The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1919-01-17

they faced the perils Of pneumonia, of influenza, and of tuber-
'culosis and the danger of permanent injury through accident
in the systematic but necessary accelerated training they under
"They did not enter the area of battle, but for months they
aict and all their activities were toward fitting them for the
grim work of killing. They broke home ties and left behind
them weeping mothers and sisters and sweethearts. and anxious
fathers and brothers and friends.
"And the fact that two million Americans were in France
bined with the further fact that fully as many more men were
being trained for the battlefield, robbed the Germans of their
spirit and broke down their morale.
what was the use-sO the Huns perhaps reasoned-of
fighting desperately against the Yanks when IN the end they
must succumb to the hosts of Americans who were arriving
by the thousands each day? Dame harrington, endeavoIng
with her broom to sweep back the waters OF the rising tide
of the Atlantic from her door, did not attempt ANYTHING more
futile than would the Germans had they continued ther reslS-
lance after Keeling before the attacks of PershIngs Crusaders.
$50, after all, the men who did not reach the war zone
made a great contribution toward victory, and the people back
home should not lose sight of that fact when some lad who did
not arrive overseas, speaks depreciatingly of his own part in
the war. AS the immortal Schley said on an historic occasion,
There is glory enOguh for ALL
Still %furthering the same idea, the same newspaper, under
the caption of mot a White Feather had the following we'll
stated utterance in its editorial columns, January TO-:
eve have in mind a story coming out of Washington OF a
fsticuff between two young lieutenantS, one OF whom had
served overseas while the other had seen service only in this
country. 1t is related that the overseas officer, with a gold
stripe on his sleeve, was walking along one OF the capital streets
accompanied by a young lady, when the officer with a white
stripe on his sleeve, recording six months service in this coun-
"The young lady inquired of her overseas companion the
meaning of the white stripe and this officer in a voice loud
enough to be heard by the other, replied: oh, that's the white
feather"
According to the chronicler there was a quick display
of fists and the young fellow who had not been across the
water won an easy decision by the knockout route. There
were apologies to the young lady and the matter ended.
But the incident is typical of a sentiment that has sprung
up in some quarters to regard the boys in the service of Uncle
Sam who did not get across as being in the nature Of slackers
if not towards. 1t is the rankest injustice to disparage the
efforts of these boys and to condemn them for something over
which they had absolutely no control. Most Of them would
rather have been on the battlefield where glory awaited their
efforts than to have been engaged in hard and thankless toll
at some camp in this country.
Our tributes to those heroic boys who fought and bled
and DIED TO save civilization need not suffer the least diminr-
ton by offering a need of praise to the luckless fellows who
were all aglow to get across, but who had to wait on orders
OF their government. We know of boys who volunteered at the
very beginning of the war, anxious to get to the field of battle
as soon as possible, but whose ambitions were never gratifed.
1T is not only manifestly unAmerican, it is grossly unfair
to regard these white stripes as anything less than badges of
honor. Least of all are they the symbols of a white feather"