The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1920-05-05
my Father Was a soldier-He Was
Killed at courcelette."

terhood-that universal sisterhood of
suffering which the world has known
in these long, lonely years. =.
And il was between us, for we were all
in the family. There was no occasion
to scrape acquaintance by slow, con-
ventional thrust and parry.
"Yes," she said, sitting down and
motioning me TO a chair. II was bitter
at first. l was dreadfully bitter at
first. But gradually ] got a different
view of it, Gradually | came to feel
and know that all we can feel and
know here is on the surface-on the
outside. as you might say, and we
can't know the purpose until we are
inside. 1t Is as though life were
riddle. and the key is hidden. and the
door behind which the key is hidden is
called Death. And / don't believe it's
all for nothing; / won't believe it's all
for nothing.
Then there is the suffering" she
continued, after a pause. i don't know
why there should be suffering, but
would be no kindness. 1t Is not until
you are hlt-hard hit-that you begin
TO think of other people. Until then
all is selfishness. But we women--we
women of the war-we have nothing
left to be selfish for. But we have the
whole world to be unselfsh for It's
all different, and it can never go back.
We won't let it go back. We've paid
too much TO let it go back"
1t was hard to find n reply. 81 think
l knew your husband a little" / ven
tured. "He was IA man."
"He was all that" she said. She
arose and stood for a moment i'm an
attitude of hesitation her fingers went
TO her lips as though enjoining caution.
Then with quick decision she went into
an inner room, from which she re-
turned in a moment with letter.
IF you knew him you may care to
read this" she said. ITS very per-
sonal, and yet, some way, everything
Is impersonal now, in a sense. There
has been such common cause, and
such wave of common suffering, that
II seems to food out over the individ-
ual and embrace us ally So this
is really. in sense, your letter as well
as mine"
j took IL and read:
I have had many letters to write since
my service began as nurse In the war
but never have l approached the task
with such mixed emotions The pain /
must give you / wouS gladly bear myself
IL could but IL Is not an pain; under
meath IT, running through II In some way
cannot explain, Is a note so much deeper
than pain that IL must be joy
You have already been advised that Da-
Courceiette. IL Is trtte TO say that you have
the sympathy OF a grateful nation How
grateful the nation really is we shall
know By its treatment of the heroes who
survive the war and of the dependents of
those who have crossed over But moth
ing can rob you OF the knowledge that he
played a mans part. Nothing can debar
you from that universal fellowship of
sympathy which Is springing up wherever
manhood IL valued at its worth.
A new Order has been born into the
world. the Order OF Suffering Not that n
Is new, either; II has been with us since
the first mother went into the shadow for
her first child; but always suffering has
been incidental, a matter OF the indfvid-
ual. thing to be escaped II possible. But
now II Is universal. a thing not to be
escaped. but to be accepted, readily,
bravely. even gladly. And all who so ac-
cept II enter into-the new Order. and wear