The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-11-05
THE AMERICAN MOTHER
AND HER SOLDIER BOY

From the Congressional record ex-
tension of remarks of Hon Edward
Heating, of Colorado in the house of
representatives, Friday, Oct. IS,
IJI8.
Mr.. Heating. Mr.. Speaker, / have
friend who declares When he sees
soldier and his sweetheart together,
These are great days for girls" but
am always moved to add, They
are hard days for mothers"
Every mothers son is her hero.
Before he was born she dreamed
dreams and saw visions of his splen-
did future.
Before she had clipped the shin
ing curls from his baby head she
taught him to love his God, his
country, and his country's flag, look
ing toward the day when he should
play mans part in camp or court.
The supreme sacrifice has been re-
quired. Her boy is engulfed in the
great war. He is mere atom in this
stupendOus international adventure
She would have been ashamed if
he had faltered when the call"
came, but she would willingly lay
down her own life to protect him
from harm.
The Spartan mother said to her
son, Return with your shield, or
upon it" The American mother
sings, Don't come back till it's
over, over there,!"
Many men and women are posing
as patriots in these days, but just two
figures enchain my attention as
heroic-the American mother and
her son.
The American boy will win this
war, because he is the son of brave
mother.
You have see them, these courage
Gus mothers, all over our land, their
own flesh and blood for the salvation
of humanity, and bidding their boys
God speed" with a smile. That is
patriotism de luxe. That is the pa
triotism that fires the mitigation of
the poet.
During the Civil war Thomas
Buchanan Read, in his Wagner of
the Alleghenies," wrote:
The maid who binds her warriors
sash,
with smile that we'll her pain dis
trembles;
The while beneath her dropping lash
One starry tear-drop hangs and
rtembles;
Though Heaven alone records the
tear,
And fame shall never know her
story,
Her heart has shed a drop as dear
AS e'er believed the field of glory.
The great war has inspired much
verse that is destined to endure.
In small volumne entitled bill
of the y. S. A." Kenneth Graham
Duffield has phrased the heart throbs
of the American fighting man and
his father and mother. Allow me
to quote:
Bill of the U. S. A.
There wasn't much excitement round
our way,
Bout tn war.
We TUX tn papers an read 'em thru,
When We hadn' nuthin' better t. do.
We didn' know wuich side wuz right,
An didn' much care who won tn
fight.
So tn ole war run along until
TIL president said he needed Bill.
Seems like tn Dutch wuz a-killin'
our folks
Out on tn sea,
A-sinkin' our ships an a-sendin' 'em
down,
An lettin' tn winnin' an children
drown
Tn president writ EN- note or two,
A-tellin' 'em what they'd better do,
But they KEEP right on until
So he sent out word t. count tn men
ez wuz fifteen t. fight,
An Bill he put right off fer town,
An found Teller at writ it down
Bout where he wuz born-what
town an state,
An Bill he give i'm his age an date:
Born up yonder an Twin there still.
Scratch out Exempt I'll fight" SEE
Bill.
There wasn't any fellers much
straighter than Bill
Err better built.
A hundred an eighty an five foot ten
TIL mold God uses when maxim men.
Bills hair wuz black an his eyes
were blue
That was his Irish showing thru.
An tn captain SEE, ez captains will,
"Send me million men like Bill"
So Bill he's packed an ready t. go,
Way over there.
A-shoulderin' bun an his soldiers
Able an willing t. do his "bit."
Ready t. see tn ole war thru,
An do tn fightin' there is t do.
They've fought, an, allus will
God an tn U. S. Am Bill.
A Letter From Bills Dad
It's lonely, son, since you went away,
Across tn sea.
TIL birds don't sing ez they used t.
do,
When we went fishin'-just me an
you.