The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-11-16
.Armistice Day Directs Thoughts
Again to Soldier.

When the arnistice was signed
and we had completed the whoop-
ing and hula abalooing that marked
its celebration; when the troop
ships had returned and we had
seen the boys satiated with choco-
lates and ice cream and provided
with red chevrons and service bat
tons and $50 on which to start llfe
anew, a good many people in
America considered that the na-
ton had done its full duty by the
soldier. At least that's the way
the returned soldier construed the
attitude of the public toward him
and his service.
Certainly the great mass Of
Americans began to turn their
thoughts to other things than war,
the results of war. 1t was a nat
ural reaction. For more than two
years the American people had
been kept tuned to the highest
pitch of patriotism. There was
hardly a man, woman, or child on
the continent who had not made
his or her personal sacrifice. They
had given until it hurt. They had
kept the home fires burning. They
had stinted and they had saved,
not only that their own boys who
were fighting their fight should
have plenty, but that the allied
nations might be raised to their
highest state Of efficiency.
When the emergency had pass
ed, American thoughts were nat
urally devoted to other channels.
The magazines stunned war ar
ticles and war stories as persons
do the plague. No motion picture
was produced in which a uniform
that was not policeman's ap-
peared. The American people
made it their business to forget
! war.
1t is q law Of physics though
that the pendulum always swings
back exactly as far as it swings
forward. Now the American peo-
| pie are beginning to realize that
while they We're forgetting war,
they were also forgetting the re-
suits Of war, among which are the
soldiers incapacitated by wounds or
disease from lighting the battles Of
life Oh even terms with their fell
lows.
The people are realizing that
they were probably guilty Of the
great sin Of base ingratitude and
they are anxious to atone and ex-
plate.
But atonement and eXpiation
would have been impossible had no
agency been at work through that
. long period of Indifference on the
very work that the people in gen.
eral are now SO anxious to do.
Soon after the signing of the
armistice, officials OF the Ameri-
can Red Cross anticipated exactly
the indifference with which the
public would greet the claims of
the veteran and the Red Cross also
anticipated just how imperative
was the necessity for some national
agency to be raised up to care for
their calls.
AS result, during the past year,
the efforts Of the Red Cross have
been largely devoted to helping the
ex-so!die". The ked Cross has look
ed after the veterans claims. 1t
has looked after his capitalization,
! his peace of mind while in the hos
| pital, his chances for future USE
fulness after he has been made
bodily whole again, his education.
his ability 20 earn livelihood in a
field to which his natural talents
are fitted, the welfare Of his family
during the months or years in
which he is fiji ihgntseZlowh finn
which he is lifting himself.
In this work the Red Cross spent
more than $10,000,000 during the
current year and the demands for
soldier relief are increasing. In or
der to meet the demands the Red
Cross must have greater funds at
it's disposal.
For this reason, the organization
is laying the greatest stress c the
importance Of the Fifth Roll Call.
which begins November II, the an
niversary of the order to cease fir
ing. The cali of the Red Cross Cor
each man and woman in America
to answer this call, is one that
s,,orioopc NAV we'll heed
Z