The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1918-05-30
Get the War Spirit From This.


Dear Editor: You will please per-
NIT me small space to give express
sion to few of the evils of the day |
have noted in passing around. as well
as to urge their correction and give EN-
enlargement to the war spirit among
our people everywhere.
have been thinking for a long time
that there could be something done to
improve conditions as they are at pres
ent. Now. as our boys have been called
away from the farms and have gone to
the camp and the trenches in France.
l think it is time to close up the pool
rooms and turn the domino tables up
side down. and send that bunch of
bOOtblacks that hang around all the
barber shops and holes-iI-the-wall out
to the farms. They are helping to con-
sumo everything and are not producing
IA penny's worth of anything. As our
boys have gone from the FARMS but
yet must he fed and clothed, let every
body black their own shoes, brush their
own clothes, and leave off all those use
less. senseless games. That is but little
to demand toward helping the boys
who have put their lives on the altar
as il sacrifice for your liberty and mine.
Get out and do your duty before it is
too late! The Government says to my
10y, You 90 to France and fight to save
the lives of our wives and our daugh
ters and sisters-and he goes. Now. if
you pool players, and boOtblacks and
loafers generally don't get busy and
volunteer and do somthing the same
hand will touch YOU sooner or later
and say. You go, too. Don't stand
around until YOU are starving and then
go out and try to fool the enemy. They
are getting entrenched and strongly
fortified every day.
We have got to win this war. re-
CARELESS of the cost. and it's going to
cost lots of money. and lots Of time,
and lots Of hard work. Yet that is only
IL tritie when compared with the lives
of our American manhood. The very
cream of our country has sacrificed all
that is dear to them. What for! Your
liberty and mine-your life and mine
Can't we who are left at home suffer
/; just lit to cheer the boys up and let
| them feel that we are with them to
| the end?
1t is Il sad state of affairs at present.
| But just stop and think. While we are
here now in the midst Of peace, bask-
| ing in the fullneSS Of prosperity and
| fairly enjoying all the luxurieS of
Garth. just remember Belgium. that
little nation over yonder. When the
war started she was Il magnificent lit
| tie country. with her beautiful cities,
great factories. fine schools. churches.
etc. and her honor was above reproach,
and is yet, and always will he. But to-
day her people are pauperS, prisoners.
wrecks and ruined--little girls and
Toys MANNED and disfgured for life.
bales bayoneted and murdered. \
number of other dastardly crimes. too
low for civilized nation to conceive
of, have been committed in Belgium.
just think If the Huns Lad the OPP
portunity to do the United States that
way! That would he our condition
| pretty soon.
! 1t only took Germany eighteen days
| to wreck the whole nation of Belgium,
a nation of eight million people. Now
we owe Il debt to Belgium that we can
nevef pay. Had Belgium not stood the
fire and held those demons off that
little time they would have been on our
soil to-day - carrying on the same
Lutchery here. May God bless the Bel
gums always.
| Now. we as Il nation must put our
minds. our energy. our money, our
blood and everything together to ac-
conpliSh the one end-win the wa-.
Win or dic' is my motto, Don't say
we can't: we are going to do it. And
| you must help. The man who Won't
lend helping hand should he treated
as deSerter-cOurt nlartialled and
shot. That's the way feel about it,
And l don't care who knows it. The
man who lives here in our country, Ell
joys our freedom and prosperity, and
won't help in the fight, ought to he sent
straight to Germany. | hope we have
but few of that stripe.
So let's all of us think of what the
conditions are and do all in our power
to prevent our fate from being as Bel.
GUMS now is. We are fighting fer /,
righteous cause and God will lie with
us in the end. J. Il. ADAIR.
|