The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-04
By MRS. G. H. MATHIS.


 The ancient plan of merging individual responsibility into government responsibil- ity. hoping thereby tc avoid all responsi- bility, is gradually falling into disre-
 pute, and in this day of intelligent in- dividuality the old subterfuge will not work.
 People are thinking in terms of justice
 and right. Service rendered must be ser vice rewarded, or the people will know why it was not.
 l A right spirit will show itself in right
 acts. If it fails it has uncovered a bad purpose, or mistakes however, allowance
 must be made for mistakes and blunders
 in new and untried fields; none of us
 know everything.
 The United States has been the most lib-
 eraf and unselfish nation the world has
 ever produced, and is living demonstra- tion of what people will do who are permitted to think and act for themselves. within the bounds of mutual heipfulness and national security. We have cheer- , fully given the most fabulous sums of
 money in order to win the war and relieve 1 the oppressed nations, yet we are not poorer for the giving, the rather we are lrcher in spirit and cooperation. Ine
 very giving has broadened most people, land taught them the beauty and sublim- l ity of service. It has taught them that selfishness is the curse of life, and gen.
 erosity is it's crowning virtue
 Those dwarfed souls who have failed to learn in this great school of human sui fering will find that time has made it's last great offer to them, for the world has never seen the like of this before
 and people have never needed help as
 they meed it now.
 Responsibility cannot be pushed away
 for a more convenient time, now is the
 time to show our spirit by our works,
 Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad
 that there are so many willing servants
 answering the call of sympathy and
 love. Behold millions of people striving
 to render the best possible servce Isn't it great and glorious to be in such high company?
 We have not suffered the ravages of war; neither have we felt the stress and strain of threatened destruction as other nations. We have felt comparatively safe. even though we really were in great ; danger. This war shows us the appalling extremes to which selfishness and cov- etousness will lead even intelligent human 1 beings. It makes ravenous beasts of men, morally and spiritually unfit for resi- dence upon the earth. The United States had close call; we scarcely realize it's gravity. We did not have ammunition Aer.ough to defend us one day as this war was being fought. General Sibert says We would today be dominated by Ger many if it had not been for French can- non and the British navy keeping the seas safe for us to ship nitrate from chilli. l Think of that narrow escape, What would ' property be worth if Germany was die. tating this peace?
 She intended to make America pay all Of the war debt or crush us. What would our money be worth if had not won WOlI11 he worth l if We had lost the war? There is not ! an acre of tillable land that could hold { half of it's present value if we had lost ! the war; in fact, the decline would more ! likely have been 75 per cent of present I value if it had not ben confiscated en- 4 tirely These are the facts that would have confronted every landowner, in , a direct way, whether the owner was ! a corporation or an individual. What 1 kind of a service did our brave soldiers { render to us when they entered that in ferno of Europe to protect and save America from what France and Belgium were suffering? It was our turn next to rt ceive the same treatment from the same source
 $ This has been the worst war the world a las ever seen, and the cyclone was head : ed straight for us until our noble young I men answered the call of civilization and humanity and by courage and suffering a turned the storm back onto those who had started it. By that we escaped. It was no easy task. It was almost super a human task It took all there was in hu- B nan life to face that inferno, but by tha t sa acrifice the beasts were conquered and A caged. America, more than any nation is NJ dictatinG peace terms to make war an Al imposshility in the future It is grea to have saved ourselves; it is greater 5 still to bring permanent peace to an s oppressed world. to a world sick of sin, d selfsNness and injustice. What do We owe those brave soldiers? What can we 4 render unto them for all of these bene A fits.
 The more property we possess the great e, is our indebtedness to them, the great 3 CT our debt of gratitude. Canada is giv- d ing her returned soldiers 320 acres of land g each and S30eo in money as token of 4 gratitude for the defense of the realm H What are we giving ours? Plenty of ap- S pause, plenty of good cheer plenty of A heartfelt welcome home That is good a but short,
 Those things don't last long enough to repay the debt we owe. We can't pay the debt, but we approach it. We can give a substantial evidence of ap- A preciation. We are the richest nation on earth, and the most liberal. yet we are neglecting very great duty. Costly monuments are all right, and beautiful to 2 look upon. but they are poor things for 3 comfort to the disab abled men who have no big land estate to rely upon for a living We are not doing our duty by the sol- diers, especially the disabled men, and | they feel it keenly, and will feel it more as they face the disadvantages under 4 which they live.
 Able-hodied men can find way to help \ themselves if given a chance but the \ lame. sheN-shocked and gassed men can A see very little in life for them They I are all shaky and burnt out on the inside, and can never work indoors again. They must stay in the open air to live. Vo- cat'onal training is certainly all right. and should be continued, but a few months at school is not sufficient pay H for a lost limb. A man who has lost the 1 'ise of an arm or leg is fully 75 per cent w disabled soldiers with land enough to so rewarded by the war risk insurance. 9 Is it working that way? I fear not. We must not rely upon the government to T do everything; we must see to some things ] ourselves.
 V The government has no money to do H anything except as Congress sees fit to 1 appropriate it, and party rivalry kills S many good intentions. The boys are not N all home yet, and things can be done that & are not being done. It is time as a ns Fl ticn, as states. counties, as indivtd- 8 uals that We set some plan to help out q boys. This is everybodys business and al everybody should take interest in it. T States having millions of acres of idle
 land, whether it is State-owned or not
 should devise some Dian to furnish the q disabled soldier swith land enough t6 Fl make them feel that their sacrifice was