River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-05-23

take very much satisfaction, in the
last analysis, in lending money to the
government of the United States be-
cause the interest you draw will burn
your pockets; it is a commercial
dared to cavil at the rate of interest,
not knowing the incidental common
tary that constitutes upon their atti-
tude.
"But when you give, som ething Of
your heart, something of your soul,
something OF yourself goes with the
gift, particularly when it is given in
such form that itneYer 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
No Favors to Come.
"WeIl, 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 NAV be succored;
that homes may be restored; that suf-
fering may be relieved; that the face
of the earth may have the blight of
destruction taken away from it. and
that wherever force goes, there shall
go mercy and helpfulness.
"And when you give, give absolute
iy all that you can spare, and don't
consider yourself liberal in the giving.
If you give with self-adulation you
are not giving at all, you are giving
to your own vanity; but If you give
until it hurts, then your heart blood
goes into it.
Scope International.
"And think what we have here;
we call it the American Red Cross,
but it is merely a branch of that
great international organization, which
is not only recognized by the statutes
of the world, but is recognized by in
ternational agreement and treaty as
the recognized and accepted instru-
mentality of mercy and succor. And
one of the deepest stains that rests
on the reputation Of the German army
is that they have not respected the
Red Cross.
THAT goes to the root of the mat
ter. They have not respected the
instrumentality they themselves par
ticipated in setting up as the thing
which no man was to touch, because
it was the expression of common hui
mainly.
Emblem Of Christianity.
1--WE are members, by being mem
bers of the Red Cross, of a great
fraternity and comradeship which ex-
tends all over the world, and this
cross that these women bore today is
an emblem of Christianity itself.
Tribute to Women.
ut fills my imagination to think of
the women all over this country who
are busy tonight and every night and
every day doing the work of the
Red Cross, busy with a great eager
ness to find out the most serviceabre
thing to do, busy with a forgetfulness
of all the old frivolities of their social
relationships, ready to curtai1 the du-
ties of the household in order that
they may contribute to this common
work that all their hearts are engaged
in, and in doing which their hearts
become acquainted with each other.
Into One Family.
When you think of this, you real
ize how the people of the United
States are being drawn together into
great intimate family whose heart
is being used for the service of the
soldiers not only, but for the service
OF civilians, where they suffer and
are lost in maze of distresses and
distractions.
Liberty's Servants.
And you have this noble picture
of Justice and mercy as the two serv-
ants of Liberty.
For only where men are free do
they think the thoughts of comrade
Ship only where they are free do
they think the thoughts of sympa-
thy; only where they are free are
they mutually helpful; only where
they are free do they realize their
comradeship in common interest
and common necessity.
But after ALL although there is
no party purpose in it, he got it right
as far as the word party to make
the whole world democratic in the
sense of community interest and of
purpose, and if you could read some
Of the touching dispatches which come
through official channels-for even
through these channels there come
voices of humanity that are infinite
ly pathetic-if you could catch some
Of these voices that speak the utter
longing of oppressed and helpless
peoples all over the world to hear
something like the Battle Hymn OF
the Republic" to hear the feet of
the great Hosts of Liberty going to
set them free, to set their minds free,
set their lives free, set their children
free, you would know what comes in
to the heart of those who are trying
to contribute all the brains and power
they have to this great enterprise
OF liberty.