The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-11-14

their homes, and with bonfire, sing
ing and dancing the people gave ven
to their feelings. They were wilt
with joy!
In the same room where the ban.
quet is TO be served this evening 8
barbecue was staged. roast pig ant
sandwiches were served every one.
This premature rejoicing was hui
prelude to the real celebration or
November 18th, henceforth to- be
known as Armistice Day. ,
To-day, the proudest moment OF
my life, l have the honor in behalf
of this community to say Welcome
Home we are proud of you one and
all. We are proud to have you with
us and from the bottom OF our
hearts We say Welcome"
Response BY Soldier.
Sergeant Harold Bowen responded
for the soldiers saying: 1T has
been my misfortune and good for.
tune TO be asked to make a response
10 the address of welcome you have
Just heard. My misfortune because
| realize that have not the words
TO express the deepness and fullness
of that feeling which is in the heart
of every returned Red Cross nurse
and soldier. My god fortune in that
am given this opportunity to ex-
press so far as / can something of
that feeling.
I'VE left this place with sad
ness and yet with an exultation of
Leart We were going to fight for
home and country We have gone
through our training course in the
cantonments on this side. We tray-
eled to the port of embarkation. We
crossed the Atlantic to France. We
meandered by "forty homes. eight
cheyeaux" box cars up toward the
front line trench. Through all the
travels we felt that loyal spirit of
the home folk backing us up and
urging us on.
"As time passed it came to US that
the battle was not entirely of the
front line. Nor was it just in the
routes of communication back of
that line. 1t did not end at the
ocean. 1t did not stop at training
camps. That was only the Informed
part of our army But the other
part of our great army was that part
which made the whole thing worth
while, the home people They were
waging battle at home. Yours was
the hardest fight. A son, brother or
sweetheart went away. You missed
him very much. but he entered into
new eager life and soon forgot to
he homesick
'At home life went on the same
Duties did not change. While we
fought to make the world safe for
democracy you fought the same war
to keep the home safe and free. You
curbed disloyal speeches. you labored
and saved, You sacrificed, and did
without things that had been neces-
sites in order, to give. We gained
an offensive, you made q welfare drive.
We won great battle, you put
across a bigger liberty loan. Every
thing you did was only on indication
of that wonderful backing we had
from home, Did we fight we'll?
Were we deserving of praise? It was
because we carried with us some
thing of that brave, smiling spirit
which babe, us goodbye that we
knew continued and would be there
IN great .us aoo;p oDi% "TF No errOf
The war ended nearly year ago.
1t made US glad TO read of how great |
was your rejoicing and we. all wish |
ed that we might have been there |
to join in celebration. But there |
was much work to finish, we waited |
impatiently for the day when we !
might return.
At last it came. The homeward
trip was all too long. The trains !
barely crawled. The ships only |
drifted. Everybody seemed slow to |
us.
Mingled thoughts filed our minds. |
Would we shout or cry? We did !,
shout when the old Statue of Lib |
erty came into view, as ready to well |
come as she had been to bid God !
speed. A little yatch slipped down !
the river 10 meet us, bearing the |
words welcome AS we swung to
the pier her n band played Home
Sweet Home. A mighty shout went
up but ended as suddenly for every /
fellow had a choking at the throat. |
During our absence we had learned |
the priceless value of Home Sweet |
Home. Everyone welcome was a |
keyword, no one was stranger.
I'VE arrived home. Everyone of !,
you waned to see us. Everyone of |
you showed you joy, at having us
back. Just to be home to shake
your hand and hear your voices was
welcome enough.
you have taken this way to give
us second greeting. On behalf of ,
the Red Cross nurses and soldiers / /
thank you for this truest and hearth
est of welcomes. We shall remem-
her 1t and you to the end of our
days and in remembering remember |
also that we were only the uniformed |
part of Uncle Sans great army and
that you and we together are vet
Grams of this Worlds war;
Hon e. T. Champlin, veteran of
the Civil war, read an original poem.
ITO the Khaki Boys" which was
beautiful. Sergeant Wasserman, ac-
companied by Miss Gladys Cooper
rendered pretty solo and respond
ed TO an encore. "fn
Mrs. Remfrey showed her poetical
N ility as q poetess by her poem,
1.-The Three Amrican Beauties" )
x,I,;ob he no,,,naead J,r;,,e, t1,a xxxa,-