South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-09-13
LoUe and Uncle Sam
By Katherine EggIeston OF Tic li2iIanlc-

Dear mothers of soldier boys
wives of soldier men. sUeethearts of
soldier lovers. with the arms OF our
love round each other, let MS reason
together From some of as surely,
loves supreme sacrifice viii be de
manded. But 10 is not giving our
best 10 death 10 is seeing the sol
der come home crippled OF blind
or deaf Every heart among our
aches in the giant grasp OF pain at
the thought
In the streets Of London before
this war began, there were crippled
and blinded men. piufully capitaliz-
ing their inhrmity as they thrust
their bit of green or bunch OF lead
pencils forward 10 cover the fact
that they were beggars. I'm every
other country where war has laid its
devastating weight there are such
men Even here. where we have
penshioned the veterans OF the Civil
war. we have the tragic evidences
consequent on mems knowing that
they are not helping i'm the world S
work These were the sons Of moth
ers like YOU. the husbands of wives
like YOU. the lovers OF sweethearts.
For q month or a year. the glory Of
their sacrifice burned brightly
around them They We're heroes in
loves eyes. They were petted and
appreciated Then. the routine OF
! life swept on The other men went
back TO business Their wives and
their mothers and their sweethearts
went on With life accompanied by
the agreeable support of their
money producing efforts Perhaps
the men tried TO make places for the
manned companions. But the dim
ming thoughts OF the war were the
mist that began 20 shut the. manned
ones away FROM participation in the
life where they could render no ser
vice. The women who loved and
cldns 20 them had 10 md work TO
support themselves and the heroes.
And even they grew less conscious
of the herOism and more conscious
of the strain OF making ends meet.
Worse yet. a deterioration set i'm
within the mind and heart of the
hero. II was not mis- fault that be
could be of 30 little use He had
given more for his country than
some of the men who We're blessed
with the favor and comfort result
ing from active service and the ac-
cumuiatiou OF 81 competence. Bitter
or discouraged or else Just slipping
without much resistance into the
position of grocery store loafer and
court house lounger the hero OF a
time forgotten became q kind of toll
Grated zero ma the life OF his COM
munlty-Or am actual nuisance
Dear mothers. wives. sweethearts
this is not a picture too highly col
ored. You know OF men far-falien
from the heroic days when they
came home bearing thC signs of their
great giving Then what would 7
whisper t0 the deep~ of Your heart
50 sacred 10 your soldier men BY
the strength or the love Won bear
them. save their glory untarnished.
How There DIS work that a man
without lex can do with his two
hands There is work that man
bereft OF sight can do oy the sense
OF touch. There is work that man
whose arms are gone can do with
his feet. Our blessed heroes can he
taught work that viii. in some in
stances make them even more able
10 earn thau they were before the
war The government j. looking aft
er this
Then what can We do. mothers
wives and sweethearts We can
and We must-give our men 10 the
government q bit longer give them
tin they are equipped 10 take mems
places I'm the-active world. Tt means
holding our hearts that yeam so ter
rincaIly 70 have them again. in the
strong grip Of our common sense
When you ache 20 get them back. 20
have them right close 20 YOU 20
make II all up 20 them just remem-
her THAI the mothers and wives and
sweethearts OF those men whom you
now regard as ciphers loved and
yearued as g0u do Just keep
eight hold ON the thought thar the
shlfiIess ugcou-ulut.ne member az
society who decorate To- drygood-
boN or lunches ur in "a wooden chair
~ +ra .....f U..-4 came home 20