The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-22
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

life; then came Winston Anderson, the
 college bred man of the world, and then Captain Mortimer Jordan, the scion Of warrior
 /! These individual cases of herosn
 touched our imaginations and made our
 hearts burn within us; but now comes
 the fiery letter of Capt. Lacey Edmund
 son of Company D, 167th infantry, com
 posed almost entirely of Bessemer boys, telling of their heroic bravery, and We
 are stunned and sobered at the aws sul price paid by them to keep us free. | l I confess that somehow felt bit crit. | cal tows I'd Bessemer during the recent hot political campaign, for I thought in
 so aggressively supporting George Hu1 dleston that she was not as loyal as she | ought to be in standing by the President, but her sons have proved her loyalty with their lives, and am heartily ashamed for having permitted an elec- tion contest to warp my better Juds- ! ment, ana I make public apology for having in the heat of the fight in any way doubted or reflected upon our sister city's patriotism.
 feel like I could hug the whole town as read the story of what Bessemerltes did to the Huns, and my heart goes out to the parents and kin and friends of tho dead and the wounded, but they can have the consolation of knowing that their flesh and blood upheld the best tradi- tions of the American army and took a fearful tol; of the picked troops of Ger many.
 The reason I pleaded in this column after the election of Congressman Hud. dlestoa that we put aside all bitterness and strife and try and get together and work for the good of <ii the war activi- ties was because I knew that casualty in and that in our common sorrows it would be moro Christian to minimize rather than magnify our political differ. ences.
 No man can read the third page ot The Age Herald's Wednesday edition without being touched with the wonderful spirit and morale of our boys, and want to show them that those of us permitted to stay back in sheltered places are will. ing to make sacrifices okeep them fully supplied with everything they need for food, clothing and munitions while they attend to the job of fighting.
 I call that third page not the martyrs page, but thA page of heroes. If you failed to read it. get a copy and read every line of it. It is the real thing and ought to put the fighting spirit into us as nothing yet has done for it is filled with stories of everyday men who met their great adventure and lived up to the regulations of their forefathers. My, how I was lifted up as I read how Capt. Julien Strassburger, Jew, led his men into the thickest of the fight against the unspeakable Huns and after being stricken down, called to his men to Ego on to Berlin I am not surprised at his bravery after receiving his death wound for the gallant soldier, before go. ing into battle knelt down and prayed that his men be spared. It ought to send every praying man and woman m Alabama who reads it down on their knees in prayer for the men and officers on the firing line.
 Then comes a story of Brad Saunders, Jr., giving marvelously realistic glimpse of what it means to be an aviator Then Allan Smith makes light of a wound in his arm. Paul Leon Bolin, in spite of | fractured les. hopes to be able to be out in five months, and sends cheery greet ings to his family. Fred Trimble records having received a gunshot wound, but lets his friend know that he is getting along nicely These are just samples of the spirit of the brave lads who for ouc sakes bear their scars with smile
 The story of J. H. Cornett the brave young lad ont of the composing room of The Age Herald, who went with the ex- petition to Mexico, and one of the first to go overseas with the Americans. set the blood of every man on the paper a tingling with pride, as we learned now he got two German snipers. He was m some of the big battles and got wounded. but is waiting in hospital anxiously for the time when he can get back with his regiment.
 But eh estory which got every member of the Age Herald family was the in spiriting one about Roland W. Vim of the machine gun company of the gallan. 167th infantry. It came in a letter writ ten from the base hospital to My dsot home folks.' He goes on and tells of the brave deeds of his comrades who acted like veterans in their first baptism of fire, and carried on in spite of the terrific barrage of artillery and the deadly gas shells
 Here is a paragraph out of the letter which shows the fine stuff of our fellow. worker or. the paper is made. It reveals
 Tt is with pardonable pride that writs you of being cited for the famous Croix de Guerre, the French cross of war given for deeds of personal valor Can yoa imagine your once peaceful son being So honored? I can scarcely realize it my self. Sergeant Gibson and myself wore recommended for the Croix de Guerre for