Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1919-04-24
BY Charles Alden Seltzer.

AlUOu OClIXCKs
/ case" he said. "But that doesn't alter
the fact that the Government was ex-
travagant. Look what the war u 60
ing to cost us."
what would It have cost us II Ger.
many had won?" asked Molly. 'Instead
Of buying Liberty Bonds or Notes to
store away in some safe place, mean
while drawing interest ON them. We
would now be getting ready to pay
billions of dollars of tribute money to
Germany"
$50 you think we ought to make this
last Liberty Loan success?" said
Corwin.
Ben is over there" declared the
girl. HE went over at the behest Of
the Government-which is all OF us.
He went for a definite purpose-to
| fight for his country, and to win. He
was prepared to give his life for u.s.
And" here Molly's voice quavered-
"he may have done so by this time, for
have not heard from him for several
months. Our boys have done their
part: they have given their limbs,
their sight, their lives. And we, back
here, enjoying peace are-some of us
reluctant to back them up with our
dollars. Money! Why, Mr.. Corwin.
how much per capita has this war
really cost us, in direct outlay? Here
are one hundred million people. That
means that il each and every one of
the hundred million advances the Gov
| tnr l111 nj
has one billion. Ten dollars! Multi
ply that-by twenty. That would
mean that IL each of the hundred mil
lion gave the Government two hund-
dred dollars, the total amount would
be twenty billion. If you could buy
liberty for two hundred dollars = IL
you could buy immunity from attack
for that amount, would you hesitate?
Many men pay that amount to their
lawyers--and much more-to defend
them in a lawsuit!
$50 you see, Mr.. Corwin, though the
amount of money expended seems to
be enormous, it really isn't so much
for each of us to bear. Why" she
added, her eyes cleaning with lu-
| WOulu SlNC -
thousand times that sum, il l had 1t,
to be sure that Ben would come back
to me. would give everything /
possess TO bring any gilHs brother
back"
A thrill of sympathy ran over Cor
whit was perhaps the first unselfish
emotion he had experienced since the
day when Gary Miller. in his private
office at the Merchants Bank, had
filed his mind with the poison OF
potential disloyalty.
But the emotion did not last; it was
transient, surface-it went no deeper
than hi thoughts, after the first STIR
ring surge. 1t did not reach the
note of patriotism. Watching him
closely, Molly saw his eyes grow Gym
ical again; and she drew deep, slow
breath-for she had been hoping he
| would surrender, that he would come
to realize that the Nations trouble
meant something more to him than
the consideration Of self; that he
/
| vision, and that the real Corwin, hid.
den beneath the cynical mask he af-
fected. would be revealed For she
could have loved the Corwin of her
] ideals.
| ut all comes to question of indi-
vidualism," he said. 1--WE are all will
ing to sacrifice, providing we gain
something by doing so. The motive
underlying all this fuss is the desire
Of every man engaged in it to express
his personality in one way or another.
The soldier, believe. has less chance
to be an individual than any other
class concerned in the war. For he is
a slave to discipline. He has to obey
orders. He is drafted, or he volun-
teers. But once he enters the army
he loses his individuality and becomes
is a pawn--a human sacrifice to the
greed of other individuals. 1t is my
opinion that, left to decide for them
selves, very few men who are now in
the army would have joined it. They
would have preferred to stay out and
let the other fellow do, the fighting"
,Molly's face had grown very white.
"Mr. Corwin," she said slowly;
"either you do not understand. or you
are deliberately denying your Ameri-
canism. You ought to know better
than to talk like that"
She sat very straight and rigid,
breathing fast.
There is such thing as a man
fighting for his country unselfishly-
because he loves It! OF course every
one Of those boys who went over there
was reluctant to fight-with the excep.
tion of some who are so constituted