The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-02
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

man, woman and child in Birmingham, for in a few days we are to welcome our own brave men.
 Just as I believe nothing ought to be nothing ought to be too good for our own blessed boys of the 167th infan- try when they come marching back home. Now, if you really wish to enjoy their return and make it the biggest day in the history of this good old by at least playing the host to one soldier.
 You ask, how can this be done when they are only scheduled here for the day, which will be given over to jolli- flcation? It is true that you cannot have the pleasure and the honor of talk ing them into your own home, but you can send the committee B, which will give you at least the satisfaction of knowing that you are paying for the entertainment of one of them.
 blTIuiHS ldHi HdS Dten IldhlHS Hi9to's while they have been away just as.they have been making an imperishable rec ord by their deeds of valor. The old antag gonism between civilian and soldier has been wiped out through better understanding, for the men at home have learned that they too had to make sacrifices in order to give the proper support to those at the front who were there to make the supreme one of life itself if necessary.
 
 At the crack of the pistol shot which went reverberating through the world. we here in America in our splendid isolation felt that we were in no dan ger of being drawn into the European conflict, for our situation, aims and ideals seemed to forbid such a thing well remember how our leading states men and editorial writers treated such a contingency as hardly being within the bounds of possibility.
 I recall rather shamefacedly how even after the war grew in fierceness 
 l recklessness of consequences sank the Luisitania that was strong in my pri- vate opinion and loud in my public ex- pressions that way would be found out of the difficulty and that America | would be able to stick to her policy of | not getting entangled in European al l dances, or be put to it to again wage war against an old world power
 
 l Even when Prussian militarism. drunk with success or maddened by thoughts of defeat, went from what was 1 avowed as an unmeditated attack into an open and fragrant crime against in l ternational law and the ordinary rights of humanity. and our government de- I manded both an apology and repara l tions,' and seeing that the Kaiser was wilfully forcing fight called his hand | good and strong. I still believed that l the extent of our participation would 1 be in the way of lending money to the allies.
 l It was inconceivable to me that it l would be necessary for the United | States to send soldiers abroad, and like many others was bothered about the many difficulties suggested against re- sorting to such strong measures. ] said that no American soldier would ever have to fight on foreign soil, for it would not be necessary as our money and food would make it possible for our l l,1 ta vic But Germany, with a fury and reck- lessness which amazed the world, was going from one victory to another and at last it dawned on us that unless we mobilized our man power and sent it !! over seas that the entente would be | licked or at best the war would end l in stalemate. Then came the call for volunteers. and later the draft or der, and we were in it head over heels l almost before we knew it.
 It seems only yesterday that we had our first great patriotic meeting a Capitol park, at which I had the honor to preside. Senators Bankhead ani Underwood, Governors Henderson ant Brough, and other notables spoke burn ing words against the dastardly deed.
 of the militarists of the central pow
 had disturbed the peace of Europe ant
 the world, and then with insane aban
 don had reached across the Atlantic ant defied the great American republic l
 After this first gathering, patrioti,
 meetings and specially flag raising
 happened almost every week. for Bir
 mingham was aflame with patriotic fer
 vor. Some of our choicest young me
 volunteered There was a rush for tn
 training camps, and we began to realiz
 in degree that We were entering upo
 what promised to be long drawn ou conquest; but even then every one o us had been struck with the full seri ) ousness of the situation confronting us ii It was only, when the draft came an we got used to going up to the park t
 check the boys in and then followe
 them sadly but proudly to the railroa station that we had it brought home t
 us that many of our loved ones wer 7 leaving us never to come back. w l bade them farewell with tears in ou ? strings, and went back to our bushes ! with grim resolve that we would SC | them through if it took our last do
 lar.