Ripley County democrat., 1918-11-22

why don't tney HIGHT " out hA0 hSaS
ana let the money be used for arms
and eduipnlenti haven't any sym
pathy with ell this sentimentai slush |
about the Home following them Let
them harden up Bit
\ when hear man talk like that
know he has never smelled powder Or
faced a gun. It Is the little things that
count in soldiers life. ] came very
young to the knowledge OF that. for
my father fought through the four
years of the Civil War, and the stories
Of my childhood were. therefore, those
Of war: not Of its horror--my father
kept the tales Of tragedy for an older
audience; he gave to me the homely
,ietaiis-what the soldiers ate, what
they wore, where they slept. the songs
they sang, their jokes--the funny old
Jokes that lose their point now as we
listen.
Thus learned that In soldiers
lexicon there are two very important
words food and "fun." found It
very hard at first to picture my dig
hified father in his frock coat and top
hat as making flapjacks or digging q
bit In which beans were to be baked,
and which was assured tasted better
than any beans In the whole wide
world when eaten with hardtack and
molasses- coffee. It was only
by getting out old pictures that ] saw
him at last thin and boyish in a shah
by uniform. and looking more like
somebody's younger brother than any
bcdy's father!
was never allowed to lose. sight OF
the fact that war was high and
solemn adventure. and T use "adven-
tureD here in O rather limited sense.
as the search for the Grail was an ad-
venture, or the Crusades, Fighting
must, l knew, have the justification Of
pnselfish purpose. My father held that
i it was no. only right. II. was the res
olute and strong thing to cake up arms
for tho relief Of the oppressed. A bat.
| tie for ones own freedom, or the free
dom OF another was righteous calle.
| ! remember that he came home one
night with blood on his cuffs. He had
i happened uporNs big brute beating a
4 cripple. II was the briite's blood that
4 that was on my fathers cuffs. And
/ The cripple. because of my father, haf
\ gone ,nharmed. IT was lesson
|4f1zx1 z-frnaes,i sfz,lfz'zsz.
when Belgium was invaded By th<
1 Hun!
i Because OF my father. and the thinga
he told me OF that other war, l have
come. perhaps. more easily 70 m IN.
( derstandihg Of the present conflict,
and the part our men play, than those
TO whom war Is thing new and fresh.
and who see in 1t only battlefields and
the dead and dying.
| A friend Of mine said to me the
other day--a devoted and gentle motn-
er-"I think Of my son always as fac
ing guns, bayoneting Germans, lying
In the mud and filth | cannot sleep.
! am haunted by the thought Of the
dresdfulness Of It all. and | can do
nothing for him"
But there was great deal that she
could do, and told her 80.
But what?"
There was a pile Of letters on her
desk-letters in pale buff envelopes,
stamped with red triangle and .
| quartet Of magical letters.
"There's your answer" I said.
what do you meanfs
Those four letters--Y. NJ. C. A.
spell comfort for your boy. amusement,
sympathy. Not all Of war is fighting.
He isn't always going over the top. or
killing Huns. A lot Of times he is Just
tired or homesick or lonely. II IL then
that he thinks Of you. IT Is then that
he longs for home. And II you can't
be with him, you can help home to fol-
low him"
It was hard to make her understand.
as ! have found 1t hard to make others
understand. In her capacity Of moth.
er, she wanted to minister to her child.
II she had had him with her abe would
have comforted him, cheered him. but
At long distance what could she dof
Let others do e." told her blunt.
ly, cand pay them well for II. II is the
cup Of cold water they are offering,
cant you sect You aren't there to do
H. You can't be there. You wouldn't
be bit or use II you were there. But
/ Salvation Army lassie can hand him
doughnut to hearten him up at the
psychological moment--the huts can
furnish him With amusement. spiritual
unlift. companionship. paper to write
bis letters, his chocolate. cigarettes
4 and coffee. And they are only asking
you to give your money Many women
are giving more; there are many titled
women IN London who have sent their
sons to fight, have turned their homes
4 into hospitals. have poured out their
mI,ney In generous response to every
call. and are now working as char.
women in "Y'' canteens.
There's The story-havs you heard
liti-of the woman who. On her knees
with brush and hot water ana soap,
was scrnbblnx The Ilnor Of the Eagle
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