would 60 out on his rous-
ins expedition and make speeches before
clubs, and mt larger meetings, and then go back
without having noticed the middle and western
states already passing their quotas ensments
fighting men, whereas Rudiger's own state at that
time, had filled just about third of its quota.
However Rudgers were not all easterners About
1OOOOOOOO people seemed 10 feel that the United States
did not realize that it at Rudgcrs was
not legion but popuace; and yet ne believed he
almost the only person America who "compre-
hended full seriousness OF the situation" He got
a sombre satisfaction forebodings. They'll
see! he would predict They'll wake up find
what they're i'm for day when late maybe
but tell you they don't know what it means They're
with the military power the world
and they're sound asleep! L tell you it drives
almost crazy sec, do, what il means and then
look about him all these millions of people behaving
if there weren't any ALL"
East west, north and SOUTH Rudiger got the habit
scoIdng He that he had the whole war on his
one pair of shoulders. For day he might forget il
little, and play golf. Then another
would come when the weight of the would lie
heavily him, and he'd some other Rudiger play
ing golf, and Rudiger would watch him the club
house veranda, and groan and scoId. The big
derheads: he would splutter They can't realize
it! Nobody's doing anything! NObodys worry
ing"
NES almost all of had touch of Rudger in those
days. We imagined that felt the
than neighbors did; the thought irritable.
and there a vast scoding. We produced many
thousands of editorials and posters founded the
YOU theme. The kaiser will get YOU YOU don't
enlist, YOU don't subscribe Red Cross or
YOU buy Liberty bonds. Are YOU doing your
duty? If not YOU will be painted yellow.
course. this going YOU am obstrep-
erous way considered by advertising experts TO be
effective of rousing. but the light
later events may venture 10 express that the YOU
campaign inspired mainly by coneeniaity
the rritability of the time. Rudigerism
Whereas, what has really made things happen the
great scale is neither the attack ON YOU YOUR
susceptibility scoIding, but the WE, Us and OUR
spirit
When poster shouts at me, YOU aren't in the
trenches" 1 apt feel a little anagonized my
thought may be- What business is yours, YOU
poster advertising specialist? YOU aren't i'm
the trenches, either YOU safely at home
anybody, and YOU haven't the right be screaming
reproaches warnings YOU don't
what I'm doing trying to do for our cause. YOU
seem think it's your than il is mine, and
YOU think YOU have wake up. and YOU make
tired!' Or if I'm "a selfish and at-brancd per-
son. the kind at whom the YOU shooting is chiefly
aimed emotional process may take this form: "Cut
the bull! Yelling YOU isn't going get do
anything don't do You can't work me, DO.
OF course, there individuals who had be
y shamed efforts and doubt the YOU
work helped get them into line but the really inn
portant American pronouns have proved be those
of the first person plural. It was WE, Us and OUR
that reached those citizens whom formerly called
German Americans" IL was WE Us and OUR that
Ieft nothing hyphen-and the hyphen had only
smarted the redder under the mustard plaster pronOm
YOU. When the German Americans"
them found that OUR country war. they erased
hyphen. They might have remained German
Americans" if we had gone TO with any country
Germany and this is great benefit that Ger
many conferred upon when she attacked she
killed the hyphen. She counted on killing il, and 80
calculations But she i
pleased with her i'm the matter, for she made
an important detail: she thought tine Ger
man Americans" would drop the American side of the
hyphen; she thought they really Germans. They
weren't The hyphcn gone forever, and there aren't
any German American citizens any in
country there are only American citizens. From Au-
gust 1914 April, 1917, the German Americans
often said YOU to the of and the of
often said YOU to them; all OF Il say WE,
and OUR.
young mine, OF German descent, told
how il was with him Until April. 1917, he had been